Andrew Strauss believes old habits came back to haunt England in 4th ODI against Australia
England lost the chance to inflict serious pain on their old rivals, as they lost the 4th ODI and with it, the prospects of a first ever whitewash against Australia.
England captain Andrew Strauss believes that the team was by no means short on ability or skill and had everything they needed to continue the winning streak, but it was the return of some bad habits that hampered his team’s chances of a whitewash.
Australia were led by their captain Ricky Ponting, who had been struggling for runs in the series. However, a good comeback from him, aided by his deputy Michael Clarke, enabled him to put up a decent score (290/5), while in reply England could only manage 212 (all out).
Considering the determination and grit shown by the team in earlier matches, it sure was disappointing to say the least, as there was complacency and that is what cost England dearly.
England Captain Andrew Strauss said that his team did get a good start with the ball and had an edge over the Australian batsmen, but he praised his counterpart Ponting and Clarke for a sterling batting performance. Strauss said that in the end, 290 was not a total beyond reach, and he was very confident that his team would be able to reach it without much fuss.
According to Strauss, old habits do tend to come back and remind you of what the team needs to avoid; it was typical of the team to lose too many early wickets and there were simply no partnerships, as every batsman kept believing, or rather hoping, that the man coming in next would take the responsibility, and kept playing irresponsible strokes.
Strauss refused to blame the wicket, and said that it was pretty much a flat track and batting should not have been a problem. It was more the complacent batsmen’s fault, who kept getting out at regular intervals, rather than the bowlers producing wicket taking deliveries.
The England skipper said that maybe it was the law of averages, because England had been doing quite well even before the T20 World Cup, and sooner or later they had to lose.
Now that a whitewash is out of the picture, England selectors may ponder on giving the fringe players a chance in the final ODI at Lords.
Strauss also said that there might be some changes in the final ODI, as there are some players in the squad who have not been able to get a game, since there have been no changes in the team for a while. However, he reiterated that the team is still focused on making it 4-1 rather than 3-2.
On the other hand, Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, was happy to have finally won a match, and removed any chances of a whitewash, but the bonus was his 92 runs which were, to say the least, much needed for him, after a string of low scores in the series.
He said that the team certainly played much better; the batting was much more stable, and the team controlled the game almost from start till the end.
Commenting on finally getting some runs under his belt, Punter said that while batting at number 3 one has to be very consistent, because that position is integral, as it is the important spot that links the top and middle order.
He added that he was just happy to be among runs again, and hoped his form would continue in the upcoming test matches against Pakistan.
Australia will play two Twenty20 matches and two tests against Pakistan in England later in the summer.
Tags: