England won't rest on Ashes laurels, says Andrew Strauss

Published on Wednesday 29 December 2010 17:29

England have much to celebrate but still more to prove, to themselves and their public, after retaining the Ashes in Australia.

• England's Graeme Swann celebrates winning the fourth test. Picture: PA

It was in keeping with the Andrew Strauss-Andy Flower ethos that the captain was measured rather than ecstatic after his team had beaten Australia by an innings and 157 runs at the MCG to take an unassailable 2-1 series lead, with one Test remaining.

Euphoria had reigned, as Graeme Swann switched seamlessly from champion off-spinner to 'Sprinkler' dance cheerleader in front of the 'Barmy Army' and thousands of other delighted travelling supporters.

There was a slightly more sober tone, but an appropriately fixed smile of satisfaction too, by the time Strauss assessed England's achievements so far and their determination to consolidate with future success.

Anything less than a series victory after next week's final Test in Sydney will leave the captain ruing a missed opportunity.

His wish-list does not end either with leading England to their first Ashes series success in Australia for 24 years. Next there is the small matter of a sub-Continental World Cup in two months' time and a chance to win that global tournament for the first time in England's history.

• Frank Malley: Tormented turn tormentors Down Under with an utterly comprehensive triumph to savour

• Victory is tweet for Ashes heroes

Then, in good time, Strauss and coach Flower have their eyes on the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings, another summit England have yet to climb.

But, after Tim Bresnan and Matt Prior sparked manic celebrations by combining to take the final wicket, last man Ben Hilfenhaus caught-behind in an Australia second-innings total of 258 just under 40 minutes before lunch on the fourth day, Strauss did allow himself to stay partially 'in the moment'.

"We should enjoy tonight and rightly so," he said. "But it's back to square one for Sydney. Our objective was to come out and win the series and we haven't achieved that yet.

"It's very reassuring to know the Ashes will remain in England for another couple of years, but it would leave a very sour taste in the mouth if we couldn't convert our position into a series win in Sydney."

England's success so far has been built on the ideals of team unity and collective contributions, treasured by Strauss and Flower.Man-of-the-match Jonathan Trott's unbeaten 168 and Bresnan's match figures of six for 75 were the main reasons for their superiority over often hapless hosts in this fourth Test.

Before then, Strauss himself, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen's runs and wickets from James Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Steven Finn - rested in favour of Bresnan here - have given England a decisive edge.

Strauss is confident the same players can continue to excel together. But he added: "In reality, the job is a long way off being done.

"This is one series and, as a side, we've still got a lot of goals we want to achieve. English cricket is not just about winning the Ashes; we've got to look forward to the future and get the team up the rankings - to No 1 at some stage, we hope. That's the ultimate goal, and India next summer is an important step on that way."

Strauss has great faith in his players. "I always thought there was a huge amount of talent at our disposal, and maybe we didn't realise how much there was - the likes of Tremlett, Bresnan, (Ajmal] Shahzad. Maybe we didn't know how much talent was in county cricket.

"Those guys have come in and delivered. We don't feel there's any reason why we can't go on and do better things - but if we get away from what has got us here and start patting ourselves on the back too much, then we'll go backwards again.

"Andy Flower has been outstanding as a team director, providing a strategy for us. But ultimately it's about 11 guys on the pitch delivering consistently. Maybe in the past we relied too heavily on one or two players to do it for us. Now I don't think we do that as much."

It is a moot point whether that was a failing when England lost 5-0 in Australia four years ago. In any case, it is an experience Strauss will never be able to forget but one, too, which he has put to good use.

"It was certainly the lowest point in my career and a lot of the guys felt similarly. In a lot of ways, I think there were some very important lessons learned. The one thing that struck me as an opening batsman in that series was the feeling of being suffocated from both ends all the time. I think that was the basis of our strategy out here, to make sure that Australia never got away from us - and if we did that well and consistently that would bring us wickets. Four years is a long time in Test cricket. But it does make things slightly sweeter sitting here, knowing the urn is coming back and having experienced that last time."

Trott, on his first tour of Australia, has good reason to be thankful for Strauss' leadership skills. "He's obviously very level-headed and - something you probably need as captain - very cool under pressure," said the No 3 batsman, who has made three centuries in just five Ashes Tests.

"You don't really see his emotions fluctuate. He's a very calming influence.He works really well with Andy Flower, the two of them have a great relationship, which is a key in any team success, communication between the players and the coaching staff. Coming to Australia and being captain, you obviously get targeted a little bit. You're the guy who can make or break the tour and we've always had confidence in the way we are led."

Swann said: "It's been an amazing series. It's fluctuated so wildly. After the hammering we got in Perth it took a mammoth effort to come back. I think the is we had a few more guys in good nick with bat and ball. They have some unbelievable players, but Ricky Ponting has not had a good score. How we've managed that I'll never know. He's one of the best players going.

"I was hoping I'd take the last wicket, but it's fitting that 'Bres' got it. I said before I wouldn't bother if I didn't take a wicket in the series as long as we won it."

Bresnan added: "It's an unbelievable feeling. I think we'll have a few decent days of celebrations now. The bowlers worked in partnerships and created pressure and that became wickets."