CAPTAIN Andrew Flintoff believes England can bounce back from their shock six-wicket defeat in the second Test as they battle to retain the Ashes.
England became the first side in history to post a declared first-innings total as high as 551 for six and lose a Test.
They were dismissed second time around for 129, and Australia chased down their 168 victory target with 13 balls remaining.
It was a shattering blow for the tourists after they dominated the opening two days of the match, and they will need to become the first side in Ashes history to overturn a two-match deficit if they are to keep the prize they won last year.
éItés a big challenge for us now - weére two behind in an Ashes series with three to play, but we canét mope around too much,é said Flintoff.
éItés going to hurt, this game, but weéve got just over a week until the next one. Personally, I donét want to feel like this again so thereés a big incentive for us.
éThe side are disappointed. They are a proud team and they want to do well in this series and over the next few days Iém sure weéll talk about his game amongst ourselves and discuss where we went wrong.
Display
éWeéve got to be big enough now to bounce back and face whatés in front of us.é
Flintoff claimed that Englandés morning display, during which they lost nine wickets for 60 runs with Shane Warne claiming four for 49, was the decisive passage of the match.
éFor four days we played some fantastic cricket, but the game got away from us over an hour this morning,é said the captain.
éShane Warne and Brett Lee got wickets and from that we were on the back foot, but besides that we played a good game for four days.
éIt just shows you that in Test cricket that you can have one bad hour and it can cost you the game.
éWeéve improved from the Gabba and got a lot better. Weéve got into positions in this game where we played some good cricket.é
Flintoff also denied that the irritation he felt in his troublesome left ankle was a major issue and stressed he was hurting more from the manner of Englandés defeat than any physical problems.
He revealed: éMy ankle is fine. There was a little bit of discomfort. Iéve played back-to-back Test matches and bowled a few overs, which is something Iéve not done for a while.
éMaybe I was a little bit naive in thinking Iéd get off scot-free and everything would be fine. Thereés been a little bit of discomfort but ités not something Iém bothered about - ités not the ankle thatés hurting at the moment.é
Victory
Victorious Australian captain Ricky Ponting claimed the victory was one of the best of his career and claimed it was a triumph for the belief among his players.
éThere was no doubt we were a long way behind after day two but we spoke about lots of different things and we all thought we had a chance of winning the Test match,é he explained.
éWe had a lot of hard work to do to achieve that, but weéve done that and weéve ended up winning the game. Ités one of the all-time great Test wins as far as Iém concerned.
éWeéve seen enough games of Test cricket to know you have to do something exceptionally well to be able to turn the course of a Test match around that way.
éOur cricket over the last three days has been as good Test match cricket as you will ever see from any team - thatés why I said ités the greatest Test win Iéve known.é
Ponting also praised the display of Warne, whose figures today amounted to 27-11-29-4 after bowling unchanged from the Cathedral End of the Adelaide Oval and spreading panic through Englandés ranks.
éIf thereés a game on the line then you just wonét get the ball out of Warneyés hand,é he added. éHe just keeps lifting himself and getting himself up.
éHe wants to bowl at the best players and wants to be the man that gets those players out.
éHe stood up again and I said to him after the game that heés changed the course of this Test match and could even be the summer with that spell of bowling today.é
Do you think England can retain the Ashes? Have your say.
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What a woeful, pathetic, inept performance by Englands "star" batsmen on the last day in Adelaide, they threw away all that Hoggard had worked for, in the first session of play, England really need to find another Boycott or Bannister as that type of player used to frustrate bowlers and that is the type of player needed over here, I think that Giles is past his use by date, OK on English wickets but no good on Aussie wickets, can we win the Ashes I think not, one cricket writer said to think that Australia lost the Ashes to this lot??
A big NO from me.
England is playing the number one test team in the world at home. 2 tests and 2 losses says it all. Maybe there'd be some hope if England had a Warne- but he's Australian.
10 runs from the first 11 overs today says it all. We went out with a negative attitude and paid the penalty. Australia rattled up the runs at more than 4 an over with no England players anywhere near the bat. Flintoffs captaincy was not good today. England should never have lost this game.
I don't know Australia lost the ashes in the first place??
'Can England bounce back?' Have a look out of your nearest widow. How many flying pigs can you see? I went to bed last night, didn't watch. As it was a draw and the series already lost. As there is NO WAY this team can take 20 wkts in one test...
Keep the faith! I'm not giving up yet.
My dad could have played better than Flintoff and his motley crew, and my dad is 88
Don't be stupid! Flintoff really believes nothing of the sought. The Ashes have GONE and who is surprised? That's the golden treble of balls ups - Cricket, Football and Rugby! And all thanks to the arrogant idiots running their respective games, in particular Messrs Fletcher, Erickson and Thompson. With the recent debacle the flawed logic of Fletcher was case proven. Why take Harmison, Giles and Anderson. All palpably unfit mentally or physically - or both! At least "Stresscothick" had the guts to cut and run. And why play the "batting" wicketkeeper! It will be a major triumph to escape a five-nil! Maybe the weather will come to our rescue. In winning The Ashes last year with dodgy decisions going our way we used up a lifetime of luck! The only people to pass muster have been Flintoff, Bell, Collingwood and Hoggard. The rest rubbish! We have THREE good bowlers and one of those was sitting in the stands.
There just not good enough, under presure, and the to old Australian side is just to good.
lets face it the weather is totaly
different and the pitches are different you have to be able to play on all surfess not just home ones.
Dear oh dear. Please take me back all the English pubs I visited earlier this year. The greatness of the English team was unsurpassed according to all & sundry. The Aussies too old, the golden era over. The ashes are coming home.
I can hear the excuses from here
come off it!! england have absolutely no chance of retaining the ashes, proving for the second test in a row what a fluke it was to win them in the first place last year. No Rod Marsh - no england.