Ashes 2013/14: An Ashes post-mortem

Captain Alastair Cook (L) and the England players look on during presentations after the 5-0 defeat in the Ashes series

Cricket is a game in which a team needs to keep performing like a unit or else it will lose its momentum and will get outplayed by another team. Similarly, Alastair Cook’s team is in total mess because of their bizarre performance in the recently concluded Ashes series right now. The team is facing criticism from the cricketing arena for its disastrous tour ‘Down Under’, where they were whitewashed by the mighty Australians.

No one had thought that the English team would surrender to the hosts in such a way after they had won the Ashes a few months back in their own backyard. But rightly said, “Cricket is a funny game” which changes within the blink of an eye.  Complacency, lack of fighting spirit, and inconsistency were the root causes of England’s failure in the series.

The main difference between the two teams was that the Aussies were definitely more prepared and took this series much more seriously than their counterpart. Lots were at stake after an one-sided loss to England in the summer, and revenge was the only thing that mattered the most for them.

Right from the start they were aggressive in their approach and played cricket in the typical ‘Australian’ way. Sledging was at its peak right from the Brisbane test match, which pushed the English team on the back foot. Harsh words were being exchanged between the players; there was plenty of action and drama for the spectators (though they were also involved in a few).

It was not the first instance involving Australia showing a lot of emotions on the field. They are a team known for playing in a rough manner. England should have been prepared for such a ‘treatment’ but their attitude reflected that they were mentally under-prepared.  If the mindset of a team is defensive, it is bound to reflect on the players’ approach.

England team’s surrender to the host’s aggression reflected that they were weak, and had taken things too lightly. As a result, Jonathan Trott went back home because of depression in the first half of the series. Graeme Swann, their frontline spinner, left the series in the middle, and announced his retirement as he was performing below his abilities – which added to his team’s plight. But the most shocking thing was to see the England team allow their senior player retire just like that in the middle of such an important series. This clearly shows that the team was not in the right frame of mind.