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This article covers the important facts regarding Ollie Pope says perception England ‘weren’t fussed’ in the Ashes is hard to take.
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Batter Ollie Pope statedany perception England “weren’t fussed” about winning the Ashes is hard to take.
England were blighted by problems on and off the field during the 4-1 defeat in Australia.
They were criticised for their preparation after playing only one warm-up match before the first Test.
The tourists’ drinking also came under scrutiny, particularly a mid-series holiday in Noosa, and the later revelation that Harry Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer on the white-ball tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes.
“We want to be a well-liked team on and off the pitch and unfortunately our performance didn’t allow that to happen in Australia,” statedPope, who was dropped for the final two Ashes Tests.
“I can understand why people felt that way. The perception that we weren’t fussed was probably the hard thing. Every individual is trying to manage the pressures of an Ashes series and get the best out of their performance.
“All everyone wanted to do was win. I guess maybe at times in our minds it was taking the pressure off the actual Test match, as we have done in previous tours, to treat it like a normal series to get the best out of ourselves. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go to plan.”
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould has been leading a “thorough review” of England’s Ashes tour and is due to speak to the media in the coming days.
It is understood head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key retain the support of the ECB, and Key is likely to speak alongside Gould.
New Zealander McCullum has repeatedly reiterated his desire to remain in charge, fulfilling a contract that runs until the autumn of next year.
Speaking earlier this month, after England lost in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup, McCullum statedhe made “no apologies” for running an “informal” environment.
But the perception of the England environment was hit by further negativity by criticism from Liam Livingstone. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the discarded all-rounder said: “If you’re in, you’re in, and if you’re not in, no-one cares about you.
“There wasn’t any part of me that was wishing I was playing in that team, to be honest.”
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