End of a sloppy summer for England

Zee Media Bureau/Manushree Chaumal

Sydney: England`s disastrous tour to Australia has finally ended after 100 days of torment. They have had a forgettable series and need a lot of introspection in the coming days to resurrect the team for the upcoming tours and the World Cup 2015. High on confidences, when England team reached Australia, they would not have imagined what destiny had in store for them. They were coming in to the tournament winning the previous Ashes 3-0 but lost miserably in the return Ashes and as if the Ashes humiliation was not enough, they went on to lose the ODI and T20 series too! Also in the process, England lost their coach Andy Flower, saw untimely retirement of spinner Graeme Swann and an unceremonious exit of Jonathan Trott. The role of England captain Alastair Cook is also under scanner now. Cook could not lead from the front, nor could he create any wonders from his bat. None of their players barring Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes performed consistently. On the other hand, the Australian summer was delightful for the hosts. They not only clean swept the Ashes Test and the T20 series; they won the ODI series too conceding just one loss. The England side in en-route lost 12 out of the 13 matches played in all formats of the game. England team needs introspection. First and foremost, their shattered confidences needs a revival. Finding a new coach after Andy Flower`s departure will be yet another task for the England Cricket Board.