Lack of respect for captain, coach resulted in poor Ashes series: Prior

London: England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has accepted that players showed a lack of respect for both captain Alastair Cook and coach Andy Flower, showing a slip in discipline standards within the England team, resulting in a 5-0 Ashes thumping at the hands of Australia.

Writing for UK`s Daily Telegraph newspaper, Prior said minor issues such as being late for team meetings and not wearing the correct kit were symptomatic of deeper problems in the team, even allowing for the fact that Australia played by far the better cricket during the series. He further said not playing well is one reason, but a deeper assessment is required for whitewash in the Ashes series. Prior, who was dropped following the third Test in Perth after a poor performance, said the dressing room environment was not right, and on the Ashes tour, pointing to a slip in standards and a decline in building of a positive team environment. Reacting to reports of a breakdown in the relationship between Flower and Kevin Pietersen, Prior backed the existing management team-including batting coach Graham Gooch-to oversee a reversal in England`s fortunes. Prior was also self-critical of his own performance in Australia, particularly when he missed the chance to stump David Warner off struggling off-spinner Graeme Swann in Perth, an error that allowed the opener to score a hundred, Sport24 reports.