Fletcher defends families

Duncan Fletcher spoke at a press conference in Melbourne © Getty Images

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England coach Duncan Fletcher has stressed the presence of the players’ families and partners in Australia during the Ashes series is no different to other tours.

Critics have suggested the visitors have been a distraction to Fletcher’s squad and are partly to blame for England’s poor performances in the Test matches.

Unlike other overseas trips, when the majority of partners and families travelled out between specified dates and have all their costs paid for by the England and Wales Cricket Board, many of the players have had their loved ones present for most of the tour.

It is something of a modern phenomenon but Fletcher insists it is not a factor in England’s performances and claims he does not have any objection to their presence.

“It’s been no different to other tours when we’ve had wives and families on the tour and it may be something we repeat again,” said Fletcher.

“It is one of the areas we will reflect on when we get back from the tour.

“They have been here on other tours outside the period the ECB is prepared to pay for and we have it in England when they are on tour for most of the time.

“In England we play seven Tests and the wives are there for all of them. We believe, with the amount of cricket that is played, it is important the players are as comfortable off the field as they are on it.”

Andrew Flintoff's wife Rachael © Getty Images

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Fletcher has no objections to families accompanying his players, providing the squad work hard on their skills and concentrate on the cricket.

But he has not detected any sign of distraction on this tours, stressing: “As long as they are comfortable and they are putting their performances in at net practices and everything, then it’s fine with me.

“As long as they pitch up and get in the gym, do their training and do their work, then that’s fine with me as long as it doesn’t interfere with those areas.”

Indeed, Fletcher has been extremely supportive of his squad despite their three-day loss in the fourth Test at the MCG and insisted the scale of their defeat was not a sign of a side counting the days until the end of the series.

He claimed: “This side is no different to any other England side I’ve been involved with in that they went out there and tried their hardest.

“Those guys have tried their damnedest as a unit to try and put a performance in. Anyone who was in the changing room afterwards would see how despondent they were.

“It was the same in Perth - they were very despondent after losing the Ashes.

"You can’t start thinking people had let you down as long as they’re trying - if they weren’t trying then I would say they had let people down, but they are trying their damnedest.”