Fletcher: We must share blame

19 December 2006

Duncan Fletcher is looking for a response from his players in Melbourne © Getty Images

England coach Duncan Fletcher insists he and his players must share responsibility for relinquishing the Ashes after Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

England’s 15-month hold on the Ashes ended on Monday with a comprehensive 206-run defeat by Australia in the third Test at the WACA.

Fletcher’s side now head to Melbourne to prepare for the fourth Test on Boxing Day which will be attended by thousands of England supporters at the recently rebuilt Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“There is blame on all of us,” said Fletcher who has come in for criticism during England’s Ashes tour of Australia.

“Everyone has got to be blamed on how we performed and how we selected and if people want to blame us for those areas then we’ve got to take that responsibility.

“When you lose the Ashes it hurts and when you win them it’s very exciting - you know you’ve achieved something and all this has done is make us realise what we need to do to win them back.

“Australia played some good cricket and they grabbed opportunities and there were opportunities we had that if we’d taken we could have still been competitive.”