Flintoff demands response

Andrew Flintoff shows the strain as England slide towards defeat on the last day © Getty Images

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Captain Andrew Flintoff believes England can bounce back from their shock six-wicket defeat in the second Test as they battle to retain the Ashes.

England became the first side in history to post a declared first-innings total as high as 551 for six and lose a Test.

They were dismissed second time around for 129, and Australia chased down their 168-run victory target with 19 balls remaining.

It was a shattering blow for the tourists after they dominated the opening two days of the match, and the difficulty of the task ahead is underlined by the fact no side since 1936-37 has come from 2-0 down to win the Ashes.

“It’s a big challenge for us now. We’re two behind in an Ashes series with three to play but we can’t mope around too much,” said Flintoff.

“It’s going to hurt, this game, but we’ve got just over a week until the next one. Personally, I don’t want to feel like this again so there’s a big incentive for us.

“The side are disappointed. They are a proud team and they want to do well in this series.

“Over the next few days I’m sure we’ll talk about his game amongst ourselves and discuss where we went wrong.

“We’ve got to be big enough now to bounce back and face what’s in front of us.”

Flintoff claimed that England’s morning display, during which they lost nine wickets for 60 runs with Shane Warne claiming 4-49, was the decisive passage of the match.

Flintoff paid tribute to Brett Lee's impressive spell early on the fifth day © Getty Images

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“For four days we played some fantastic cricket, but the game got away from us over an hour this morning,” said the captain.

“Shane Warne and Brett Lee got wickets and from that we were on the back foot, but besides that we played a good game for four days.

“It just shows you that in Test cricket you can have one bad hour and it can cost you the game.

“We’ve improved from the Gabba and got a lot better. We’ve got into positions in this game where we played some good cricket.”

Flintoff also denied that the irritation he felt in his troublesome left ankle was a major issue and stressed he was hurting more from the manner of England’s defeat than any physical problems.

He revealed: “My ankle is fine. There was a little bit of discomfort. I’ve played back-to-back Test matches and bowled a few overs, which is something I’ve not done for a while.

“Maybe I was a little bit naive in thinking I’d get off scot-free and everything would be fine.

“There’s been a little bit of discomfort but it’s not something I’m bothered about - it’s not the ankle that’s hurting at the moment.”