Fletcher: Injuries cost us

Duncan Fletcher

Coach Duncan Fletcher challenged any side in the world to deal with England’s injury crisis after a poor showing at Headingley capped their NatWest Series whitewash.

Sri Lanka ruthlessly exposed the inexperience in the home attack to rip up the record books in their charge to a 322-run target.

They completed the eight-wicket victory which sealed a 5-0 campaign success with 75 balls to spare, thanks to turbo-charged hundreds from Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga.

Arguably, given the rate at which the tourists were going, South Africa’s one-day international high score of 438 for nine would have been under threat.

But Fletcher defended England, despite an overall record of 15 defeats in 18 matches in one-dayers against Test-playing nations stretching back to the eve of last summer’s Ashes.

“It doesn’t reflect our ability,” said Fletcher of the five-match thrashing. “We had to pick a squad of 14 after the Australians toured and we are missing eight of those 14.

“It would be very interesting if Sri Lanka were missing eight of their players and we had eight of our players back. That is the formula you have to look at. What then would the result have been?”

England began the series devoid of captain Michael Vaughan, his recent deputy Andrew Flintoff, spinner Ashley Giles and fast bowler Simon Jones.

They were all in the side that shared the NatWest Series with Australia in the heady summer of 2005.

Ian Blackwell and James Anderson - proven replacements for Giles and Jones - were ruled out with long-term injuries and even after England named their 15-man party, Ed Joyce and Glen Chapple were crocked to add further disruption.

Injured skipper Michael Vaughan © Getty Images

“Finally Kevin Pietersen (knee) and Paul Collingwood (thigh) were not risked after Mahela Jayawardene’s Sri Lankans clinched the series.

“I would like to see what any side missing eight have got,” Fletcher added. “Take the football for example: there were a lot of queries as to what it would be like if just Wayne Rooney was missing for the World Cup.

Just one player missing; we are missing eight of our top players; a very influential captain, a very experienced spin bowler, the number one all-rounder in the world.

“Take a look at that. It is a huge hole in any squad.”

How much the limited-overs drubbings will affect morale for a Test series against Pakistan less than a fortnight away is hard to equate but Fletcher believes recent history may be on England’s side.

Just two years ago England failed to reach the final of their own NatWest Series tournament, winning only once in five attempts, but they trounced West Indies in the subsequent Tests and found enough form to finish runners-up in the ICC Champions Trophy.

“We played as bad cricket as we have in this series in a triangular with New Zealand and West Indies,” Fletcher recalled. “We went on to beat West Indies very comfortably, we went on to beat India in a three-game series and reached the final of the ICC.

“You have got to believe we can go on and do the same again, learn from our mistakes and move on from here.

“We will have to pick the youngsters and show a bit of patience.

“If these players we are missing do not come back you are in a rebuilding process.

“Normally when you reach a period of rebuilding you would leave four or five players out of the squad, here we are leaving eight out and it takes time to build a side.

“You look at any sport - how long did it take for people to build their rugby sides, their soccer sides?

Injured Ashes star Ashley Giles © Getty Images

“How long did it take us to build that cricket side that went on to win the Ashes? It took three or four years to build that.

“You don’t just pull people in and suddenly have a world-class side.

“It takes a bit of time with young players and we have a lot of young players, who have tried their damnedest and you cannot fault them for trying.”

Although England’s bowlers did not concede as many extras as in their previous outings, they once again offered too much width and 37-year-old Jayasuriya seized upon it to hit 152 from just 99 deliveries.

It took Sri Lanka fewer than 22 overs to breach 200 to put into context an England total, boosted by Marcus Trescothick’s 12th one-day international hundred but once again lacking three-figure stands so crucial to big scores.

“You can’t say they went out there to intentionally bowl wide of the mark or not to put on partnerships, they all tried their hardest and we came a little bit undone,” said Fletcher. “We just have to make sure we improve on it.”

Captaincy candidates Marcus Trecothick and Andrew Strauss © Getty Images

England arguably handed their opponents momentum by not giving Steve Harmison - their most potent threat - the new ball.

When captain Andrew Strauss introduced him for the fifth over, Jayasuriya and Tharanga had got their eyes in by surging 54 without loss.

Harmison was not spared either as, after an initial burst of five overs for 33, he returned 10-0-97-0, shattering Derek Pringle’s 19-year record for England’s costliest limited-overs analysis.

England’s selectors meet to decide on the man to captain the side for the Lord’s Test in the next couple of days and Fletcher backed Strauss despite his troubles in the past fortnight.

“Even in India there were a lot of players missing and he got a victory there,” Fletcher said. “You must give him credit for some of his captaincy under such difficult circumstances.”

England face Pakistan in five one-dayers later this summer and with calls for the recall of veteran fast bowler Darren Gough surfacing, Fletcher insisted: “We have not slammed the door on anyone.”