Australia coach Darren Lehmann: We were “outplayed” by England

The series equalled in length the shortest five-Test series of modern times of 18 days that took place when England played the West Indies in 2000.

“He didn’t have as productive a series as he’d have liked to, but he had to change his position in the batting order and did it very successfully at Edgbaston at a time when we really needed senior players to stand up”, added Strauss. Neither was in Australia’s first-choice team to start the series.

They responded to 481 all out with only 149 of their own and then, following on, Cook’s attempted rearguard came to little as they mustered 286 and Peter Siddle, conspicuously absent through the first four Tests despite favourable conditions, finished with match figures of six for 67.

As Australia chased victory on Sunday afternoon after the rain delay the two bowlers preferred, because they were clearly the most threatening seamers, were Siddle and Mitch Marsh. “That’s why we won the series”.

In his final media interaction after the fifth Ashes Test, the retired Aussie skipper Clarke said he’d like to see curators back themselves to make wickets that will lead to a keen contest between bat and ball and produce a result on the fifth day.

“Over the next few years just imagine some of these talented young players with forty, fifty Tests under their belt”.

They deserved to win the Ashes.

Bell has played 115 Tests – exactly the same number as Michael Clarke – and after a disappointing series, he says he might have had enough.

This included captain-elect Steven Smith’s 143 – an innings which saw the eventual man-of-the-match become the first Australian to score more than 500 runs in an Ashes series in England since Matthew Elliott in 1997.

“It could have been completely different if Brad had taken that chance… but that’s part of global cricket”, he said.

For the 24-year-old vice-captain, and his team-mates, it is therefore onwards and upwards.

“I think we are a side that are making small mistakes that are costing us dearly but at the same time we are improving very quickly and we’re very hard to beat when we’re at our best”.

“I think at the back-end of a series like this, they can feel a bit down. We’ve got to take that on the chin”, Root said.

Cook is unsurprisingly in agreement. One team won and one team lost. “The fans of the game deserve to see a really good contest for five days”, Clarke said.

He gives no fuel to the argument that England prospered, in the Midlands, on pitches made to measure for their bowlers.

“We had 4 of the 5 prime wicket-takers and three of the 4 prime run-scorers, however we did not win the important thing moments”, Lehmann stated.

“When people have been given an opportunity the performances they’ve put in for England have been outstanding. We have some game-changers in our squad, and that’s what I believe has happened in three of the five Tests”.