JOIN USECB support Cook, Flower
England coach Andy Flower and captain Alastair Cook appear likely to retain their jobs despite the disastrous Ashes tour of Australia but batting coach Graham Gooch believes some sort of rebuilding process is inevitable.
Flower, whose contract is up at the end of the tour, and Cook received the backing of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief David Collier to retain their roles despite another miserable day which made a 5-0 series defeat highly likely.
"We need that experience," Collier told a television channel.
"When you got through a transitional period you need somebody with knowledge, somebody who knows our system, somebody who works with all of our key coaches. Andy has all of those attributes and more.’’
"Alastair fully deserves our support," he added. "People do grow into the job. Captains mature, players mature. We were convinced he was the right man at the time and we're still convinced today.’’
"We look forward to both Alastair and Andy leading us to success in the future."
After their top order failed once again, England were bowled out for 155 on Saturday and ended up trailing Australia by an imposing 311 runs at the close of day two in the fifth and final Test.
That followed humiliating defeats in the first four Tests of the series and Gooch admitted the tourists had simply not played well enough to compete.
"Everyone has to look at themselves," he told reporters at the SCG.
"That's the coaches, the players, they're all going to be under scrutiny, quite rightly, and we all have to take it on the chin and we have to take the criticism.’’
"If you play the way we've played the brutal truth is it's not good enough.’’
"We have to look at ways to move forward and we have to look to ways to improve even that might entail taking some more pain before that gets better. There will be a rebuilding process, I think that's fair to say. I don't make those decisions, but as some of you know I have been here before many times and that will be a process I'm sure will start at some stage."
Gooch said he expected every member of the touring party to want a chance to put things right, though.
"Everyone on this tour would not like to leave under the circumstances of this tour and the debris of this tour," Gooch said.
"Four-nil down and behind the eight-ball in the fifth game is not way you want to leave and everyone will be trying to put things right and move English cricket forward."