Sacked Australia coach Mickey Arthur says Michael Clarke's team travelled to England with no belief they could win the Ashes, says a report in The Times Of India, adding that Australia's developing side had planned to use the series in England as an information and confidence-gathering mission ahead of the return series at home later this year.
"We had to take the pain now to get reward at the end of the day. We had a goal that I'll reveal (and it) was... we wanted to try and push England really hard in England, but we wanted to win in Australia," Arthur told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"This is what Michael and I wanted to do. We didn't go into the series ever to lose it but we wanted to develop enough intelligence on all the England players.
Meanwhile Herald Sun writes that the sun had already set on the Ashes series before Shane Watson produced the most golden innings of his career on Wednesday in the fifth Test at The Oval. The stunning knock inspired hope that Australia may have finally found a No.3 to rely upon for the coming summer, but Watson admitted his first hundred in 48 innings and nearly three years was bittersweet.
England had comfortably their worst day of the series, starting with some failed selections at the coin toss, but sadly for Australia the home side are in a position to have an off day at 3-0 up. Soul-searching, some back-to-basics technical work and a show of toughness earned Watson the biggest score of his career.
After coming in at 1-11, Watson smashed a brilliant 176 on day one to leave Australia in a strong position at 4-307 at stumps, after he combined for a 107-run stand with Chris Rogers and a 145-run partnership with an impressive Steve Smith (66 not out). But the allrounder conceded his drought-breaking ton was too little too late.
"I would give anything to score runs at the start of the series. It's only a consolation. The most important time was the first three Test matches and I wasn't able to do that,” Watson said.
At stumps on Wednesday's first day, Australia were 307 for four as they sought a consolation victory in a five-match series already won by England at 3-0 up, says a report in Deccan Chronicle. Watson put a disappointing series with the bat behind him with just his third Test hundred -- his first in 25 matches and 48 innings since his previous best of 126 against India at Mohali in October 2010.
The 32-year-old all-rounder, playing his 46th Test, was especially severe on debutants Chris Woakes (none for 52 in 15 overs) and left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan (none for 53 in eight), chosen after England opted against recalling fast bowler Chris Tremlett on his Surrey home ground.
Watson, filling Australia's problem position of number three after starting the series as an opener and then moving to number six, received good support from Steven Smith (66 not out) in an a fourth-wicket stand of 145. Nightwatchman Peter Siddle was unbeaten on 18.
