Darren Lehmann says sorry to fans for Australia’s Ashes debacle

The Aussies arrived in England as clear favourites to win the Investec Series, but they have handed over the urn with one Test still to play after the hosts won three of the opening four matches.

Captain Michael Clarke will retire from cricket after next week’s fifth Test at The Kia Oval, which will have no bearing on the series result.

“Not only do we want to be accountable for our efforts, but on behalf of our team I want to apologise for the manner in which we have lost,” said Lehmann. “Especially to those tour groups and individual fans who paid to travel to the UK to watch us and to the millions more tuning in at home.

“We have been poor. We have been outplayed by a superior opponent and, as coaching staff, players and selectors, we fully accept the blame for our losses at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge.

“We don’t walk away from that responsibility and we have been as up front as we can over the past few days, rather than trying to find excuses.”

Australia’s defeat — their fifth in the last seven Ashes series — has brought recriminations at home, with some commentators blaming the poor displays on the presence of the players’ families.

Candice Warner, the wife of opening batsman David, and Clarke have denied reports of a rift between various members of the touring party, which is said to have upset team spirit. Lehmann also defended his decision to attend Stoke’s Premier League match against Liverpool — which he was able to do only because Australia lost inside three days at Trent Bridge — last Sunday.

Lehmann wrote on the Cricket Australia website: “As a group, we have always placed a huge importance on family.

“While we’re happy to cop criticism for the way we bat, bowl, field or prepare, I believe it’s unfair to suggest having families with us as a reason for our on-field efforts.

“Even on the occasions when we’ve lost Test matches in three days, I don’t see the value of scheduling extra training sessions. I can assure you the guys have trained as well as I have seen during the course of this tour. We just haven’t been able to show that under the pressure of a game and I believe that flogging them with extra training day in, day out would just have a detrimental effect.”

Meanwhile, England supporters can see Ashton Agar in action in this country for the first time since his eye-catching performances in the 2013 Ashes campaign.

Batting at No11 on his Test debut at Trent Bridge, Agar scored 98 runs off 101 balls. Although he has only played one more Test since — in that series at Lord’s — he has been included in Australia’s squad for the limited-overs matches that follow the Ashes, where his primary role will be as a left-arm spinner.

Brad Haddin has returned home for family reasons, while Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood have also been rested for the one-dayers.