11 August,2009 07:55 AM IST | | Khalid A-H Ansari
Team morale further depleted as the result of Andrew Flintoff's fury with skipper Andrew Strauss over being dropped from the Headingley Test team by Strauss and coach Andy Flower, (despite his declaring himself fit to play), guessing games have started among British commentators as to who will now be brought into the team as a saviour of the Ashes campaign.
Such is the desperation in the ranks of the England team, Strauss has suggested that Flintoff could return for the fifth and final Oval Test with a lighter work load. Others have suggested more in hope than pragmatism that the injured Kevin Pietersen, ruled out for the series because of injury, be brought back and even that 39-year old Mark Ramprakash be called up.
Meanwhile The Mirror newspaper asked cricket fans 'Boos Sorry Now?', a pun referring to the jibes and jeers they have directed at Ricky Ponting right through this series.
The paper described England's defeat as humiliating and reported that fickle English fans had now turned against their own captain Strauss.
Former England cricket captain Michael Atherton said the key to an English victory now was faith, hope and Flintoff, whereas expletives in some London newspapers have included 'shattered', 'rotten', 'a rabble', 'pathetic' and 'spineless'.
The Independent fumed: 'On a scale of one to 10, the overall grading of the home side did not budge from zero.'
