Chris Rogers: Hurtful for losing out on the Ashes

Chris Rogers is hurtful of the fact that Australians missed out a chance to retain the Ashes in England.

It has been more than fifty days since Australia gave up on the urn after losing the Ashes in England, there remains a sense of doubt that England will possess it for the coming two years until the next Ashes. Recently retired, Australian opener Chris Rogers is still hurtful of the fact his team lost out on retaining the urn. The Ashes this year was called upon by different names “weird”, “strange” and “bizarre” due to only 18 days of playing time in a five Test series lasting over two months. The Ashes this time was decided in a span of just little above 50 over in the craziness that was Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, where Australia lost 20 wickets in each of their first innings for even less than 200.

Australia team’s victory at Lord’s and The Oval was much deserved and comprehensive but not that demoralizing for Alastair Cook led England. Australia did show glimpses of the team that completed a series whitewash in the previous Ashes held in Australia 2013-2014. Mitchell Starc did offer his views on the same last week “England definitely played the better cricket throughout the series. I don’t think they’re the better team, but they played the better cricket.” Rogers commented that Starc’s comment does not discredit England’s victory in any way but only left the Australians to ponder upon ‘what if’ as they saw Cook lift up the urn at The Oval. “I think what he’s saying is we were a better side that what we showed in that series,” Rogers told cricket.com.au. ALSO READ: David Warner remains hopeful to play Australia-New Zealand series

“And that’s what we’re disappointed about. There were a few of us who probably didn’t quite perform as well as we wanted too, and that hurts. I think we felt like we left something over there and that’s hard to take. At the end of the fifth Test, there was a feeling of ‘geez, if we could play five Tests again now, what would be the score?’ .We thought when we played well we were going to win, but you’ve got to give them credit. They played the conditions the way they needed to be played and they came out on top.” The momentum in the series swung left, right and everywhere seemed mostly in favor of the Australian after their 405 run victory against England at Lord’s. Rogers, Steve Smith and David Warner all scored heavily in the match with Mitchell Johnson wreaking havoc on England’s batman made everyone remember the whitewash series 2013-14.

“I still can’t work out what happened in the Ashes,” selector Mark Waugh told the ABC on Saturday. “I thought after we bounced back at Lord’s we would have won the series. Credit to England, they played really well in those three Tests, but we were well and truly off our game. Particularly our batting, there were two or three occasions there where we didn’t play anywhere near our potential and got out way too easily.” ALSO READ: Chris Rogers: Australian fans should be patient with new-look team

“Our batting wasn’t great, our bowling was marginally better.  But that’s the way it goes sometimes. The swinging ball over there troubled our batsmen and our bowlers couldn’t quite control it as well as England’s did. Rogers agrees that it was the conditions, and England’s ability to exploit them, that ultimately proved decisive. “I don’t think you can dismiss the fact that they’re a good side as well,” he said. 

“They have some very good players, particularly for those conditions. That was probably the difference. They had guys who were a bit more familiar with those conditions and they used them to their advantage a bit better than we did. I don’t think you can disrespect what they did and how they played. They won 3-2 and you have to give them credit for that.” Even as the defeat still huts Rogers his decision to retire from Test cricket remains intact as he is not giving a return to national foray any thought.  Chris Rogers will return to England this time playing for Somerset in county season next year; it will be Rogers’s fifth county side that he represents in his long and illustrated career. Rogers who is currently commentating in Matador BBQs One –Day Cup seems to be open to coaching due time is looking to explore avenues that where left untouched in his 15 years of playing.  ALSO READ: Andrew Flintoff reveals the good and the bad side of Australia

“It’s about finding out what I want to do, trying a few different things and seeing what I like,” Rogers says. It’s always been cricket but there’s life after cricket and I’ve just got to find out what it is. When I made that decision (to retire) it was always in the back of my mind … that I could keep going if I felt the desire to do it. But certain things happened over the last year, like being hit in the head and living out of a suitcase and not being home, which is incredible in itself and you have some amazing times. But I was getting to the age where I felt the need to slow down a little bit.

“At the time when you’re facing the likes of Wood, Finn, Broad and Anderson, you’re worrying a bit about ‘if I do get hit again, is there going to be some serious damage?’. And when those thoughts start crossing your mind, you start to think it’s time. “And once I did decide, I was happy and I haven’t had any regrets.”