Strauss remains positive ahead of World Cup despite poor form

England yesterday lost the final match of the seven-game series by 57 runs, completing a 6-1 drubbing which has dampened the mood significantly since the Ashes Test series success.

The tourists’ batsmen were again culpable in defeat after they lost their first five wickets in the opening 15 overs before being bowled out for 222 – the fifth time in the series they have failed to complete their full quota of overs.

Half-centuries from the recalled Adam Voges and David Hussey helped Australia post 279-7 and an injury-hit England never threatened to chase down that total after they lost openers Andrew Strauss and Steven Davies without scoring.

A triple strike from Mitchell Johnson (3-18) then sucked the life out of the dead rubber match, and while Michael Yardy battled to an unbeaten 60 late on, England succumbed to defeat.

Strauss, however, does not think the results in this series need to have a big effect on their World Cup chances.

“Obviously we’re not overly pleased with the way the one-day series has gone,” he said during the post-match presentation.

“We’ve made too many mistakes too often, but the World Cup is a very different event in different conditions and we’re still confident we can do well there.

“We’ve played a lot of cricket against (Australia) and all credit to them in winning this series,” added Strauss. “They thoroughly outplayed us but we had a great time here, obviously winning the Ashes, but we’ve been made to feel very welcome.

“We just need to be more consistent. We lost too many early wickets too often in the seven games. We didn’t play very smart cricket to be honest. It’s something we need to remedy very quickly.”

With the series long decided and both sides depleted by injury – Eoin Morgan becoming the sixth England player to fly home earlier in the day due to a fractured finger – the match had taken on an end-of-season feel.

After an unbeaten 80 from Voges – who was only called up on his home ground after Australia opted to rest Shane Watson and Michael Clarke – and Hussey’s run-a-ball 60 helped inspire a challenging total, any intensity in the contest was drawn out by England’s early loss of wickets.

Strauss was bowled from the second ball of the innings when he was beaten for pace by Shaun Tait (3-48) before Davies, who was preferred over World Cup selection Matt Prior with the gloves and at the top of the order, top-edged a pull off Doug Bollinger that Brad Haddin needed only to wait under to hold.

Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen started a repair job in a 43-run stand but their work was undone when Johnson claimed three quick wickets.

Trott (14) edged a rising delivery to Hussey at first slip before Pietersen (26) flapped a wide ball to debutant Jason Krejza at backward point.

Johnson struck for the third time when Ian Bell loosely sliced to third man where Tait held the chance to leave England 64-5 in the 15th over.

Despite the early loss of wickets, England stayed in touch with the required rate as Prior and Michael Yardy combined in a stand of 55.

Krejza claimed his first one-day wicket when Prior (39) was well caught by Hussey at cover before Luke Wright added 24, from 19 balls, until he sliced the spinner to Bollinger at backward point.

With Yardy battling away, England retained a faint hope of pulling off an unlikely win, but in the end his second one-day half-century only helped to reduce the margin of defeat, as Tait returned to fire out tailenders Liam Plunkett and Steven Finn.

James Anderson was last man out when he skied a catch off John Hastings that Haddin held after running to short cover.

Earlier, half-centuries from Voges and Hussey, as well as 19 wides, helped Australia recover from a slow start.

The hosts had begun at a plodding pace after Plunkett (2-49) and Anderson (3-48) had claimed the early wickets of Tim Paine and Callum Ferguson respectively.

England’s position could have been even stronger had Yardy not dropped Haddin before he had scored, but the off-spinner eventually made amends when he dismissed the right-hander, who scuffed his way to 27 from 58 balls, following a clever catch by Finn at long-on.

Finn was falling back over the rope after making the catch but threw the ball in the air to re-gather once he returned to the playing area.

Yardy struck again when acting captain Cameron White, who also scratched around in making 24 from 47 balls, offered a return catch to leave the hosts 102-4 at the halfway stage.

The scoring rate was increased dramatically, however, when Voges joined his fellow Western Australian Hussey at the crease.

Their local knowledge clearly aided Australia’s rate as they combined in a 95-run stand from 85 balls. Hussey was given a life on four when Wright dropped a difficult return chance.

Plunkett returned to dismiss Hussey, who got a leading edge that Bell held diving in from gully, but the stand set the stage for Australia to hit out in the last 10 overs.

While Anderson grabbed two wickets in the batting powerplay, removing the dangerous Johnson to a superb diving catch by Prior at deep mid-wicket and Hastings, Australia still took 48 from the five overs thanks to Voges’ guiding hand as he remained unbeaten until the end.

Australia will now head to the sub-continent for the World Cup in confident mood, but White said they do not believe they are the finished product yet.

“There are still some areas of our game we need to improve,” he said.

“We didn’t really combine our bat and ball in this series but we still found a way to win.

“Winning six games against a very good English side, we’re obviously not far away.”