Buchanan to blame for 2005 Ashes loss: Martyn by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	DR Martyn, SK Warne, SCG MacGill
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2009

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DateLine: 2nd July 2009

 

Former Australian batsman Damien Martyn blamed ex-coach John Buchanan for the defeat in the 2005 Ashes series.

 

The middle-order batsman said that the management considered the Ashes as just another series and did not plan right.

 

Earlier Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill had also came out slamming Buchanan for the debacle and now Martyn also has joined the bandwagon, saying Australia's poor preparation was one of "a million behind-the-scenes reasons" for the series defeat.

 

"All comments by Warne and MacGill are right and you'd find that 99 per cent of the group from that era would agree,” Martyn said.

 

”The management team didn't plan right, we had a not-very-good, quick preparation in Brisbane and then we landed and away we went," he added.

 

“We got slack, everything clicked for them, they haven't played that well since then and they won't ever again. They built themselves up so much for the Ashes when the Ashes for us had dropped off because we'd won it so many times," he told the 'Wisden Cricketer' in an interview.

 

"For us it was conquering all things, World Cups, Champions Trophy, the sub-continent. The Ashes was just another series but for England it was their pinnacle and we just went underprepared.”

 

Martyn also revealed that Australia committed a lot of mistakes on the disappointing tour, many of which would never come out in open.

 

"We played a Twenty20 against England, which England still talk about, flogging us down in Hampshire. Buck was saying, 'It's only a muck-around game, don't worry about it' and we trained for four hours on the morning.

 

"So we went from the nets next door, busting a gut, into a T20 game where they rolled up playing it like a Test match and flogged us. There were a lot of mistakes made and a lot will never come out," he said.