Ollie Pope says the perception that England were “unfazed” in the Ashes is difficult to accept

Pater Ollie Pope said any perception that England were “unfazed” about winning the Ashes was difficult to accept.

England suffered problems on and off the field during the 4-1 defeat in Australia.

They were criticized for their preparation after playing only one warm-up match before the first Test.

Tourists’ drinking has also come under scrutiny, particularly the mid-series break in Noosa, and the subsequent revelation that Harry Brook had been punched by a nightclub bouncer on the white-ball tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes.

“We want to be a popular team on and off the field and unfortunately our performance has not allowed that to happen in Australia,” said Pope, who was left out of the last two Ashes Tests.

“I can understand why people felt that way. Maybe the perception that we weren’t bothered was the difficult thing. Everyone is trying to manage the pressure of the Ashes series and get the best out of their performance.

“All everyone wanted to do was win. I think maybe sometimes in our minds it was to take the pressure off the actual Test match, as we had done in previous innings, to treat it as a normal series to get the best out of ourselves. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned.”

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould is leading a “comprehensive review” of England’s Ashes tour and is set to speak to the media in the coming days.

Head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key are understood to retain the ECB’s support, with Key likely to speak alongside Gould.

New Zealander McCollum repeatedly repeated his desire to remain in his position and fulfill a contract that extends until the fall of next year.

Speaking earlier this month, after England’s loss in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup, McCullum said he made “no apologies” for running a “casual” environment.

But the perception of the English environment was further negative due to criticism from Liam Livingstone. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the axed all-rounder said: “If you’re a member, you’re a member, and if you’re not a member, no one cares about you.

“There was no part of me that wanted to play in this team, to be honest.”