Melbourne, Dec. 29: England captain Andrew Strauss on Wednesday said retaining the Ashes on the Australian soil was like winning a holy grail and credited the team’s success to months of meticulous planning.
England won the fourth Test here on Australian soil after 24 years.
Strauss said winning away has always been tough and he is immensely satisfied with the team’s performance.
“Winning the Ashes in Australia has always been a bit of a holy grail for English sides,” Strauss was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
“We have not won the series yet, but have retained the urn — which was one of our primary goals. The players deserve everything they get, because they have stood up when it matters. The back-room staff have prepared us well, and we sit here today feeling like a lot of hard work has paid dividends for us,” said the English skipper
England lead the series 2-1 and Strauss picked both victories in Melbourne and Adelaide as the best of his career. He also said the Perth defeat serves as a reminder of the road ahead for the team.