No need for wholesale review: Pat Howard

Cricket Australia high performance boss Pat Howard will analyse ever detail of the failed Ashes campaign but doesn't think there needs to be a wholesale review.

Pat Howard is confident Cricket Australia can remedy the woes exposed in a shocking collapse at Trent Bridge without an independent review.

The most recent time Australia lost an Ashes series they were widely expected to win it prompted the Argus review and widespread changes.

The creation of Howard's position, manager of team performance, was one of many recommendations made by Don Argus in 2011.

Howard reviews every series the side plays.

He promised to analyse every detail of Australia's failed campaign to retain the urn in England.

However, the former Wallabies centre felt defeats in Cardiff, Birmingham and Nottingham were not comparable to the crisis created by a 3-1 home defeat to England in 2010-11.

"Ultimately if the board decides to go for a big review that's fine but the first bit is we review internally," Howard said in London.

"We have got some external guys we use to add to that and then we make decisions.

"I don't think (we need) a wholesale review, we do need to critically analyse because we need to have done some things better.

"We didn't adapt well enough."

Howard highlighted Australia's inability to adjust to local conditions - be it in England, India or the United Arab Emirates - as his biggest concern.

England are hosting both the World Cup and Ashes in four years.

The 41-year-old noted he would canvas a range of issues - scheduling, pitches, player preparation and Australia A series - when planning for 2019.

Howard added Australia's away struggles will be tested no matter where they play.

Australia have a two-Test tour of Bangladesh in October then visit New Zealand in February.

"We've obviously got to be able to turn up and adapt to playing in Chittagong and Dhaka," he said.

"The teams that adapt best away are highest in the rankings.

"You've got to be able to fight in all conditions."

Howard expected New Zealand Cricket would attempt to replicate the seaming pitches that rattled Australia in the Ashes.

"Let's not be geniuses in hindsight. We know we're going to get these same wickets in New Zealand," he said.

"They're going to come again ... we have to be able to adapt."

When asked if jobs were on the line based on the shambolic nature of defeats at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, Howard suggested it started with him.

"We obviously didn't adapt to the conditions well enough and we cop the consequences and the criticism," he said.

"That's fair because we should have had enough to come here and win."

A remarkably improved performance in the dead rubber at The Oval was a bitter pill for Howard to swallow.

"It just emphasises I think that we had the capability," he said.

"But we performed poorly. Some people fought very, very well ... there are some things that are good.

"But there are others that we didn't get right."


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Source: AAP


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