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Jude Bellingham has been starring for Real Madrid, but he has also laid out an ambitious “goal” with England for the “next 10-15 years”.

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Midfielder starring for La Liga giantsAlso a key man for his countrySights set on major honoursWHAT HAPPENED?

The 20-year-old midfielder has made a stunning impact at Santiago Bernabeu on the back of his €103 million (£89m/$109m) summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund. With 10 goals recorded for the Blancos through as many appearances, Bellingham is emulating the efforts of Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo.

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England are hoping that impressive club form can be transferred onto the international stage, with Bellingham telling of his long-term targets with the Three Lions: “My goal for the next 12 months with the England team will be the same for the next 10-15 years: try to win major tournaments. I think we can’t shy away from saying that now. We’ve come close in the last few tournaments, and to now go back and say: ‘Ah yeah, that was enjoyable, but now we have to be more realistic’…I don’t see the point. We should use the experiences we’ve got from previous tournaments to push on and bring some silverware home. That’s the common goal that we are striving towards and we aren’t afraid to say that anymore. In the last few years it’s been a case of hiding that expectation, so that we never fail. We’ve got to be willing to say it, so we can achieve it.”

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Bellingham has unshakable faith in his own ability and that of the England team as a whole, with the hottest of prospects adding on a bid to secure international honours: “If you look at the progress we’ve made in the last few tournaments, it’s important that we have that mentality and we do believe we can win the tournament. Of course, there is a sense of humility and having our feet on the ground in whatever game we go into. You’re not going to play seven of the top seven teams every tournament and it’s important that you approach every game like it’s the last game of the tournament. That’s how we approach friendly games and qualifier games – if we don’t get the result we want, you can see how much it hurts us. And when we do, you can see how rewarding it is for the whole squad. There definitely has to be a belief that we can win trophies because that’s what we are here to do and that’s the standard of the team that we’ve now got. In a humble way, of course.”

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Bellingham forms part of the latest England squad that is preparing for a friendly date with Australia on Friday and a Euro 2024 qualifying clash with defending European champions Italy at Wembley on October 17.

Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai drank a shot of Palinka with Hungary fans to celebrate their Euro 2024 qualification – after a two-goal showing.

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Szoboszlai seen drinking a shot of Palinka with Hungary fansHungary beat Montenegro 3-1 having already qualified for Euro 2024Liverpool star scored twiceWHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool midfielder and Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai was seen enjoying a shot of Palinka, one of the most popular spirits in his country, while celebrating the team's qualification for Euro 2024 next summer. Hungary had already booked their spot at the tournament in Germany after a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria on Thursday, but that didn't stop them putting on a superb display in their dead-rubber against Montenegro.

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Hungary defeated Montenegro 3-1 in their final Euro 2024 qualification game, with the Reds midfielder bagging himself a brace in the second-half. Hungary finished at the top of Group G with five wins and three draws in their ten games to take their points tally to 18 points.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SZOBOSZLAI?

The 23-year-old will return to action for Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp's men look to stay in a tight title race with the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham. The summer signing has been a superb addition to Liverpool's engine room this season, and will hope for another start when they face champions City on November 25.

Pragyan Ojha has joined Bengal as a professional after leaving his home team Hyderabad to strengthen his case for a national recall

Amol Karhadkar02-Jul-2015Pragyan Ojha has joined Bengal as a professional after leaving his home team Hyderabad. Ojha, who was cleared to bowl in February after being suspended for using an illegal action earlier in the 2014-15 season, confirmed that he decided to move to Bengal for strengthening his case of a recall into the national team.”With all due respects to Hyderabad, I wanted to play for a team that is in the top rung (of the Ranji Trophy) and Bengal suited my cause. With so many Test matches coming up, I hope to come up with stronger performances in the coming season,” Ojha told ESPNcricinfo.Ojha will start the new season next month, playing for India A in two four-day games against Australia A. India are scheduled to play three Test matches in Sri Lanka in August-September, followed by four matches at home against South Africa in October-November.With Hyderabad playing in Group C, the lowest rung of the Ranji Trophy, Ojha opted to switch allegiance to a higher-ranked team. Bengal were happy to have him on board since they were struggling to find a lead spinner.Ojha will thus become the second high-profile cricketer to leave Hyderabad in recent seasons. After a spat with the Hyderabad Cricket Association hierarchy, Ambati Rayudu had moved first to neighbouring Andhra before settling on Baroda. Ojha’s switch, on the other hand, looks like a smooth one.”He approached us and explained his rationale honestly,” John Manoj, the HCA secretary, said. “Once he had made up his mind, we just respected his decision, supported him and issued the NOC.”According to BCCI rules, players who wish to turn professional have to first obtain a No-Objection certificate from their home association and submit it to the BCCI. The deadline for domestic transfers is September 1.Bengal, meanwhile, have approached Lalchand Rajput, the former India opening batsman, to replace Ashok Malhotra as coach. It is understood that Rajput has also been in talks with Uttar Pradesh, who are looking for a replacement for Venkatesh Prasad.

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim is willing to allow the top order batsmen to take their time in the middle in T20s, as long as they push harder after getting set

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur15-Mar-2014Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim is willing to allow the top order batsmen to take their time in the middle in T20s, as long as they push harder after getting set. Mushfiqur had factored in the slow pitches in Bangladesh which do not always allow batsmen to go for their shots early.”The top three batsmen usually set up the game in T20s,” Mushfiqur said ahead of Bangladesh’s opening qualifier against Afghanistan in Mirpur. “The No.4 also has to join in. I think these batsmen have a lot of responsibilities. The wicket wasn’t easy in the practice game against Ireland, making us to start slowly. We targeted 140-150, though Shakib [Al Hasan] and I took it further. If the openers give us a good start, the pressure lessens on the middle order. We would hope for such a start tomorrow, and then from the middle, we will finish it well.”It was difficult to play shots from the word go in Fatullah, as the wicket was slow. We are willing to give batsmen time in the middle as long as they recover the scoring rate after getting set. The middle and lower order can do that recovery work but the top order can also do it after making a slow start.”Either of Anamul Haque and Shamsur Rahman will be vying to open with Tamim Iqbal, with the former ahead due to a recent ODI century against Pakistan and a half-century against India. However, Shamsur has opened for Bangladesh in their last six T20s.Shakib and Mushfiqur usually bat at three and four, but there has been talk of slotting in either Mominul Haque or Sabbir Rahman in the top order too. “If either of Sabbir and Mominul plays, we will try to accommodate them in the top order,” Mushfiqur said.”We have enough batsmen and allrounders so we will take a decision on the team after taking a final look at the wicket. The decision will also depend on what balances our team, and in addition, we have a flexible batting line-up so we will be sending batsmen according to the situation.”Putting Shakib and Mushfiqur just after the openers has worked for Bangladesh, but if there has to be a choice between Mominul and Sabbir, it should be the latter. Sabbir has played just one T20 international, against Sri Lanka in Chittagong, but has been successful in domestic cricket in the last 12 months. He also played a match-winning innings for the Bangladesh side against Afghanistan in the 2010 Asian Games gold medal match, and has played similar sort of innings throughout his career. Although Mominul’s overall strike-rate is higher than most in the Bangladesh team, he has only played four T20s.Bangladesh’s line-up will become slightly more streamlined as Mushfiqur returns as wicketkeeper, having recovered from a finger injury. He kept against Ireland, and says that he missed captaining from behind the stumps.”I was feeling great yesterday (in Fatullah against Ireland). I can manage the pain that I am playing with. I can see the team very well from my favoured position. I hope to keep tomorrow as well,” he said.Mushfiqur firmly believes that Bangladesh has earned the amount of expectation that lies on their shoulders. They could be thrown out of the tournament if they lose to Afghanistan but he will take inspiration from home conditions and support.”I don’t think there is a lot of pressure on us. There is always going to be pressure at the international level. The Bangladesh team has earned this expectation and pressure for playing well in the last two years.”We hope to perform up to expectations. Along with pressure, we have the home ground and support. I hope that with all these advantages, we can start off with a win,” Mushfiqur said.

Ryan Harris has said he has taken cricket’s current corruption storm personally, and Michael Clarke expressed hope the game’s followers did not now assume that every match now needed to be viewed through cynical eyes

Daniel Brettig21-May-2014Ryan Harris bowled himself halfway to crippledom for Australia last summer, culminating in a Cape Town effort where he routinely charged in on a right knee that sported fragments of bone visible through the skin. Two months later, he confesses that surgery has allowed him to walk properly for the first time “in about two years” though it will likely cost him a place in the Test squad to face Pakistan.In that same Newlands Test match, Michael Clarke was battered by Morne Morkel and later revealed to have carried a fractured shoulder through the latter part of his unbeaten 161. Since then he has weathered plentiful criticism about a level of aggression on the field that suggests he wants to win a little too much, rather than too little.Little wonder then that Harris said he has taken cricket’s current corruption storm personally, and that Clarke spoke with pained idealism that he hoped the game’s followers did not now assume that every match now needed to be viewed through cynical eyes. Australia are presently the world’s top Test and ODI team, and neither Harris nor Clarke want to contemplate the possibility that they are at the pinnacle of a rotten game.”I’ve been out there and done my best, my teammates have, it’s just a very unfortunate thing that we’re talking about corruption,” Harris said. “Corruption in any sport I think is wrong and it damages the credibility of the sport. That’s something that as players we take personally, because every time we go out as an Australian cricket team, and I know a lot of other teams do as well, they go out to win.”Clarke expressed no worry whatsoever that any of his Australia team-mates, past or present, had dabbled in the kinds of fixes daubed across the pages of the world’s press this week. “I’m extremely confident about the players that I’ve played with,” Clarke said. “For this Australian team they all know very clearly that there is no room for corruption in our team. A big part of our job is to uphold the integrity of our sport and I think we do that well.”Everybody involved in the game is disappointed that things like this happen but I want to pay credit to the ICC and Cricket Australia for the work they put in to try and stop this, stamp it out of our game. Players have a big role to play as well, making sure that if you are approached or if something does come up, to go and speak to your captain, your team manager, the people at Cricket Australia.”I don’t think we should be tarring all the players with the same brush as well. What we’ve seen of late it’s a minority that we’re dealing with in these type of issues. I’d be disappointed if the supporters and the fans of cricket think that this is happening a lot more than it is. I am very proud of what this current team has done and achieved and I think we are educated well on what is right and wrong.”Australia’s players, both international and domestic, have been the beneficiaries of comprehensive education on corruption issues down the years. Clarke made his debut for Australia in 2003, and has watched the growth of integrity procedures from their initial concentration on Test and ODI players to the wider net now cast to ensure all those entering into the Sheffield Shield, limited overs and Big Bash League competitions were fully aware of what not to do and what to report.”What was I, 21, when I played my first ODI for Australia? And I think it probably started then in regards to international cricket,” Clarke said. “But these days you get educated from a very young age. Once you come into the first-class system, even on a rookie contract, so for some guys it starts at 16 years of age. I think the educational process that Australian cricketers go through is extremely thorough – we know the differences between right and wrong and what is accepted and what isn’t.”More unsettling for payers traversing the world for domestic Twenty20 tournaments, in addition to their international commitments, is the realisation that they cannot always be sure the inexplicable run-out, the surprising dropped catch or the heedless wide may all have far more deliberate and sinister implications. Harris admitted that hindsight was now murkier than it once was.”It’s a tough question … you don’t know,” Harris said. “For me I’ve played to win and it’s not until afterwards you find out that things have gone wrong or things are under suspicion. At the time I don’t think of it, no one thinks of it.”For Harris, Clarke and other honourable competitors, that uncertainty is every bit as uncomfortable as the physical ailments they have so often pushed through in pursuit of victory. Because if the game isn’t pure, is it really worth such pain?

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group A matches on December 29, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2014
ScorecardA double-hundred from Mandeep Singh, and centuries from Yuvraj Singh and Gurkeerat Singh steered Punjab to a commanding 659 for 7 declared against Saurashtra in Rajkot.Mandeep, who began the day at 154, scored his second first-class double-century, going past his previous best of 211, before he was dismissed for 235. His innings came off 334 deliveries with 24 fours and three sixes. Yuvraj, his batting partner from the first day, scored his third hundred in as many games, and the fourth-wicket partnership between the two yielded 379 runs. After Mandeep and Yuvraj were dismissed, Gurkeerat boosted the score further with an unbeaten 135-ball 101,helping the side declare their innings at 659.
ScorecardA century from Virender Sehwag led Delhi to a position of strength, helping them declare at 425 for 6 on the second day against Gujarat. In reply, Gujarat scored 34 for 1 by close of play.Unmukt Chand and Gautam Gambhir had laid down a solid foundation for Delhi with their 171-run opening partnership. Chand, who resumed on 97, scored his sixth first-class century before falling in the 70th over of the day. Sehwag and Mithun Manhas consolidated Delhi’s position with a swift 106-run, third-wicket partnership. Sehwag was finally dismissed for 105 off 148 balls with 14 fours and Sumit Narwal added quick runs to the score with 37 off 28 balls, before Delhi declared at 425 for 6.Shivam Sharma dismissed Samit Gohel for 15, towards the end of the day.
ScorecardHaryana offspinner Jayant Yadav took his second six-for of the season to leave Odisha at 232 for 9, limiting their first-innings lead on the second day to 105.Resuming on a score of 39 for 0, the Odisha openers Girjia Rout and Natraj Behera, extended their partnership to 57 runs, before Behera fell for 39. Rout was dismissed for the same score by Yadav and thereon, Odisha lost wickets in clusters, as Yadav and Mohit Sharma ensured partnerships did not flourish. Yadav took 6 for 91, while Mohit finished with 3 for 38.
ScorecardLeft-arm pacer Ravikumar Thakur’s maiden first-class five-for and a three-wicket haul from Shrikant Wagh skittled Rajasthan out for 188, giving Vidarbha a 108-run first-innings lead.Vidarbha started the day on 236 for 6 and, guided by Shalabh Shrivastava, the last four wickets extended the score to 296. Pankaj Singh, who ran through the top order on the first day, picked up his fifth wicket.Thakur and Wagh then combined to reduce Rajasthan to 64 for 4 before Vineet Saxena and Arjit Gupta led a brief revival with a 65-run, fifth-wicket partnership. Saxena’s dismissal for 61 started the slide that eventually led to the side folding for 188.

A round-up of the Presidents Trophy matches that ended on December 8, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2013A captain’s performance from Taufeeq Umar, and a five-wicket haul by Imran Ali, helped Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) to their fourth win, beating Pakistan Television (PTV) by 188 runs at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Put in to bat, SNGPL were led by half-centuries by Taufeeq, Mohammad Rizwan and Adnan Akmal. Taufeeq top-scored with 63 off 187 balls while Akmal’s 53 came off 110. Yasim Murtaza and Zohaib Ahmed shared nine wickets between them with the former taking a five-for. The PTV innings failed to get going in response to 258 and they were rolled over for only 158, with Samiullah Khan taking 6 for 34.SNGPL strengthened their hold on the game with an opening stand of 199 between Taufeeq and Azeem Ghumman. Ghumman scored 70 while Taufeeq remained unbeaten on 128 before declaring, setting PTV a target of 326. PTV ended the third day at a rocky 48 for 3. There was no resistance from the middle and lower order as the seamer Imran took 5 for 38 to bundle out PTV for 137 in just 40.3 overs.Khan Research Laboratories took first-innings points in a draw against Pakistan International Airlines in Rawalpindi. After being put in to bat, KRL declared at 419 for 9 on the second day, driven by the captain Saeed Anwar jnr’s 197. Anwar nearly carried his bat, falling shortly before the declaration, hitting 20 fours and four sixes in his 362-ball knock. Anwar was involved in two century stands, for the third and fifth wickets with Usman Salahuddin and Ali Khan respectively. Khan was the second-highest scorer in the innings with 71. Anwar registered his highest first-class score and it was his 25th ton.Rahat Ali’s early spell jolted PIA, who were struggling at 29 for 3. Two half-century stands, for the fourth and fifth wickets, brought stability to the innings. Faisal Iqbal top-scored with 94 with 15 fours before he was dismissed by Rahat. Faisal was the fifth man out and PIA were only halfway from equaling KRL’s score. Tahir Khan battled with an unbeaten 55 but PIA could only score 310. Rahat, Umaid Asif and Nayyar Abbas took three wickets each. With only two innings yet to be completed at the start of the fourth day, a draw loomed. KRL had a lead of 109 and they stretched it to 275, after they were bowled out for 166. Salahuddin was the top-scorer with 67 and the offspinner Tahir took his second four-wicket haul of the match. PIA batted out two overs before the match ended in a draw.A ten-wicket haul by the seamer Mohammad Talha helped set up Port Qasim Authority’s (PQA) seven-wicket win over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in Sialkot. Talha took 6 for 69 in the first innings and 5 for 106 in the second to leave PQA chasing a modest 144.Talha ran through the top order after his side lost the toss, as ZTBL finished on 230. Luqman Butt was the only batsman to pass fifty and was the top scorer with a quick 65 off 69 balls. The PQA batsmen took firm control of the match by posting 424, taking a commanding lead of 194. The captain Khalid Latif established the platform with 86 while Asim Kamal remained unbeaten on 100. Talha tormented ZTBL with the bat as well, scoring 56 off 67 balls and adding 100 for the eighth wicket with Kamal to help the team inch towards 400. Kamal’s knock came off 164 balls with 12 fours and a six. ZTBL put on a better performance in the second innings by posting 337. Haseeb-ur-Rehman fell four short of his century while Butt continued his good form, scoring 67. Talha dismissed Butt and ran through the lower order to take his second five-wicket haul of the match and fourth ten-for in first-class cricket. Chasing 144, PQA lost their top three for 49 but Mohammad Salman and Daniyal Ahsan (63*) sealed the win in just under 25 overs.Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) bagged three points for taking a first-innings lead but were in danger of squandering it in a tense draw against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in Islamabad. Set 146, WAPDA were wobbling at 56 for 7 but managed to survive.SBP struggled after being put in to bat and were bowled out for 172. Azhar Attari took 5 for 56 while Mohammad Haseeb took 4 for 41. Half-centuries by Rafatullah Mohmand and captain Aamer Sajjad helped WAPDA to 300, giving them a first-innings lead of 128. Seamers Rizwan Haider and Tabish Khan took seven wickets between them. Rameez Raja led SBP’s charge in the second innings with 68 but they were in a spot of bother at 132 for 5 with only a slender lead of four. Mohammad Saad scored 57 to help stretch the lead to 145 before they were bowled out. Tabish and Haider’s opening spells then reduced a shaky WAPDA to 15 for 4. They lost three more wickets but hung on to save the game, batting out 28 overs. Tabish took 4 for 30 in the second innings.

Gylfi Sigurdsson has found a new gear under Marco Silva this season but Nikola Vlasic’s form at CSKA Moscow suggests that he could be the man to eventually step into the Iceland international’s shoes.

Sigurdsson has been released of the manacles which restricted him under Sam Allardyce last season and Everton are reaping the rewards. A return of nine goals and three assists from 24 Premier League appearances is just reward for his fine performances, while his link-up play has been at the heart of Everton’s best performances under the Portuguese manager.

However, if Everton want to improve then no player should be considered untouchable. The very best sides are those which demand constant improvement throughout the squad, with competition for places often serving as the best way to guarantee that desired progression.

With that said, Sigurdsson may well be looking over his shoulder now that Vlasic is beginning to thrive with CSKA Moscow. The creative midfielder is showing signs that he can dethrone the Iceland international and become the next coveted playmaker to operate in the hole.

Indeed, Vlasic has already scored seven goals and provided four assists this season, including a memorable winner against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

At just 21-year-old Vlasic is showing the level of promise which Silva will naturally want to see from the player he offloaded temporarily in the summer, and his return in 2019 could signal the beginning of a glowing career on Merseyside.

Boasting a similar level of creative instinct, technical prowess and ability to influence the game in the final-third, the Croatia international could yet blossom into the next Sigurdsson-esque figure at Goodison Park despite his slow start in English football after completing his transfer from Hajduk Split in 2017.

Vlasic’s return in the summer will effectively represent a new signing for Silva.

Everton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

A round-up of the second day’s action from the Ramadan T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2013
ScorecardShabbir Ahmed finished with 5 for 23•Pakistan Cricket BoardShabbir Ahmed’s five-wicket haul powered United Bank Limited (UBL) to beat Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by four wickets.PIA captain Shoaib Malik, after a Man-of-the-Match performance in the last game, became Shabbir’s first victim off only the second ball of the match. PIA lost another early wicket when Shabbir removed Malik’s opening partner Agha Sabir with the score at 34 in the fifth over. Faisal Iqbal’s run-a-ball 48 steadied one end, but a flurry of wickets in the death – five in the last 19 balls, capped off by Shabbir dismissing Ali Raza and Fahad Iqbal off the last two balls of the innings limited PIA to 129.Opener Asif Ali started UBL’s chase positively, striking three sixes and a four but Salman Saeed struck in successive overs to leave UBL at 37 for 2 in the sixth over. With the asking rate hovering at a modest 6.5 per over, Mohammad Sami and Faisal Athar came together and added 35. Sami and Mohammad Irshad fell off consecutive balls in the 17th over, but Athar, who had five fours to his credit, held firm as UBL won the match with five balls to spare.
ScorecardYounis Khan, who remains outside Pakistan’s limited-overs, hit a brisk half-century to drive Habib Bank Limited to a competitive score before part-time offspinner Asad Baig ran through Water and Power Development Auhtority’s middle order to complete a comfortable victory.Imran Farhat, another experienced player who finds himself sidelined from the national team, failed to give HBL a strong start after they won the toss. His opening partner Baig fared better, making 29 as he shared a 41-run stand with No. 3 Fahad Masood. The run-rate picked up in the second half of the innings as two senior players, Younis and Hasan Raza, put together 55 in 33 deliveries. Raza hit three sixes in his 27, and Younis struck seven fours in his unbeaten 54.In the chase, WAPDA were in a reasonable position in the 13th over, with Sohaib Maqsood’s 40 guiding them to 93 for 3. It unravelled spectacularly after that, though, as their final seven wickets went down for 15 runs. What made it more galling for WAPDA was that the wickets weren’t taken by regular bowlers – Baig, who has only one wicket in his 27 first-class matches, bagged 4 for 12while Raza, who has 27 wickets in 175 domestic one-dayers, took two in his first three deliveries to wrap up the match.

Alastair Cook insisted he was “100% wanting to carry on” as England captain but was obliged to defend his senior players, the side’s coaches and his own position in the aftermath of defeat in Melbourne

George Dobell at the MCG29-Dec-20130:00

Cook: takes blame for defeat

Alastair Cook insisted he was “100% wanting to carry on” as England captain but was obliged to defend his senior players, the side’s coaches and his own position in the aftermath of defeat in Melbourne.The England captain, leading a side that is 4-0 down and in danger of succumbing to a whitewash, has failed to score a century in nine Tests against Australia over the last six months and has seemed unable to inspire his team to lift their performances in the current series.But Cook, who led England to victory in India and Ashes success in England in his first 12 months in the job, claimed his appetite for the job was as strong as ever and reiterated his faith in the side’s senior players and coaching staff.”I’m 100% wanting to carry on,” Cook said. “I’m enjoying the job and I’m enjoying the challenge. I’ve got no plans of going anywhere. I’m desperately trying to use as much as my experience of playing 100 Tests to help turn this team around.”If, at the end of the series the selectors decide I’m not the best man for the job then so be it. If someone makes that decision, and says ‘we think there’s a better man’ or ‘you’re not good enough to do it’ then it would hurt but, I would have to take that on the chin.”We’ve some very good players in our dressing room. We’ve some record-breaking players who will have some fantastic days left in an England shirt. I know that for sure. And we’ll be praising them when they do that.”I’m fully supportive of our coaching staff. We’ve had some fantastic results. It wasn’t so long ago we won in India with this same coaching staff, against Australia with the same coaching staff.”A familiar feeling: Alastair Cook ponders England’s fourth crushing defeat•Anthony Devlin/PA Photos”They’re decisions which can be made later and down the line. That’s why people higher up than me are paid money to make those decisions. If they think that’s the way to go – with all those decisions, captain, coach, whatever – then that’s the way it is.”We can only concentrate on what we do from now, trying to regroup and put in a performance in Sydney.”While accepting that back-to-back Ashes series had proved quite a burden for the players, something Kevin Pietersen spoke about on Saturday, Cook dismissed the notion that it could excuse their poor performances.”I think 10 back-to-back Test matches is a big ask,” he said. “But the bottom line is it’s the same for both sides and one side has handled it a lot better than the other side. They are playing some better cricket now than we are. To use that as an excuse would be wrong.”When we left England, we had high hopes of doing something very special. I did say at the time, we’d have to play some very good cricket if we wanted to achieve that and we haven’t done that. The bottom line is we haven’t been good enough.”