It has not been a memorable Ashes Test series for Joe Root and his men after the English team had to concede defeat in the first three Test matches of the series. Since then, skipper Root and coach Chris Silverwood had to face a lot of criticism and backlash.
Now, Ashley Giles has apologised for England's humiliating Ashes defeat but warned against mass sackings as a solution, saying that "systemic change" is needed.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney ahead of the fourth Test, Giles, the managing director of England men's cricket, said, "everything will be on the table" following an England Cricket Board (ECB) investigation into the ongoing Ashes campaign after Australia sealed a 3-0 lead.
"We can only apologise"
"Being here now in this position, I absolutely feel the responsibility of losing this Ashes series," Giles said. "Absolutely, we all do, and we can only apologise.
"I know there will be a lot of emotion, a lot of anger about how we've lost it but we know it's not an easy place to come. We can't kid ourselves. Look, in 34 years we've come here and won once. We'll review the tour and there will be a full review, everything will be on the table. We'll have to send a report through Tom [Harrison, ECB chief executive] to the board."
Rain interrupts the play
Rain made for a frustrating first day of the fourth Ashes Test with 21 completed overs possible up to the tea interval at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Australia was 56-1 at the break, with Marcus Harris unbeaten on 14 and Marnus Labuschagne yet to score after skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat first on the SCG pitch.
Harris and David Warner put on 50 for the first wicket before Stuart Broad got the breakthrough for England in the 21st over, teasing Warner onto the front foot and finding the edge which carried through to Zak Crawley standing at second slip.
Both the teams made one change from the third Test at Melbourne.
For Australia, Usman Khawaja replaced Travis Head, who was absent after testing positive for the coronavirus. Broad returned for England in place of injured Ollie Robinson.