I think any time you lose an Ashes series, especially with the hype and build-up surrounding it and the pride we have as Australians playing against England, that's always hard to take.

I guess we speak pretty loosely, don't we, about looking forward to the Ashes and all that—and we are, but it's not with both eyes. We've got one eye on that and one eye on what we need to get in place to make sure we're the best team we can be for November.

Looking back on the series I think the ruthless edge was missing,

I'd still rank England second. We're No. 1 for what we've done over a long period of time. They're a definite threat and if they keep going they will get even closer.

Looking back on the series I think the ruthless edge probably was missing. The ruthless edge that comes from those really tough, big, defining moments in Test matches,

Even though we've lost this game, I think we can take away as much from this game as England can. The way we fought back over the last couple of days with our backs against the wall ... I'm very proud.