England's Ashes failures deserve MEDALS, says Paul Collingwood

Paul Collingwood says England's players deserve medals not criticism for taking on Australia in bubble conditions this winter - and that the Ashes should have comprised just two Tests.

'Yes, we made mistakes, 100% we made selection mistakes, we made toss mistakes, but the fact we actually turned up and agreed a five-match Ashes series, the guys should be given medals for that,' Collingwood said.

'It would've been much better if we'd done two matches and then three next year. That would've been a great compromise.

'But no, Australia were not bothered that they were going to receive an England team who were mentally fatigued, they just wanted to get the product out there. They just wanted the Ashes. We were sitting ducks.'

Collingwood, who as assistant to England coach Chris Silverwood is leading the Twenty20 tour of the Caribbean because of its overlap with the 4-0 defeat down under, continued: 'Resilience is a major quality you need to have when you go to Australia and if your resilience is removed - because of the conditions you've been in - that has an effect.

'These guys don't deserve criticism. They should be told 'well done' for even going. It's the equivalent of the England football team being asked to go to a World Cup, then from that bubble into the Euros. Would you expect a performance in that scenario? It's ludicrous.

'I am sure people are sick to death of hearing about bubbles but the harsh reality of what we were expected to do was: two years of bubbles, finish the 2021 home season and then go to a World Cup where for six weeks the bubble was even tighter, then do a two-week quarantine, and go into the Ashes with two days of on-field practice.

'We didn't even see the lads who came from England until four days