Strauss: When you lose 6 for 100 runs it’s always difficult to get back but Bresnan and Wright did well. Our shots didn’t come off today. We can take a lot from this tournament but Australia outplayed us today. They’ve got a good mix. It was disappointing to lose Broad but Bresnan did magnificently with the bat.”

Ponting: I thought we got a little carried away in the middle overs, looking for wickets but the England pair did really well. There’s a lot of energy in this group, we’re in the final so well done everybody. I told the boys that every ball we face is a contest. Personal stats don’t always motivate me, I look to finish the job for my team. Watson’s peaking at the right time. His spell to the left-handers was terrific.”

Watson is the Man of the Match: “It (my form) couldn’t get much worse at the start of the tournament. Ricky spoke to me a lot through the innings. Hopefully the injuries are behind me now. It was a beautiful wicket out there. It is time for me and others to put out hands up for this team after losing a lot of senior guys.”

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