Immediately after his side had lost the third Test in Perth by an innings and 48 runs in three days, England captain Nasser Hussain admitted his "beaten, battered and bruised" team had been subjected to a very hard lesson by the opposition as the Australians retained the Ashes.

"We let everyone down, we were embarrassingly poor. We've not performed really and we have just been left beaten, battered and bruised by this.

"We have been carrying a lot of injuries but we were just not good enough. We need to regroup, there are some new lads coming out for the one-dayers.

"Hopefully for the one-dayers we will have 11, 12 or 13 people not scarred from the Test series and hopefully we will up our game.

"You can look at the way we played but also it's the pressure the opposition are putting us under. They are playing the game incredibly well. They are playing out of their skins. Australia didn't allow any free runs and that's what Test cricket is all about."

The mood in the Australian camp was understandably more upbeat. Shane Warne, who took the wicket of Hussain in controversial circumstances, was buoyant about the team's success.

"We played pretty good cricket. I thought we played well and our discipline was good.

"I should have caught Nasser out first ball really. I was saying to the guys before that I haven't had an easy catch all series and then as soon as I do I grassed it.

"I think this is probably the best all-round team for all conditions that I have played in."

Australian captain Steve Waugh said: "We certainly played good cricket and I didn't expect us to win so convincingly.

"To win eight Ashes series in a row is beyond my wildest expectations. I've played in some great sides but this side is certainly up there.

"It's entertaining, the tail-enders were having some fun but we also worked hard at what we tried to achieve and it's nice to be a part of this side."

David Morgan, the next chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has said that he gives his full backing to Nasser Hussain as captain of the England team by saying: "He is still the man to lead England.

"Against the background of playing an extremely strong and well-organised Australian team, with depleted forces, I do believe the task for Nasser has been a huge one and it has been a very difficult time for him.

"Nasser and I are due to have a meeting before I leave Australia at the end of tomorrow and I am sure he will be heartened by his own display today.

"I will give him every backing and every encouragement, and I am very sympathetic to the huge task he and the team have been facing here against a very strong side with depleted forces."

© CricInfo