Flintoff rues 'bad hour'

England captain Andrew Flintoff was left to rue the "bad hour" which prompted England's spectacular collapse in the second Test as Australia won by six wickets.

Just as the tourists seemed to have weathered the early pressure, they lost nine wickets for 60 runs to be dismissed for 129 and Australia sealed victory by reaching 168 for four with 19 balls remaining.

Flintoff admitted the hour during which Shane Warne took four wickets early in the day was decisive and he told Sky Sports 1: "We played some good cricket through the Test match but it shows it can cost you, you have a bad hour and you're out of the Test match. That's what happened."

The win gives Australia a 2-0 lead in the series and effectively ends England's hopes of retaining the Ashes as no side in the 123-year history of the competition has ever come back to level the series after going two behind.

Flintoff added: "The plan was just to go out there and play as we can do but Shane Warne and Brett Lee were fantastic and put us under the pump a little bit.

"I was pleased with the side we went into the Test match with and apart from Tuesday we did well. Just that hour cost us.

"We're not in a great mood at the moment, at 2-0 down it is an even tougher task than last time. But we've got to bounce back and get ourselves right mentally and physically for the next Test in a week's time."