Forlorn England captain Andrew Flintoff insisted his side could still avoid a series whitewash after they were routed in three humbling days by Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Flintoff admitted England were outplayed in every department and session by the Australians as Ricky Ponting's side romped to an innings and 99-run victory in the space of three days to go 4-0 up in the heavily one-sided series.
"It's been a tough trip, another tough three days," the big Lancastrian told reporters.
"I'm disappointed, upset... the emotions are all negative but we've got one game left. We don't want to leave this country having been beaten 5-0.
"As bad as I feel now, come the game in Sydney we have to go out there and put on a show."
Flintoff rejected suggestions his team lacked the fight to compete with Ponting's side, admitting that the opposition always found a man for the difficult occasion.
UNWANTED HISTORY
His side faces the prospect of becoming the first English party to be whitewashed since the 1920-21 tourists, and Flintoff has no desire for an unwanted place in history.
"There's a lot of pride and character in the team and I stand up for myself and everyone of the lads but they were good and we did not have any answers to that.
"We don't want to get beaten in three days, we're trying our best, the fans can see that and it would be nice to repay them with a win in Sydney."
He also had no regrets about batting first after calling correctly at Tuesday's toss although accepted the decision was not as clear cut as at other pitches in the series.
"It wasn't like the Gabba, a 100 percent bat-first wicket. We thought it might do a bit at the start but would even itself out over the game, even they were 80-odd for five."
He said his own form and that of many of his team mates lacked the quality needed to be taking on the Australians on home soil.
"There's a few of us who feel they can play better on this trip, myself included. There's got to be more than three or four players performing in the same game, it's got to be six or seven. That's not what we've had so far.
"I'm not in the greatest form of my life and hopefully I can turn it round in Sydney."
He dismissed the burden of captaincy had anything to do with his collapse of form with the bat.
"I'm not using that as an excuse, I knew when I took the job it's a big job. My personal form I can't blame on having the captaincy, it's just the course of events."
