Pope mentioned the crew remained centered on profitable the Ashes and pointed to the primary Check in Perth as a key second.“Going into that sequence, there was rather a lot spoken in regards to the preparation of it,” Pope advised reporters. “As a crew, the misunderstanding is likely to be that we weren’t as fussed because it got here throughout.”Talking at Surrey’s media day, the 28-year-old mentioned the result of the opening Check formed the narrative.“The robust factor for everybody in that first sport (Check) was the character of it. Had we gained that, and we might finished barely higher on day two, the thought is totally different.“After all we need to be a popular crew, on and off the pitch, and sadly our efficiency did not enable that to occur in Australia.”“I can perceive why individuals felt that manner, however on the similar time the notion that we weren’t fussed was in all probability the laborious factor. All we needed to do was go and win the Ashes…All anybody needed to do was to win,” Pope mentioned.“And for us at occasions it was simply making an attempt to, in our minds, take the stress off the precise Check match.”Even earlier than the sequence started, questions have been raised about England’s preparation in Australian circumstances. Their build-up included a three-day match towards England Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth.“As we have finished over the earlier years, we tried to deal with it like a standard sequence to get one of the best out of ourselves,” Pope mentioned. “Sadly, it did not fairly go to plan.”He added: “I do know what I should be as prepared as I will be. From a private level, I felt as prepared as I might have been for that first Check.”Pope was dropped after the third Check, having averaged 20.83 throughout the primary three matches. Jacob Bethell changed him and scored a century within the fifth Check in Sydney.Regardless of the setback, Pope mentioned he’s centered on returning to the facet.“I nonetheless really feel like my finest batting years are to return.”He was talking after the ECB reversed a plan to limit Ashes gamers from talking to the media forward of the county season whereas the overview of the tour continues.