We let our captain down, now none of us knows if we'll play for England again 

• No England player is safe after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash Down Under
• I can understand the disappointment of the fans who travelled
• Alastair Cook will grow stronger from this experience
• An England team with an in-form Kevin Pietersen is a strong one
• The war of words stays on the field... a beer with the Aussies sorted it
• I don't know why I struggled with the ball, but a lack of runs didn't help
  

By James Anderson for the Daily Mail

Published: 18:54 EST, 18 January 2014 | Updated: 19:26 EST, 18 January 2014

I am not privy to the plans of England’s management, coaches and selectors but to me, our 5-0 defeat in Australia feels like the end of one era and the beginning of a new one.

People expected us to win against Australia in the summer and win again this winter. But a combination of them playing extremely well and us playing extremely poorly ensured that even when we did get going, we never kept going long enough.

Alastair Cook needed his senior players to stand up. We didn’t do that and the result was that we let ourselves and our supporters down. It was hard not to sympathise with those who held up banners at the end of the series reminding us how far they had travelled and how much they'd paid to watch us.

Disappointed: James Anderson can sympathise with fans who felt short-changed by the England Ashes team

Jubilant: The disappointment of the 5-0 whitewash in Australia was in stark contrast to the 3-0 summer win

We shared their pain, believe me. We were just as gutted as they were. That feeling must be at the heart of everything we do to turn things around.

It is clear there will be changes - Graeme Swann’s retirement means at least one is enforced - and not one of us can feel safe and secure about our England future.

From my perspective, I am determined to prove I still have a part to play. My hunger and desire to take wickets and play in another winning side are as strong as ever. I want a crack at regaining the Ashes next year and playing in the 2015 World Cup as well.

Here are my thoughts on some of the main issues:

Watershed moment for Flower and Cook

Alastair is the kind of character who will only grow stronger for this experience. What will have disappointed him more than anything was his performance with the bat.

Since he became captain he has been fantastic at leading by example and scoring loads of runs.

Throughout his career, whenever he has come up against an obstacle he has cleared it, whether scoring a ton on his Test debut or the loss of form before the previous Ashes that might have cost him his place.

I’m sure he and Andy Flower realise this is a watershed but both have been in tricky situations before.

Time for a resurrection: Alastair Cook, who averaged just 24.60 in the Ashes loss, and Andy Flower

Then and now: Cook scoring a century on debut in tough conditions in Napur, and walking off the SCG 5-0 down

Those who suggest things may have to get worse before they get better could be right.

Some have accused Andy of being too strict in his approach but whatever he has done in past five years has worked and taken us to an amazing place, and there’s nothing to me that says the way he goes about things is wrong or doesn’t work.

As for comparison with Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann, one of whose rules is to get someone to tell a joke every day, well we’re quite good at telling jokes to each other without being prompted to do it. If the team looked down on occasions it’s because we were being battered, not because no one told a gag.

KP? we’re all fighting for our places

I am not aware of any big issue behind the scenes. Even when there were a few problems a while back, I’ve always said that having Kevin Pietersen in the team when he is in form and playing well makes for a strong England team.

But, after getting mauled 5-0 I don’t think anyone can say they are safe. If we want to carry on playing Test cricket, we have to go back to our counties and fight for our places.

When he's on: Kevin Pietersen in form means a strong England team - no one is safe after the whitewash

Brave Trott  deserves our respect

As with Jonathan, I was around when Marcus Trescothick suffered his problems in 2006-07 and had to return home.

Jonathan has been dealing with the issues for some time and it is tough to see someone struggling like that.

We were aware of problems during the summer. To try to battle through when he was in a bad place was brave and he demands huge respect. The most important thing now is that he gets the help he needs.

Respect: Jonathan Trott should be commended for his decision and supported in his recovery

Our war of words with the Aussies

It is what the Aussies generally do when they are on top and when they are, it is quite hard to come back.

You’ve got to earn the right to sledge and I’ve no complaints about the level of it.

I had a drink or two with Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson after the series and we agreed that whatever happens on the field stays there, that it is all part of the heat of the battle and that once it is over it is gone.

The fact that we discussed all this over a beer says it all.

David Warner’s comments about Trotty were a different matter. That was someone messing up off the field, saying things they should not have said in a public forum.

Toe-to-toe: Anderson and Australia captain Michael Clarke clashed in Brisbane but what happens on the field...

Code of conduct: Anderson had a beer with Mitchell Johnson (left) and Shane Watson (right) after the series

I don’t know why I struggled

People have said I struggled to swing the new ball but I wasn’t conscious of that myself. We knew that the Kookaburra stops swinging quickly and conditions need to be just right for it to go.

I was simply not accurate enough over a long enough period and my third and fourth spells were not up to the standard I set myself.

One of the key factors in our success in 2010-11 was the big runs our batsmen made in the first innings. That allowed us to rest.

Thirsty work: The Kookaburra doesn't swing for long and England weren't making runs to give bowlers a rest

This time, bowling again in testing climatic conditions sometimes with as little rest as 50 overs was tough and with their batsman having licence to tee off on the back of a healthy first-innings lead they cashed in.

One mad theory I can kick into touch is that my work on reverse swing affected my wrist position for conventional swing. They are exactly the same.

Graeme's Swann song

What did not help was my great friend Swanny struggling to hit the heights he has occupied for so long.

Only he knows how much part was played by his chronic elbow injury. In the past he helped me take so many wickets by drying up runs or creating pressure at the other end.

He’ll get criticism from some who think he jumped ship by retiring but in his head he left for the right reasons. It was his decision to make. We’ll miss him... well, maybe not that much!

Stepping aside: Anderson's mate Graeme Swann struggling for the first two Tests of the series then retired