Pride returns as England target 4-1

Steven Finn wants England to continue their feel-good summer by wrapping up a 4-1 Ashes win in the fifth Investec Test at The Oval and believes that such a resounding margin of victory would help atone for their whitewashing in Australia 18 months ago.

The legacy of that tour cast a shadow over much of 2014 and when this year began with England departing the World Cup at the group stage, the public feedback Finn received was of the "people hanging off scaffolding abusing me" variety. England have since won over the fans with some swashbuckling displays in ODI and Test cricket and next week will go after four victories in an Ashes series for the first time since 1978.

The enjoyment has been even sweeter for Finn, who returned to the Test side at Edgbaston after two years out and picked up eight wickets. The problems with his action and run up came to a head during the 2013-14 Ashes tour, from which he returned home early, but Finn felt the pain of a 5-0 defeat even as he toiled in the nets.

"Obviously we wanted to avenge that coming into the series, it was deeply embarrassing being over there for that," he said. "I didn't even play a part in the series but I was there watching every day and it hurt to be beaten like that. So to be sat here now having regained the Ashes is a very nice feeling.

"We want to win 4-1, we don't want to finish on a downer, that would be such a disappointing way to end what has been such an exciting series. We are glad that people are celebrating.

"It's great when you get stopped in the street to say they are proud of you and it's nice considering where we were when we came back from that World Cup, when people were embarrassed to be associated with England or to be supporters of English cricket. To make people proud is a great feeling and I think if we were to win 4-1, which is very much what we are focused on, hopefully we can make them even more proud."

While many England supporters viewed the summer with trepidation - their unease added to by a 1-1 draw in the Caribbean - a thrilling one-day series win over New Zealand helped reignite enthusiasm. Australia arrived as favourites for the Ashes but a giddy fortnight, during which they were twice crushed inside three days, saw England reclaim the urn as well as a great deal of public affection.

"Just walking up and down the street doing the shopping over the last couple of days, people stop you and say 'we're proud of you' and it's lovely - that's what going out there and doing it is all about," Finn said. "We go out there for ourselves and the team, obviously, but we do it for the wider perspective and other people as well. That is something I really enjoy and if we can put smiles on people's faces then that is fantastic. Six months ago no one stopped me, no one said hello - other than people hanging off scaffolding abusing me!"

Victory at The Oval in the final Test, which starts on Thursday, would see England rise from No. 6 to No. 2 in the ICC rankings - they will go third, behind Australia, with a draw or defeat - but Finn has cautioned against looking too far ahead.

England's next Test series is against Pakistan in the UAE, where they travelled as the No. 1-ranked side in 2012 only to be whitewashed 3-0. They will then take on South Africa, currently the world's top Test team, but Finn said it was important the team remained focused on their current opponents.

"We started to think about legacies and things like that and I am not comfortable with that sort of thing," Finn said of England's rise to No. 1 in 2011. "Why we have done so well, and won people back to cricket this summer, is we have taken every day as it comes - we have played with smiles on our faces and it's brought the best out of us.

"If we start talking about anything beyond that it could prove detrimental to what we are doing at the moment. That is for other people to talk about. We are not thinking about anything other than trying to win these five days at The Oval and then enjoying the challenge when we get over to the UAE as well."

Finn's international career has in some ways reflected England's ups and downs but his return to form has been a heartening one. He looked on from the sidelines as England won the Ashes in 2013 and 2010-11 but said being involved at Trent Bridge was "a moment to savour for the rest of my career".

He now requires one more wicket for 100 in Tests - having become the youngest Englishman to 50 more than four years ago - and looks a more complete bowler after rebuilding his action, adding consistent outswing to his armoury.

"I have worked hard on swinging the ball over the last year but sometimes it has almost felt like I have sacrificed pace when I have been trying to move the ball sideways," he said, "but something clicked in a four-day game at Merchant Taylor's against Somerset recently. It was something I had been trying in practice and it started coming out better - then I thought, sod it, I am going to try it in a game. Richard Johnson, Middlesex's bowling coach, has been encouraging me for a long time to just give it a go - I never had the confidence to do it."