Pat Cummins insists the captaincy did not impact his bowling at Old Trafford, rejecting claims that the mental workload was an issue against a rampant England attack.
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Australia were able to hold on for a draw that retained the Ashes on Sunday, after persistent rain meant no play was possible at Old Trafford.
But it came after Australia endured their worst Test of the tour by some margin, as England produced the most destructive Ashes innings in history with 592 in 107.4 overs.
Cummins in particular struggled, a return of 1-129 at 5.6 an over marking the most expensive innings of his career, as both Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow went after him.
Australia's captain also copped criticism over the team's short-pitched tactics with the ball, and was accused of being rattled by England's all-out attack when he dropped a regulation catch.
But Cummins is adamant the captaincy did not affect his bowling during a frantic England innings. He still averages 24.61 as captain.
"I don't think (that was an issue)," Cummins said.
"It was just execution, I let through more boundaries than I normally do. Probably just one or two bad balls an over.
"I don't know (why) really. Rhythm felt pretty good, I felt like I was pretty clear in my own mind with plans, so I don't know."
Cummins also maintained there is no need for Australia to panic, after Crawley hit 189 from 182 balls and Bairstow an unbeaten 99 from 81.
England will desperately hope to carry that momentum into The Oval on Thursday, where they will try to stop Australia claiming a Test series win in the country for the first time in 22 years.
And while Cummins conceded that the middle session on day two was far from the team's best as England scored at 7.12 an over, he believes it was nothing to be spooked about.
"It certainly felt like they were in control at some stages. I wouldn't say that's overly uncommon, no matter who the opponent is," Cummins said.
"It's about trying to make those moments as short as possible and wrestle back some kind of control.
"We tried to throw a few different plans at them and maybe on another day they work - a couple of the edges carry through or some of the catches go to hand.
"You definitely look at what you can try and do differently for next time. That will be part of this week for sure.
"I think there are some obvious things we could do a little bit differently. Maybe some plans, the way we executed our bowling."
Australian Associated Press
