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| Australia celebrate the 150 run win in the 3rd Test at the WACA to regain the Ashes. Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images |
Three tests or 14 days of cricket. That was all it took for
Australia to win their first series against England since 2006/07 and regain
the Ashes. It was fully deserved as Australia outplayed England in all facets
of the game both on and off the pitch except in the production of an 82-page cookbook.
Malaise: a vague feeling of discomfort or unease. When England
recorded a seemingly comprehensive 3-0 series win in the English summer there
were many that sensed a malaise within the England team. Results did not
justify this feeling but performances did. With the Ashes now lost the
condition of this English patient can be upgraded to chronic: usually applied
when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.
A batting line up that last passed 400 runs against New
Zealand in Wellington, 23 innings ago, has displayed such a sustained drop in
form that you wouldn’t back them to get the runs after a dodgy kebab on the Edgware
Road. If bowlers win Test matches then they can only do so if the batsmen have
put enough runs on the board to defend. For too long the England bowlers have dug
the top order out of a hole either through inspired bowling despite defending low
totals or by adding valuable lower order runs themselves. There is also a case
to be made that their cumulative efforts have caught up with them. Broad, Swann
and Anderson have bowled the most Test match overs in 2013 and now complimented
by a lack of support from the batsmen, fielding errors, intelligently devised
and executed plans from the Australian batsmen and a sudden inability to
extract any lateral movement from the Kookaburra they too have run out of
steam.
The one bright spot for England has been the arrival of Ben
Stokes. A surprise choice for the tour, let alone the side, he produced a high quality
century in Perth in only his fourth Test innings. Batting with technique and
discipline missing from his more celebrated colleagues Stokes has recorded
England’s only century. It was arguably the best innings of the series to date
and it will be interesting to see if he can continue his rapid ascent. A
long-term position in the side is his for the cementing.
With the urn lost, immediate attention turns to team selection
for the remaining two Tests. Will Andy Flower stick by the star names who have
now slumped or, with an eye on the future, re-employ Jonny Bairstow and Steven
Finn or promote new blood in the shape of Gary Ballance or even Tymal Mills? The
case could be made for all four but Flower’s track record suggests that he is
unlikely to make wholesale changes. It is most likely that Broad’s injury will
give an opportunity to Finn who should be allowed to follow the example of
Jimmy Anderson and forget the recent coaching that he’s received and revert
back to the wicket taking threat he used to be.
England’s recent track record of blooding new players is
poor. The last unqualified success was Jonathan Trott who debuted in the last
Ashes test of 2009 – early in Flower’s reign. Since then another 13 players
have been handed caps. Many of these will never play Test cricket for England
again (see Shahzad, Tredwell, Patel, Compton, Woakes, Morgan) and the jury is
out on the remainder.
There are 14 Tests until the 2015 Ashes series in England but
a 5-0 hiding is staring England in the face. For Cook, Bell, Pietersen,
Anderson and Monty this would be for the second time in their career. The baggy
greens of 2006/07 contained bona fide greats that would walk in to teams from
any country in any era; Ponting, Gilchrist, Warne and McGrath. Of the current
Australian team only Michael Clarke and potentially Mitchell Johnson would make
the 2006/07 side. After Clarke’s Australia lost to England by 347 runs at
Lord’s in July to go 2-0 down they were derided in their own press as the worst
Australian team since that of 1978/79. Allan Border recognised the strength of
Cook’s England, “Australia is up against a quality England team – there’s no
questioning it. For us to win we need everyone playing to their full potential
plus a little luck. At the moment, neither is happening.” In the intervening
four months Australia have not suddenly become a great team. Seven of their
starting lineup at Perth played at Lord’s while England fielded nine of the same XI. These are the only Tests that Australia have won all year. Australia have
gone back to basics – much credit is due to Darren Lehmann – executed core
skills and made themselves hard to beat. These were the same basics that had
previously been hallmarks of head coach Andy Flower’s England teams. The
difference is that almost all of the Australian team is now playing at their
full potential compared to only one of the England team.
Thousands of England supporters are joining the tour for the
final two Tests and this will be the third time in the last four away series
that England have arrived in Melbourne three nil down. In 2002/03 and 2006/07
it was not a major surprise but the most loyal cricket supporters in the world expected
and deserved better from this group of players. It is to be hoped that England
can give them something to cheer about at the MCG and SCG but the odds do not
look good. At least the exchange rate is moving in the favour of the Barmy
Army.
