Another Ashes Test, another humiliation. Another week of soul-searching, another promise that next time will be better.
England’s terrible record Down Under has continued in that familiar vein of high hopes dashed by bitter disappointment, of a new beginning ending in embarrassment. This latest series has followed a familiar script to many before it and has been decided within 12 days’ play.
We are now 11 years on from the last away Ashes success against an Australian team in transition at the time, and prior to that you have to go way back to 1986-87 for the previous such victory.
The 3-1 win in 2010-11 for Andrew Strauss’ side was inspired by future captain Alastair Cook’s incredible record with the bat – 766 runs at an average of 127.66 across the five Tests including an unbroken 235no in the opener at Brisbane’s Gabba. Since then the tourists have now won just one of the last 13 Tests on Australian soil.
Horror show for England’s batsmen
So far this series Joe Root’s men have lost a wicket in the first ball, slumped to three heavy defeats and demonstrated a muddled team selection which has exacerbated the on-field problems. Only the bowling attack can come out of the opening three Tests with any credit.
Captain Root had maintained that improvement would come after each of the first two defeats – by nine wickets in the opener and then by 275 runs in Adelaide – but then followed another harrowing batting collapse of 68 all out en route to an innings defeat inside two and a half days and an Ashes loss. This prompted him to admit changes are required.
“It’s a big part of where the game is at in our country right now that the only place you can really learn is in the hardest environment for what is quite a young batting group.” he said.
“They’re having to learn out here in the harshest environments. You look back at 2015 and the reset that happened in white-ball cricket, and maybe that’s something that needs to be happening in our red-ball game as well.”
Talisman Root under fire
Root had earlier been removed for 28, meaning his own personal 2021 with the bat fell just 80 runs short of breaking Mohammad Yousuf’s Test record of 1,788 in a calendar year. It was unfortunate for the England skipper who had previously stood tall amongst the wilting leaves of his batting partners, top-scoring in half of their innings so far.
Others have fallen short all year round, with Rory Burns, dropped in Melbourne, the next best with 530 runs in 2021. On the third morning they also registered their 54th duck of 2021, equalling a record set in 1998. Not only that, but they have also become the first of any England team to lose nine Test matches in a calendar year.
Root was not going to be drawn on the subject of his captaincy, preferring to concentrate on what is to come more immediately, the pressing matter of completing the series and avoiding a 5-0 whitewash.
He added: “The series isn’t over yet. We’ve got two very big games and, more than anything, it’d be wrong to look past that.
“I’m in the middle of a very important series. My energy has to be all about trying to win the next game. I can’t be selfish and start thinking about myself. I think more than anything you’ve got to keep looking to do everything we can to get the players in the best possible place to go and win Test matches.”
Aussies favourites for whitewash
England are unsurprisingly not expected to gain anything in their next match in Sydney – despite the SCG hosting England’s highest number of Test wins on Australian soil, with 22 wins from 56. Root’s side can be backed at 8/1 to claim a consolation victory, with the hosts a comfortably odds-on 4/5 for the win.
In fact, you could use an Android sports betting app to stay up to date with live scores, injury reports, and even place bets while you’re on the run. The favoured outcome for the entire series is a 5-0 whitewash (13/8), whilst the odds are stacked against England to finish the tour on a high by claiming wins here and in Hobart in a fortnight (40/1 for a 3-2 result).
For the latter to happen England need to pick themselves up quickly and all eyes will be on the selection for the Fourth Test which starts on Wednesday. Head coach Chris Silverwood has also come under fire for the team’s performances, results and predominantly the team selection.
Pressure mounting on Silverwood
The impacts of Covid-19 have been felt when it has come to selecting the best X1 to take on a confident Australian outfit but the criticism has been levelled his way following the inevitable poor batting displays by players brought in from the cold with very little playing time and very little preparation for such an intense occasion.
Silverwood himself will miss the Test, having to isolate in Melbourne for ten days due to a Covid-positive contact. Assistant Graham Thorpe will take charge and will hope he and Root can mastermind the first of two victories to leave the final scoreboard looking more palatable.
It remains to be seen whether some form of consistency and continuity will maintain the batting order from the previous Test, or whether Rory Burns and Ollie Pope are brought back in again as another throw of the dice to try to salvage something from the series.
Heroic Boland showing delights his skipper
Over in the buoyant Australian camp, the batting order has been settled throughout thus far, but one key change to the bowling attack in Melbourne brought with it a story for the ages.
Debutant Scott Boland had the full pick of the England order, claiming incredible Test bowling figures of six wickets for seven runs in just four overs – including that of Root.
The Victoria and Hobart Hurricanes right-arm fast-medium bowler became only the second ever male player from Aboriginal descent to represent the country in Test cricket – a form of the game he must have wondered was always this easy.
His captain Pat Cummins dubbed his first Ashes series win as ‘what dreams are made of’ – having only been named skipper a week before the opening Test. He said: “It’s just all gone to plan so far and I haven’t even felt like there was a session where it’s really got away from us.
“It’s just worked out fantastically so far, winning early on day three just doesn’t happen so it’s a fantastic result. To go 3-0 up, for this team to win the Ashes, it’s the first Ashes victory for a lot of guys in the team. It’s just a great feeling.”
Speaking of the future Cummins was keen to touch on the potential of his team going forward, adding: “I think outside of the actual results there’s so many other positives as well; we’ve had a couple of debutants, been able to field a strong squad of 15 players, it doesn’t just feel like a 3-0 victory, it feels like we’re setting ourselves up for the next years as well.
“This really consolidates that we are a really good strong Test cricket side and I think it’s good for the next years (to come).”
There is the small matter of completing the Ashes series, and the possibility of a whitewash, to come immediately, and the Fourth Test gets underway on Wednesday with live coverage from BT Sport at 11.30pm GMT
