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| Mitchell Johnson salutes the crowd during his dream series - © WILLIAM WEST/ AFP/ Getty Images |
The Sports Gazette Ashes team discuss how England have gone
from comfortable Ashes winners in the summer to a spectacular defeat Down Under.
As Jimmy Anderson fended a short delivery to the short-leg
fielder to give Mitchell Johnson his 23rd wicket of the series, the
inevitable became reality, and the Ashes were lost with two Tests to go.
This is a far cry from the summer when England’s bowlers
made the entire Australian batting line-up look ordinary in a 3-0 series
victory.
Having provided live text coverage of the final day of the
first Test, and the entirety of Tests two and three, the Sports Gazette team
are perfectly placed to try and explain the huge swing in the favour of the
Australians.
Where
have the Ashes been won and lost?
Richard Jude: The margins are finer than they look, but the
batting has been the key. In England the pitches were slow and difficult to bat
on, this brought the par scores down and Ian Bell carried England. In Australia
the pitches have been quicker and suited aggressive batting, England were
unable to raise their game where Australia did, and one century in six innings
is never going to be good enough.
Justin Feck: Australia won the Ashes because they were willing to sacrifice the
summer series to build a team and their confidence towards pitches that suit
their style of play. England became over-confident and failed to prepare
properly.
Simon Collings: It is a cliché,
but clichés are clichés because they are true - 'catches win matches'. England
have simply not been good enough in the field. Missed opportunities have
allowed Australian batsmen to go on and score big hundreds, which have taken
games away from England.
Grant Yardley: England’s first innings batting. To score over
200 just once is appalling and you can’t expect to draw let alone win a Test if
you fail to do so. Australia’s attack also carried more pace, with Mitchell
Johnson back in form and the likes of Steven Finn out of form.
So why the change
from the summer?
Richard: The lack of a form man to carry England’s batting,
combined with a bowler that can consistently reach 92mph and above to terrorise
them, has seen the side repeatedly lose clusters of wickets and come up
woefully short of Australia’s efforts.
Justin: England believed that Australia were an easy
target but failed to push on from that point. Players in the England team
believe they can't be dropped and have stopped performing. Australia made
the big calls when needed e.g. Bringing Lehmann in with fresh ideas.
Simon: For me
the whole thing smacks of complacency. Even before the summer began there was
talk of England winning 10-0. Following on from the 3-0 win back home, I just
feel that Alistair Cook and his team took their foot of the gas. It is no
surprise, when you are at the summit of any sport it is hard to motivate
yourself to stay there.
Grant: The
wickets were quicker, which suited Johnson in particular, and Australia’s
batsmen found it easier to score runs against England’s attack – probably due
to the lack of swing on offer Down Under.
How much of this
result has been determined by the confidence of the two teams, and other mental
factors, rather than ability and effort?
Richard: Certain Australian players like David Warner and Mitchell
Johnson have had the chance to express themselves, and the rewards have been
reaped. In contrast, Jonathan Trott’s illness was obviously affecting his form
and confidence, and Matt Prior is another example of a man who for the most
part has looked mentally exhausted and bereft of confidence.
Justin: England
lost because they failed to concentrate on their shot selection and building an
innings. That doesn't take away anything from an incredible Australian attack
that would blow away most teams.
Simon: The
mental state of the sides has played a huge role. Australia have had the bit
between their teeth, right from the start of this series. They were clearly
hurting from the summer and came out all guns blazing. As for England, they
just seemed to lack focus. In terms of talent, there is little to separate the
sides. I just think that Australia wanted it a little more.
Grant: England’s experienced batsmen didn’t score the runs that
their averages suggested they should. So yes, it would suggest that the
tourists’ problems were more mental than technical. Also, Jonathan Trott’s
personal issues were a big blow.
How big is the gap between England and Australia, and where do
you think these two rank in the world?
Richard: I’ve been concerned about the inability of England’s
batting line-up to produce big totals since 2011, so Australia will need to
beat South Africa and India before they are at the very top of the game again.
The gap between the sides is as big as England’s batsman have been poor, If the
current form is part of the decline of the Pietersen and Bell, as well as the
inability to replace Strauss or Collingwood, then the gap may be a big one
until new talent is bedded in.
Justin: On this
series, Australia have shown they are in the big league again. After losing the
likes of Warne, Ponting and Hussey in the last 6 years, they needed fresh blood
to come through and bed in. England need to do the same, and with the likes of
Root and Stokes, it shows new players can come in and play in an established
team.
Simon: I would not say there is too much between the two sides,
even after this series. Both are formidable opponents in their own country,
just look at England only a few months ago. In terms of their place on the
world stage, both are behind South Africa - who for me are the best team in the
world. Their bowling attack is terrifying. I dread to think the damage they
could cause on a hard Australian wicket.
Grant: I think the gap is very small and Australia has
won this series mainly due to conditions suiting their players and poor form
from the England batsmen. If you asked me to name a best XI from the two teams,
there would still be a few Englishmen in the side.
Compared to other sides around the World, I feel these two
are pretty poor. South Africa and India would win comfortably, and Pakistan and
Sri Lanka wouldn’t be frightened of facing them on their own pitches.
What next for this
England side?
Richard: Transition. There is a transitional period ahead,
and England need to work out how best to progress without emptying the team of
experience in one go. The form of Ben Stokes, and the fight shown by Joe Root
were as positive as Pietersen’s selfish dismissals were negative, and they’ll
be key men in the teams built going forward.
Justin: The next thing for England is to look at the
role of Pietersen. Sadly he has decided he is on a one man mission to destroy
every bowler he faces without thinking of the team and the game situation. The bowling attack is in desperate need of more pace. The fact
that Mitchell Johnson was consistently clearing 94mph and wiping out the
batting line-up, shows England need a new quick bowler. The role of Flower might be called into question but that is
premature as it was not the side he put out that failed, it was the players for
not taking responsibility to do their job.
Simon: I would like to see England look to the future and start
building another top side. I am not saying they need mass changes, but the
integration of some youngsters would be beneficial. As for the coaches, they
need to look at the positives. Ben Stokes has demonstrated that he may well be
the answer to England's all-rounder problem, an area which has troubled
selectors since Andrew Flintoff's retirement.
Grant: Andy Flower’s position will no doubt be called into question, but I feel he will be given another home series to prove his worth. He must decide whether to persevere with senior batsmen such as Kevin Pietersen, who haven’t scored the volume of runs their talent merits. The wicketkeeper must be up for grabs as Prior’s failures with the bat is being made worse by his errors with the gloves.
England have lacked wicket-takers in this series and they
will need to address that – Bresnan puts in a shift but is he ever going to
take a five-wicket haul? Finally Swann is no longer a certainty as England’s
premier spinner, and teams will certainly look to attack him if he does keep
his place.
It’s the 11th
June, the 1st Test of the summer starts tomorrow against Sri Lanka,
what is your England team?
Richard: Cook, Carberry, Trott/Bell, Bell/Morgan, Root,
Stokes, Prior, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn
Justin: Cook, Carberry, Root, Pietersen, Bell, Stokes,
Prior, Swann, Broad, Anderson, Mills
Simon: Cook, Robson, Root, Pietersen, Bell, Stokes, Prior,
Broad, Swann, Anderson, Finn
Grant: Cook, Carberry, Bell, Root, Ballance, Stokes, Prior,
Broad, Anderson, Finn, Swann/Panesar
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