England’s latest defeat to Australia in the Ashes could be seen as progress… if viewed through the rosiest of rose-tinted glasses. After all, the tourists made it to the fifth day of the third Test in Adelaide, which is better than the four days it took the Aussies in Brisbane or the two days in Perth. Of course, putting such a positive spin aside, it has been an abject series for England, and serious questions are being asked about the current leadership.
It’s highly unlikely there will be any changes before the series is done and dusted, with England captain Ben Stokes insisting he wants to stay on in the role. Meanwhile, “Bazball” architect and England coach Brendon McCullum has acknowledged that his side may have made some mistakes in the build-up to the Ashes in Australia. Whether he can hang on to his position in the future might well depend on how England perform in the final two Tests. Even though the series is lost, winning either or both of those matches might provide a stay of execution for McCullum, Stokes and managing director Rob Key.
Realistically, despite the inevitable media firestorm, it’s too early to say what the future will bring for the England setup. But let’s take a look back at the three Test defeats to see if we can identify some crumbs of positivity ahead of the final two matches of this ill-fated Ashes series.
Third Test – Adelaide: Australia Won by 82 Runs
Starting with the most recent – and closest – defeat, there were some reasons to be (relatively) positive, from an England point of view. It was the first time in the series the batters had lasted more than 80 overs, making 286 from 87.2 overs in the first innings and 352 from 102.5 overs in the second. Considering England were bowled out twice in fewer than 80 overs in the second Test, and twice in fewer than 35 overs in the first, it suggests the batters weren’t quite as reckless. The pitch was better in some regards, but there was also a newfound determination not to throw away wickets (which you would have hoped would have been present previously, but hey ho).
Another positive was that Archer got amongst the runs, scoring his first half-century in Test cricket. It would have been nice to have seen any – or all! – of the top five in the order doing likewise in the first innings, but we have to take what we can. Archer was also very good with the ball, taking five for 53 in the first innings. He wasn’t quite as effective in the second, but his economy was excellent at just 1.57.
Lessons to learn from the third Test include the need for a specialist spinner. Will Jacks just couldn’t cut the mustard and was hammered all over the ground. He did score 47 runs in the second innings, but his bowling cost England far more than that.
Second Test – Brisbane: Australia Won by Eight Wickets
One of the big positives from the second Test in Brisbane was that England great Joe Root finally scored a Test century in Australia. His 138 not out helped the tourists to a respectable total, but the home side responded with a batting display that saw every player make double figures, and five made more than 60. England couldn’t respond as their batters fell cheaply, captain Stokes being the only man to make it to 50.
After the first Test, the match in Brisbane didn’t seem a complete disaster, but it wasn’t far off as the visitors failed to build enough momentum to put themselves into a match-winning position.
First Test – Perth: Australia Won by Eight Wickets
We save the worst for last as England suffered defeat within two days – the first time that had happened at the Ashes since 1921! England’s first innings was, frankly, woeful. Four players failed to get a single run, while two others only made single figures. England were all out for 172, and things looked bleak.
Then, somehow, England pulled out a fantastic bowling performance that saw them skittle the Aussies for just 132 runs! Captain Stokes led from the front, with exceptional figures of five for just 23 runs. Perhaps the tourists could get off to a winning start, after all. Or perhaps not…
Just when it looked as though England had got themselves into a strong position, their batters were infected with a collective bout of badshotitis. The England top order seemed to be in a festive mood as they handed gift after gift to the Aussie bowlers. The home side lapped up the wickets, and England were all out for 164, having been 65/1.
Australia then made no mistakes in their second innings as they reached their target for the loss of just two wickets. Travis Head was sensational and took the game away from the tourists, blasting 123 from just 83 balls, an iconic Ashes innings. At this stage, the key positive from the first Test was that it surely couldn’t get any worse for England!
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