The Ashes 2015: Consolation for Australia, celebrations for England

FIFTH TEST: Australia 481 beat England 149 & 286 (f/o) by an innings and 46 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Steve Smith

AUSTRALIA restored some pride with a dominant innings win in the fifth Test at the Oval - but England, of course, could already celebrate a fourth successive home Ashes triumph.

Steve Smith (143) scored his second big ton of the summer as the Aussies set up a platform on days one and two to control the final chapter of this bewildering campaign.

For this Ashes series can only accurately be described as having been bewildering. From the start, it has constantly confounded expectations.

It seems a long time ago now but Australia went into the series as favourites having completed a whitewash over England only 18 months previously.

England, though, won the first Test by the not insignificant margin of 169 runs before Australia dwarfed that with a massive 405-run victory at Lord's.

Perhaps, it was thought, it had just taken the Aussies a little time to wake up. Perhaps now they would pulverise England the rest of the series.

But no - it was the English bowlers who dominated at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge with Steven Finn and James Anderson spearheading the first of those efforts before Stuart Broad produced, in the absence of Anderson, his now legendary spell of 8-15.

Australia were blown away for 60 in their first innings in Nottingham, the shortest first innings in Test history - and, having only done slightly better second time around, had lost the Ashes and looked a shambles of a team.

Surely then England would cap a glorious summer at the Oval by grinding the Aussies' noses in the dust to emerge as 4-1 winners.

Alas, sadly not. Despite England winning the toss, any early Aussie vulnerability was steadied at the top of the order by Chris Rogers (43) and David Warner (85).

The openers guided the tourists to 82-0 at lunch on the first day - and their position at the end of day one, 287-3, was no less dominant with Smith at the crease alongside Adam Voges.

Voges had played himself into a bit of form at the back end of the fourth Test with an unbeaten half century there - but he will have enjoyed his 76 at the Oval far more.

There was, however, no last big satisfying score for outgoing skipper Michael Clarke. He made just 15 before being caught behind off Ben Stokes - and, by later enforcing the follow-on for the first time ever, did not get a second chance.

Australia eventually made 481 as Smith found another useful ally lower down the order in Mitchell Starc (58).

The big question at that point was whether England, facing similar first innings scoreboard pressure to that which affected them at Lord's, could do any better this time.

In short, they could not. On the stroke of tea on day two, the hosts lost skipper Alastair Cook (22) - castled by Nathan Lyon - and, after the interval, the rest of the team collapsed in a heap to 92-8.

Only a bit of counter-punching from Moeen Ali (30) and Mark Wood (24) pushed England onto three-figures. However, both were dismissed by Mitchell Johnson early on the third day.

Clarke then made his momentous decision to enforce the follow-on for the first time ever in his final Test match.

With one eye on the inclement British weather, and England trailing by a massive 332 runs, it was really the only sensible choice.

But, by denying himself the chance to improve on his own first innings score, Clarke admirably favoured the value of a crushing win over any valedictory vainglory.

Australia delivered for him. Peter Siddle may have been terribly under-employed on this tour but he was belatedly able to show his quality by taking 4-35 in the second innings for match figures of 6-67.

Notably, Siddle twice dismissed Adam Lyth cheaply - and, with the Yorkshireman having failed to make any sort of truly significant contribution in this series, it now seems certain he will be dropped for the winter tours.

Ian Bell, meanwhile, is rumoured to be on the verge of international retirement, satisfied with a career which has made him a five-times Ashes winner.

Bell, of course, will always have the 2013 series to cherish, his three centuries being the foundation stone to that England victory.

But it would not be unfair to suggest that this series has rather passed him by. He has averaged 26.87, and even that mark is boosted by a strong performance on his home ground which was not repeated elsewhere.

So, the wheel turns for England again - ahead of a completely different sort of challenge against Pakistan on the dry pitches of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in October.

Captain Cook, however, remains steadfastly at the head of the ship - and deservedly so after such an unexpected series victory.

Of course, there has still been some horror shows with the bat from England but a lot of the bowling has been genuinely thrilling.

Remember, it was this England attack which was the first Test side in history to have four different players take at least six wickets in four consecutive innings at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge.

And while Clarke and Australia can continue to moan all they like about the pitches favouring the hosts, they have no real argument unless they transform the Gabba in Brisbane or the Waca in Perth into a dry-turner for a visit of Pakistan or India.

English pitches in England should not really come as a surprise to Australia - there were, after all, few complaints from them about the surfaces in 1989 or 1993 or 1997. Or 2001 for that matter.

Yes, it is now 14 years since Australia last won a series in England - and it will be 18 years by the time they are scheduled to arrive on these shores for Tests again.

England, in the meantime, can bask in the glory of holding the urn for the next two-and-a-half years before the next contest Down Under in the winter of 2017-18.

For, although the series ended on the damp squib of a defeat at the Oval, the performance level overall from a developing side has restored some faith in the team around the country.

My preview suggested most supporters would be satisfied with a 2-2 draw and some entertaining cricket, even if that meant the Aussies retaining the urn.

In that case, a 3-2 victory - even when finishing on an innings defeat - is more than satisfactory. Now, if only the infuriating inconsistency could be sorted out.

THE ASHES 2015: ENGLAND WON 3-2

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-31 July	3RD England 281 & 124-2 beat Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets	Edgbaston
6-8 August	4TH England 391-9d beat Australia 60 & 253 by an innings and 78 runs	Trent Bridge
20-23 August	5TH Australia 481 beat England 149 & 286 by an innings and 46 runs	The Oval

Man of the series: Joe Root (England)

TEAM AGGREGATES
Runs scored England 2365, Australia 2565
Wickets taken England 80, Australia 81 

CENTURIES
Australia 3-2 England
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
143 Steve Smith (Australia) in the fifth Test, The Oval
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff
130 Joe Root (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge

TOP RUN SCORERS
508 Steve Smith (Australia)
480 Chris Rogers (Australia)
460 Joe Root (England)
418 David Warner (Australia)
330 Alastair Cook (England)
293 Moeen Ali (England)
215 Ian Bell (England)
201 Ben Stokes (England), Adam Voges (Australia) 

BEST BATTING AVERAGES
60.00 Chris Rogers (Australia)
57.50 Joe Root (England)
56.44 Steve Smith (Australia)
46.44 David Warner (Australia)
36.66 Alastair Cook (England)
36.62 Moeen Ali (England)
29.50 Jonny Bairstow (England)
28.71 Adam Voges (Australia)
26.87 Ian Bell (England)
25.75 Mark Wood (England)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
England 4-2 Australia
8-15 Stuart Broad (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge
6-36 Ben Stokes (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge 
6-47 James Anderson (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston
6-79 Steven Finn (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston 
6-111 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge 
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

TOP WICKET TAKERS 
21 Stuart Broad (England)
18 Mitchell Starc (Australia)
16 Josh Hazlewood (Australia), Nathan Lyon (Australia)
15 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
12 Steven Finn (England), Moeen Ali (England)
11 Ben Stokes (England)
10 James Anderson (England), Mark Wood (England) 

BOWLING AVERAGES minimum 10 wickets
20.90 Stuart Broad (England)
22.50 Steven Finn (England)
25.75 Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
27.50 James Anderson (England)
28.25 Nathan Lyon (Australia)
30.50 Mitchell Starc (Australia)
33.45 Ben Stokes (England)
34.93 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
39.10 Mark Wood (England)
45.50 Moeen Ali (England)

The Ashes 2015: Broad leads the way as England take back the Ashes

FOURTH TEST: England 391-9d beat Australia 60 & 253 by an innings and 78 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Stuart Broad

ENGLAND regained the Ashes in style on Saturday after taking an unassailable 3-1 lead with an innings victory in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge.

In all honesty, the match was effectively over in just 94 minutes as Australia contrived to follow up their weak batting display at Edgbaston with an even worse one in Nottingham.

Notts man Stuart Broad was the architect of the Aussies' downfall, at one stage holding figures of 5-6 on his way to a remarkable 8-15 - so it is fair to say then that England coped pretty well in the absence of their all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson.

With one wicket apiece for Steven Finn and the recalled Durham paceman Mark Wood in addition to Broad's magnificent haul, Australia were humiliatingly all out for just 60 in 18.3 overs, their lowest Ashes total since 1936.

The whole innings, in fact, was a statistician's delight, being the shortest ever completed first innings of a Test in terms of the number of balls bowled.

Broad's five-fer, meanwhile, came off just 19 balls, the joint-shortest spell for five wickets in a Test and the shortest when taken from the very start of a match.

Moreover, Broad's final analysis of 8-15 were the best ever figures in a Test at Trent Bridge - and the best ever return by an English seamer in Ashes cricket.

In fact, they were the third best figures by any Englishman in the Ashes - and, only Jim Laker twice, with 9-37 and 10-53 in his eponymous match at Old Trafford in 1956, has ever done better.

It was not only the bowling which was a bit special from England - much improved in their catching generally in this series, Ben Stokes produced an absolute ripper at fifth slip to dismiss Adam Voges.

But, while that perhaps was moment of the match, no one was going to deny Broad from being named man of the match.

For some years now, he has been a top frontline bowler - but he really stepped it up in front on his home ground.

It is not even a stretch to say he actually acquired legendary status with his spell on Thursday as he joined Fred Trueman in joint fourth-place on the all-time list of England Test wicket-takers, with 307 scalps. Only Anderson (413), Ian Botham (383) and Bob Willis (325) are still ahead.

Of course, in the context of the match and this Ashes series, Broad's bowling and the Aussies' collapse meant England had to bat only half-competently to take complete control.

Thanks to Joe Root's second glorious century of the campaign, the hosts fared rather better than that, eventually reaching 391-9 before a declaration of intent shortly before lunch on day two.

Alastair Cook's decision was the first time he had actually been able to declare a first innings closed in his three-year tenure as permanent captain.

And, as well as giving Australia a tricky spell before the interval, it also meant he denied the tourists the pleasure of having at least bowled England out.

As it happened, Australia survived unscathed before lunch - and, in the afternoon, progressed serenely past their first innings total without loss and onto 113-0.

Thankfully, England never panicked. Internally, they knew if they persisted with the correct lines and lengths, the rewards would eventually come - after all, David Warner, having been dropped twice, was hardly playing a chanceless innings.

Duly, the precious wickets began to arrive. Chris Rogers (52) was caught by Root - and Warner (64) by Broad - both off the excellent Stokes.

The breaking of the opening partnership sparked another collapse as Steve Smith (5) and Shaun Marsh (2) both continued their respective poor runs - and, at tea on day two, Australia were 138-4, still a hopeless 193 runs behind.

From that point onwards, it quickly became a case of whether England could win inside two days, just as they had threatened to do at Edgbaston.

First, though, a few words on the beleaguered Australia captain Michael Clarke who was out for unlucky 13. After all, though his swipe to Wood outside off-stump was injudicious, it was also juggled by his counterpart Cook and caught on the rebound by Ian Bell.

It was, however, the shot of a broken man who could sense his time was over, not only in this Test but in his career as a whole, something he went onto confirm immediately after the defeat.

Australia at least survived the night, though not before Stokes had recorded a second Ashes career five-fer, following on from the 6-99 taken in Sydney in the nightmare whitewash 18 months ago.

Peter Nevill and, to the delight of the crowd, Mitchell Johnson were Stokes' evening victims on a much happier occasion as Australia reached 241-7 and England settled off for coming back refreshed on the third day to regain the urn.

When they did resume, there was indeed little resistance from the broken Aussies as the unbeaten Voges (51*) understandably made no attempt to farm the strike for three days.

Mitchell Starc (0) was caught by Bell off Stokes who eventually recorded 6-36 as England became the first Test side in history to have four different players take at least six wickets in four consecutive innings.

Anderson, Finn, Broad and Stokes have proven to be a lethal combination and - having caused complete mental disintegration in the Australian batting line-up - they have ultimately been the difference between the two sides.

Wood, too, has more than played his part - and, with only him and Stokes bowling on the third morning, it was effectively Durham v Australia.

Durham won, Wood flattening Josh Hazlewood's middle stump for a fifth Aussie duck of the match, before he also comprehensively defeated Nathan Lyon (4).

England had done it - regaining the Ashes in just 14 days of play, and only 18 months after being whitewashed.

This disparity in results has already prompted a slightly unnecessarily spirit-dampening article about the dominance of home sides in recent series.

Meanwhile, England selector Angus Fraser has used the victory to turn his fire on the detractors of Cook and others, acting as if any previous criticisms of the set-up had no validity.

Instead of that, England should be enjoying this moment in the sun. After all, this unexpected triumph has come from a still developing team which, as even Cook admits, has perhaps not been properly battle-hardened.

In terms of the team itself, Cook remains without a reliable opening partner after Adam Lyth (14) was out cheaply again - while Moeen Ali currently contributes far more with bat than ball for a frontline spinner.

For the rest of the side, an Ashes win will do wonders to strengthen the sometimes fragile confidence of some of its members.

Undoubtedly, though, England will face far tougher examinations than that eventually posed by this set of touring Australians, not least on the tours this winter against Pakistan in the UAE and in South Africa.

Nevertheless, in favourable conditions, England have shown they are back to their invincible best, reaching a performance level that has matched anything produced by the team which enjoyed world number one status for a year in 2011-12.

Naturally, this young side will not always have such bountiful matches - and, as the Lord's Test in this very series demonstrated, there will still be a few dark days ahead.

If this team achieves its potential, however, those dark days will be far outshone by countless days and matches of brilliance. These are exciting times for English cricket.

THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-31 July	3RD England 281 & 124-2 beat Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets	Edgbaston
6-8 August	4TH England 391-9d beat Australia 60 & 253 by an innings and 78 runs	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff
130 Joe Root (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
8-15 Stuart Broad (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge
6-47 James Anderson (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston
6-79 Steven Finn (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston 
6-36 Ben Stokes (England) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge 
6-111 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the fourth Test, Trent Bridge
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2015: England demolish abject Aussies

THIRD TEST: England 281 & 124-2 v Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets Scorecard
Man of the match: Steven Finn

ENGLAND roared back into the Ashes lead after an extraordinary eight-wicket win which was completed before tea on the third day in the third Test at Edgbaston.

Comeback kid Steven Finn took 6-79 in the second innings for match figures of 8-117 - while birthday boy James Anderson enjoyed his best ever Ashes return of 6-47 in the first innings.

In between, half centuries from Joe Root (63), Ian Bell (53) at three, and Moeen Ali (59) down the order were enough to help England reach 281 on the first time around.

And Bell (65 not out) and Root (38 not out) then knocked off most of the required 121 runs to complete yet another turnaround in this bewildering series.

England, after all, had arrived in Birmingham on the back of their fourth worst ever Test defeat in terms of runs at Lord's - and that had come following a dominant 169-run win in the first Test at Cardiff.

Predicting exactly what will happen next week at Trent Bridge has thus become a mug's game - though England can at least go there certain that victory will ensure the Ashes urn returns home.

It has already been confirmed, however, that Alastair Cook will have to cope without England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker Anderson after the Lancastrian pulled a side muscle late on day two.

That really is a shame for Anderson who has looked in good form in this Test - and, regardless even of that, has consistently bowled well in Nottingham in the past.

Nevertheless, his injury was pretty much the only black mark on a delightful few days for England.

Aussie captain Michael Clarke may have won the toss - but his decision to bat first on a pitch which offered seam and movement under leaden skies was one which he was soon to regret.

Pumped-up England came out firing with Finn immediately in form, swinging one away from Steve Smith (7) and castling Clarke (10).

With Anderson having already accounted for David Warner (2), Australia were a very English-looking 38-3.

A recovery of sorts followed as Chris Rogers and Adam Voges compiled a partnership worth 43 which would ultimately be the best of the innings.

But Voges (16) then edged Anderson behind to Jos Buttler early in the afternoon to spark an epic collapse.

Mitch Marsh departed for a duck, again caught behind, in Anderson's next over - before he struck twice again in his next two overs to remove Peter Nevill (2) and Mitchell Johnson (3).

Stuart Broad joined the party with the key wicket of Rogers (52), trapped plumb lbw, before Mitchell Starc (11) sent one behind off the toe-end of the bat.

Anderson, having already achieved his five-fer with Johnson's wicket, celebrated with a sixth after Nathan Lyon (11) played onto his stumps. Almost in a blur, Australia had been bowled out for 136.

Advantage England - but poor Adam Lyth has struggled to impress in this series and he was out early again, for 10 to Josh Hazlewood, even if it took a juggling Voges three attempts to catch it.

Voges got even luckier later in the evening after Cook (34) smashed a pull off a short ball from Lyon straight into him, only for it somehow to lodge in his jumper.

Nonetheless, Bell and Root seemed to be guiding England to the close without any further worries until the former injudiciously skied Lyon to Warner.

Following that late wicket, the hosts' plan on the second morning obviously would have been to rebuild - but Johnson did not give them the chance with two short-pitched snorters accounting for Jonny Bairstow (5) and Ben Stokes (0).

At that stage, England were only just six runs into the lead and so really needed a partnership to secure a genuine stranglehold.

But, still, the wickets continued to fall. First, Root chased a dreadful wide ball off Starc to be caught by Voges at slip, and then Buttler (9) was trapped lbw by Lyon who, at that stage, had 3-3 off three overs.

Nowadays, though, England - at their best - bat way down the order, and Moeen with Broad produced a dazzling stand of 87 to put a much clearer margin between the two teams.

The pair both departed to Hazlewood in quick succession and, thereafter, England were never going to last much longer - although again Nevill's catch from Anderson (3), into the webbing of his glove, had more than a touch of fortune about it.

So, England - despite the lack of a centurion - had cobbled together a lead of 145. Ashes history, however, suggested the Australians would bat much better second time around...

It therefore came as a hell of a shock when they were reduced to 111-6, still 34 behind.

Fantastic Finn did the most damage, inducing a top-edge off Smith (8), before putting himself on a hat-trick by accounting for Clarke (3) and Voges.

Marsh (6) watched the hat-trick attempt drift harmlessly wide - but he lasted only a little longer before failing to get a bat to a much straighter, fuller ball from Middlesex quick.

Then the sixth wicket of the innings fell to Anderson. It was the key scalp, too - that of Warner after the opener had moved to 77 off just 62 balls.

But, before close of play, Finn made sure he had the final word by inducing another top-edge, this time from Johnson (14), caught safely at backward point by Stokes.

Australia thus resumed today on a ridiculous-looking 168-7, leading by just 23 - but aware that even perhaps another 120 runs or so would send nerves jangling in the England dressing room.

For the Baggy Greens also have an occasionally handy bottom order - and Nevill, literally in Brad Haddin mode, set about building a dangerous partnership with Starc.

Indeed, the stand had reached 64 when England, shorn of the injured Anderson, finally made the breakthrough.

Inevitably, it came through Finn after Nevill, on 59, sent an inside edge behind - and, suddenly, the onus had passed to Starc.

He was left helpless, however, when Root - at third slip - dived brilliantly to make a one-handed catch to dismiss Hazlewood (11) off Stokes.

And Starc (58) himself was soon gone after miscuing a shot over cover off Moeen to sub fielder Josh Poysden.

Australia had managed to set a target of 121. Surely, it wasn't enough.

But then small chases will always play all sorts of mind games with batsmen - and England only had more reason to be tentative when Cook was castled early on by Starc for seven.

Bell, enjoying the comforts of his home ground, attempted to settle down the other opener, Lyth.

However, the Yorkshireman, though hardly alone in recent times in struggling in his position right at the top of the order, continued to look uneasy - and it was no surprise when Hazlewood had him trapped lbw for 12.

England, nevertheless, were 51-2 off just 11 overs - and the progress became only sweeter still after Root joined Bell in the middle.

The pair were not faultless, of course, especially against the probing Lyon. As the victory target neared, though, England's self-assurance soared - and Root lofted the spinner over deep midwicket for six.

By the end of that heady over, England had made it to three figures and required just 21 more with tea delayed in anticipation of victory.

Appropriately enough for Edgbaston, it was Bell who duly delivered the final blow, tucking Marsh’s first ball of the over away to the legside boundary.

England, in the end, won it with a frightening degree of comfort. Not that the ease of this victory will assist in forecasting the next Test in Nottingham, which begins this coming Thursday.

For, while the home side may have rediscovered Finn, the loss of Anderson can only be seen to have weakened them.

Australia, meanwhile, always seemingly find a way to come back strongly - and skipper Clarke, in a terrible rut, now has a massive point to prove.

Remember, the Aussies only need to tie the series to retain the Ashes - and, coincidentally, 2-2 was a prediction of mine and many others.

This rollercoaster Ashes series, now heading into the last two matches, is still therefore very much up for grabs.

THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-31 July	3RD England 281 & 124-2 beat Australia 136 & 265 by eight wickets	Edgbaston
6-10 August	FOURTH TEST	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
6-47 James Anderson (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston
6-79 Steven Finn (England) in the third Test, Edgbaston 
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2015: Australia demolish abject England

SECOND TEST: Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Steve Smith

DOMINANT Australia completely overwhelmed England at Lord's to win by 405 runs and level the Ashes series at 1-1.

This was England's fourth worst Test defeat ever in terms of runs - and, while the overall scoreline is level, it feels as if the Aussies may have struck a decisive blow to the English psyche.

From the moment skipper Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat, Australia were in control - and, over the next four days, they never released their grip on the match.

Chris Rogers and David Warner put on 78 for the first wicket - and, even when the Aussies lost the latter to a misguided attack against Moeen Ali before lunch, Steve Smith quickly settled in for a long spell at the crease.

Smith eventually scored a magnificent 215 and became the first Australian to hit a double hundred at Lord's since Bill Brown in 1938. Also, notably, he and Rogers enjoyed a record stand for any Aussie wicket at Lord's of 284.

It gave Australia the ideal start - and by the fall of Smith's wicket, they had progressed to 533-6 and were already thinking about a first innings declaration.

That came when Mitchell Johnson was out, caught by James Anderson off Stuart Broad, at 566-8. Unsurprisingly, Johnson's contribution with the ball would be far more decisive.

Not that the dangerous left-armer was left unsupported by the others in the attack - in both innings, five Aussie bowlers took wickets.

Of course, they were also aided by the English top order who continue to collapse on a frighteningly regular basis.

Indeed, England - which now statistically has a worse top order than any Test side except for Zimbabwe - have been three wickets down for 52 runs or less on eight occasions this year.

Here, in the first innings, they were 30-4 with Adam Lyth (0), Gary Ballance (23), and Ian Bell (1) all falling cheaply before Joe Root (1) also failed to mount his usual salvage mission.

At least skipper Alastair Cook was showing some resistance - and he, along with Ben Stokes, took England to the close on day two without any further damage.

The pair then almost made it to lunch on the third day, only for Stokes (87) to get an inside edge onto the stumps off Mitchell Marsh.

And, in the afternoon, Cook suffered the same fate to depart an agonising four runs short of a century. It was the seventh time in Tests he had fallen in the 90s - and England were still exactly 300 behind on 266-7.

The tail wagged a little bit either side of tea to put on 46 for the final three wickets - but Australia continued to plug away relentlessly on what was still a pretty flat surface.

Indeed, by the end of the day, the tourists were batting again, having declined the opportunity to enforce the follow-on despite taking a first innings lead of 254.

This time Rogers and Warner put on 114 before the former retired 49 not out early on the fourth day after a spell of dizziness.

Smith resumed his assault on the England bowling with a quick-fire 58 - and, although both he and Warner (83) would succumb to Moeen, successive sixes from Mitch Marsh took the lead above 500.

At 254-2, Australia declared for a second time. England had taken just 10 wickets in the match for the concession of 820 runs - and they now needed to bat for five full sessions to save it.

Ultimately, the Aussies only needed 37 overs to knock England over with Lyth (7) again falling early after edging Mitchell Starc behind to Peter Nevill for the second time in the match.

Keeper Nevill, on debut, would have a fine game behind the stumps - and Cook (11) and Ballance (14) were also caught behind off Johnson and Mitch Marsh respectively.

42-3 became 48-4 when Bell (11) popped an easy catch to substitute fielder Shaun Marsh off the spin of Nathan Lyon.

And then came the most ridiculous wicket of all. Stokes - who is regularly cast alongside Root as a shining example of the supposed new aggressive England era under Trevor Bayliss - was run out for a duck to a direct hit from Johnson after failing amateurishly to ground his bat.

At tea, England were 64-5 and the cause was already effectively lost. Not that this should necessarily excuse Jos Buttler for falling to the first ball after tea even if, by this stage, Johnson was clearly in his element.

The Queensland quick then made it two in the over when Moeen departed for a duck having only managed to fence a short ball to sub Marsh at short leg - and the score had still not moved on since tea. 

With Root (17) attempting to remain calm while about him lost their heads, the Yorkshire lad and eventual top scorer Broad (25) launched a very brief counter attack lasting about 20 minutes. 

Broad, nevertheless, was out to a horrible waft off Lyon straight to Adam Voges at cover - and Root fell in the next over, bowled by the unfailingly accurate Hazlewood.

Indeed, it was Hazlewood himself who finished the job, rattling Anderson's stumps on 0 - and England, on a pretty flat pitch, had been turned over for a pathetic 103.

The size of the defeat - by an eye-watering 405 runs - and also the nature of it undoubtedly threatens to open the scars from 18 months ago when Johnson starred in a 5-0 whitewash, taking 37 wickets at 13.97.

And, with Australia having definitively responded to the questions asked of them after the first Test in Cardiff, it is now England who must provide answers to some pretty fundamental queries.

Most urgently of all, how long will the hosts persist with the failure of the top order? Should Root be moved from his relative comfort zone at five to assist?

But, also importantly, what can be done to reinvigorate a bowling attack which took 20 Aussie wickets in Cardiff but struggled terribly in taking just 10 at Lord's?

Certainly, in response to the third question, the groundsman at Edgbaston will hopefully produce a livelier pitch.

After all, if - as suspected - the track at Lord's was made to order with the aim of deliberately slowing down Johnson, Friday and today proved undoubtedly that this tactic does not and will not work.

Surely it would be better to have a pitch which offered Anderson some seam movement so he and Johnson can go toe to toe.

For, it cannot be escaped that Anderson - England highest Test wicket-taker in history - returned match figures of 0-137 and looked disgruntled throughout.

Bizarrely, after a such a thumping and with issues to resolve, England cannot be discounted from winning this series and regaining the Ashes. It is, after all, 1-1 with three matches to play.

Moreover, recent Ashes history shows England recovering from sound beatings - at Lord's in 2005, Headingley in 2009, and Perth in 2010 - to go on and actually win the urn.

But, admittedly, perhaps more relevant recent Ashes history suggests the scars of those five horrible defeats in 2013-14 have been reopened by Johnson and the others.

Yes, it would be no surprise if Australia went onto win the series quite comfortably from now and that Cardiff is merely seen as an aberration - especially in the light of today's second innings batting collapse.

To call it a performance would be to do a disservice to the word.

Fragile England desperately need a second wind in this series, starting 10 days from now in Birmingham.

THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	1ST England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-19 July	2ND Australia 566-8d & 254-2d beat England 312 & 103 by 405 runs	Lord's
29-2 August	THIRD TEST	Edgbaston
6-10 August	FOURTH TEST	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
215 Steve Smith (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
173 Chris Rogers (Australia) in the second Test, Lord's
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2015: Root key to resurgent England

FIRST TEST: England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Joe Root

RESURGENT England secured a surprise Ashes lead with a wonderful 169-run win in the first Test in Cardiff.

Man of the match Joe Root scored 134 and 60 with the bat and took two second innings wickets as the hosts unexpectedly dominated the start of the series.

Yorkshire lad Root even had the final word, safely catching Josh Hazlewood's swipe off Moeen Ali at long-off to finish the job.

Ashes holders Australia had approached the series confidently, having whitewashed England in 2013-14 - and, despite losing the toss, Michael Clarke's men made early inroads at Sophia Gardens.

Adam Lyth was caught off Josh Hazlewood in the slips by David Warner before Alastair Cook, on the cut, nicked one behind to Brad Haddin off the spin Nathan Lyon.

In the next over, Ian Bell was plumb lbw to Mitchell Starc - and England were rocking at 43-3 before lunch on the first day.

Then Root arrived at the crease and, after being dropped on nought by Haddin, he batted through the whole of the afternoon session with county team-mate Gary Ballance.

Ballance made 61 before being trapped lbw by Hazlewood just after tea - but a partnership with Ben Stokes was enough to help Root bring up his seventh Test century, and second against Australia.

The Aussies were far from finished, however - and both Root and Stokes fell to Starc before Jos Buttler exposed the tail with minutes left to go on the opening day.

Still, England had made 343-7, taking the game to the tourists by scoring at almost four runs per over. All they needed now was for the tail to wag.

Wag it did, thanks mainly to Moeen who made 77 as England added 87 more runs for the loss of their final three wickets on the second morning.

Australia's reply began well and England had to be patient after the relatively early wicket of Warner.

Chris Rogers - the overall top scorer in the back-to-back series of 2013 and 2013-14 - had settled in for another average-boosting score alongside world number one ranked batsman Steve Smith.

But, of Rogers' joint-record seven successive Test scores over 50, none had been translated into a ton - and he fell in Cardiff on 95, caught behind by Buttler off the impressive Mark Wood.

Indeed, the Aussies would pay the price for getting themselves in and out - Smith made 33, Clarke 38, and Adam Voges 31. Australia were 258-5 at the close and England had battled back well.

It got even better on the third morning as Australia lost their last five wickets for 43 runs - and their last three wickets for four runs.

Shane Watson was predictably lbw to Stuart Broad before Lyon was trapped in front by Wood with the score still on 265.

A regular feature of the 2013-14 series was Haddin's ability to guide the lower order through troubled times - but, having made 22, he was caught behind off James Anderson - and England were into the tail and bowling with their tails up.

Yes, the long-time strike duo of Broad and Anderson was at it again and, after Haddin's dismissal, Johnson and Starc fell in successive overs to give England a cracking first innings lead of 122.

England then were already batting for a second time before lunch on the third day, leaving Australia with only one way back into the match - getting quick wickets.

At least the tourists delivered on this front with Cook out before the interval, caught by Lyon at backward point off Starc, and Ballance out for a duck straight after the break, caught behind off Hazlewood.

Before tea, the Aussies had also managed to snare Lyth, caught brilliantly by Clarke off Lyon for 37 - but that only served to bring Root to the crease once more.

Batting with Bell, who - by contrast - was in dire need of runs, the pair decisively took the match away from Australia, with both going onto make 60.

Bell was out first, bowled by Johnson for the left-armer's first wicket of the series - coming, as it did, after an agonising 216 balls.

Root was bowled by Hazlewood and, a little later, Stokes by Starc - as the Aussies improved their accuracy at the stumps.

Meanwhile, with Buttler caught behind off an attempted reverse sweep off Lyon, England were again left just with the tail. This time, though, Durham quick Wood took up the mantle.

An entertaining cameo featuring four fours and a six into the gantry meant he finished on 32 not out, and - when Lyon accounted for Anderson with the last ball of day three - England had made it to 289 for a mammoth lead of 411.

Cook's men had impressed with their run rate and, scoring at more than four an over in both innings, they had shown no fear of Australia after what had happened 18 months ago.

Importantly, this also gave the hosts plenty of time to take another 10 wickets - and Anderson and Broad produced an opening spell of real intent at the start of the fourth day.

Rogers, having been dropped by Root off Anderson, did not make the most of his second life, edging Broad to Bell at second slip for 10. The early blow left Australia on 19-1.

But, despite several close calls, it looked as if that was going to be the only wicket all morning - that was until Cook opted to give Moeen a twirl just before lunch.

Magnificently, it worked - with Warner trapped in front to leave Australia 97-2. The mood of both dressing rooms had been dramatically altered.

The proof of this came straight after lunch as England tore through the Aussie middle order.

Smith was out for 33 for a second time in the match, paying the price for a tentative prod at Broad which only served to find the edge and then Bell at second slip.

Skipper Clarke barely made a mark, hitting a single four before Broad accounted for him too, inducing a catch by Stokes at backward point.

Then Wood found the edge of Voges' bat, with Buttler taking an easy catch behind - and Australia were in tatters on 106-5.

Everything seemed to be falling just right for England - but they had worked hard for the type of fortune which allowed Cook to catch Haddin at the second attempt at short midwicket.

When Watson was out lbw yet again - this time to Wood - England took tea having enjoyed another near-perfect session.

England, then, needed just three more wickets for a 1-0 lead - but they were not immediately forthcoming as Johnson and Starc, having failed to derail England with the ball, threatened to do it with the bat.

The pair had gradually accumulated a partnership worth 72 as Cook turned to his spinners ahead of the new ball.

But, ultimately, the new ball was not required thanks to more Root magic.

First, Starc was dismissed caught with great alertness by Lyth at slip after the ball had been parried by Cook at gully. Then, the Yorkshire Lyth-Root combo struck again to remove Johnson.

At 242-9, the match was left simply waiting for its final blow. Moeen delivered it as Hazlewood, with no winning cards left in his hand, took a huge swipe only to find Root inside the boundary rope.

England had done it - a deserved 1-0 lead was theirs with six different bowlers taking wickets across the two innings.

With the bat too, England had performed - as, having failed to post a single 400+ score during the last two Ashes series, they did it at the first attempt this time around.

Of course, there is a long way to go yet - and, remember, Australia need only draw the series to retain the Ashes urn. But there are early signs of trouble for the tourists.

For the likes of Rogers, Haddin, Clarke, Voges and Watson - who are all, like me, on the wrong side of 30 - this might be a last Ashes series.

And, like England found to their cost Down Under in 2006-07, it might be a case of one tour too many.

Certainly, Australia's so-called 'Dad's Army' compared badly with the youthful exuberance of Wood, Stokes, and the choirboy appearance of Root.

Skipper Cook, himself, was actually a chorister in his youth - and even he looks young for his age, and perhaps younger now than he has for a while.

The pressures of captaincy have been relieved a little recently by the introduction of a new coach, Trevor Bayliss, and a new, more positive mindset.

Cook undoubtedly had his finest game as captain in this first Test in Cardiff, balancing his bowling attack and keeping on the pressure with his field placings.

But Bayliss, himself an Aussie, knows the Baggy Greens will not lie down in the way that England did in their two recent whitewashes, and he has already warned the hosts to be wary of any complacency.

The two teams reconvene on Thursday at Lord's, where the wounded Aussies will be hoping to win the toss and bat better than they did in Wales.


THE ASHES 2015

8-11 July	FIRST: England 430 & 289 beat Australia 308 & 242 by 169 runs	Cardiff
16-20 July	SECOND TEST	Lord's
29-2 August	THIRD TEST	Edgbaston
6-10 August	FOURTH TEST	Trent Bridge
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval

CENTURIES
134 Joe Root (England) in the first Test, Cardiff

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
5-114 Mitchell Starc (Australia) in the first Test, Cardiff

The Ashes 2015 preview: Play without fear

ASHES 2015 SCHEDULE

8-12 July	FIRST TEST	Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
16-20 July	SECOND TEST	Lord's, London
29-2 August	THIRD TEST	Edgbaston, Birmingham
6-10 August	FOURTH TEST	Trent Bridge, Nottingham
20-24 August	FIFTH TEST	The Oval, London

ENGLAND must play without fear to stand any chance of recovering the Ashes from Australia this summer, according to former skipper Michael Vaughan.

Vaughan, who led England to a first series win over the Aussies in 18 years back in 2005, said: "They have to take Australia on with the mentality of 'we don't care about losing' because that will make the Aussies fear them more.

"If they have any kind of worries or concerns, then they will get walloped."

Now - exactly a decade on from the famous victory - England must indeed replicate the sort of nerve which saw Vaughan's men put on over 400 runs on the first day of the second Test at Edgbaston, having been put in by Ricky Ponting.

Still today, Vaughan has said he wonders what would have become of his talented side if Australia had batted first at Birmingham, and racked up a big score of their own.

England, having lost the first Test at Lord's, would have most likely faced a 2-0 deficit - and it would have been another missed opportunity.

Instead, Vaughan's team would eventually prevail by just two runs in the narrowest margin of victory by runs in Ashes history. And they then went on to take the series.

Ever since, England have been unbeaten in home series against the Baggy Greens, a record which culminated in a 3-0 win two years ago.

Moreover, in the winter of 2010-11, England also won 3-1 Down Under - with three innings victories ending a 24-year wait for success on Australian soil in comprehensive fashion.

But, of course, not all of the series since 2005 have been like that. As a matter of fact, the other two tours to Australia - in 2006-07 and 2013-14 - both resulted in shambolic whitewashes.

Remarkably, those two 5-0 thrashings mean Australia have actually won more individual Ashes Tests than England in the past 10 years, despite the latter winning four of the last six series.

So, rather than 2005 then, England would perhaps be better served by igniting the spirit of a far less heralded home series win - 2009 - which came, like now, just 18 months after a battering.

Then again, maybe not - that 2009 victory came against one of Australia's poorest ever sides.

Therefore, another even better alternative perspective would be to emulate the way in which the Baggy Greens in 2013 went from losing 3-0 in England to beating the same opponents 5-0 less than six months later.

After all, England appear to be in a similar position right now to one in which the Aussies found themselves a couple of years ago.

Back then, Cricket Australia replaced unpopular coach Mickey Arthur with the attack-minded former batsman Darren Lehmann.

And, although Lehmann was unable to prevent a third successive Ashes series defeat in England, the 5-0 whitewash at home vindicated his philosophy and more than made amends.

Since then, Australia have barely looked back. Further Test series successes have followed in South Africa, West Indies and at home to India, all capped by a record fifth World Cup, won on home soil in March.

At the same tournament, England stank the place out in heavy defeats to New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka before eventual elimination in the group stages after one final loss to Bangladesh.

So began the end of Peter Moores' second brief stint as England head coach. Dumped on the first occasion in 2009 after just 22 months in charge, this time Moores had an even shorter tenure, lasting less than 14 months.

The decision of former skipper Andrew Strauss, now the Director of Cricket at the ECB, to make the change came following a drawn series against the West Indies only a few weeks after the World Cup debacle.

England had taken the lead in the Caribbean with a confident nine-wicket win in Grenada but then meekly surrendered their advantage in the third Test in Barbados.

At the start of the series, in the drawn first Test in Antigua, James Anderson had become England's highest Test wicket-taker in history with the scalp of Denesh Ramdin.

Meanwhile, in the second Test, Gary Ballance became the third-fastest England batsman to reach 1,000 Test runs

But, by the end of the tour, the feel-good factor had completely dissipated - and Moores was rather unceremoniously fired while England were being washed out in a one-off One-Day International in Ireland.

Paul Farbrace took temporary charge for the New Zealand home series - and, freed from the shackles of the data-obsessed Moores, there was an immediate, if not entirely successful, change.

First, England won a spectacular first Test of the summer at Lord's despite conceding a 134-run deficit on first innings.

And, although the Black Caps fought back at Headingley in Leeds for a deserved share of the spoils in the Test series, England went on to win 3-2 against the World Cup finalists in the One-Dayers.

Better still, they achieved their victories in style - hitting more than 400 in an ODI for the first time in the first match and completing their highest-ever successful run-chase in the fourth before holding their nerve in a decider at Durham.

New permanent England coach, Australian Trevor Bayliss, nevertheless finds himself in a similar situation to Lehmann two years ago in taking up his role on the eve of an Ashes series.

But, unlike Lehmann, Bayliss begins with the pressure and expectation of a home series - and neither does he benefit from being able to work out his opponent's weaknesses in back-to-back campaigns.

At the same time, there is still an easy comparison to be made - and it should be noted that Australia only fully recovered from their nadir by playing positive, no-fear cricket.

Now, England - under Bayliss - must pick up where they left off against New Zealand and do the same, regardless of the Australians' favourites status.

For, undoubtedly, Australia are favourites. The Baggy Greens have an embarrassment of riches in a fast bowlers department spearheaded by a dual Mitchell menace.

Relative youngster Mitchell Starc joins a man who needs no introduction after his exploits in the 2013-14 whitewash, left-armer Johnson - while they can also call upon Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris' replacement Pat Cummins.

Nathan Lyon has really come on over the past few years as the spinner while number three batsman Steve Smith is currently statistically the best in the world.

By contrast, England are still scratching around a bit and may be a side whose confidence remains a bit fragile.

True, the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes have provided much in recent times to be optimistic about - and skipper Alastair Cook rediscovered his best form with the bat against New Zealand.

But doubts continue to plague Cook's captaincy - can he really be as aggressive as his counterpart Michael Clarke if push came to shove?

There are also questions to be answered by England's bowlers.

Behind Anderson and the sometimes erratic Stuart Broad, there is no definitive third seamer - though Durham's Mark Wood has showed encouraging signs. Meanwhile, Moeen Ali looks uncomfortable in the role of a front-line Test spinner.

Yes, Australia are definitely favourites then, especially as a first series draw since 1972 would allow them to retain the urn.

This will sound rather defeatist - and, in isolation, a rare drawn Ashes series would admittedly be a frustrating outcome.

However, an attacking - though obviously fallible - 2-2 result against the Aussies would most likely still be enough to keep English cricket spirits on its recently rediscovered relative high.

Find out if Bayliss and Cook can achieve at least this, starting tomorrow at 10am on SkySports 2, currently re-branded SkySports Ashes.

Alternatively, as ever, radio coverage throughout the summer will be provided by the excellent Test Match Special team on BBC Radio 4 LW and BBC Radio 5Live Sports Xtra.

ASHES HISTORY

	OVERALL			IN ENGLAND
	SERIES	TESTS		SERIES	TESTS
ENGLAND	31	103		17	47
AUSTRALIA	32	128		14	46
Drawn	5	89		3	65

Since 2000

2001	(H)	AUSTRALIA won 4-1
2002-03	(A)	AUSTRALIA won 4-1
2005	(H)	ENGLAND won 2-1
2006-07	(A)	AUSTRALIA won 5-0
2009	(H)	ENGLAND won 2-1
2010-11	(A)	ENGLAND won 3-1
2013	(H)	ENGLAND won 3-0
2013-14	(A)	AUSTRALIA won 5-0

ASHES 2015 SQUADS
ENGLAND Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Adam Lyth, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood

AUSTRALIA Michael Clarke (c), Steve Smith (vc), Brad Haddin (wk), Fawad Ahmed, Josh Hazlewood, Ryan Harris*, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill (wk), Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson

*retired due to knee injury and has been replaced by Pat Cummins

The Ashes 2013/14: Australia beat "broken" England again

Australia 204 & 231-2 beat England 255 & 179 by eight wickets Scorecard
Man of the match: Mitchell Johnson (5-63 & 3-25)

AUSTRALIA dismantled the very last vestiges of England's confidence after completing a eight-wicket victory in Melbourne to go 4-0 up in the series.

Shane Watson (83 not out) hit the winning runs as the Aussies set up an odds-on chance of a whitewash which would have been seen as a laughable impossibility just four month ago.

Undoubtedly, though, that says more about England than it ever will about Australia in this ongoing nightmare tour. Now the joke is well and truly on England.

Indeed, the sad decline of Alastair Cook's team has been swift and brutal in this bleak midwinter.

Yes, it cannot be denied that problems had been identified in the summer, namely England's continued inability to pass 400, but the team at least still knew how to win matches back then.

In Melbourne, as Cook candidly admitted afterwards, England proved in no uncertain terms that this is the case no longer - even when put in a favourable position.

Consider the fact that, at the close on day two at the MCG, Australia were 164-9, still 91 runs behind on England's first innings effort.

And that Michael Clarke's decision to field on winning a fourth straight toss appeared to have backfired as the Aussies, and David Warner in particular, batted with a certain hubris which looked set to be their downfall.

But then came day three, surely up there when considering the darkest recent days of English cricket history.

First, Brad Haddin was once again able to reduce the Aussie arrears by compiling a last-wicket stand with Nathan Lyon which was worth 40 runs.

In doing so, Haddin broke the Ashes record for the highest aggregate by a wicket-keeper. His current total of 390 - at 65, no less - beats Alec Stewart's 378 from 1993 with a match to spare.

Those extra runs with Lyon seemed to matter little, though, when captain Cook and fellow opener Michael Carberry neutralised those gains by making it to lunch unbeaten on 54-0 for a lead of 105.

Instead, the real nightmare came in the afternoon session as England collapsed not just once but twice.

With Cook (51) having already departed, lbw to Mitchell Johnson, the first collapse was triggered by Carberry being trapped in front by Peter Siddle with a ball from round the wicket having made 12 painstaking runs in two hours.

Carberry thus proved that England have still not found an opener to replace ex-captain Andrew Strauss who is now happily nestled in the SkySports commentary team.

Nick Compton was dropped for a similar scoring rate - and, while there is much to be said for occupying the crease, by refusing to rotate the strike, Carberry simply puts pressure on himself and the team.

It showed as 86-2 became 86-3 when Joe Root (15) went for a run that was never on, before Ian Bell equally brainlessly lofted Lyon straight to Johnson at mid-off with his first ball.

Kevin Pietersen, who had come under pressure between Tests for his carefree batting approach, then tried to take on the responsibility of repairing the innings.

Briefly, he found a sensible ally in Ben Stokes. Having scored just 19, though, the Durham all-rounder rather tossed his wicket away to become Lyon's second victim on what would be a momentous day for the off-spinner.

Jonny Bairstow - in for discarded vice-captain Matt Prior - also began with good intent, hitting two sixes to extend a record broken earlier by Haddin for the most hit in a single Ashes series.

However, the Yorkshireman also could not build on his start, and he needlessly clipped a wide Johnson delivery behind to Haddin on 21.

England were beginning to struggle on 173-6 but what then followed almost defied belief, even accounting for what has gone on over the past six weeks.

Tim Bresnan added to Bell's duck, swiping at Lyon but succeeding only in dragging the ball onto his own bails.

And then Stuart Broad departed without scoring to Lyon too, allowing the Aussie to celebrate a 100th Test wicket.

173-5 had become 174-8 in the blinking of an eye but England did not stop there.

Seemingly unable to trust James Anderson or Monty Panesar with blocking at the other end, Pietersen (49) felt obliged to charge down the pitch in a bid for some quick runs off Lyon.

Instead, he could only find Ryan Harris stalking the boundary at long-off as Lyon (5-50) celebrated the most unlikely of five-fers on a pitch that had offered barely any turn whatsoever.

Man of the match Johnson inevitably wound up proceedings by trapping Panesar lbw for a fourth duck in the innings as the tourists were bowled out for 179.

In all, England's last five wickets had fallen for six runs - and, combined with the earlier collapse of three wickets for one run, England lost eight for seven. Frankly, it was a complete disgrace.

With eight overs left in the day, Australia made serene progress towards their target of 231, finishing a remarkable third day on 30-0, leaving them with 201 to get.
 
But, such was the strength of England's earlier position, the statistics still gave them some hope.

Until today, the highest fourth innings Test run chase since the introduction of a drop-in pitch to the MCG had been 183.

Nevertheless, within an hour of play on this fourth and final day, England had effectively surrendered the match.

First, Warner got a second life when Bairstow froze to the spot and Cook grassed at first slip - then, shortly afterwards, Chris Rogers was reprieved following a quite unbelievable drop by Cook.

The England captain has much on his mind at present, clearly. It is just a shame that one of them is not catching the ball.

Cook subsequently baffled viewers by setting bizarrely negative fields which did nothing to stop the Aussies from scoring at more than four an over.

And his rotation of the bowlers left much to be desired. Broad - England's best bowler on the tour - took on just 10 overs while Root was twice preferred to Panesar in the absence of the retired Graeme Swann.

This was scrambled thinking at its very worst from Cook who is still an inexperienced captain.

He is also an unduly negative one, however - and, if heads somehow do not roll after this, he and head coach Andy Flower need a complete change of mindset to rebuild England's shattered confidence.

England are a "broken" team at present according to BBC Test Match Special summariser Jonathan Agnew, who noticed there was "no conversation between anyone" on the field.

Sidekick Geoffrey Boycott also went through the varying stages of the Kuebler-Ross model on grief.

He was at depression with his first comment: "The hardest decision Australia have had to make this morning is what to have for lunch" - before finally moving to acceptance.

"This is so disappointing and hurtful as a lover of English cricket.I don't mind losing but this is just a massacre," he added.

By contrast, the Aussies were understandably cock-a-hoop as Rogers recovered from a streaky start to record his second Test century, the eighth by the home side in this series. England have had still just one centurion, that being Stokes in Perth.

Even when Panesar found success to the most muted England celebrations ever, the joy continued for Australia when skipper Clarke, in his 101st match, became only the 27th player to reach 8,000 Test runs.

Oddly, it is a record which he shares exactly with his opposite number Cook - though, at 29 years and three days, the Englishman yesterday became the youngest ever to reach the milestone, younger even than Sachin Tendulkar.

Pietersen also passed the 8,000 runs mark within this match but, for the England pair, these individual achievements will feel utterly worthless, considering the mess which surrounds them.

Onto Sydney, this shambolic tour rolls then - with the singular aim of avoiding the whitewash.

The pack may be given another shuffle - will we see Garry Ballance at the expense of Carberry or one of the three giant seamers in place of Panesar or Bresnan?

Regardless of the selection, though, a second 5-0 whitewash in just seven years is surely on the cards.

After all, just shuffling a pack of 52 jokers will still not make a winning hand.

THE ASHES 2013/14

21-24 Nov	FIRST: Australia 295 & 401-7d beat England 136 & 179 by 381 runs	Brisbane
5-9 Dec	SECOND: Australia 570-9d & 132-3d bt England 172 & 312 by 218 runs	Adelaide
13-17 Dec	THIRD: Australia 385 & 369-6d beat England 251 & 353 by 150 runs	Perth
26-29 Dec	FOURTH: Australia 204 & 231-2 beat England 255 & 179 by eight wkts	Melbourne
3-7 Jan	FIFTH TEST	Sydney

CENTURIES
148 Michael Clarke (Australia)
124 David Warner (Australia)
120 Ben Stokes (England)
118 Brad Haddin (Australia)
116 Chris Rogers (Australia)
113 Michael Clarke (Australia)
112 David Warner (Australia)
111 Steve Smith (Australia)
103 Shane Watson (Australia)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS
7-40 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
6-81 Stuart Broad (England)
5-42 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
5-50 Nathan Lyon (Australia)
5-63 Mitchell Johnson (Australia)