It's difficult to start with such a negative notion, but England’s attempt to regain the Ashes down under has so far been nothing short of disastrous. Having been thrashed by 381 runs in Brisbane, Australia piled another humiliating defeat on the tourists at Adelaide, collecting the four wickets they need for victory inside the first hour of day five to win by 218 runs.
Already 2-0 down after two Tests, and with the third contest in Perth beginning on Friday, England are already starring at surrendering the Ashes and a whitewash series defeat.
So, are there any positives at all for Alastair Cook’s men to take from the second Test?
It may seem to farcical to suggest that a team who concedes 570 runs in a single innings have done a good job, but in fact England did not bowl too badly in this Test.
Although England’s batting display largely failed to suggest otherwise, the drop-in pitch used at Adelaide was extremely benign for an Australian track, offering little pace or assistance for the seam bowlers. Mitchell Johnson may have taken 7-40 in England’s first innings, but it was his extra speed and ‘fear factor’ that earned him the wickets, rather than help from the pitch.
As for England, the visitors were just two or three dropped catches away from wrestling control of the match on day one. Michael Carberry dropped a dolly off Monty Panesar that would have seen eventual centurion Brad Haddin dismissed for just five, while Joe Root earlier put down a tough chance to dismiss skipper Michael Clarke and Monty Panesar spilled a return chance from George Bailey.
Had these three catches been taken, England could have bowled the Aussies out for less than 300 and given themselves a chance of gaining a first innings lead. But having conceded 570, it was always going to be an uphill battle thereon for England’s run-shy top order.
Looking specifically at the bowlers, the decision to select Monty Panesar was actually the right decision from Flower and his team, even if the move did not reap much substantial reward. Panesar’s first innings figures of 1-157 could have been significantly more flattering had those catches been taken and overall, Monty arguably out bowled England’s front-line spinner Graeme Swann.
Perhaps Australia’s uncharacteristically right-hander heavy line-up is one reason for Swann’s lack of success thus far this series, along with the Australian’s aggressive game plan against him.
Debutant Ben Stokes put in a promising performance with the ball and was comfortably England’s quickest bowler. Jimmy Anderson got his reward in the second innings for his patience in the first, whilst Stuart Broad was probably England’s most threatening bowler once more.
In the batting department, although England failed abysmally as a unit there were however some pleasing individual displays.
Michael Carberry batted with impressive maturity while senior players got themselves out with rash shots around him. His patient, selective approach was perfect for the situation and he counter-attacked brilliantly alongside the imperious Ian Bell, who looked in dazzling form for his 72 not out.
The way he took the attack to Nathan Lyon was especially impressive and he will have been extremely disappointed to been dismissed by a Steve Smith-full toss second time around.
In England’s second innings, Joe Root’s 87 following his promotion up the order to number three was a clear positive, as was his century stand with Kevin Pietersen, who himself made an aggressive half-century.
Moreover, it was perhaps the return to form of Matt Prior, which will have pleased the English selectors most, after he ended his barren scoring run with a swashbuckling 69.
After an abnormally run-shy summer it was the Sussex-wicketkeeper’s first fifty since his match-saving 110* at Auckland in March and his innings will have left many wondering why England were unable to make a bigger first innings score on what was clearly a batsmen-friendly track.
And so westwards onto Perth, where England are likely to be faced with a pitch offering far greater bounce and carry than the surface in the south. Having been gunned downed by Mitchell Johnson twice already this series, England’s batsmen can take heart from the fact that they have currently faced over twenty overs from the left-arm paceman without giving him a wicket.
If England can build upon their second innings batting display and inject a little pace into their bowling attack (in the form of Bresnan, Finn or Rankin) then there may yet be hope of a revival in Perth. On what will inevitably be a ‘result wicket’, England will finally have to bring all aspects of their performance together; otherwise the Ashes will be remaining Down Under.