‘Of all the away Ashes defeats this century, this one is the lamest’: Former England players, journalists slam players and management for losing the urn after 11 days

“England have had a cockiness about them for three years and the entire cricketing world has wanted to shut them up as a result. This tour has been humbling for them and the ‘RonBall’ T-shirts that the Aussies wore on the Adelaide Oval pitch after winning were the perfect example of that. I don’t think they have been ready for Australia full stop. Scrutiny. It’s your technique, mentality, and you as a person. Any fragility is exposed in Australia. I don’t know how seriously England took that stuff – being ready for an unfair front page, having a camera shoved in your face in an airport, doing an awkward press conference after a bad day.” – Michael Vaughan, The Telegraph.

“To paraphrase the legendary investor Sir John Templeton, the four most dangerous words in English cricket could be: “This time it’s different.” England hoped that a different way of preparing and playing would lead to a different outcome from the last three Ashes tours, but they have imploded as badly as those before them, and as dramatically as any of the frothy market bubbles Templeton was warning about. With two matches to go, this has been just as disappointing as any of those tours, maybe more so simply because expectations were realistically high and Australia were a team with flaws to exploit”. – Michael Atherton, The Times.

“Stokes and McCullum are like men digging a hole to nowhere. If what you are doing isn’t working then stop digging. Change is absolutely necessary to step up to the next level. What would I do? Change the coach. We are tired of this duo talking a good game but not delivering against the best teams so Rob Key, it is time for you to assert yourself. I would also sit down with Stokes and find out if he will compromise on his approach to batting and be prepared to embrace new ideas. If he doesn’t see that a change of attitude is needed then you have to find a new captain.” – Sir Geoffrey Boycott, The Telegraph.

“The most frustrating thing about an Ashes challenge that has ended in just 11 days is that England came up against an Australian side missing, at various times, some of their best players. Mistakes have clearly been made. There has been too much focus on ‘how’ England are going to do things rather than ‘how many’. By that I mean they have focused on how they are all going to bat to put pressure on the opposition bowlers rather than how many runs they are actually going to score. The best sides I have seen have had individual batters who have all played in slightly different ways, whether that is the West Indies in the 1980s or the great Australian teams. There has never been just one way to play”. – Nasser Hussain , The Athletic.

“It has taken 11 days of active Test cricket for this powerfully resourced England and Wales Cricket Board machine to collapse like a castle of dust. Losing not just quickly but sloppily, losing in a way that speaks to a basic lack of tension and discipline, a refusal not just to do your homework, but to recognise that homework exists at all. The age of McCullum feels like a trick of the light – life-hack cricket … the sporting equivalent of influencer Ashton Hall doing a five-hour morning routine to look good for a busy day doing nothing. Players can be blamed for not being curious … England have deliberately taken away the outside noise, lessened the cognitive load.” – Barney Ronay, The Guardian.

“England’s latest humiliation down under will be remembered as their worst in recent times. This was supposed to be an opportunity to regain the Ashes from a weakened Australia. England so badly wanted pace on this tour, then managed to injure their fastest bowler in a tournament they were never going to win. The failings of this tour began long ago. Assistant coach Paul Collingwood disappeared at the beginning of the home summer and has not been replaced and there was no clarity on the identity of England’s fast-bowling coach for this tour right up to the last minute. England showed some overdue fight… but the Ashes were lost in 11 days of cricket. It doesn’t feel like the squad will fall apart, even if 5-0 seems inevitable.” – Stephan Shemilt, BBC.

“The grey, murky clouds that shrouded the Adelaide Oval on Sunday morning provided an appropriate setting for a day when England’s Ashes dream died. A campaign that promised so much ended as a contest after just 11 days of action. Of all the away Ashes defeats this century, this one is the lamest. England had the talent to win and a method they believed in. This has been a failure of planning and professionalism, not talent. They have to own this one. The lackadaisical approach to warm-up matches and general preparation meant England were just not ready for the harshness of Test cricket in Australia.” – Nick Hoult, The Telegraph.