Are England heading towards another Ashes whitewash?
Modern England fans would surely have had some tough times trying to forget the 2006-07, 2013-14 and 2017-18 Ashes tours to Australia. England were comprehensively beaten 5-0 in the first two series' and barely escaped another whitewash (4-0) in the last.
After getting hammered in the day-night Adelaide Test by 275 runs, there is not much evidence to suggest that England will be able to avoid another whitewash Down Under. Australia are 2-0 up in the five Test series and there is very little to suggest that the visitors could turn things around in the final three Tests.
After a great win over India in Chennai at the start of the year, following a great series win in Sri Lanka, England have managed to win just one of their next nine Tests. They drew two and lost six before the Ashes began, and with two more losses in Australia, it does feel like England have managed to dig well beyond rock bottom.
So where does the problem lie for England then? A very short answer to that is - everywhere.
England's selection issues
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the selection panel have been planning for the Ashes series since the start of the year. They seem to have over-planned a bit in this regard.
The "rest and rotation" policy, which was one of the major reasons behind their series loss to India earlier in the year, is meant to keep the players fresh. England carried their approach to the Ashes opener as well, resting both Stuart Broad and James Anderson to keep the duo fresh for the day-night Test.
It's safe to say the moves have not paid off at any stage this year. While the selectors did well to keep the workload of the players in mind, it also halted their momentum by resting them at crucial junctures, with the series results also indicating the same.
12 for 2 & the skipper has to walk out again far too early .. Pretty much every aspect of this Test team isn’t working so far on this tour .. but let’s be honest it’s been the same story for a long time against the better teams .. #Ashes
After England lost the 2017-18 Ashes series, the majority of the blame went towards their bowling attack for lacking variety and extra pace. The spinners were also heavily criticized for not being able to hold one end.
The main dilemma for the selectors was to address these issues. But one look at England's bowling unit states otherwise. Once again, England's bowling attack is looking toothless. No one except Mark Wood, who was dropped for the day-night Test, has that extra pace. Moreover, Olly Stone has not been selected for the tour and Jofra Acher misses out due to a long-standing injury.
And while the discussion is about the spin attack, the fact that Ollie Robinson himself was bowling some leg breaks does paint a very dull picture. This comes after their most established spinner Jack Leach was hit out of the attack by the Australians on Day 2 of the first Test. He has not had a chance to bowl ever since.
Weak batting line-up
Some Ashes series are defined by little moments which get etched in history. In the 2002-03 series, it was Naseer Hussain's decision to put Australia in to bat at the Gabba, with the hosts ending the day 364-2. In the 2006-07 series, it was Steve Harmison who bowled one of the worst deliveries to start the series, with the ball going to second slip.
Then, after a 14-year gap, it was Rory Burns who became part of another great moment in Ashes history. Rory Burns was bowled by a full delivery from Mitchell Starc in the first ball of the current Ashes opener. At the end of the day, England were bowled out for 147.
Although England skipper Joe Root has had an exceptional year, the other batters have really struggled in 2021. Root played a big role in the win over India in Chennai in February and then waged a lone battle against the Indian pacers in England. But the fact that there has only been one centurion (Rory Burns) for England other than Joe Root this year typifies the problem.
No England captain has more runs in Tests now than @root66 👏
#Ashes
The openers have looked terribly out of form and out of confidence. It has been so disastrous, in fact, that if Joe Root is given a deal at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to bat first on one condition that they start the innings 10/2, he would gladly take the offer with both hands. Apart from Joe Root, only Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes have looked in some sort of form.
Jonny Bairstow seemed to be in decent touch in the last Ashes series Down Under, but he has been replaced by Ollie Pope this term. Haseeb Hameed looks out of form and the England batting line-up has collapsed following Root's dismissal in every innings. Jos Buttler might have given himself a longer rope with the 207-ball vigil he showcased in the second innings of the Adelaide Test match, but there's still a lot to be achieved.
Poor fielding
In the home series against India in August-September, England dropped more catches than the visitors. In the Ashes series, England seem to have carried over their poor fielding form.
In the Brisbane Test, Rory Burns dropped a couple of sitters while Hameed missed an opportunity to run out David Warner, who was not even holding his bat. The count of drops increased in the second Test as well as the overthrows, which have been more than what the English openers have managed to score so far.
England's fielding has helped the Australians escape the phases where bowling has been tight, enabling the hosts to wrestle back the momentum. Poor slip catching has been a recurring problem for England, with constant changes being made in those positions.
It was Ben Stokes who used to field at second slip, which was then taken over by Dom Sibley. Joe Root now stands at second slip, giving the position of first slip to Rory Burns, who shelled a few.
Rather than giving a fielder a long run at the slips, England panicked, looking at dropped catches and changing personnel frequently. The move has not worked out so far.
Can England make a comeback?
None of the above-mentioned factors mean that England cannot make a comeback in the series. In the 2015 Ashes, they won two matches in a row after losing to Australia at Lord's by 405 runs.
They bounced back against India in Leeds this year after a chastening defeat in the previous match. But this time the odds are stacked heavily against them as the Australian team will get stronger with the return of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood at the MCG.
There are injury concerns in the England camp as well, with Ben Stokes pulling up. The England team have surely dug themselves deeper into the hole and now it is up to Root and co. to start on a new note in the remaining three encounters.