Ashes: Frailty of usual destroyers Swann and Cook represents the crux of England’s woeful form.

Mentality is everything in sport. Without the will to win, there is no win. The English cricket side have arrived in Australia thinking that they are facing the same Australian team who they comprehensively outplayed 3-0 in the last Ashes series in England. However, this is not the case, the Australian team have been re-energised, revamped and have taken to the pitch more confident than ever thanks largely to the impact of Coach Darren Lehmann. Lehmann, affectionately known as ‘Boof,’ took over from the controversially ousted Mickey Arthur and has injected a level of Australian fight and spirit into the dressing room. Australia’s displays in Adelaide and at the Gabba have been characterised by the exact elements which saw them careen down the world rankings under the guidance of Arthur. Grit, passion, determination and team work have all been on show, hidden of course amongst the heroics of individual milestones such as Mitchell Johnson’s wonderful showings of fast bowling and the ability of Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin to steady the ship and grind their way to magnificent centuries.

Whilst things have been all smiles in the Aussie camp, the Englishmen simply don’t know what has hit them, and one could forgive them for asking if this is the same Australian side they came up against in England. The English thought that they would retain the Ashes without breaking a sweat, some were even predicting a 5-0 whitewash in favour of the visitors, but it was in fact this innate level of cockiness and sense of dominance which has cost the English in the opening two tests. When Australia came out and found themselves at 5/100 on the opening day of the series, fans were beginning to think “here we go again,” and England were licking their lips in thought of the same sentiment. However it was certainly not what the English batsmen expected out in the middle as they were humbled by a graceful display of fast bowling from the likes of Ryan Harris and Johnson on their way to a dismal total of 136. This was a rather rude awakening for the Poms, which has continued into the Second test in Adelaide, with England reaching 200 for the first time in the series in their fourth innings.

In fact, it has been England’s most experienced and previously reliable players who have been in the worst veins of form. Captain Alastair Cook has been simply woeful at the crease, other than his solid 65 in the 2^nd innings at the Gabba, and his dismissal in the second innings in Adelaide was symbolic of what an absolute shambles this England side have become. Cook strides out to the middle aware of the fact England must survive two full days of batting to save this test match, and what does he do? He attempts to hook a short pitched ball straight to one of two fieldsmen placed in the fine leg region for that exact shot, shocking captaincy which represents the frailty of England’s mindset, a man who will play his 100^th test next week at the WACA fell for the sucker ball. If England are to get back into this series which, let’s face it, is unlikely then Cook must find some form, and more importantly, gain some self-confidence which will allow him to negotiate the bowling of Mitchell Johnson. In the bowling department, Stuart Broad has been rather handy, as much as it pains me to say it, but the ‘world’s best spinner’ Graeme Swann has been absolutely slaughtered in some shocking displays of bowling which have showcased the fact that he simply cannot adjust to Australian conditions. Swann was the leading wicket taker in the previous Ashes series, this series he is simply England’s leading run getter, with batsman notching up 317 runs off him in two tests, with a return of just 4 wickets.

At the conclusion of the Adelaide test, Michael Clarke iterated Australia’s ambitions in world cricket, stating that

"There's a lot of work for us to do to get back to being the number one team in the world and that's our goal."

Australia are brimming with confidence and England must surely be down in the dumps after two consecutive losses by huge margins, but it is paramount that the English show some fight back in the third test if they are to avoid a genuine crisis. If England are to win the third test and stay in the series then they must achieve the following things:

1. Learn how to face Mitchell Johnson
2. Discover what their ideal batting order looks like
3. Have someone make a century
4. Get David Warner out early

If the Poms can gain victory in Perth then this series will be well and truly alive, but this cannot happen unless they resurrect their mentality and stop taking success as a given.