What went wrong for England and can it be put right?

The late Martin Johnson once wrote that there were only three things wrong with England’s Ashes tourists in 1986/87 - they couldn’t bat, they couldn’t bowl and they couldn’t field.

The mind boggles at what he would make of the 2020/21 vintage.

Smashed in Brisbane, beaten to a pulp in Adelaide and then pulverised in Melbourne in just over two days. This tour is achieving the unlikely feat of making England’s past two trips here look like qualified triumphs.

With two Tests of the series remaining, it’s more than likely that further punishment and humiliation lurks just around the corner. Little wonder that those watching on at home have needed a stiff drink every time an England player straps on his pads and walks to the middle. 

Phil DeFreitas was a member of that touring party lampooned by Johnson before they swept to an away Ashes triumph that no-one saw coming. 

He has watched on as England have lurched from collapse to collapse and although he believes England can take something out of the next two Tests, he lays the majority of the blame on a build-up that left Joe Root’s side completely under-cooked.

“I understand what England are going through because I’ve seen both sides of an Ashes tour,” he tells The Independent. “I’ve always said that Australia is one of the greatest places to play cricket when you’re winning but probably the worst place to be when you’re losing.

“We won there on my first tour and a big reason for that was that we won in Brisbane, that gave us the momentum and the belief to go on. I always think the first Test is so important. We were on the front foot.

“When you lose at the Gabba and then lose the second Test then you’re struggling, you really are.

“England have come into this Ashes series massively under-cooked. The games they were supposed to have at Brisbane were rained off, but the build-up to tours now are so short. You need games against State sides, you need two or three matches at least.

“Throw in the quarantine period these players have to serve and it’s absolutely no surprise that they’re struggling. Two weeks with just a treadmill for company? That’s enough to drive you round the bend.” 

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Mind you, those same players would probably have swapped the glare of the world’s cricket media for the sanctuary of a Melbourne hotel room following their second innings capitulation at the MCG. 

The Aussies, meanwhile, could hardly believe that a first innings total of just 267 was enough to earn them an innings victory. England’s paltry 68, was their lowest score on an Ashes tour for 117 years.

You don’t have to be a world-class coach to identify the key weakness in this side. Doing something about it, though, is far from simple, as Mickey Arthur, the former Australia coach, explains.

“I think (Zac) Crawley has a huge amount of talent, I think Dawid Malan has done a good job and I think Joe Root is outstanding,” he tells The Independent. “(Ben) Stokes we know is very good and Ollie Pope will become a good player. 

“If those are the best batsmen in England at the moment then you have to give them that backing to go and play. The problem at the moment is that the opening partnership has been woeful and it’s that that sets the tone. 

“Scoring runs in Australia isn’t as hard as England have made it look.

“Australia is a good place to bat as a visiting team. Australia bowl particularly well in those condition because they hit the hard lengths and they’ve got guys that bowl over 140(kmh) but it is a good place to bat because you can leave on bounce and if you get through your first 20 balls then batting becomes a lot easier. But you’ve got to get yourself in.” 

For all England’s players, with the notable exceptions of Malan and the captain, getting to 20 balls has been a struggle since Rory Burns was bowled by Mitch Starc with the first ball of the series.

And in many ways, the Surrey man’s struggles have been emblematic of England’s wider batting problems. With the failings of some idiosyncratic techniques laid bare by a rampant Australian attack.

“England have had their best players coming in a lot earlier than they should,” says Arthur. “England have to identify their best players and stick by them. Look at Zac Crawley, he’s got a good technique and he stands tall and moves the game on, he just needs to find his feet in international cricket.

“Rory Burns, susceptible technique, Dom Sibley, susceptible technique, I think they are always going to struggle in international cricket because if there’s anything out with their trigger movement, they get themselves into some horrid positions. They’re going to get found out continually in international cricket because the ball comes onto you a lot quicker, it exaggerates everything. If your movements aren’t simple and repeatable then you’re going to get yourself into trouble.” 

As for DeFreitas, he prefers to take a glass half full approach to what lies in store in Sydney and Hobart.

“Listen, the Ashes have gone now, they’re done,” he says. “England only have pride to play for now, but I hope they can come back strongly. 

“They have to see this as a two Test series over the next couple of weeks. And a lot of those players are playing for their place in the side. You shouldn’t need any more motivation than that.”