Ultimate Test for the team ethic
ENGLAND’S ethic is all about playing as a team and, following their Headingley humbling, they will need to provide the perfect example of that approach in the Ashes decider.
Individually, they just don’t possess the quality to bounce back. They do not have a Sachin Tendulkar or Muttiah Muralitharan at their disposal to drag them out of a hole.
Look at England’s line-up: not one of them would get into a world XI. The team is made up of good, slightly above average players, but when they play a little below their best, results like yesterday’s can happen. We saw something similar in the Caribbean during the winter, when England were dismissed for 51.
It would not even have made any difference if Andrew Flintoff had been fit. Talismanic though he is, England’s deficiency was with the bat, not the ball.
There will be the temptation to make changes, and Ravi Bopara’s place at No3 looks to be at risk. Three months ago Bopara was a shining light, now he’s more like a rabbit in the headlights. Rob Key is an experienced batsman who could come in, but then again switching things around now may stink of panic.
England will need an exceptional team performance to regain the initiative, and the Ashes, at the Oval. That alone may not be enough – they will also be relying on the Aussies to have an off day or five.