Embarrassing England Cricket Team Surrender To Cap The Latest One-Sided Ashes Series In Australia

There was a sliver of time when it appeared that beleaguered England, who had endured such an embarrassing Ashes humiliation, might at least end a miserable tour Down Under on an unexpected high.

In cool and seaming conditions of Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania which feels a little similar to being in the U.K, England had surprisingly clawed their way back into the fifth and final Test. They had fought back through a powerful bowling display led by speedster Mark Wood, who had redeemed himself after leaving a reeling Australia off the hook on the opening day.

England’s meek batting order needed a still improbable 271 for victory but they were on course at 0 for 68 when Rory Burns and Zak Crawley conjured the highest opening stand for either team in the bowler-dominant series.

Perhaps after all the pain England could somewhat salvage something out of this train wreck of a series in shades of 1998-99 when the tourists won a thrilling dead rubber fourth Test in Melbourne before falling short in Sydney. It remains the most competitive Ashes series in Australia in the past three decades even though Mark Taylor’s mighty team still ultimately won convincingly 3-1.

Perhaps predictably, those dreams quickly turned into a nightmare with England’s bid to end their 11-year drought in Tests in Australia nosediving through a succession of ham-fisted strokes in a meek surrender.

England were routed for 124 within three days to lose the series 4-0 – the same eyesore of a scoreline of four years ago – as the tourists seemed intent on fleeing the country quicker than Novak Djokovic. After such a pummelling throughout a tour that started with a 14-day quarantine in Queensland even though most of Australia had finally opened up, England’s hearts were clearly not in it by the end.

It was a fitting end to a shambolic series for England, where the recriminations have been ongoing after another Ashes thrashing. They’re winless in Australia since their remarkable 2010-11 triumph which is looking more astounding as the years pass by.

There are many reasons for England’s continual plight in Australia, which have been well documented in recent weeks, and they perhaps deserve some sympathy given the tough asks of touring during a pandemic exacerbated by almost little preparation to basically guarantee a hiding to nothing.

It was a sad farewell for ageing greats James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who despite still bowling well will surely not return for another Ashes tilt Down Under. They have toiled manfully over so many years for little reward although playing central roles in England’s 2010-11 victory at least ensures there are some pleasant memories.

Not so for captain Joe Root and star allrounder Ben Stokes who both had poor series in a nail in the coffin for England’s chances. The series seemed to be a chance for Root, the best Test batter in 2021, to have a breakout Ashes series in Australia – for some a feat he needed in order to be ranked alongside other greats of the era. Despite some impressive starts, a jaded Root fell away badly and his look of resignation when bowled by a low delivery from Scott Boland spoke volumes.

While it was another tale of woe for England, Australia made a perfect start in the new Pat Cummins era. They couldn’t quite replicate the 5-0 whitewashes of 2006-07 and 2013-14 due to stubborn England batting in Sydney, but Australia will be well pleased.

Most of all due to the evenness of the performances with batting stars Steve Smith and David Warner subdued. It was a series where Travis Head – a middle-order talent who has long teased – came of age after claiming player-of-the-series while Usman Khawaja resurrected his career after a magical comeback in Sydney.

Boland’s incredible Test career launch at 32 years of age is one of the best stories in cricket for a long time, while maligned Mitchell Starc was a force throughout playing all five Tests. Perhaps the most encouraging development long-term was the emergence of young all-rounder Cameron Green, who starred with the ball and played his best Test knock with a crucial half-century in Hobart to dig Australia out of early trouble.

The towering Green is the genuine all-rounder Australia has long craved and – as he showed to turn the game spectacularly late on day three – has a knack of claiming wickets at pivotal junctures.

While Australia wildly celebrated with gusto, it led to again contemplate whether the Ashes deserves such elongated and elevated status given it is continually a flop of a contest in Australia.

And this latest dud might have been the nadir of them all.