There is no such thing as a dead rubber in Ashes cricket and the fifth Test at the SCG is an important match for the future of some leading figures in English cricket.
I look back on the series and it is plain to see England’s spirit was broken all the way back in Brisbane. They were caught on the hop in that first Test. They never expected Australia to come out so aggressively and underestimated the team and the impact Mitchell Johnson could have with his relentless pace.
Suddenly the England players were intimidated by Australia and feared them again for the first time in a while. When that happens your weaknesses are shown up by the relentless pressure of Test cricket.
The spine and spirit of the team was broken and dismantled early. James Anderson has looked tired for the whole tour. It is no surprise that when he stirred himself to produce his best performance of the series in Melbourne, Australia struggled in their first innings. The rest of the time he has been short of form.
Graeme Swann bowled poorly, Matt Prior has been horribly out of form for seven months and keeping badly. Alastair Cook’s captaincy on the field has been shown up as inept tactically, Kevin Pietersen has done OK and Ian Bell too at times, but they have felt the weight of so much responsibility and it is hard to perform all the time when you are not getting any help.
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#fanatix via @Telegraph‎