I have no great issue with England being 2-0 down in Australia because that is the sort of scoreline that has faced a lot of England cricketers here over the years but being two down while making the same mistakes and not playing the right percentage shots with this batting line-up is inexcusable.
If I were Andy Flower and Alastair Cook I would hold Joe Root’s innings up as the way to make runs out here, without embarrassing the lad or putting too much pressure on him. You can play against this time as long as you use your brain. As long as you realise that with two men out hooking in Australia is bloody dangerous.
Making mistakes: Alastair Cook was out playing a hook shot in the second innings
Don’t get me wrong. You will see people bounced out in Australia because it’s the nature of the place and there will be some quick bouncy pitches. But for so many batsmen to be bounced out gives England plenty to think about.
I just want batsmen to learn from their mistakes and do something about putting it right. And, as I touched on yesterday, England must not go to the WACA and think ‘it’s Mitchell Johnson in Perth and we haven’t won there for years.’
Perth is a great place to bat. It’s not like going to Jamaica on that cracked pitch where the Test had to be called off. The ball comes on, it’s true, and if the batsmen bowl short you can cut and pull. If they pitch it up you can play down the ground. And there isn’t much spin.
Getting it right: Joe Root's innings should be used as an example to other players
But you have to give yourself that first 20 minutes to get used to the bounce and I don’t think England are doing that. They’re not giving themselves an opportunity to get in. It’s almost like a mentality of ‘I’ve got to get some before you get me.’
They are almost expecting Johnson to get them and want to get to 20 or so before he does so. Root didn’t bat like that in the second innings in Adelaide and the others have to follow his example and show Flower, us and everyone else that they are up for the fight.
I don’t think there’s a problem with England’s hunger and desire. I just believe there is a question mark over their thinking. They seemed to come out here thinking ‘we’ll be alright once we get to Australia. The pitches are better, the ball will come on to the bat, look at how well we did there last time.’
Bounced out: England's players have not given themselves a chance to get used to the bounce
Trouble was, they didn’t factor in Mitchell Johnson and they didn’t factor in how the whole country has been against them out here. I think that has taken them aback, actually. They are a bit shell-shocked by the Australian media and the public in the aggressive way they have been behind their side.
England are not used to that because the last time they came out here all the stick was being aimed at the Australian side by their press and public rather than England and the boot is on the other foot now.
This country has been waiting for a Mitchell Johnson for years. And what it has done has completely thrown England and scrambled their thinking and what they need to do is unscramble that thinking and that will be hard, especially at a place where they have a bad record. But it’s not meant to be easy.
Coming good at last: Mitchell Johnson has proved how good he is as a fast bowler and surprised England
We shouldn’t make broad statements and say that the England team is in decline. What is a worry is that Australia were full of lesser players last summer, like Phil Hughes, Ashton Agar, Usman Khawaja and Ed Cowan, and if they didn’t do well it was easy for them to be left out.
But the guys on the England side who are not doing well are the rocks that they have built their success on. People like Cook, Pietersen, Trott, Prior and even Anderson. They are the spine and if they do not perform England really will struggle.
You can’t just leave those players out. If a young keeper had gone through what Matt Prior has gone through he would have been left out by now but I don’t think Prior would have been dropped even before those second innings runs and I don’t think he should have been either.
Credit in the bank: Senior players like Kevin Pietersen deserve the chance to put things right
These players have enough credit in the bank and have done enough good work to deserve a long crack at putting this right but it does mean they have to overcome any mental scars they have picked up in these two Tests because they are in the thick of the battle now. They have to work out how to get the job done.
So now we head to Perth. There was a lot of talk ahead of this tour about the big three fast bowlers coming to Australia with their pace and bounce and I’d like to know which of them is bowling well enough to play at the WACA now. One of them needs to play.
The only other thing I’d say about England’s attack is that Perth will also suit Anderson and Stuart Broad so that does bring England into it. The Australian batting line-up, remember, still looks fragile.
Back in the frame: Tim Bresnan could come back into the side in Perth for the third Test
I think I still want a spinner to play, to bowl into the Fremantle doctor that blows across the ground. Graeme Swann could get a bit of drift and bounce with a slip in there. But I’d have to see the pitch first to be sure about that.
But all eyes are on the batting. I’d like to get Ben Stokes in but I’m not sure I can. I will have to think about that line-up more. You’d like to get Tim Bresnan in too if you can.
These are the times when a lot of people will call for change but the only thing I’d say is that you always become a better player when you’re out of the side. People will be saying get Gary Ballance in, get Jonny Bairstow in. Even get Tymal Mills in. If they were that good they’d be playing so let’s not get carried away.
The England team are basically the ones who won three Ashes series and got them to No 1 in the Test world. And they are also the ones who have got themselves in this mess now. Now they need to get themselves out of it. Go and show us why you are world-class players in Perth.
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