Outplayed, outfought and out of options. England are facing an Ashes whitewash after Australia regained the urn with a dominant victory in Perth.
After losing by an innings and 41 runs in Perth, captain Joe Root admitted England had been beaten by the better side.
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Speaking to BT Sport, Root said: “It’s very difficult to take. Fair play to Australia, they’ve outplayed us in all three games and we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to make sure we go to Melbourne and prepare well and put in really good performances there.”
Meanwhile, Australia skipper Steve Smith was full of praise for his three fast bowlers - Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood - and for spinner Nathan Lyon.
Smith, who scored 239 in Australia’s innings, said: “We know how much it means to everyone in Australia. To wrap it up in three matches has been exceptional.
“The three fast bowlers are absolute superstars. To have those three guys on the park at the same time has taken a lot of planning. Nathan Lyon also is bowling as well as I’ve seen him.
“We’ve had ups and downs. The selectors copped a lot over a period of time for making bold changes but each guy has come in and done a terrific job.”
Writing in The Times, chief cricket correspondent Mike Atherton says that “a lack of fast bowlers, a run-scoring captain and mental strength” contributed to England’s heavy defeats in the opening three Ashes Tests.
In The Guardian, Vic Marks concludes: “England have been thoroughly outgunned by a superior team, whose best players - Smith and the bowlers - were at the peak of their game when it mattered.”
So what next for England, their players and the coaching set-up? At 3-0 down, the whitewash is on and history does not favour Root’s side, warns Simon Wilde in The Times.
“When England lose an Ashes series as comprehensively as they have this one, questions are inevitably going to be asked about what happens next,” says Wilde.
“The situation may be changed by what occurs in the last two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, but it would be reasonable to assume that the narrative is not about to radically alter course. The series could yet end in a 5-0 whitewash. There will be a fallout.”
While Root’s role as captain is unlikely to be challenged, even if his side do fail to win a single Test, there will be question marks over the futures of underperfoming senior players such as Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad.
Wilde adds: “Cook is not the type to rush into a decision, but it may well be that his race is run. Broad won’t want to quit but he needs to demonstrate he still has something to offer, as other bowlers need blooding.”
England head coach Trevor Bayliss will also be feeling the pressure of a heavy Ashes series defeat, says Wilde. Even though he is a specialist with the white ball Bayliss has shown “little progress” in the Test arena, so there could be changes in the coaching department.
Following Australia’s win in the Perth Test, we look at how the media and fans reacted on Twitter.
Celebration time for Australia.
Australia were “too good”, says Michael Vaughan.
Cook’s form is scrutinised.
Crying into their cuppas.
Fans have their say on BBC Radio 5 live.
The urn returns.
More misery for England down under.
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