Congratulations to Australia. Played very well and we played like sh*t. Simple as that really.
Anyone read Peter Oborne in The Telegraph - admittedly he is their Political Correspondent but he wrote a proper knee-jerk article that had me in stitches.
Some thoughts on England's Ashes defeat.
1. England has been utterly and comprehensively destroyed over the first three Tests and have now lost the Ashes. We need to recognise that the next two Test matches are now meaningless. It is quite likely that Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen, who both failed when it mattered, will put in big performances when they no longer count.
2. This is what happened during the shameful 1974/5 Ashes series when England were blown away in the early Tests matches. But Mike Denness, England’s worst post-war captain, then scored a big century in the final Test match when the Aussies had taken their foot off the accelerator, and another big century against a weak New Zealand team. These performances enabled Denness to save his place.
3. Kevin Pietersen, who repeatedly threw away his wicket when England were up against it, may well emulate Denness and score heavily in the two remaining Tests. They would be pointless runs, and should be seen as such. Pietersen, who failed England when the chips were down, should not be allowed to save his career when nothing is at stake.
More on the Ashes 2013-14
4. Alastair Cook should step down as skipper. It’s clear after England’s dreadful and humiliating performance that he is not suited for the captaincy. Anybody listening to his media interviews over the last few weeks can tell that he lacks leadership qualities. More importantly, Cook has lost form dreadfully since becoming captain, and this matters. Cook is probably England’s best batsman since Peter May 60 years ago. If he had not been captain it is almost certain that Cook would have put it the big scores that would have saved us from defeat. The England team desperately needs Cook’s batting.
5. But who should replace him? Until recently Graeme Swann or Matt Prior looked like the obvious internal replacements, but both of them have lost form. Some will make the case for Broad, but he still looks desperately immature. I believe there is an obvious candidate outside the current England team squad: Paul Collingwood. Collingwood was a doughty fighter for England until his retirement from Test cricket. Since then he has remained on the county circuit, and last summer led Durham to a thrilling victory in the county championship. Collingwood has the experience, the proven leadership qualities and the talent to do the job. He will gain the respect of team-mates – and that is essential in a dressing-room where there have been rumours of division. Some will say that he is past it. But he is only 37 years old, which means that he should have several more years of Test cricket in him. After all, Mike Brearley was 39 when he led England to our famous Ashes victory in 1981.
6. Finally, we should take heart from the brilliant talent waiting in the wings, as Ben Stokes showed in his marvellous innings. In the last two Tests youngsters like Gary Ballance, Johnny Bairstow and Boyd Rankin should be given their chance. There is nothing to be lost and everything to gain.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100250862/ashes-2013-2014-alastair-cook-must-step-down-after-englands-humiliation/