There'll be a lot of Monday Morning Quarterbacking after today - regardless of whether England succumb to defeat or manage to scratch out an unlikely draw.
My two-pennorth, for what it's worth, is that England have gone into this game over confident in their own abilities and falling hook line and sinker into the 'it's 2005 all over again' scenario - complete with endless Sky re-runs and the 'rousing' anthems before each days play. There has been a 'fix bayonets' attitude to their cricket, starting with the batting on Wednesday, where no one was prepared to settle down and play a long innings, through to the bowling on the following days where there didn't seem to be a Plan B - or, if there was, no one seemed to be able to follow it.
The bowling attitude was one of continual aggression, slamming the ball into the track and trying to make something happen. On a fast, bouncy pitch like Lords, it might have worked - and still might come Thursday, but on a flat docile creation in Cardiff, it was doomed to failure.
There's nothing wrong with a positive attitude, but it has to be tempered with realism.
It's probably slightly too soon to start writing the obituaries, and burning tickets for Headingley and The Oval, but it's going to be a heck of a long road back - and I don't think England have an up to date map.
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Completely agree
And sadly, so much of the confidence is based on factors other than hard stats.
Malfoy. They say that a test average of 40 is a sure sign of class...but surely not when that's the BOWLING average of an opener in a side hoping to beat the Aussies.
Monty. I think Geoffrey is right on this one - this season, his Mum probably would survive against this bloke...whose First Class average this season - 61 - has somehow got him into a team which we were assured would be picked on form.
Nice-Boy. Yet again during this match I heard it said that he'll be Strauss' successor. Yet again he's made no worthwhile impact upon the contest.
Lord Snooty. I thought Swann was joking when he said that The Noble Lord had been made captain because he is, uncontestably, the poshest man in cricket. Well, it certainly wasn't for innovative tactics, resourceful use of a weak hand, Waugh-like cussedness or even (gulp) a Reeve-like "I'm-a-winner" attitude
It is depressing to be so comprehensively steamrollered so early in the series.
But I think the hype ensured we had it coming.
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