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England have been treated like adults - now they must play like adults
Hindsight is wonderful.
It provides satisfaction, comfort and expertise. It is much easier to dissect a decision than to make it. Talking and writing about sport in hindsight is more straightforward than playing sport in real time.
England are at the point of confronting hindsight. At 2-0 down in this Ashes series, anything other than a win over Australia in Adelaide will lead to a lot of recrimination on the journey to Melbourne, Sydney and beyond.
Hindsight is not casting a favourable light on England's Ashes warm-up plans or preparations for the pink-ball game in Brisbane.
There was the decision not to try a specialist opener when Zak Crawley got injured in 2024, dithering over Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell at number three, not bringing a specialist back-up keeper to the Ashes, or another frontline spinner alongside Shoaib Bashir.
Hindsight would suggest a specialist fielding coach might have been useful in Paul Collingwood's absence from the backroom staff, and that putting Brydon Carse in a Perth hotel attached to a casino was not the best move 18 months after he served a ban for historic betting offences.
And there is the mid-series break in Noosa. Hindsight has yet to catch up with that one. It could prove to be a stroke of managerial genius, or turn out to be English cricket's equivalent of the football team in Baden Baden during the 2006 World Cup.
Perhaps hindsight has slapped England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum in the face.
In the aftermath of the defeat in the second Test in Brisbane, there was talk of weak men and glass jaws.
But Stokes and McCullum have made their bed with the culture of this England team, and now they must raise their sleeping team from it.
How often have we heard the leaders speak of "removing the pressure" from Test cricket, hoisting an umbrella over their men to shield from the reality and expectation of international sport.
Sometimes the only way to deal with bad weather is to get wet. Now England are soaked to the bone.
At this moment, a Test that Stokes admitted is the most important since he became captain, the management have changed their tune. Stokes even talked about "enjoying the pressure" in Adelaide when he spoke to BBC Sport on Tuesday.
Bar Stokes, Joe Root and Jofra Archer, every England player in Australia was either saved by, given a debut by or dragged out of the wilderness by the Bazball regime.
Therefore, this culture is all they know. Good vibes, running towards the danger, golf courses. McCullum has regularly said that these players should be having the time of their lives representing England, which is a fair point. Enjoying Test cricket is great, but so is winning.
Stokes has suggested that part of England's struggles has been a result of players new to touring Australia not coping with the challenge of playing in this country. Is that another issue the management could have predicted?
Remember when the Australia squad was written off as ageing, creaking and over the hill? In hindsight (there's that word again) they look crafty veterans.
England made a raft of changes to their personnel 18 months ago with this tour in mind.
At the time, selections of Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson and Bashir were justified not only by their performances, but also a collective temperament that seemed like quiet steel. Now neither Atkinson nor Bashir are in the XI for Adelaide, and Smith must somehow find something after a desperate display in Brisbane.
Two years ago, England found themselves 2-0 down in the home Ashes. They prepared for that series with a golf trip in Scotland – one wonders if they would change that decision, given the chance.
As England gathered for the third Test at Headingley, smarting from the Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord's, Stokes addressed his team with a word that cannot be printed on the BBC. It worked. England fought back and would have won the Ashes had it not rained in Manchester.
Back then, the England team was filled with battled-hardened soldiers, willing to fight in the Ashes trenches. Bairstow, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood. None of those men are in Australia now.
It is not too long ago that England were happy to get in a battle with India in the home summer. There were flashpoints at Lord's and Old Trafford, and Stokes' men looked a better side with fire in their bellies.
Did they think they could bully India, only to then wilt in Australia?
There is a nagging suspicion that the current team leaves too much to Stokes and Root, the captain present and past. Adelaide means plenty to both men. Root played club cricket here, Stokes made his Test debut in this city.
Do the rest of the squad wonder why two such legendary figures in English cricket have found it so hard to find success in Australia?
Both were part of the Andy Flower team that fell apart in 2013-14. Root has played 16 Tests in this country without a win, Stokes has played 11. On this tour, Root has England's only century, Stokes their only five-wicket haul. They are in danger of being let down by their team-mates.
Pope has 63 Test caps – more than Ted Dexter, Steve Harmison and Robin Smith. Crawley has played 61 Tests – the same number as Jack Hobbs and Raymond Illingworth. Have either of Pope or Crawley matured yet?
Ben Duckett is usually a key Stokes lieutenant, buzzing around in the field, never shy of a word. So far his highest score is 28 and he dropped two catches in Brisbane.
England have patiently waited for Archer, primarily with this tour in mind. He has more losses than wins in his 17 Tests. How they need him to produce the lightning pace from the closing stages of Brisbane again in Adelaide.
Perhaps the player with the most making up to do is Harry Brook, who is yet to show the responsibility befitting his elevation to vice-captain. "Shocking" was the way he described his dismissals in Perth and Brisbane. If Brook scores as many runs as he sunk beers in Noosa, he will be fine.
So, this is it. The forecast is for the temperature in Adelaide to reach 39 degrees. The stakes for England are even higher.
Win, and it's a Christmas cracker of a live fourth Test on Boxing Day in Melbourne. Lose and some careers will be over or put on hold.
England have made all the right noises and done all the right things since arriving in Adelaide. They appear sincere in their understanding of the mistakes made so far.
Is it too late? From now on, the consequences are very real.
This England team has been treated like grown-ups. Now it is time to play like grown-ups.
Source: BBC
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