Ashes 4th Test

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear.

Any optimism I previously held for the England side has now vanished. That was a terrible performance!

What I will say though is how wonderful the thousands of English supporters have been here. They really have given a lift to the game and are truly great supporters with a wonderful sense of humour and great sporting spirit. They poke fun at us and themselves, but give cricketers on both sides appropriate kudos as it is deserved. Tremendous fun, and great for the game.

As for the England team, what do you do now? Freddy keeps saying they need to win a match, but how? I can't see anything changing for the 5th test... it's all over. Australia have now won all 10 test matches that they've played this year - they've got the talent, the belief, and the home crowd advantage. For England to win in Sydney, they'll need Vaughn, Trescothick and Simon Jones all fit and match-ready, and that simply isn't going to happen. Mahmood showed some promise this match, but he and Hoggard can't carry the under-done Flintoff and Harmison. And in the batting department Pieterson is now looking vulnerable, Strauss just can't quite get it together, and Collingwood is proving flaky under pressure. Read showed some toughness, but hardly enough to carry the top order...

Meanwhile, the Aussie bowling attack looks fantastic. Four bowlers all bowling at their best simultaneously makes them extremely formidable - much like the West Indies in their 1970s prime, albeit not as fast of course. And the batting has such depth that, as they proved, you can have them 5 down for 80-odd, and they still go on to make 400+. Tricky.

All I can say is, good luck.

But thanks for the Barmy Army - they've been really great.