3 reasons why England lost the Ashes in 11 days

"That dream that we came here with is now over," bemoaned Ben Stokes after the Ashes series was lost in Adelaide on Sunday, December 21. It was the joint-fastest loss of an Ashes series for England in Australia, in 11 days, equalling their outings in 1950-51 and 2002-03.

England did dream right but their preparation, tactics, and execution left a lot to be desired. Despite being in a commanding position on Day 2 of the first Test they suffered a dramatic batting collapse followed by a bowling meltdown courtesy Travis Head on the same day. Stokes was left "shell-shocked" by Head's belligerent 123 off 83 balls on a day when dominance turned to despair in a couple of hours. 

England did not send their first XI of the first Test to play a pink ball warm-up match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra, with the second Test slated to be a day-night fixture at the Gabba. Given how the proceedings panned out, not sending the players for the warm-up match proved to be a mistake. 

Australia kept coming at their arch-rivals whenever the latter seemed to gain momentum. England played catch-up cricket after they posted 334 in the first innings, eventually losing the Test by eight wickets.

The team fared much better at the Adelaide Oval. Despite being behind the game throughout, they showed fight and promise to create a record for the highest successful chase of 434. A margin of loss of 82 runs might look big, but at one stage it seemed England would get much closer to the target, if not across it.

Let us now dissect the three reasons behind England's loss in just 11 playing days:

3. Scheduling error

Before arriving in Australia, the England team had embarked on a white-ball series tour of New Zealand comprising three T20Is and as many ODIs. Several Ashes squad members were part of the trip, including Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer, Harry Brook, and Jamie Smith, among others. The last match of the tour was played on November 1, with the Ashes slated to begin on November 21. A gap of three weeks seems sufficient on paper, but was it really in reality?

In the past, too, touring England teams have generally landed in Australia with a little over three weeks to go for the first Test. But having six white-ball matches against a quality side like New Zealand must have taken some juice out of the participating players by the time they began their Ashes preparations. Not to forget, it extended their time away from home, which can potentially impact their mental health.

Rob Key, the managing director of the men's team, admitted to the scheduling error. He even acknowledged that it was a mistake to send that many of the Ashes squad members to New Zealand, and that too in the early season when the ball moves a lot. The consequence - some of the England batters were found wanting, and so, according to him, the New Zealand series was a damaging one.

2. No warm-up games against local sides before first Test

Despite having almost three weeks' time, England did not opt to play a proper warm-up match against a state or PM XI side before the first Test. They, however, did play a three-day warm-up match at Lilac Hill, a club ground in Perth, against the England Lions. If one goes by what has been reported about the match, it was a casual outing for the very serious assignment ahead.

The team management has now received considerable flak for not choosing to play against a local side. The tourists have also been blamed for not playing at the WACA instead, which would have provided a fast, bouncy pitch, allowing for better preparation overall.

But Key, in his recent media interaction, put those matters to rest. He said that Cricket Australia provided the option to play against an "Australian" side in Adelaide. In Perth, they were not given the option to play at Optus Stadium or the WACA.

Key said they felt they could "control the preparation ourselves" in Perth and so decided to shun the Adelaide option. In hindsight, the decision appears to be a regrettable one.

1. Bazball approach against a quality bowling attack

The positive and attacking style of batting approach, known in the popular parlance as Bazball, created hopes and dreams among the England fans of finally winning an Ashes series Down Under after 2010/11.

In fact, that same tour was when the visitors had last won a Test in Australia. This batting philosophy, conceptualised by head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes, has had positive outcomes, mostly on flat pitches. But has proved ineffective on decks where the balance tilts towards the bowlers.

England started the series with an unadulterated Bazball methodology and immediately paid the price. They were bowled out for 172 in 32.5 overs on the first day. Nevertheless, they continued in the same vein in the second innings. However, sticking to the same approach turned out to be their undoing.

In the second Test, they put up a decent first innings total of 334 at 4.37 runs per over. But Australia's imposing 511 put the visitors under pressure. Stick to Bazball or play cautiously? That was the dilemma, especially after losing half the side for 123 in the second innings. 

The third Test witnessed England batters play the Bazball style of cricket in fragments. The aggressive approach was chosen by certain batters, like Harry Brook, and that too in patches. The Adelaide Test saw a mix of the traditional and Bazball approaches, which is reflected in the innings run rates (3.27 in the first innings and 3.42 in the second innings).

Overall, the England batters had to change their tactics in nearly every innings. Bazball has not worked well for them on this tour, predominantly due to the class of the Australian bowling attack and the pitches on offer. One might argue rightly that the approach was not ideal in Australian conditions.