This may be the hardest defeat to stomach for England. In Brisbane the tourists won the first day in the estimation of most but then discovered that Australia’s total was almost sufficient to win by an innings. Next came Adelaide, where they conceded in excess of 500 and were chasing their tails from thereon.

In Perth they further conceded a substantial first-innings lead and were rarely in the hunt thereafter. But at the MCG, barely more than 24 hours before Shane Watson smeared Monty Panesar away for the winning boundary, England led Australia by 116 runs with all 10 second-innings wickets in hand.

To lose by eight wickets (and the second of those, that of Chris Rogers after the opener had taken his side to the brink of victory, was little more than a consolation prize) from that position was nothing less than calamitous and follows defeats of 381 runs, 218 and 150. Sydney now looms, with the prospect of the new year starting with no more optimism than the old one has finished. A whitewash now does not look so much a possibility as an inevitability.

Alastair Cook can rarely have looked so woebegone and friendless as when trying to explain England's fourth consecutive defeat in an Ashes series that is hurtling towards the ignominy of the five-Test whitewash here four Christmases ago. He recognised, too, that his own future as captain is under scrutiny.

Restore self-belief
He said he is keen to continue in the job. But he acknowledges only a convincing performance in Sydney next week will restore self-belief and faith in a team that were helpless to stop Australia scoring at more than five runs an over at the end, to win.

By hunting down 231 by mid-afternoon on the fourth day for the loss of only two wickets, Australia pulled off the biggest run-chase on the ground in half a century. They also inflicted the worst of England’s four Test defeats on this wretched tour, given the visitors had led by 116 runs with all their wickets in hand only 24 hours before. “In a strange way, I’m enjoying the job, enjoying the challenge,” Cook said. “I will say that I am totally responsible, as captain, for the team. At the end of this series, if the selectors decide that I’m not the best man for the job, then so be it.”

It is hard to comprehend the scale of the defeat. There is a strong chance the personnel will change for Sydney. It would make sense to drop Michael Carberry, whose inertia at the crease might have undone earlier stout efforts. Joe Root could open with Cook, with Ian Bell at number three, while Gary Ballance could come in to restore the South African quotient.

Tim Bresnan might step down in favour of either Boyd Rankin – restoring the Irish quotient – or the Durham batting wrist-spinner Scott Borthwick, who could operate in tandem with Monty Panesar on what might be a turning wicket. And then, perhaps, England could ask Australia to field their wives and girlfriends.

At 2.27pm, as a Watson swipe off Panesar dribbled into the square leg ropes to deliver the big man his 88th run of an embarrassingly one-sided thrashing, 11 sunburnt Englishmen resembled convicts who have been told they would be transported to Botany Bay rather than be left hanging from a gibbet in Port Phillip.

'Obvoiusly hurts'
Asked to compare this experience with that of 2006-07, when Australia beat Andrew Flintoff's team 5-0, Cook said: "That's quite a long time ago now. This one obviously hurts a lot, especially as I'm captain."

Cook sounded as bemused as he did frustrated when trying to explain why. “A lot of these questions are going to be quite hard to find the answers to, because if I knew the answer, I would be doing as much as we can about it.”

Cook owned up to his part in blowing three chances in the first half hour on Sunday. He spilled a diving catch that Jonny Bairstow should have gobbled up with the gloves, then let a sitter spill. “We didn’t take those chances, simple as that. I saw it all the way, was in a good position. Maybe I wanted it too much and snatched at it.”

Cook said losing from a strong position betrayed his team’s lack of confidence. “I suppose that might be where we are as a side. If you’re winning games of cricket and you get yourself in a situation like that, you really take advantage of it. It hurts.

“But give Australia some credit: they jumped on us when they got an opportunity. They dominated us and we couldn’t respond to it. The bottom line is the players aren’t performing out in the middle.”

He rejected the notion that some players were not up to the demands of Test cricket. "I think that's a very big shout. We've got some very good players in our dressing room, some record-breaking players who will have some fantastic days in an England shirt. I know that for sure, and you'll be praising them when they do that. We need that coming out of us now in Sydney. We need an outstanding 100 and an outstanding five-for and everyone jumping on the back of that. That's what turns a team around who are struggling."
Guardian Service