England were humiliated in just over two days at the MCG and reaction sweeping through the media at home has, unsurprisingly, been scathing.
Journalists and former England cricketers have labelled the tourists’ Boxing Day Test performance “embarrassing”, called for “a big inquest”, declared “people’s jobs are on the line” and raised grave fears over the future of coach Chris Silverwood.
The searing backlash comes after England’s innings defeat consigned the visitors to a 3-0 series deficit, Australia retaining the Ashes urn in the face of brittle resistance.
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“It is embarrassing. There was no fight,” former England quick Stephen Harmison told BT Sport.
“You can say Australia have bowled well, which they have done; they have been magnificent, as painful as it is for an Englishman to say.
“But to lose by an innings when a team only gets 267 runs tells you everything about where this series has been.
“There is going to be a big inquest. There are going to be people’s careers on the line.
“Our bowling unit over the last few years has been able to win games of international cricket. Our batting unit has been abysmal. There is no other way of sugar-coating it.
“Something has to happen, something has to change, whether it is looking through the system, whether it is personnel.”
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Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali lamented the gulf between the two sides.
“I didn’t think the gap was that big before the series but I almost think it is bigger than we are willing to admit,” Ali told BT Sport.
“I can’t remember many sessions we have won in this series.
“It does feel embarrassing as a player and you do feel down. We have been off the pace and we’ve got some soul-searching to do.”
Dean Wilson of The Mirror honed in on the devastating moment in which the series was decided, Australia’s Cameron Green rattling the stumps of James Anderson as the MCG crowd erupted.
“In 12 days either side of Christmas, England lost the Ashes and their cricketing dignity with more than half the series still left to play,” Wilson wrote.
“At 11.50am on day three of the third Test at the MCG, Cam Green captured the final English wicket to rout them for 68 in their second innings as they lost by an innings and 14 runs.
“This was not just an Ashes defeat, it was an utter capitulation. A surrender that simply must bring about real and meaningful change when it comes to the way England addresses Test cricket.”
FULL RECAP: Re-live the third Ashes Test in our play-by-play blog here
Nick Hoult of The Times pointed to the destructive final hour of play on day two, in which Australia fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland decimated England’s top order.
The Poms reached stumps on day two reeling at 4-31 and still needing 52 runs to force Australia to bat again, which they failed to do in disastrous scenes.
“Australia retained the Ashes when James Anderson was bowled to bring down the curtain on a pathetic England batting performance that summed up this sorry tour,” Hoult wrote.
“England never recovered from an electrifying final hour on the second day when they lost four wickets to some intimidating, brutal fast bowling.”
Then came a grim outlook on the future of coach Chris Silverwood.
“Ashley Giles, the team director, will be in Sydney next week and has a major decision to make over the future of the head coach before the Test tour to the West Indies in March,” Hoult wrote.
“Silverwood has been in charge since 2019 when he replaced Trevor Bayliss as head coach.
“He was given even more power in May when Ed Smith, the chief selector, was sacked by Giles who put Silverwood in overall control of selection. Since then England have lost six Tests out of eight.”
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