They're going to win it anyway, does anybody still care? © Getty Images

Tim de Lisle

Cricket, like the food in British supermarkets, has lost a lot of its seasonality. It rolls on remorselessly, year-round, and doesn't care if it loses flavour as a result. There are still certain fixed points in the calendar, giving shape to the year, like the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. But even things that come round annually aren't always cheering. Early February has taken on a particular character: it's when lovers of one-day cricket lose the will to watch.

The reason is the qualifying stage of the tri-nation tournament in Australia. This is one of sport's great idiocies. You have three teams, and you need to reduce them to two. So you stage 12 matches! In six cities! Over nearly four weeks! And you expect people to stay awake!

Back in 1990-91, I covered one of these tournaments. I had been a cricket correspondent for a year and it was the first time I had found the game uninspiring. The itinerary had been designed to sap all energy and enthusiasm. I remember writing that the tournament was making geometric history, since it was both triangular and one-sided. That feat has been repeated many times since, and most of all now. Australia lord it in their own backyard to a ludicrous degree. The other teams are like a couple of small boys who get asked round to a bigger kid's house purely so he can trounce them at Call of Duty 3.

The Aussies can't help being good, but they could stop organising so many matches. Brevity is the soul of one-day cricket. Staging each fixture four times defeats the point. As it happens, the present series has stayed alive right through to today's final qualifier - depending on your definition of alive. And England have done their best to make it compelling, in a macabre way, by finding new depths to plumb. But that doesn't mean the tournament is the right length.

Not that Cricket Australia is the only culprit. The 2003 World Cup was way too long, sprawling to 54 matches. This time, our friends at ICC have learnt their lesson and cut it back - to 51 matches. In terms of time, it has somehow got longer, expanding from 43 days to 47. Even Fifa, which is not noted for underdoing things, manages to get a World Cup finished inside a month.

English fans used to be able to be "a little bit superior", as we are described in Tom Stoppard's Rock'n'Roll, about one-day scheduling. Not any more: this year England will host their first seven-match home series against a single opponent, India. This is part of a reciprocal arrangement hammered out by two boards who always disagree about scheduling. England played seven one-dayers in India last year, so the same must happen here. The fact that the series in India was the dullest piece of popular entertainment since the second Star Wars trilogy is neither here nor there. And yes, I know England were rubbish in that series, but the itinerary - a breakneck spin around some of the subcontinent's more obscure venues - was stupid, verging on sadistic.

With the World Cup only five weeks away, Test cricket has now taken a break. But one-day international cricket hasn't. South Africa v Pakistan dribbles on till February 14; India v Sri Lanka till February 17. At the end of the month, Bangladesh, Bermuda and Canada will be cooking up a little World Cup appetiser, consisting of three games that count as official one-dayers.

No sooner will Australia have lifted the Commonwealth Bank trophy, than they have to jump on a plane to Wellington to play another three matches against their mate Lou Vincent and the rest of the Black Caps. Even Mr Cricket himself, Mike Hussey, may struggle to care about that one. The two teams will be playing for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. What was meant as a tribute to two great cricket families ends up as a bit of an embarrassment.

How did the short form of the game get so long-winded? It's partly Kerry Packer's fault, for abruptly expanding our idea of how long a series could be. It's partly the administrators' fault, for being greedy and blinkered and working the players to the bone. It's partly the television companies' fault, for not seeing that less would be more. But mainly it's our fault, for watching.

This is a public service announcement. You may find a cricket match on your television screen that is not very interesting. Do adjust your set. Press the off button. The good of the game depends on it.

This round to the leggie: Warne gets Pietersen bowled around the legs on day five of the 2006 Adelaide Ashes Test © Getty Images

Gideon Haigh

A game consisting of clearly delineated individual contests, cricket seems to contain huge potential for the creation and maintenance of personal rivalries. Most of them, however, are low-key and intimate, lost in the corporate struggle. Who remembers who dismissed or punished whom last time, or the time before? Only, generally, the opponents themselves; even then, the game's structure tends to the complex, and competition to the diffuse.

Yet when Shane Warne bowls to Kevin Pietersen, their rivalry is unmistakeable. On occasion, as at Lord's on Pietersen's debut, or as most recently at the Adelaide Oval, it is almost as if the match has been suspended around them while they work through their differences - and their similarities. For these are, if not quite peas in a pod, men cut from similar designer cloth, with their partying instincts, playboy lifestyles, and look-at-me attitudes. Plus, of course, they've played more cricket together than apart: it was Warne as captain of Hampshire who lured Pietersen from Nottinghamshire, who talked up Pietersen's potential to play Test cricket, and who deals with a mingled sense of vindication and frustration at Pietersen's successes.

This is a model for Warne's cricket friendships, which have tended to be with players and individuals like him, from Ian Botham to Brian Lara, because these tend to validate his own personality. In his introduction to Pietersen's new autobiography, Crossing The Boundary (2006), Warne describes his mate as "a kind and generous guy who just wants to be liked and play cricket": he would almost certainly settle for a similar description of himself.

Pietersen reciprocates with testimonials still more lavish, and heartfelt - and the friendship suits him too. He needs to feel appreciated; his relations with South Africa and Nottinghamshire soured when he did not feel so. Warne's endorsements when he arrived at the Rose Bowl were a tonic to his system. Warne's presence as a bowler when he made his Test debut, he has explained, made all the difference: "It helped that we were mates. It relaxed me out there and helped me to be positive against him... I really enjoyed facing him." Pietersen made 57, including a huge six off Warne into the second tier of the Grand Stand at Lord's, and 64 not out; Warne claimed six crucial wickets in a winning cause, including Pietersen caught in the deep. Honour was satisfied: in individual terms their matches could hardly have been better balanced. In the spirit of two other great cricket friends-cum-rivals, Keith Miller and Denis Compton, they spent the night of the climactic day out on the town.

Rivalries, however, cannot always be so satisfying to both protagonists. Methinks that sometimes Warne and Pietersen protest their mutual admiration too much. Their first meetings on the county circuit were actually inauspicious. When Hampshire hosted Notts in June 2004, going down to a two-day defeat, Pietersen impressed Warne with his poise and footwork in an innings of 49 from 88 deliveries. In his introduction to Crossing the Boundary, Warne takes up the story of when they met again, seven weeks later at Trent Bridge: "When he came out to bat I stood at the top of my mark and gave him some serious verbals. I wanted to see how he would react. And it was just how I thought he would. When I was coming in to bowl, KP pulled away, and, well, it really started then. I gave it to him again verbally and then, second ball, he was out, caught at bat pad. Nothing needed to be said." Nothing is, for Pietersen does not give his own version of the encounter - an intriguing omission.

'Savour this moment'. There might not be many more ahead © Getty Images

Warne wasn't about to give Pietersen any gimmes in Test cricket either. He bowled for much of the 2005 Ashes series with a fielder at deep midwicket: Pietersen's long reach and loose wrists enable him to slog-sweep deliveries that others would push to cover. Warne teased him: "Why aren't you taking me on?" Pietersen protested: "Bring your cow corner up and I will hit you." Warne did it cleverly at The Oval, posting the cow corner at three-quarters of the way to the boundary to tempt the shot, but only if Pietersen could be sure of hitting it cleanly. Pietersen shaped to play and aborted three or four times, finally changing his mind too late and being bowled. Warne might then have cut Pietersen's Test career short in the second innings, having him missed, at slip, and famously missing him personally, also at slip, before his mighty 158 was underway.

Even then, Warne gave little away deliberately. He is a generous opponent - but not at his own expense. There was admiration but no concession in his response to the innings. When Jack Dempsey went down to Gene Tunney in the epic "Long Count" fight 80 years ago, he immortally conceded: "You were best. You fought a smart fight, kid." Warne crossed to Pietersen as the batsman walked off, and advised: "Savour the moment." Good advice, but not without a tincture of "enjoy it while it lasts". Warne's opinion of Pietersen in My Illustrated Career (2006) is likewise seasoned: "He has a good temperament and whatever happens against us, I think he has a great future, as long as he doesn't get carried away with off-field stuff, and keeps his feet on the ground." Again, not without a hint of "do as I say, not as I do."

In the current series, Warne has been more minatory still, going perilously close to losing his cool, especially in his importunings of umpires. It evinces both how much he cares about the series, and also how he fancies it will be won - by the same kind of relentless aggression as Australia were submitted to in 2005. An incident at the Gabba suggested that this was causing tensions between these best of friendly enemies. A waspish throw from Warne to Adam Gilchrist passed too close for Pietersen's comfort; he curtly bunted it away, and responded with a couple of words, the second of which was "off".

At Adelaide their rivalry took a new turn, Warne seeking to smother Pietersen in the first innings by coming round the wicket and pitching endlessly into the footmarks from the second day; the batsman stepping out with pads like a man scotching a spider. It was not great bowling, but it was the work of a great bowler: only a bowler completely secure in his game and name would have dared lay down such a creeping barrage. Pietersen had magnificently the better of this contest, compiling another 158, but Warne conclusively the better of its sequel on the last day, when he reverted to over the wicket and bowled Pietersen behind his legs with his first ball. It was, in truth, a nondescript ball, and not even Warne could spin it into an anecdote. Asked at the press conference afterwards whether it had been part of a plan, he wracked his brain before giving up: "Uuuuuuummmmm... no."

On reflection, though, Warne may be being too modest. Their interactions over the last two and a half years now shade all their contests, each man trying to assert himself - Warne to fortify his reputation, Pietersen to build his. Each, therefore, is a little ahead of himself, letting the analytical give way to the emotional. Pietersen in his book, for instance, had already discounted the possibility of Warne ever bowling him round his legs: "I know he has got people out like this, but not me, I'm sure of it." Oops.

It will be interesting to note how Pietersen carries on in Test cricket in the absence of Warne © Getty Images

This is dangerous territory for both men. In his autobiography Serious (2002), John McEnroe describes how his rivalry with Bjorn Borg turned on those moments when one or the other lost focus. When he won that immortal 34-point point fourth-set tiebreaker in the 1980 Wimbledon final, McEnroe thought he was about to break Borg's incredible four-year hold on the tournament. Borg fought back with such unexampled ferocity that McEnroe became upset: "Come on, isn't enough enough?" The momentary distraction was enough to finish him.

Later that year, however, they met again at Forest Hills, where Borg was the pursuer, seeking his first US Open title. This time Borg seemed to be storming home, taking the match into a fifth set, a vantage from which he was almost unbeatable. But sensing that his opponent was thinking about the title already rather than the match, McEnroe rallied and won. "When we shook hands," recalls McEnroe, "I could see that he was devastated." When McEnroe beat Borg again at Wimbledon the following year, he fancied him "oddly relieved".

McEnroe then illuminates the other problem area of a great rivalry: that moment when the roles shift. The best years of his career, McEnroe considers, were those when he was in Borg's shadow. He enjoyed the tennis, the tour, the pursuit of his potential, the thrill of the chase: "I loved being the lone gunfighter, working my way up the ranks, but still not being the guy." But when his great rival quit, the top on his own was a lonely place: "Borg's leaving tennis was... a huge blow to the sport and for me personally... I had a very tough time motivating myself and getting back on track."

Warne v Pietersen is a relationship conceived on the lines of sorcerer and apprentice. How will they deal with capabilities closer to parity? How will Pietersen find life on his own? Watch this space - even if it is two feet outside leg stump.

Gideon Haigh is a cricket historian and writer based in Melbourne

Preparation? What preparation? © Getty Images

Preparation

Andrew Miller

If you believe the likes of Dennis Lillee and Ian Chappell, England's Ashes campaign was doomed from the moment they opted to shirk their responsibilities at the ICC Champions Trophy, and treat the tournament as an inconvenient obstacle rather than a means for gathering momentum. England in fact erred twice in India - firstly by failing even to pretend they were interested in winning, and secondly by flying home for ten days' R & R immediately afterwards - a decision that Lillee slammed as "stupid". Australia, meanwhile, were runaway winners, with runaway momentum.

Selection

Ashley Giles for Monty Panesar, Geraint Jones for Chris Read, Jimmy Anderson for Sajid Mahmood. Three integral members of the side that had defeated a strong Pakistan were stripped away like dead wood... to be replaced by dead wood. Giles later admitted that the team bus had been "a quiet place" on the way to the Gabba on the first morning of the series, and little wonder. With Andrew Flintoff also feeling his way back to fitness, England had done exactly what they vowed never to do again after the last Ashes Down Under, and loaded their team with unfit and unfocussed players.

That wide

The contrast was so stark it was scary. At Lord's in 2005, Steve Harmison had torn into Australia's batsman, clattering Langer's elbow and drawing blood on Ricky Ponting's cheek. It was a skirmish that set the tone for the war that followed. This time, Harmison's first ball landed in the hands of his best mate, Andrew Flintoff, at second slip. In a single moment, the hype and the houpla had been sucked out of the stadium, to be replaced by a nagging, dreadful familiarity.

That drop

Poor Ashley Giles may never play Test cricket again, and if he doesn't, he will take with him visions of that awful moment at Adelaide, when he let Ricky Ponting off the hook at the most critical moment of the tour. England had ground their way to a tedious but towering 551 for 6 declared, and Australia in reply were wobbling at 74 for 3. Ponting - still livid at a perceived beamer from Harmison - swished angrily at a long-hop from Hoggard, but Giles, ten yards in from the rope, couldn't cling on as he leapt. He went on to add another 107 runs.

	Coach and captain: not the gelling partnership it could have been © Getty Images

Flintoff's isolation

It's a lonely job being England captain, but the one thing that Andrew Flintoff was expected to bring to the show was camaraderie and the ethos of mateship. Sadly, nothing of the sort manifested itself in the performance of his key lieutenants. Marcus Trescothick never made it to the side, Andrew Strauss was mystifyingly out of sorts despite hardly looking out of form. Harmison was a lame duck throughout. And he never seemed to gel with his coach, either. Duncan Fletcher failed to cop the flak as he might have done for Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, preferring instead to share the blame with his overworked skipper.

That win

The single biggest factor in England's humiliation. Australia's desperation to atone for their loss in 2005 vastly outweighed any English desire to build on the foundations of that glorious summer. Australia were derided as Dad's Army by Ian Botham, but their selectors' faith in their old lags was fully justified. Warne admitted he would have quit after 2005 had the series gone his way. It's no wonder they were unstoppable in their bid for vengeance.

Peter English

Australia's Test team will undergo an enforced shake-up later this year after the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer. Peter English takes a look at the players jostling for a place in the side.

Opening batsmen

Phil Jaques already has two Test matches under his belt © Getty Images

Phil Jaques

He's been hot for years on the domestic scene but has gone cold after a couple of centuries against England at the start of their tour. An aggressive left-hander, Jaques stormed into the one-day side with 94 on debut in 2005-06, but was promptly dropped in favour of the incumbent Simon Katich. He's played two Tests and four ODIs so is already in the selectors' thoughts.

Chris Rogers

The Jaques push from New South Wales is strong, but the voices in the west are demanding the promotion of Chris Rogers. A conversation with David Boon, the Australia selector, where Rogers was told to bat all day instead of aiming always to attack, has led to outstanding results. He has scored 799 Pura Cup runs this summer, including 279 at Perth and a century on a tricky Hobart pitch, and worked on his slow-bowling play with Monty Panesar during an off-season stint at Northamptonshire. Australia's Test players know him too - he scored 219 against them when at Leicestershire in 2005.

Michael Hussey

Opening is his favourite spot and after starring for Australia in the middle order during his first two summers he deserves to be asked where he wants to camp.

Spin bowling

Dan Cullen's progress has slowed after a blistering start to his career © Getty Images

Stuart MacGill

Replacing Shane Warne is going to be impossible, at least in the short to medium term, but Stuart MacGill is the most qualified after being the perennial understudy. His 198 Test wickets at 27.20 are an impressive return and he has the second-best strike-rate of any Australian with more than 100 Test scalps, although he was overlooked for the Ashes for the second series in a row. A knee injury and a club suspension for abuse disrupted his summer and at 35 his international career is teetering. It could be over unless Australia need him desperately, so he might be back in a couple of Tests.

Dan Cullen

Young and critically acclaimed, Dan Cullen shares the same mentor as Shane Warne. Terry Jenner spends hours working on Cullen's offspin in Adelaide and he made his Test debut alongside Warne and MacGill in Bangladesh. He burst on to the state scene with 43 wickets three summers ago, surprising people with his control and a version of the doosra, but his average has expanded (27 wickets at 46 in 2005-06 and 3 at 76 this season) and he also struggled during a stint at Somerset. It is a crucial year.

Cullen Bailey

Cullen Bailey, a legspinner, is another in Jenner's South Australia stable and has been given a licence to attack under Darren Lehmann's captaincy. He's only 22 so don't predict miracles, but he has shown enough to be a contender as he matures. Bailey has captured 17 wickets at 40 in four Pura Cup games this season and will battle for recognition with the New South Wales pair of Beau Casson and Nathan Hauritz.

The fast men

Mitchell Johnson has spent time with the team after being named 12th man for all five Ashes Tests © Getty Images

Stuart Clark

The next McGrath will soon be the now McGrath. Five hundred Test wickets might be a bit much to ask for, but three or four years of solid service will help the transition while Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait develop into frontliners.

Mitchell Johnson

A bouncy left-armer, Mitchell Johnson may benefit most from McGrath's departure as it will open up a space. Johnson has spent the Ashes series travelling the country as the 12th man after he was superb at the Champions Trophy and the Malaysian tri-series. Now he waits for a Test chance.

Shaun Tait

The shoulder injury that stopped Shaun Tait's progress after he played two Tests on the Ashes tour is fixed and he is back to slinging reverse-swinging yorkers and un-playable short balls. Like Johnson, he has been in Test squads this summer. Like Johnson, he hasn't found an opening.

Ben Hilfenhaus

A bricklayer before last season, Ben Hilfenhaus has quickly built himself an impressive reputation as a swing bowler. A fast man from Tasmania is a rare breed - the last one to play a Test was Greg Campbell in 1989 - and he now needs to prove he can get consistent wickets away from Bellerive Oval.

by Andrew Miller

Click here for a wagon wheel of Gilchrist's innings

After reaching fifty, the Gilchrist of old was stirred into life © Getty Images

Officially, England have yet to surrender the Ashes. On a pitch that's improved with every session, there is still a vain hope that their batsmen might take this Test the same way as last year's match at Perth, and secure the draw that keeps the series alive beyond Christmas.

A vain hope indeed. Nothing summed up the situation quite as emphatically as the WACA's giant replay screen at square leg which, as the teams trooped off at the close, flashed up the menu for tomorrow's play: "Australia win back the Ashes?" it gloated. Presumptuous? Hardly. Premature? Only just.

The terms of England's surrender were negotiated in this afternoon's manic session, when Adam Gilchrist - a man who had come to epitomise all the fears and uncertainties that had crept into an ageing Australian line-up - broke free from his bonds to leather one of the most gloriously cathartic centuries in Test history.

This was the Gilchrist that England once knew and so feared. His maiden Ashes innings, at Edgbaston in 2001, was a similar assassination - 152 from 148 balls, with 20 fours and five sixes - and from that rude awakening, a legend was spawned. Here was a man who transformed the role of the Test No. 7, and made all opponents, but especially the English, wish they had not had the temerity to take that fifth wicket.

The other Gilchrist was the man who went missing in the 2005 Ashes, and for large chunks of this series as well. Until his late gambol at Adelaide last week, he had not made fifty against England in 11 innings and almost four years. England had outthought him and Andrew Flintoff had gained mastery over him, with that simple but oh-so-effective ploy of bowling round the wicket. The demons that once consumed England's fearful cricketers had been turned quite emphatically on their foe.

And that was still very much the case when he was greeted at the crease by a string of five catchers from slip to point and Flintoff pounding in from around the wicket once again. He was on a pair for the second time in three Tests, and so nearly succumbed as well, when one of those typically fierce but foolish slashes just evaded gully and sped away for four. At 5 for 365, an English victory in this mini-contest was realistically their last chance of salvation.

But then it all went flat. Gilchrist carved a boundary an over to sap England's morale and all of a sudden he was on 49 and needed just a single to reach what for him, if no longer for his opponents, was a significant milestone. To aim him in his quest, he was presented with just one close fielder and a ring of men on the boundaries. It was the latest manifestation of Flintoff's short-circuiting captaincy, and within four balls, the full extent of the error had been displayed.

Six, six, four, six was the upshot. Monty Panesar was undeservingly deposited into the record-books with a 24-run over, and England's morale had been as scrambled as at any time in the past twenty years of Ashes hammerings. With Ashley Giles - a consummate team man if no longer a Test stalwart - already flying home to attend to a family illness, a spirit-sapping day had been transformed into a scrap for individual respectability.

Dropped catches are an affliction that daunt teams who are down on their luck, but Geraint Jones's latest aberration was desperate. As he hurtled across the turf to botch a chance that Kevin Pietersen at square leg would have swallowed, he betrayed the anxieties of a man who knows he is running out of chances to impress. As it happens, his actions reprieved Michael Hussey at the very moment he crossed to complete his fifth half-century of the series, but it was by no means as costly as the release of pressure that was offered to Gilchrist.

by Peter English

Michael Hussey proved hard to dismiss, even when below his best © Getty Images

Orderly queues snaked away from the water fountains as the temperature rose. At every interval the clever supporters sought any sort of shade. From the first over hastily-constructed fans were waved on the hills, but they were soon discarded as discomfort was preferred to conserve energy. In the middle session, when Michael Hussey was sweating on his fifth century, the mercury peaked at 39 degrees Celsius and even the batsman was affected by the heat.

Hussey has not failed in five innings against England but this was his most scratchy display. It was also his first Ashes hundred, building on a sequence of four half-centuries, and it was a commendable performance under examining conditions. In the mass of compliments heading Hussey's way another can be added. He is difficult to conquer even when below his best.

England had opportunities but with each miss they wilted like the spectators who escaped to the neighbouring gardens for relief. Drinks were taken every forty minutes and no amount of moisture could re-hydrate the tourists. They struggled, but so did Hussey, and his ability to fight through the subdued patches added to his rapidly expanding status.

"I was definitely going through some times mentally when I was fighting with myself," he said. "I was thinking too far ahead and getting caught up in rubbish. It was very hot, very oppressive and I came in at lunch time almost deflated."

Australia's lead was ballooning by the hundreds and after posting his fifth consecutive fifty the lure of an ice block and an ice bath in the dressing-room must have been attractive. Spurred by his home supporters, who were seeing him for the second time in a Test, and watched by his young family, Hussey grafted through the dropped catches, near misses, an umpiring error and a clang on the helmet from Steve Harmison.

On the Swan River boats powered along out the back of the ground and spectators inside the fences wished to be cooled by their wake. Hussey surged in spurts and kept the local spirits high as England sunk closer to a 3-0 Ashes drowning.

Hussey's celebration was eventful but muted © Getty Images

The pull had been Hussey's most destructive vice and he blasted into the 90s with consecutive boundaries through midwicket. The shot was again on show as he brought up his century and the Perth crowd, which was also reinvigorated by the strengthening breeze, rose to pay tribute.

As the ball careered straight down the ground Hussey began a celebration that was eventful but muted compared to those from his growing list of milestones. After 148 balls there was a yell, a double-arm raise, a fist pump, a bat point to his loved ones and waves of relief. The conditions had eased but, as Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist showed later when they reached triple figures in quicker times, it was too hot for too many antics.

In Brisbane Hussey fell 14 short of a century and in the first innings at Adelaide he needed another nine. Two unbeaten half-centuries in pressure-filled occasions followed before he reached the mark he had deserved in the previous five attempts. For Hussey it was a day for a hundred and nothing more, his innings ending with an edge off Monty Panesar for 103. He was unhappy to leave but it was time for a satisfying drink and a peek at the destruction caused by Gilchrist.

by Andrew Miller

'Like a No. 11 version of Ricky Ponting, the rule for Panesar is get him early, or don't get him at all' © Getty Images

Buried deep in the jungle on the island of Utila, near Honduras, there exists a hulking great structure known as Duncan's Folly. Built in the 1970s and 1980s, it consists of seven self-contained buildings including a power generator with a 60-foot concrete shaft well. The ensemble was the brainchild of a visionary architect named Bradford Duncan, who wished to construct the finest and most exclusive hotel complex in the whole of the Caribbean Sea.

Duncan's larger-than-life persona radiated thoughout his entire community, and his business cards described his position as "Governing Overlord of Utila". Alas, none but he could see the goal towards which he was working, and as bankruptcy swamped his enterprise, there was no substance upon which to fall back on. No working drawings of his complex exist, for instance, for they were all inside his head.

Duncan's Folly is also the name of a cricket team that is currently being buried in the Australian outback. A similarly ambitious project, pioneered by an inscrutable seer named Duncan Fletcher, it had the stated aim of becoming the foremost cricketing power in the world by the year 2007. With two weeks to go until the calendar clicks round to that date, the weeds are already growing tall around the foundations.

The enterprise was founded on solid utilitarian principles - those which state that the moral worth of a cricketer is solely determined by his contribution to the batting, bowling and fielding - but this rigid orthodoxy allowed no leeway when the climate suddenly and drastically changed. Today, with a tropical storm already howling through the press following the success of a certain cause celebre, the last pillars of Duncan's Folly came crashing around his ears.

It was one shot that did it, a sumptuous on-drive from Monty Panesar, a man that Fletcher had labelled as an irredeemable bunny. Maybe it wasn't quite the shot that was heard all around the world, but it certainly bounced about in the England dressing-room. "I loved it, I wish I could play the game like that," said a drooling Kevin Pietersen afterwards. "It was better than I've played all series. Monty's definitely got hand-eye coordination, he sets up well, he plays a few extravagant shots, and he's a crowd pleaser."

Maybe, just maybe, Panesar's sudden emergence as a willow-wielder is a testament to the disciplines that Duncan has instilled in him during his exile from the side. But that's not how Fletcher's legions of detractors will see it, and nor does it explain a Test career that is becoming the very definition of indomitability. Like a No. 11 version of Ricky Ponting, the rule for Panesar is "get him early, or don't get him at all".

'He can bat, he can bowl, and his performance in the field was so energetic that no-one could possibly accuse him of being a weak link' © Getty Images

So far, he has made just three ducks in his 14-innings Test career. He fell second ball to Anil Kumble at Chandigarh, seventh ball to Lasith Malinga at Edgbaston, and first ball to Umar Gul at The Oval. Other than that, he has now finished unbeaten on no fewer than nine occasions, and his other two innings have been as revelatory as today's - a gutsy debut innings of 9 at Nagpur, when he and Paul Collingwood added 66 for the tenth wicket and Collingwood recorded his maiden Test century, and a slap-happy 26 at Trent Bridge that included a remarkable slog-sweep for six off Muttiah Muralitharan.

He can bat, he can bowl, and his performance in the field was so energetic that no-one could possibly accuse him of being a weak link. After all, no-one really believed England would have been better off without Pietersen in the last Ashes, even though he held onto precisely none of the five chances that came his way.

Whether England win, lose or draw this match is now immaterial. Recriminations are inevitable after the gross mismanagement of this Ashes campaign, and a proud man and his notable achievements are bound to be overlooked in the clamour. Like his Caribbean namesake, Fletcher also laid the foundations of a great enterprise on ground that, when he started out in 1999, was barely fit to graze goats.

But Duncan's Folly on this tour has been to ignore the genuine claims of a rising star of the game, until such time as his inclusion could only backfire on one party or the other. Happily, Panesar has demonstrated the sort of cool under pressure that is granted to few. Unhappily, his success now reflects abysmally on his coach - rightly or wrongly, given the constant line-toeing that Monty has given all tour. The project into which he has been belatedly invited is already an empty shell.

'As for the England supporters, it's normal service resumed. Gallows humour is restored, sorrows are drowned in the local brew' © Getty Images

Ever felt that you arrived at a party too late, just after most of the guests have gone and there's only the supermarket own-brand beer to drink? That's how it feels to arrive in Australia ahead of the third Test.

"You here for the cricket?" asked the Michael Clarke lookalike at the immigration desk. He'd probably dreamed up a thousand wisecrack responses in his head but he didn't even register a smile. In fact, I'm not sure he could even look me in the eye.

No one is talking about comebacks or what ifs. To the Australian players and media, it's a done deal, all over. The Ashes are back. The public, or at least the ones I've spoken to, are hopeful that the series still has some life in it. My impression is that the Aussie public want their own 2005. They saw last year's series on TV and, despite their side's defeat, they were awestruck by the quality of the cricket and the closeness of the finishes. And they wanted their own version in their very own backyard. But what they've had so far has just been like all the rest in recent memory, except worse because England actually had a chance this time.

As for the England supporters, it's normal service resumed. Gallows humour is restored, sorrows are drowned in the local brew, sightseeing becomes more appealing than watching net practice (not that they're allowed in the ground). There is an absence of tension. An ad in a Perth bus shelter proclaimed a 'super cold' beer as a 'Pom's worst nightmare'. Boom, boom. But unless that's what they choked on in Adelaide, I can think of plenty
of other things keeping England awake at night this past week.

What I'm clinging to is the 'fact' that in the last four and a half years I have seen England play six Tests abroad and they have not lost any. My colleagues tell me that I'm jinxing the team. I say that's the sort of glass-half-empty thinking that got us into this mess in the first place. Ask an Australian how he is, he says: "Good, thanks." Ask a Pom, and he'll
say: "Not bad."

Ask an Australian how he is he says: "Good, thanks." Ask a Pom, and he'll say: "Not bad."

England's strategy at Adelaide was all about not being bad, about not being as bad as they were in Brisbane. For four days they managed that successfully. Only rarely, though, were they actually bossing the game. They scored too slowly for that and failed to take their one big chance when Ashley Giles dropped Ricky Ponting.

The over-riding sense was relief that Brisbane had been an aberration. Now England were in the series and we could all settle down. But the problem with aspiring only to parity is that if you slip up, you lose. If you're always aiming to win, parity is a fall-back.

Now, we know from Duncan Fletcher that the England batsmen didn't set out just to hang around on the last day at Adelaide. But not very deep in their subconscious must have been the sense that survival, and only survival, was their goal.

Jeremy Snape, the one-time England spinner turned professional psychologist, says that part of how you develop confidence is to shift focus from outcomes to performance. As soon as you think "we only need to draw this" you are in trouble. You're thinking outcome rather than performance, of how you actually go about achieving your goal.

The scoreline being what it is, England can't be thinking about outcomes any more. So maybe it's time for a performance. And that's not jinxing them, it's just positive thinking.

	England's inability to take wickets cost them dearly at Adelaide © Getty Images

Ian Chappell

If ever confirmation was needed that the Australian way of playing cricket is superior to the English method, the final day of the second Ashes Test provided the ultimate proof.

Australia has a strong belief in winning and the players to make it happen, while England is uncertain about when to seek victory and is further handicapped by poor selection.

While Australia was still desperately searching for wickets on the fifth morning, England was largely batting with survival on their mind. If you look at Test match records, games are won either by so many runs or wickets and that is why both are critical to the ultimate result. The moment you stop trying your darnedest to accumulate either, an opponent senses an opportunity and you don't need to offer a bowler of Shane Warne's class a second invitation.

England will claim that it's hard to score runs off Warne when he is bowling well but alternatively, if you don't he's going to take wickets cheaply. When runs are scored from his bowling at least the wickets cost him and by attacking sensibly England made Warne pay dearly for his first innings victim. As late as the fourth evening when Warne bowled a couple of spitting and spinning deliveries, both Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell reacted positively by leaving their crease and also sweeping to score runs. Why then did they only add seven runs in 43 minutes on the fifth morning when Warne's bowling was of similar quality?

Ricky Ponting said after Australia's miraculous victory that their aim on the fifth morning was to stop England scoring. If a team is not aware of their opponents' tactics or doesn't respond to them positively then they're in trouble but when their approach complements the opposition's aims it's no surprise that a loss resulted. On a couple of occasions when they were well behind in the match, Australian players showed by their actions the intention was still to win the match. Despite being nearly one hundred runs in front on the last morning with nine wickets in hand England never displayed a winning attitude.

If England knew Australia was trying to contain on the fifth morning why wasn't Kevin Pietersen sent in at the fall of Strauss' wicket? That way England could have sent a strong message they were still trying to win the match and Ponting would have had to deploy more run saving fielders, thereby leaving less occupying catching positions.

	'Shane Warne gives Australia another way of winning matches even when his first innings analysis is a deflating 1 for 167' © Getty Images

As well as being a game of making runs and taking wickets cricket is also about strategy and psychology; no good being skilled at the first two and inept at the second pair.

However, it is difficult for England to be totally positive about winning when they select both their wicketkeeper and spinner for their batting. These are the preference of the coach and not only is Duncan Fletcher's strategy flawed it also indicates to Australia he's concerned about his top six batsmen not making enough runs.

Both Australia and England have a coach but the difference is Ponting runs the team and with the help of senior players formulates the strategy. I'm not so sure about England.

This could be where England is missing Michael Vaughan. In 2005 he was a captain in charge while Andrew Flintoff is a leader feeling his way. England won the Ashes by attacking Australia but this time Vaughan isn't around to ensure the same approach is taken. Perhaps Fletcher by virtue of being coach when the Ashes were regained is asserting more control in Vaughan's absence.

Another area where Australia holds sway over England is wrist-spin. For decades England has eschewed leg-spin despite the importance of wrist-spin on flat Australian pitches when the ball isn't swinging. Warne gives Australia another way of winning matches even when his first innings analysis is a deflating 1 for 167.

Like all very good teams this Australian side always believe they can win. When West Indies was dominating world cricket, their fast bowler Andy Roberts used to say; "No matter what the opposition bowl us out for we'll bowl them out for less."

That is the critical issue; taking the twenty wickets required to win, cheaper than the opposition. There is no way England can achieve this aim while they select players in wicket-taking roles for their batting and can't match Australia's positive approach.

	Brush strokes: Damien Martyn © Getty Images

Peter English

Don't remember Damien Martyn's past two weeks when thinking of his wonderful career. Forget his ugly stepping-away-slice to gully at Adelaide, an act which unfortunately became his last in the Test arena. Disregard the crunching, lofted boundary the ball before, a wildly impressive stroke that wasn't from the Martyn catalogue.

Treat the two swipes as those of a man wrestling with himself and the last deep breaths of his career. They are not the parts of Martyn's game that will glisten forever. Australia has been fortunate to have so many batting artists and Martyn has carried a brush held by Victor Trumper, Greg Chappell and Mark Waugh.

They were players who made succeeding against high-quality bowling seem as easy as using cutlery. What people didn't realise was it was bloody hard work. Beneath the seemingly carefree flicks and flourishes were red cedar-tough approaches. In the past couple of months Martyn's motivation has faltered and after the problems of Adelaide he has downed tools. It is sad, but it was time for him to go.

At 35 he had been unable to recapture the easy collecting of the first half of the decade. The Test recall for South Africa in March came as a surprise and despite a century in the final game he was never able to keep pace.

Hitting catches behind the wicket had been tolerated throughout his career as the cut and square drive were his strengths, but in the first two Tests it became a terminal weakness. Three times he fell and was unable to alter his tactics. Like many retirees trying to learn about the internet, he decided it was better to stick to old ways and suffer the consequences. Strangely, he stayed at the top in the one-day game and after his performances in India last month seemed a certainty to defend the World Cup.

From the outside, Martyn has always been his own man. He has shunned the big talk of his team-mates and operated away from the action. Despite being one of the game's most attractive players his off-field time in the public eye was short and his decision to be unavailable for comment on the day of his retirement was not surprising or disappointing. His best statements have come on the field through 13 centuries and most of his 4406 runs.

A new life beckons for Martyn, who married Annika McNamara in the off-season. McNamara rides horses competitively and life on the farm has slowed Martyn down. He wasn't into the animals at the beginning of the relationship, but it would not be a shock if he is soon riding them effortlessly. It is how his sweet batting deserves to be remembered.

Peter English

England's batting was a procession as Shane Warne tied them in knots © Getty Images

It wasn't just that England earned a record by scoring 551 in the first innings and losing. Nor that they let Australia escape through Ashley Giles' series-turning spill of Ricky Ponting early on day three. Not even that they were over-run by another Shane Warne concoction. What was so upsetting was the ease at which they turned from a team on the move into a rudderless, thoughtless, defensive outfit. Intent on survival, they virtually killed themselves and the Ashes contest.

With another run in each of the 54 overs delivered today they would have been safe and heading to Perth believing they could level the series. Instead they turtled at 1.3 an over, hit only four boundaries and need the miracle that occurred for Australia today. The Barmy Army chant of "we won the Ashes at The Oval" should soon be replaced with "we lost the Ashes at Adelaide Oval". A young Botham, a fit Vaughan and a borrowed Bradman are needed from here.

As Warne started to take hold England's batsmen played like midnight worriers who hope to wake with everything solved. As well as Australia performed - always remember a spectacular recovery and one of the finest victories of the Taylor-Waugh-Ponting era - it was excruciating to watch their opponents dissolve so meekly. From the start there was no attempt to make runs. For that they deserved to suffer.

The closing stages of day four had been bright but everything changed by morning. The attitude of Duncan Fletcher, all arm-folds and scowls, had infected the team. He wanted caution. Wanted to wait and see what would happen in the opening session before deciding on an approach. By then it was almost too late. At 5 for 89 there was still space to recharge but after lunch it was the same bloody-mindedness.

Paul Collingwood defended like Trevor Bailey and showed no interest in protecting his lower-order until the last-gasp arrival of James Anderson. The breakthrough of the first-innings 206 was replaced by a breakdown. He remained not out on 22 but in the context of the result who cared?

Making runs, any runs, was more valuable than eating up time, although the methods were magnificently complementary. Collingwood faced 119 balls, struck two fours and let his team down. A half-century, even some intent to attack or a desire to hit something loose - there were opportunities - would have ensured more fame and a draw. Block, leave, pad-up, defend. Take a single, leave the tail-ender exposed, watch them scatter like the ground's seagulls.

Once Ponting cut loose the result was never in doubt © Getty Images

Warne spun the ball wickedly, Steve Bucknor started the procession with a bad decision, but the rest was England's fault. Australia were set 168 in 36 overs when 200 might have been too many. It was not a cruise but once Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey steadied there was little doubt about a 2-0 lead. A seven, courtesy of a run three and four overthrows from Kevin Pietersen, added to English scowls and Australian boasts.

For any other team the thought of a win would have died two days ago. John Buchanan sounded like a crackpot on Saturday when he suggested a step-by-step walk to victory. A day later Ponting spoke about how confident they would be when chasing. The hyperbole became reality.

Fletcher just sat on his hands. He wanted to let the game unfold instead of influence it. England no longer require his blinkered vision. This was a fantastic result for Australia but a disaster for such a marquee series.

Michael Holding

	McGrath gets enough movement off the pitch to create doubt in the mind of the batsman as to which balls to play and which to leave © Getty Images

Fast bowling is a young man's job with all the effort and stress that the body goes through to propel that ball down to the other end. But there are exceptions to every rule and in recent times two gentlemen have gone a long way towards proving that point; Courtney Walsh successfully stretched his career into the late 30s and now Glenn McGrath is seeking to do the same.

Most fast bowlers have already started to lose a fair amount of pace as they approach their mid-thirties, and their existence in the team has begun to depend more on guile than speed through the air, but even the most gifted find it difficult to exist past the age of 35 or so.

It is never an easy decision, for a sports personality, to go on longer than people would expect for fear of falling well below the high standards set earlier in youth but better training methods have certainly helped to push up the retirement age. Fast bowling is no different and both Walsh and McGrath have benefited from not having been tearaway fast bowlers in their youth, as they perhaps have a bit more petrol in the tank than the men who regularly visited speeds of over 90mph.

McGrath's speedometer now rests around the 80mph mark, and is much more frequently under than over, yet he remains a thorn in the side for most batsmen. His participation in this Ashes series was again under question but he responded by taking another five-wicket haul in the first innings and 7 wickets in all in the [Brisbane] Test. And he did this by simply doing what he probably has been the best at for years, bowling a very controlled line and length just around the offstump with very few bad deliveries.

He has never been a big swinger of the cricket ball but gets enough movement off the pitch in either direction to create doubt in the mind as to which balls to play and which to leave. He also has a very effective bouncer, which you wouldn't expect at that pace, but again his control puts it in the right place. His deliveries seem almost to defy the laws of physics by apparently quickening off the surface of the pitch; of course that's impossible but deception is a great tool for any bowler.

The job will be to survive his spell with the new ball and at the moment not many would be willing to wager against him winning that battle

Irrespective of the basic skills or fiery pace of a fast bowler, the surface prepared for the game will have a say in the effectiveness of the individual. Glenn McGrath stands at about 6'5" and, from my experience, the pitches in Australia have always been a joy for pacemen of height and Brisbane with its good pace and bounce was no different.

The news is that the other pitches will not be as kind. Even Perth apparently is not the fast surface of years gone by that the Windies pacer bowlers enjoyed to the extent that they never lost a Test at that venue before the turn of the century. If that is true, it will be very interesting to see how he performs in the rest of the series.

By the second innings at Brisbane, Pietersen and Collingwood realised that the longer you spent at the crease, and as the kookaburra ball got softer, there were certain liberties you could take against the great man. The job will be to survive his spell with the new ball and at the moment not many would be willing to wager against him winning that battle.

Glenn McGrath is a great and has been a great for some time now. Some say he can continue until the age of 40; for me personally the jury is out and I will wait to see how he fares in the rest of the series. McGrath should know his body better than anyone else and, if he applies to his career the good senses so evident in his bowling, he will not overstay his welcome. In the meantime, those not encumbered with the task of scoring runs against him can sit back and watch his mastery.

Peter English

The Australians huddle around Glenn McGrath, who showed their is still plenty of fire in the belly © Getty Images

Once again only Andrew Flintoff managed not to burst. The series is young but he is already in danger of carrying as much weight as Andy Flower when he was dragging Zimbabwe. The burden is a worry for his left ankle, which is still being strengthened after surgery.

As captain Flintoff is caught between using himself as the best option or waiting uncomfortably in the hope one of his team-mates eases the workload. Matthew Hoggard briefly lifted when he accounted for both Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, but the score had already ballooned to 467. Flintoff employed himself intermittently and reliably. He waited an hour before bowling in the morning and it took a cut Ponting boundary that brought up the 400 to stir a brilliant short spell.

A frightening lifter that might have brushed Ponting's glove was immediately produced, but half a dozen replays could not prove whether Steve Bucknor called correctly. Nine's new "Hot Shot" technology was absent and conspiracy theorists remembered Ponting's contract with the station. A play and a miss and a ball moving away that twisted the bat in Ponting's hands finished the over. It was a remarkable collection to a humming batsman on 167.

Michael Hussey had also been causing problems and Flintoff decided he would copy last year's approach to Adam Gilchrist and go around the wicket. A vicious off-cutter upended the off stump and sent it spinning in the direction of fine leg. Michael Clarke, who was playing for his short-term future, narrowly escaped the rest of the five-over spell and raised a half-century.

The England fielders were as slow as the over-rate and Flintoff was forced back to try and close the innings. He had returned 4 for 99 when Ponting saved him some energy with the declaration at 602. Fortunately for England Flintoff's dressing-room rest was not disturbed by McGrath's return to the game.

For 11 months there have been questions over whether McGrath would make an Ashes impact. It took only three overs for him to let everybody know he would continue to be an England menace. Wickets 137 and 138 against the most familiar enemy came in consecutive deliveries. While the first dismissal relied on Andrew Strauss' poor swipe, the removal of Alastair Cook could have been arranged at any time over the past decade.

Two excellent bowlers were on display but only one worked with assistance. Flintoff was let down throughout the first innings while McGrath was able to combine with both Brett Lee and Stuart Clark, who took care of Paul Collingwood. Australia have stuck together and despite Flintoff's effort England appear to be falling apart. They will be mashed if they cannot muster something substantial on day three.

by Peter English

The peaks were high but the lows were disturbingly deep © Getty Images

In the winter Michael Clarke added a smart tattoo to his left forearm. Don't be concerned, he's not going through a mid-life crisis. There's no new fast car or a plan to copy Michael Slater's reckless batting. The message Carpe Diem, scrawled thickly but neatly on his skin, is not to show his love of Latin but acts instead as an unwashable reminder. All he needs now is an Ashes day to seize.

During Clarke's Test introduction his exuberant grip clenched around the game with spectacular home-and-away debut centuries. He knew his control would loosen and the form slump would arrive, but he did not expect the highs to be such striking peaks and the lows to be so deep. Allan Border Medallist on one starry night, he was dropped for failing against England and West Indies in the same year. Since then he's been starved of first-class action and submerged in the one-day order.

Lack of opportunities combined with the rise of Shane Watson to oust Clarke from the original Test unit, which he re-entered in Bangladesh in April. Rather than getting bitter he remained upbeat and arrived in the team through the backdoor on Tuesday when Watson was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

At the squad's first training session on Monday he was still on standby. He said he hadn't scored enough runs and didn't deserve a spot. The tempo of his voice was calm. He even cracked a joke about his lack of results. The situation might not have been ideal, but he wasn't weighed down by it. It showed Clarke had grown up. Australia's golden child has entered cricketing middle age.

Off the field Clarke has shown impressive maturity - and the sensible head that is missing when he considers an aggressive downswing to a ball requiring non-negotiable defence. While he struggled to turn starts into something significant in England in 2005, Clarke was also sitting at Shane Warne's side and offering support. The 24-year-old novice was listening and counselling the worldly 36-year-old as he dissected the breakdown of the long-term marriage.

'Now I realise it's just a game' © Getty Images

In Cardiff it was Clarke who woke Andrew Symonds by pouring water over his head and dragging him into the shower after his pre-Bangladesh bender. Less than a year later in a Cape Town nightclub Clarke was again the sound reason as Symonds was threatening his career - caught in a heated argument with a Cheetahs Super 14 rugby player. Seize the friend, save the day. Clarke's a valuable man to have in Australia's corner.

Of course good extra-curricular deeds don't translate into steady run-scoring. They don't guarantee places in squads and it was Watson's injury that allowed Clarke an opening. As he waited for news on Watson, Clarke considered the past 18 months. "With age and with time you learn about your own game," he says. "My preparation is much better than it was. I've just got to bide my time and when I get a chance I have to grab it."

At the beginning of his career everything happened in a hurry. Now he has learned to adjust to a slower pace. "Whether I'm scoring runs or not, I accept things now," he says. "Before it was real highs and real lows, now I realise it's just a game. I've got to expect there will be times when you fail. When you're doing well you have to make the most of it."

Slight technical alterations were achieved during the off-season and he has a genuine desire to play straight early in the innings rather than to think about it and then submit to his aggressive instincts. He has worked on balance to avoid his head leading his body towards the off-side and some unplanned knee flexes have been added to his bat tapping.

In Australia's first training session of the week he launched a string of straight sixes off a batch of junior slow men before refocussing. They are not shots that will regain the Ashes.

"It's always in the back of my mind that I lost my first Ashes series and I'd love another chance to be part of winning the series," he said. "It's Australia's biggest series for a long time. The guys just want to get out and play. Given the chance it would be very special."

Clarke first learned of Carpe Diem when watching Robin Williams lecture his school students in the movie Dead Poet's Society. A sweatband will cover most of the tattoo when he bats, but the message is already inscribed in his mind. He's just waiting for a chance to follow the advice.

by Andrew Miller

As both captains have said, it's time for the talking to stop. Tomorrow's eagerly anticipated first Test contains a number of head-to-heads that could prove pivotal in the destination of the Ashes. Here, Cricinfo takes a look at seven of the most important match-ups

Ricky Ponting will be judged on his captaincy, Andrew Flintoff on how he leads if England fall behind © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting v Andrew Flintoff

The most successful England captain in Australia in recent years was rugby's Martin Johnson, which is why Flintoff's door-frame-filling captaincy could yet prove to be a masterstroke. He has the skill and popularity to lead from the front, and a sturdy brains trust to guide him in the big decisions, but he will only be truly tested if and when England fall behind. That's when Ponting, older and wiser after his mauling at the hands of Michael Vaughan in 2005, could come into his own. He has proved himself as a batsman annually but, ultimately, he's going to be judged on his captaincy.

Shane Warne v Kevin Pietersen

In any other circumstances, Pietersen's move to No. 5 in the order would be seen as retrogressive, as Warne himself was suggesting only this week. But then again, who better to appear at three-down in the mid-afternoon session, with the ball going soft and the spinners beginning to take hold? Only Pietersen has the eye and the chutzpah to beat Warne at his own ultra-attacking game and, as the Australians themselves have pointed out in the past, he can be a notoriously slow starter against the quicks.

Adam Gilchrist v Geraint Jones

Warne's none too impressed with Jones's reinstatement either. Nevertheless, he did what he had to do in 2005, clinging on to the catches that really mattered, and combining with Flintoff superbly in the pivotal partnership at Trent Bridge. Moreover, the pacy pitches will suit his cross-batted game. As for Gilchrist, it's a question of hunger as much as anything. By his own admission, his struggles from round the wicket were mental as much as technical. If he atones for 2005 with one of his typical Ashes performances, the battle will be more than half won.

Matthew Hayden v Matthew Hoggard

Here's an interesting decider. Round one, in 2002-03, went emphatically in favour of Hayden, who bullied a young and insecure Hoggard into utter submission, cashing in on his undisciplined inswinging line to deposit him over midwicket at every opportunity. Last summer, however, it was an entirely different scenario. Aided by some cunning field placings, Hoggard swung rings around his nemesis, reducing him to a leaden-footed shell of a batsman. Hayden has since reinvented his game, stripping it of much of its former bombast. But the scars could still be there to be picked at.

Justin Langer could be one serious blow away from retirement, and it could be Steve Harmison who delivers it © Getty Images

Justin Langer v Steve Harmison

On the last opening morning of the Ashes, a vicious rising delivery from Harmison clanged into Langer's elbow, and thus ignited a never-to-be-forgotten contest. And once again, this battle of the openers promises to be a microcosm of the summer's action, for each man embodies the strange fragility that lies beneath the surface of each camp. If Harmison is off-colour, England could be hung out to dry. But Langer was 36 yesterday and is arguably one serious blow from retirement. Something similar could be said for most of his team-mates.

Glenn McGrath v Ian Bell

There was a moment in Jaipur during the Champions Trophy that summed up Bell's new improved attitude to the game. Peeved at his lack of success, McGrath picked up in his follow-through and winged the ball at the batsman. Instead of flinching, Bell stood tall and looked his opponent up and down with wry amusement. How different the scene had been at The Oval last summer, when McGrath dismissed him first-ball on that fretful final morning to deliver a miserable pair. The youth has gained experience, but Mr Experience can't regain his youth.

Brett Lee v Andrew Strauss

Is this the match-up that could decide the Ashes? Quite conceivably. None of England's top seven has played an Ashes Test in Australia before, but Strauss excelled on the bouncy wickets of South Africa two winters ago, and in the absence of Marcus Trescothick, it is up to him to blunt Australia's sharpest tool. Lee is now 30 and knows that this is his time. Expect a plethora of cuts and pulls and high-octane action, because as England know from experience, attack is the best means of defence against the Aussies.

Andrew Miller

Marcus Trescothick: touring life has taken its toll © Getty Images

Contrary to popular perception, international cricket is not a glamorous lifestyle. The demands of the modern calendar have sucked almost all the spontaneity out of its participants. When it's not a match, it's a training session. When it's not a training session, it's another internal flight. And when it's not an internal flight, it's another bout of navel-gazing in another soulless hotel.

Writing for Cricinfo in his Champions Trophy diaries, the West Indian opener and bon viveur Chris Gayle said, without irony, that the highlights of his days were "chillin' in the hallways" with his equally bored team-mates. No wonder Trescothick admitted in the early weeks of this tour that he had "fallen out of love with the game". But if there was any lingering doubt that Trescothick has a terrible and debilitating problem, today's news has quashed the sceptics once and for all.

The Ashes is everything to this England side - that much is apparent from their indifference towards all other contests - and with a World Cup coming up in four months' time as well, even the most wavering professional would surely be expected to rouse their interest for one big final push. Not Trescothick though. He turns 31 on Christmas Day, and with a young daughter, Ellie Louise, to think about as he sits alone in his hotel-room, he seems to have switched off what little interest he still retained in the international game. Why was he allowed to tour in the first place? The questions are sure to be asked of the ECB, even as they prepare their latest smokescreen.

This case brings to mind the struggles that Graham Thorpe went through in a near-identical scenario four years ago. Like Trescothick, Thorpe's woes began in India, when he flew home ahead of the second Test in a bid to salvage his crumbling marriage, and continued through a dire English summer that reached its nadir in a desperate performance against India at Lord's. After retiring from one-dayers and opting out of the rest of the series, Thorpe initially declared himself available for the Ashes, but then back-tracked before the plane had even lifted off.

Thorpe, like Trescothick, had been one of England's most committed tourists until the moment he snapped, and made ten consecutive tours for the Test and A team before opting out of the South Africa series in 1999-2000. He is now a coach at New South Wales and understands better than anyone the difficulties that cricketers face in the modern game. "The moment you say I am struggling to concentrate because of 'X', the way the media is you are going to throw more pressure on yourself," he said last week. "[Trescothick] has to be able to deal with it."

But he hasn't dealt with it. Who knows what was being murmured from the slip cordon during those two brief innings at Canberra and Sydney? What abuse was being hurled from the stands, along with the racial slurs that have (so far) been shrugged off by Monty Panesar. Whatever he's encountered in the warm-ups, you can bet that worse would have followed once Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath got stuck in at Brisbane. That is not to criticise Australia's attitude to the game, incidentally. Test cricket is a test of mental technique as much as physical, and Trescothick's undoubted successes at the highest level - nearly 6000 runs including 14 hundreds - are proof that his mindset has held together better and longer than most.

But when your mental game becomes so fragile - whether you've lost your nerve against the pacemen or lost your appetite for the battle - there's no amount of net practice or gym work that can get you back to match fitness. England's short-term loss may yet be to their long-term advantage - as perhaps it was when the veteran Thorpe was himself jettisoned in favour of younger, hungrier campaigners at the start of the 2005 Ashes. But if, as is widely being assumed, Trescothick has played his final role on an England tour, what a sad way for a fine career to peter out.