Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook says the 4-0 Ashes thrashing suffered by Joe Root’s side in Australia “has to be our rock bottom” after another dismal collapse to end the series.
England crumbled from 68-0 to 124 all out in quick time as a desperate tour concluded with a comprehensive 146-run win for the hosts in Hobart.
A review by the ECB into the side's failures in Australia is set to take place in the coming days and weeks with a number of changes expected as part of a 'red-ball reset' and, speaking on BT Sport, Cook did not hold back in his own assessment of England's showing in the fifth Test and the series as a whole…
Cook on England's batting…
"You don't win games of cricket [batting in that manner]. The fact we've lost 10 wickets in an hour and a half... yes the conditions are tough, and some good bowling, but there was no resilience there.
"I said at the beginning of the game it was going to be a really hard week for them mentally because they're about to lose, go home, the thoughts about that, and as soon as they get put under pressure you see how much resolve there is. They showed a lot at Sydney but probably used it all there.
"That was very tough viewing, that has to be our rock bottom, there cannot be a worse place than getting bowled out in an hour and a half.
"OK, you competed in this game with the ball, but I actually can't believe an hour and a half to lose 10 wickets, that's the biggest shock as a batter and a professional who plays cricket... you get bowled out in a session once or twice in a career and this side, after a couple of wickets, we said 'something is on here' and you see a batting line-up devoid of all confidence, once they lose one or two, no one steps up and stop the slide."
Cook on England failing to compete…
"It has probably been the least competitive series between the sides. I have been involved in two 5-0 defeats so people may accuse me of being biased, but I just feel there is a very big gap between the sides.
"We need to look at everything, start rebuilding this Test team. No stone can be left unturned as it has to be better. That last hour and a half showed where we are.
"You can talk all you want about the battle in the dressing room, but until some people grab it by the scruff of the neck, I can't see this changing."
Cook on potential changes…
"I will be very surprised if England go to the West Indies in March with exactly the same structure in place. I'm not saying Joe Root won't be captain but I can't see how there won't be some changes.
"We have had the same coaches in place for 18 months now and I've not seen any improvement, really, in anything. What has been going on behind the scenes?
"You have to ask questions of Graham Thorpe, the batting coach, and the others. If you have the same leadership group in the West Indies and England lose, their positions will be untenable and there has to be change.
"Everything has to be stripped back. How do we get this England side better, quickly and for the long-term? Nothing else can matter. We have had all this money piled into The Hundred and other stuff but put it all into one thing - making England's Test side better. Best side, best players, all the time."
Trott: Give red-ball cricket more importance
Former England batter Jonathan Trott believes change is needed in the County Championship structure for improvements to be made with the Test side.
"I would say that [bigger focus on red-ball cricket] is the major and most important thing that needs to be changed," Trott told Sky Sports News. "I think it's a case of players then becoming more adapted to playing four-day cricket and batting for longer periods of time.
"If you play four-day cricket in April and May and at the end of September, the message you're sending to the younger players wanting to develop their skills to play Test cricket is probably not right. You want to give it the same amount of importance as one-day cricket and The Hundred.
"I think that's the main thing that needs to be addressed and changed, to get the balance between red-ball and white-ball cricket back in the country structure so that you're creating players in England that can play in both formats.
"We've got some very talented players in England, it's just about getting the right amount of cricket in. I'm not saying we need to neglect one-day cricket, because we've seen how successful that's been over the past few years and how exciting the white-ball England side is. It's about getting the right balance and players being ambitious and getting the skills to play all formats of the game."