Are The Ashes now boring in Australia?

England are on the verge of another test match loss in Australia. That would make it 13 out of their last 14 tests there ending in pretty horrific losses. I mean most of them have not even been close with the visitors just unable to compete in many sessions and mostly been unable to do even the basic parts of cricket properly. These hammerings have not been dished out by an all conquering Aussie side either.

The Michael Clarke side in 2013–14 and the Steve Smith side of 2017–18 were good sides but neither went on to be world beaters. This Pat Cummins side is no world beater either. Remember Australia came into this series on the back on no Test cricket for a year, an ousted captain after a sex scandal and trouble in their batting order. Heck, even in the series they have struggled to get their best bowlers on the park with injury to Hazelwood, who has been their best bowler in 2021, and the captain himself missing a game due to Covid contacts. Yet despite this, England have been nowhere near good enough to hold down even a session. Some sessions have been close but you’d struggle to give even one session fully to Joe Root’s side.

So back to the question — is this boring? Are people sick of seeing the most historical Test series be this one sided in one leg? Australia have had their struggles in England, don’t get me wrong, but apart from one 3–0 defeat most of the series have been competitive with results going to both sides. I am not here to argue what ails English cricket and why they cannot create good test batters anymore, there are many people far more qualified than me to discuss that, however it is sad to see the series so one-sided. Even the Aussies will have to agree that there is little to no enjoyment in seeing their guys hammer such an inept team into the ground again and again. At least in the on-going Sydney Test there is some semblance of a fight from England but in all probability, it will amount to nothing.

Seeing Mitch Johnson terrorise Cook, Trott, KP et al in 2013–14 was something else. Here was a bowler at his very peak. It was brutal stuff but Johnson had to be at the top of his game. You don’t think though since then the Aussies have had to be at their peak. Smith was near undismissable in 2017–18 but England hardly bowled brilliantly in that series. Smith’s efforts in the 2019 Ashes were much more impressive with Archer really giving him plenty to think about and still he managed to wait it out and grind out runs. This series, its hard to say which Aussie batter is really in great form (Khawaja an exception I guess) and which Aussie bowler likewise as England have made it all too easy. The real test for this Aussie test side will come in Pakistan in the spring. Win there and then we will talk. I still have my doubts.

However this is about England. Their next Ashes is coming in 2023 and no doubt that will be a contest as the English always do well at home but come 2025–26 when they are next back Down Under, they really need to have a better strategy, better prepared batters and bowlers for those conditions, or else they will find that people are switching over because eventually, all sports fans really want a contest and right now, this is not one.