"I think these rumours that Cook is no longer interested are ridiculous. He is just completely out of nick - he played completely across the line in the second innings in Perth - and has had some good deliveries and some unlucky dismissals."
Tuesday 19 December 2017 08:07, UK
The Ashes once again belong to Australia after Steve Smith's side sealed a series win over England with two games to spare courtesy of an innings triumph at the WACA.
Shortly after Pat Cummins had Chris Woakes caught behind to complete Australia's victory, we spoke to Sky Sports Cricket expert and former England captain Bob Willis for his verdict.
Big Bad Bob says a paucity of pace and senior players "letting England down" have contributed to them losing the urn - and he is particularly worried by Stuart Broad's displays down under.
Read on for Bob's Ashes assessment, where he tries to find some positives for England and has his say on the latest 'Water-gate' episode after a soggy start to day five of the final Ashes Test at the WACA…
Bob on where things have gone wrong for England…
The lack of penetration in England's attack is summed up by the fact they took one Australia wicket on Saturday and that players who have struggled in Test cricket previously, the Marshes, have now both made significant contributions. Australia are facing a very friendly attack and apart from James Anderson, the bowlers have been pretty ineffective.
The lack of genuine pace is evident, batting to 80mph bowling as opposed to 85-90 mph bowling is a totally different experience. England's senior players, Anderson aside, have let the side down in no uncertain terms - the ones we thought would struggle desperately have made contributions but Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali have not done anything significant. That is the most disheartening thing.
Bob on Cook's batting struggles…
I think these rumours that Cook is no longer interested are ridiculous. He is just completely out of nick - he played completely across the line in the second innings in Perth - and has had some good deliveries and some unlucky dismissals. You have to give Darren Lehmann, David Saker and the Australia bowling unit credit for doing their homework.
They seem to have worked Cook out in Australia from two tours ago when he scored a shedload of runs. He will be the first to admit he has a limited range of strokes and if Australia don't bowl to his strengths he finds it difficult to score against this attack, including Nathan Lyon, who loves bowling at left-handers. Cook's form is a worry but I am far more concerned about Broad.
Bob on Broad's bowling travails…
Stuart hasn't been able to bowl fast or bowl the right length. You would have thought someone knocking on the door of 400 Test wickets would have been able to find line and length like clockwork but that hasn't happened at all. He's gone a lot of overs without a wicket and his place will be questioned - but there isn't really anyone else to replace him or Cook, for that matter. That may be looking through the wrong end of the telescope but it's true.
The tour to New Zealand early next year should be more bowler friendly, so Stuart may get more joy there, and I imagine the watershed moment for Broad and Cook would be ahead of the two-Test home series against Pakistan next summer if they really were going to drop out of the side.
Bob on positives England can take from defeat…
Rob Key called Jimmy a magician with the ball and he has shown that in Australia. Without the advantage of the Dukes ball and the English conditions in which he thrives, he has found a way to take wickets, exactly what you expect of a world-class bowler. Anderson has stuck to his task and been the only bowler that looks like taking wickets on a regular basis, Woakes has resorted to bowling wide in the hope the Australia batsmen will leave his deliveries.
Dawid Malan, with the bat, has worked very hard on his game, so let's take our hats off to him for his hundred and fifty in Perth. In a struggling side it is always difficult to make your presence felt but he has been excellent while his senior colleagues have not. He looks like he will be a fixture for some time in that middle order.
Bob on whether coach Trevor Bayliss is under pressure...
Ashes reversals, particularly if they end up 5-0, result in a lot of head scratching, summit meetings and, often, heads rolling but I don't believe Bayliss is in any immediate danger. Andrew Strauss is clearly a fan and he has only been in the job a little over two years and presumably has a hefty contract, so I think he will be kept on. He just does not have the quality of player to work with in Australian conditions.
Michael Vaughan has said that if you have no pace, no spin and no runs you are not going to win many cricket matches. England just do not have the firepower to compete with Australia down under. We are seeing a lot of home-team dominance nowadays so it will fascinating to see if a strong India side can mix that up a bit in South Africa in January and then in England next summer. They not only have two top spinners but seamers quicker than England's.
Bob on whether Australia can become the leading Test team…
They are certainly going to shoot up the rankings pretty quickly. They will now hope the Marshes are established as Test cricketers because with the potency in that bowling attack and the batting of Steve Smith, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with. I predicted Josh Hazlewood would be the leading wicket-taker in the series and he could end up that way.
As he doesn't fly the ball around people's ears all the time - although he is well capable of doing that - he sometimes slips under the radar between Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, the Denis Lillee and Jeff Thomson of the outfit, but he is a very fine bowler, he's not in Glenn McGrath's class yet but he could reach those heights. It's rare to see him bowl a disappointing spell or go at four or five an over. Australia have the complete attack but I reckon Hazlewood is top of the tree.
Bob on the delayed start to day five at the WACA…
I think it is staggering that with so much money at stake and so much technology that water can get on the pitch in these modern times - it's absolutely absurd considering the rain had been forecast at least three days in advance. I imagine the ground staff will now get a severe rollicking.
Whether Jonny Bairstow's dismissal had anything to do with the softness of the pitch, I don't know - the ball certainly didn't behave correctly when it landed - but England may feel slightly hard done by to start as early as they did. However, I don't think a later start would have saved them from defeat, Australia thoroughly deserved their victory.
It's a great shame for England the game wasn't abandoned and for Melbourne and Sydney, as once again an Ashes series in Australia is over before the two principal cities in the country host their Test matches. Millions of Australians won't care a jot, though!
