Here we go again...

I'll say 2-1 England, but it could be the same result in the hosts' favour.

Australia are definitely a better, more settled side than in the summer, and even then they should have made it a much, much closer contest. Who knows, even Mitchell Johnson might hit his straps on a regular basis and Harris could avoid injury... If Clark's back and Watson's hamstring don't give trouble and Bailey proves he's not a white-ball specialist, there could be a few more runs in the middle order.

There has been talk that England's top order can't score fewer runs than last time out, but that is stupid; of course they can.

I would be delighted if:

- Michael Carberry plays and makes a respectable score (he has really earned a break at the top level)
- Bairstow has to step up and does a good job replacing Prior (we really need to look at our succession planning for the keeper).
- Finn, Tremlett AND Rankin perform a decent job, (though I don't think any of them will be a revelation).
- Root continues to grow in stature. (He has shown he has the temperament, let's see him get the runs).
- Jimmy Anderson (or Swann or...) doesn't get injured. (We have to be prepared to lose Prior, another of the experienced match-winners would be a big blow).

If the above come true, and we do lose this series, there will still be plenty of very good players around to get revenge next time around!

The Aussies are certainly talking a good game, but like you Jim, I think we'll win the series. I'm going for 3-1.

As for the England team, I think they'll go with Tremlett as the 3rd seamer. Finn is way too inconsistent and I've not seen anything from Rankin during the warm up games that makes me believe he's better than Tremlett.

Fingers crossed Carberry has a good series. Would love to see him do well after all he's been through.

Slightly off topic, but I'm going to day 2 of the 5th test in Sydney

Also off topic; I hate you.

I'm dismayed at the way they're talking down Bairstow's wicket-keeping prowess. Of course Prior is the man if fit, but if he isn't then wouldn't it be more advisable to boost Bairstow's confidence with more positive talk?

Carberry could just have arrived at the right time - I get the impression Root is better down the order.

Rankin so far; nah, hasn't yet proved himself in reliability. Ok he's tall which is a threat to Aussie batsmen especially Michael Clarke, who's bad back doesn't allow him to duck easily, but I think as above that Tremlett will get a run even though he hasn't played for the team in a while.

Did I tell you I fly out 3 weeks today and am there for a month?

I'll endeavour to post a picture on here from the SCG

5-0 to Australia

I'm also going to Aus soon but unfortunately will be to late for the ashes. Bummer!

Nae chance cobber

Just over an hour to go

As @uscricket guy would say, LETS PLAY CRICKETBALL!

Not sure about the wisdom of playing Prior - if he does not last we will miss him. Badly. Id have had him as 12th man. Still, I think good calls for the rest of the team.

2-1 for me. Not predicting a result in this game, but lets see!

Broad's just had a Harmison moment!

Who cares now, well done Broady!

5 for Broad

But yet again we cannot get rid of the tail. This is becoming a real issue with the bowling approach. Needs attention, same happened in the summer.

I think we'd settle for having Australia 8 down for less than 300 on the first day of an Ashes series at the Gabbatoir though, wouldn't we?
I think the tail is much more likely to wag if there's a do-or-die situation. This has been the case often in recent Ashes tests, bringing out the stubborn best from players like Haddin in particular.

And it's not as if the England tail hasn't had its oscillatory moments.

After a flier of a start with 30 runs coming in as many minutes, to restrict Aussie to 273 by the close isnae bad.

Oh dear! Oh dear! Ooh dear, OH DEAR

Despite a lifetime of being let down by England, I never saw that coming. Puts a bit of a different complexion on things!

Nothing to see here, move along.............

Disaster.

Who was the bright spark that put ideas into Mitchell Johnson's head?

He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, but he's actually pretty good.

Not sure there are any pluses whatsoever for England (Michael Carberry not getting a duck I suppose), but if (and it is a tiny, microscopic if) England save the game, it will really piss off the Aussies.

Not sure I understand why England's clearly decent batsmen have all had such a poor run of form, except Bell. And if you are always relying on one guy, sometimes it won't work.

Oh well, perhaps we've got our shocker over with early...

This could turn into a nightmare tour. Englands batting has not been that good since we last won the Ashes down under. Prior has failed too many times and needs a spell outside the team, besides we need to be bringing on a new wicket keeper anyway.

I do wonder if Flowers is the man for the job now. It is a very different skill in bringing a side together and taking them to the top as opposed to being at the top and staying there. The Football leagues are littered with managers who bring sides up through the leagues and then get a job at one of the established top clubs and fail miserably.

There are elements where England seem a little too cocky and many of the players a little too assured of their place in the team. Not playing Onions last summer was a prime example. He deserved it spot but there was an unwillingness to "drop" one of the established players. I also don't understand the treatment of Compton, he was one of the few who performed against New Zealand and was given far less opportunity to recover from a few home innings failures than the like of Bell. Bell has recently started to deliver but he had 3-4 years where he was a bit part player at best. Watching the Ashes highlights from 2005 on Sky and he does not figure at all.

Just my thoughts though

The truth hurts...

Well, we can't ignore it.

It seems that Australia's confidence pre-series was justified. Given that all of the players they were looking to to step up did so in style, it's an interesting question:

Are England over-rated average players who have just been lucky? Are they guilty of massive complacency? Have they been overtaken by an Australian side that has been UN-lucky?

England did not play badly on Day 1 - their performance (with the possible and worrying exception of Graeme Swann) was sharp and the bowling was hostile, accurate and effective. Once again, what has done the catastrophic damage has been the confoundingly appalling display by the batsmen. Why have the members of this unit of undeniably good (possibly even excellent) players failed repeatedly to deliver a fraction of their potential? Is it simply that they all have an achilles' heel that the Australian bowlers (especially a revitalised Johnson) have suddenly found and expoited with immediate effect? Or is it something deeper about their psyche?
I think here it was an innings too far for the middle/lower order to save the day, and the second innings was just shell-shock.
If England can come back from this defeat to draw the series and retain the Ashes, it will show that they are indeed a very special side. It looks a very tall order from here.

I absolutely disagree with bockers' suggestion that Flowers is not the right man to manage England; I don't think anything in his approach or methods indicates that he has done anything wrong.

Undeniably good though Mitchell Johnson was in this test, he isn't that amazing a bowler in world terms.

England have faced fast, nasty spells before and not been annihilated, so they need to remember how that works. And quickly!

I've been speechless over this performance which seriously smacks of a deeper psychological blow than the loss of the game itself. Trott in particular who is so immovable usually must have affected his team-mates with his loss of cool.

The mind-men now have to get to work before Adelaide which seemingly has gentler properties then the demon Gabba, and an improved performance there will be some way towards rebuilding confidence by Perth which is a quicker track.

Just as the legendary Jim Laker blew away 19 Australian wickets at Old Trafford, and Derek Underwood years later,
the combination of a peaking Mitchell Johnson and a pique-y pitch have undone the opposition.

It's now in the past, and as the Irish rugby team proved today against the All Blacks, a week's a long time in sport after last Saturday's iffy showing against Australia.

The Aussies now hold all the aces, this is a massive blow to the confidence of all the England players, the Aussies have beaten us up in every department, it's going to be fast wickets and throat ball all the way now. These will now be proper Tests (as they should be)

Let's face it, the results in the last 2 series have probably flattered us, and the result in this one game probably flatters them.

It's good to see the Aussie's taking it seriously and making a better fight of it, and let's see how well our guys respond in the second test

Could be a good series.

Trotty seems to be suffering stress problems and has returned home.

Yup, I just saw that Trott has flown home. I can only begin to imagine the stress of being an opening batsman at that level. Interesting that Warner has been heavily criticised for stating what turned out to be the truth, though I doubt he knew it at the time...

It shows that even players who appear to be nerveless and ice cool like Trott are actually seething with anxiety like everyone else.

Poor bloke - I hope he is able to return, but if Tresco is anything to go by, it won't be easy.

Time for the next guy to step up...

This is a great shame and I hope he can pull through although to successfully climb back to the levels of expectation and runflow of the last few years, well.......

The condition makes sense of his obsessive routines at the crease to control the anxieties and one has to admire the internal fight that must have been going on to get where he is.

I had heard that as a youngster he was talented but all over the place, a rash stroke-player who was his own worst enemy, but that he'd worked hard to counteract it.

Bell to no.3 now and Bairstow to step up?

I never saw him as that. I saw him as someone who used OCD rituals and routines in order to control his batting. I always worried he might have problems and hope he sorts them and returns refreshed. Last Aussie tour he was so focused on the routines that he often continued them when the session was over.

How will they re-structure the team?

Anyone who has been near stress illness will be feeling for Trott. This also demonstrates the lack of wisdom involved in picking out individuals for criticism outside the environment of the innings - you have no idea what they are going through behind the scenes.

Not sure what the new team will be, but it will get sorted out - If you can ignore the (stupidly) soft dismissals Cook, Bell, KP and Root were playing OK. For one test, I'm capable of putting it down to nerves and the heated environment of the Gabba. Plus it is quite possible that Johnson will be pinging balls in all directions at Adelaide.

I'm more concerned about Prior than anyone else. He is the bedrock on which our lower order performances are built. If he has swagger, so do they. I'd be seriously tempted to drop him, because its not working at the moment. I'd be doubly tempted if it were Summer and I could get him playing County Cricket - maybe we can find somewhere in NZ or SA for him to go and play. I know the Aussies think Bairstow is a walking wicket, but then so is Prior at the moment.

Then that leaves the gap in the Batting. Play Gary Ballance and call James Taylor up as cover?