Hit and hope: Harry Brook's performance has improved a lot since he became obsessively hooked on Lord. Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images
England had a unique opportunity and ruined it. The thought of losing the Ashes must give them nightmares.
Before the start of the series, most people, including myself, felt that there was not much choice between the two teams, but very quickly England showed that man for man and they had the upper hand as a team.
In the first Test at Edgbaston, England won 90% of the time and then squandered it with a daring second inning.
Before the Ashes, England had an incredible year, beating New Zealand and South Africa at home before smashing Pakistan in their own backyard before winning two away against New Zealand. The cricket played by England was exciting and their new kind of game deservedly got so much praise and so much applause.
They gave us amazing moments, excited us, made us nervous and won 10 out of 12 tests. England even did test match cricket with a hand shot but then they let it hit them in the head and started saying they wanted to have some fun and that it doesn't matter if they lose because they are still going to play baseball and change the test cricket. When you begin to believe in your own importance, sports will bite you in the ass.
This is called pride. I looked it up in the Oxford English Dictionary and it says arrogance, vanity, superiority and arrogance. Well, they did have fun in Edgbaston, but a reckless game cost them the match. So, England defeated Australia, but lost. How outrageous is that?
They had lost sight of the object that Ash was supposed to conquer. Winning is paramount. Ask the English fans if they prefer us to win Ashes or play well and lose.
Lord's second test was even, with England batting beautifully in their first innings, chasing 416 Australia. But with England down at 188 for one, Australia in trouble set a trap and went into their dodgeball defense with a full legroom and waited. for English batsmen to commit hara-kiri. Harry Brook epitomized the mentality and attitude of England, swinging every short ball and laughing when he missed the dodgeball as if he was enjoying the game and laughing with his fellows in the net.
England gave 91 points. leadership in running, which turned out to be victorious. Many England fans stopped me on the way home and asked what England was doing? How could they be so stupid? They were puzzled and disappointed.
This test was in the balance until England lost without brains. They could lead 2:0, but at worst they had to lead 1:1.
How many times have I said that you don't want to play catch-up cricket because it's too hard? At 2-0 it's an impossible situation, the Ashes are almost gone, so you need to take stock, re-evaluate your game, and from now on, you need everything to follow you. The weather is on.
England entered Headingley and Old Trafford with the same intention of being positive, but with some common sense. Look again at Brook's batting in different ways. Still positive but no reckless throws or swings, just a reasonable shot and he looked like a quality player.
Mark Wood's introduction of extra pace was a huge factor as he unsettled the opponent by never letting them get comfortable and Australia lost Nathan Lyon to injury. Lyon was a big miss because he can tie the end to give their fast bowlers more rest and also take wickets.
From then on it was all of England until the weather intervened. They should have gone to the Oval 2-1 or even 3-0. What a waste of fantastic cricket England played.
Well done, Johnny. More of the same, please 
Barstow has spoken more about his injuries after testing at Old Trafford. Credit: REUTERS/LEE SMITH
Last week I wrote that England should take Johnny Bairstow out of the line of fire after conceding seven goals, a miss and one good inning out of five (I don't count Lord's unsportsmanlike dismissal).
I didn't say that to piss him off. As much as I love it, it's pretty obvious that it didn't work. What often happens to him — and I've known him since childhood — is that criticism spurs him on and upsets him. I didn't write my column for this reason; I did it for cricket reasons. I just suggested to England to get him out of the cauldron because he had a problem with his leg and didn't want to move freely. It's a miracle that he plays. I knew it was a serious injury, but he didn't show it until he started running.
It was a brilliant comeback. Good. This is what we want: performances without talking. Every athlete must compete. He did it brilliantly. Great job. Now do it again.
Zach Crawley was an outstanding player at Old Trafford. On a level field, when the ball is not moving, it can kill bowlers. He has a wide shooting range and excellent timing because, like David Gower, he takes the ball a little higher, so he whistles right off the bat.
If the ball is moving, its technique will be revealed. There are still disadvantages. He doesn't know what to leave and he has a gap between the bat and the pad. That's why Ben Stokes was right when he demanded hard, flat, fast and crisp fields. It's good for people like Crowley to be positive about their punches. You can't hit the ball when it's out of joint or in the air.
What England did in the first inning in Manchester was fantastic. They scored almost six in an over, but they did it for 592 points. Many teams have bursts of fast scoring in Test cricket, but doing it in 107 overs was great.
English teams hit teams when the conditions suit them. When the pitches are even, they don't mind hitting second. They won four draws and took Australia out three times. After 15 years of IPL, attitudes have changed. If you have good pitches, players are no longer embarrassed to bat last, because they do it in cricket in one day. The harassment has become second nature.
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