Tenacity against setbacks has been Atherton's strongest quality, but it is becoming increasingly likely that his status will hinge on England's showing in the final Test, which starts at the Oval tomorrow.

England's management have disclosed they were furious with the team generally about the manner of the defeat in the fifth Test at Nottingham, and Atherton himself commented wryly this week that the Australians must have poured Domestos on the cockroach.

Atherton did not seem to be held responsible in any way for that 264-run defeat, though the question whether he will remain in charge has been left in the pending tray until after the match finishes.

David Graveney, chairman of selectors, has frequently said that he would like Atherton to continue as captain after the Ashes series - one opinion among three selectors - and he said yesterday that speculating over Atherton's tenure would be damaging. ``It would be an insult to his integrity to apply any kind of pressure,'' he said. ``I don't want to deflect him in any way from his job - which is to captain this team. My priority is to pick the right time to discuss it.''

Though Australia retained the Ashes at Trent Bridge, the Oval Test is no dead match for England. Important questions remain to be answered.

David Lloyd said he had spoken to the team in ``very strong'' terms after the Trent Bridge defeat, implying this was the worst he had felt during his term as England coach.

``I didn't, surprisingly, lose my temper,'' he said. ``I just said it as it is. Losing seven wickets in 35 overs is unsatisfactory, to say the least. They know they messed up big-time.''

Lloyd admitted yesterday that the gap between England and Australia was as wide as ever. ``We lost the Ashes because we haven't put meaningful partnerships together, and we didn't perform well individually.

``We must eradicate the bad session. It's not good enough to say England played well - in patches. It's got to be a consistent level of performance, and it's taking time.

``I admire the opposition, the way they maintain a good level of performance and their technique, with high fitness levels and mental toughness. If I could quote one of our players, he said, 'We want to be them'.

``The merry-go-round - change the captain, change the coach, change the chairman - is not the answer.''

Probably only Atherton himself can assess when he wants the merry-go-round music to stop.