After all, England have been beaten comprehensively in the last five Ashes series. At times they have been embarrassing. In this match four years ago the hosts tucked happily into tripe sent down by various woebegone bowlers, supposedly the pride of the country. England must prove their right to be taken seriously, and to play a five-match series. And, anyhow, it is all part of the Australian bombardment and there's no point complaining about it. Australian scribes are duty bound to spin a yarn or no one will take a blind bit of notice. A thick skin is needed here. Respect has to be earned.

To watch the opening hours of this series was to feel strangely optimistic. In a show of spirit the players stood arms entwined as the ceremonies were eventually completed. Generally speaking, Englishmen cannot stand each other. Put two Poms on a bus and they will sit in opposite corners. Australians would sooner be talking about horses.

This display of unity was important. It is easy to take such matters lightly but a team as limited as these tourists must hold together or else they will swiftly become a rabble. It is especially important to stand firm under pressure. It is also easy to joke about all the assistants running around. Great Scott, nothing else has worked. Nor is there any harm in improving fitness, diet, health and thinking. Even the 'Team England' idea is tolerable, though a bit much.

Now is the time to support this attempt to restore former glories that once persuaded us to set our alarm clocks to 5.00am and to huddle under eiderdowns on cold winter mornings listening to the news from Brisbane or Melbourne as our players match themselves against the impossibly tough characters far away.

In those early hours England played well, bowling patiently and allowing their captain set attacking fields. Later Alec Stewart was condemned for spreading his men, yet his bowlers were as much to blame. Pinned down, the Australians lost early wickets to poorly executed drives. The top of their batting is not impregnable. This is not Woodfull, Ponsford and Bradman.

Hereabouts, England looked a drilled and disciplined team with a sound plan. But the test had not yet come. Unfortunately, England missed their moment by dropping Steve Waugh and Ian Healy. It is not wise to give these fellows another chance. I have been watching Waugh bat for 12 years and still cannot figure a way of getting him out. Bumpers and spinners no longer shake him. Swearing does not work either, because he either replies in his cryptic and unseen way or else stares piteously, not unlike Clint Eastwood when facing the fast bowlers of his day.

Regarding Healy, it is enough to point out that he has scored four hundreds in top-class cricket, all of them in Test matches. By and large, Ashes series are won by the great deeds of great cricketers. Australia has three great players, Waugh, Healy and Glenn McGrath. A certain leg-spinner may soon add to that number. England have none, merely a lot of stout-hearted yeomen.

Having failed to remove this formidable pair, the tourists lost their game, tried too hard to make amends. For the first time bowling grew erratic. England find runs hard to score and cannot give any away. Admittedly, they had little luck in the way of snicks with balls landing in empty spaces. Gough beat the bat enough to drive another man to drink. Incredibly, he kept smiling. No wonder he bowls so few maidens. He may be too easy-going to become a truly outstanding bowler.

Only Alan Mullally kept his form throughout. If he maintains this probing length he'll take lots of wickets. Here, he was the right bowler for a pitch offering bounce but not much movement. Andrew Caddick might also have been useful. Bounce is important in Test cricket. England's other bowlers were wayward. Gough was punished and the rest could not contain the batsmen. Indeed, they were easily handled by a tail meant to capitulate in a few minutes.

England did lose their way but they did not lose heart. Stewart's tactics can be criticised. He needed to slow the game down, needed to draw his men together. Needed to tell them to keep their length. Instead, he tried to protect the boundaries on both sides of the wicket. Few catches are taken at deep square leg and England should abandon this position. A strong slip cordon must be maintained as long as possible and properly arranged.

But it was not only the captain's fault. He was in the hands of his bowlers. Credit must be given to the Australians. Waugh does the simple things well, plays straight, takes his chances, gives nothing away. In the closing hour, England's batsmen seemed capable of matching him, but they cannot afford bad passages of the sort seen on Saturday or else they might as well go home now.