The gulf is just enormous. Wide enough to decide the Ashes. While Australia's middle order have been averaging exactly 72.33 in the first three Tests, the England figure is a desperate 15.78, undoing the good work Atherton, Trescothick and Butcher have sometimes managed to do.

One of the reasons for this must be the fact that while the Australian order has been unchanged throughout the series so far (Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Damien Martin and Adam Gilchrist), England have had three different line-ups. Mainly because of injury, seven players have appeared in positions four to seven: Nasser Hussain, Ian Ward, Alec Stewart, Usman Afzaal, Graham Thorpe, Mark Ramprakash and Craig White.

The most startling difference is between the respective Number 7s, of course. While Gilchrist's three innings have been 152, 90 and 54, the highest score by an England Number 7 has been Ian Ward's 23 not out at Lord's.

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