Stuart Broad believes England's interrupted preparation for the Ashes never gave them a chance of beating Australia on their home soil.
In a column for The Mail, the English fast bowler touched on many subjects of the tour so far, including the impacts of COVID and his personal lack of cricket in examining why the Poms have struggled to make an impact throughout the first three Tests.
“Both the energy and the mood in the camp is low,” Broad admitted.
“At the start of the tour, I said, partly tongue in cheek, that our preparation was at best average. Unfortunately, the truth in that statement has come to pass.
“Australia is one of the hardest places to win in Test cricket — look at the percentage of previous England victories here. To do so, everything needs to go in your favour,” Broad wrote towards the beginning of his piece.
The English certainly didn’t have an ideal preparation with their practice matches rained out, however it's understood they spent more time on Australian soil before an Ashes series than any touring England team prior.
Broad believes the touring party are “close to the end of their tether” with COVID, citing the bubbles multi-format players have been in, and referencing how being tested before day two of the Boxing Day Test took their attention away from cricket.
However, that day was arguably their best in the series, as they bowled Australia out cheaply before ultimately collapsing with the bat again in the final session.
Preparations for the fourth Test have also been compromised, England missing four coaches through COVID troubles including head coach, Chris Silverwood.
Australia’s last Test series on home soil resulted in a 2-1 loss to India and before the Ashes, Broad was hopeful of something similar.
“Part of the reason things feel so down within our camp is that while Australia are a good cricket team, they are not the best we have faced here and I still feel that, without Covid, an opportunity existed to do something special,” he wrote.
“However, the reality is we turned up undercooked while Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland and Jhye Richardson were playing state cricket.
“Yes, like us, Australia had players at the Twenty20 World Cup until mid-November. But was it a level playing field? Not really.
“Nevertheless, should we have done better? Absolutely. So we are frustrated with ourselves. It's not like we've played amazing cricket for 18 months, then come into the Ashes and failed. We've been making the same mistakes for a long time. Both at home and abroad.”
He went on to suggest losing the tosses in both Adelaide and Melbourne were also factors in the tourists' respective losses.
Adelaide was a batsman’s paradise and offered no swing for fast bowlers, while Melbourne was the opposite with its thick covering of grass leading to Australia captain Pat Cummins breaking tradition and bowling first.
While England won the toss in Brisbane, many saw it as a great toss to lose. As expected, it was a good time to bowl on Day 1 before batting conditions became better.
However the English couldn’t see out the first three sessions, and they fell within 51 overs after Joe Root backed his batters.
Silverwood is the sole selector of the squad and team under the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new format, and his decisions have caused plenty of debate.
He has been responsible for leaving Broad – one of England’s best fast bowlers of all time – out of the side on two occasions, as well as numerous changes to the batting line-up that haven’t paid dividends.
However, Broad himself defended the squad picked, and the format used to pick it.
“I can categorically say that these are the best players in the country. There is high quality within this group. I see it daily,” he continued.
“There has also been talk of the domestic game undergoing a reset to try to prepare the Test team better.
“How many times can you change the schedule? To be clear, County Championship cricket is very different to a Test match and the art of selection is picking the players you believe have the temperament, character and technique to cope with the top level.
“I don't think changes to the county structure will make a difference. The players are there, you just have to pick them out.”
Well into the twilight of his career, the English quick also reflected on his form and future, and suggested he has no immediate plans to retire.
Broad believes he may have had a greater influence on the series if he had played on the bowler-friendly pitches in Brisbane and Melbourne.
“As a wobble-seam bowler, I feel as though I missed out on two of the best wobble-seam pitches in Australia. Only playing once has made this a very disappointing trip, one that has not met my personal expectations,” he wrote.
“The biggest frustration is losing the Ashes, being 3-0 down and feeling like I've not really done anything. Not being able, as an experienced player, to influence a series while it's live is tough.
“Has it affected my hunger to play Test cricket? No. Looking at things pragmatically, I would argue that I won't get a better chance to take wickets than at Brisbane and Melbourne. But I must be ready for my next opportunity, whether that be in Sydney, Hobart or beyond.
“There is a long time between now and the tour of the Caribbean in March and I have never been one to make emotional decisions. So I'm not going to make any spur of the moment calls on my future.
“I feel fit, I've come back from the calf injury feeling strong and I'm taking wickets in the nets. That's all I can do given the lack of tour games and the tight schedule.”