For England, it's over. The Ashes have been conceded, after three straight defeats, to an Australian side that (at home at least) has proved itself manifestly superior. While England have won four times at home on the trot, and once in Australia during this interval, in the three away series they have lost, the score is currently 13 played, 13 lost, which should give some food for thought. All three games this year have gone into the fifth day; but in all three games, the victor was clear. Another 5-0 drubbing appears on the cards. And three times in about a year England have lost by an innings after scoring in excess of 400 in their first innings. The vaunted England bowling attack, so unplayable at home, just doesn't appear to have what it takes when the ball isn't swinging. It's true, home advantage has grown in test matches in recent years; but England's last 10 away matches have seen eight losses (including their first ever defeat to Bangladesh) and just one win (also against Bangladesh). Something isn't right here. It's also interesting to think that when Pakistan last toured England little more than a year ago, both teams were vying for the position of "best team in the world". But both have had rude awakenings since.
Here's my current test world rankings, in which the new realities are quite clear:
India 200
Australia 135 +13
South Africa 102
New Zealand 73
England 30 -13
Sri Lanka 29
Pakistan -27
West Indies -86
Bangladesh -135
Zimbabwe -320
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