Before we start calling for heads to roll. Let's examine the reasons why England got whitewashed.
1. Australia are a very motivated team still smarting from the 3-0 last summer
2. Some of their key players played very well. Mitchell Johnson, when he gets it right is very hard to play on pitches with any bounce. Haddin got them out of jail lots of times.
3. Finn lost form and confidence at the wrong time. This didn't leave enough time to get Rankin or Tremlett bedded into the team. This shouldn't be underestimated. An on-form Finn could have made the breakthrough in any of the 4 tests where Australia batted first and were 5 or 6 down.
4. Some key England players lost form. Notably Cook, Trott, Anderson, Swann, Finn and Prior.
For the next Ashes, it will be very different team from both sides. England will be without Prior, Pietersen, Anderson, probably Trott, and maybe Bell. Australia will be without several players including Haddin and Johnson.
Australia deserve a lot of credit for their performances. It wasn't just about England crumbling, it was England crumbling under a relentless and sustained Australian onslaught.
