England need some honest reflection as failed 'Jon Ball' all but ends Ashes hopes | Women's Ashes

timeThe only time I saw Meg Lanning cry was after the 2017 World Cup semi-final. Australia were unexpectedly hammered by Harmanpreet Kaur and were sent away in a tournament they had the best chance of winning. Lanning is trying to make sense of it all, but she's so frustrated you can hear her voice shaking.

What happened after that is well documented: Lanning left determined not to experience failure again. She built a brutal dynasty that won the next four World Cups, Commonwealth Games gold and every Ashes series.

Fast forward seven years to October 2024, and Australia was once again eliminated by South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals. Their response was much the same as in 2017: they regrouped, beat India and New Zealand in the ODI series, and took a 6-0 lead in the Ashes series. They have defended 180 points deep in the past week, last seen in Hobart on Friday after record performances from their number six Ash Gardner and number eight Georgia Wareham to score over 300 score.

There are plenty of alternatives to England's response to some of their recent high-profile defeats. Just a year ago, they endured their worst Test performance in a generation, losing to India by 347 runs. In October, they completely lost their minds in the T20 World Cup and were unexpectedly knocked out by the West Indies. Now they are on the verge of Ashes defeat after squandering what should have been a winning position in the second ODI in Melbourne.

Failure is common – this is an international sport. How the team responds to failure is key. Face the problem head-on, be honest about the problem, show humility: it’s all critical. Defeat hurts, but it makes a team stronger. Australia is a microcosm of this.

So, how should England deal with failure? Obviously, either try to pretend it doesn't matter or come up with convenient excuses.

Heather Knight blamed the failure on environmental conditions. The skipper has repeatedly dismissed criticism of the West Indies defeat, saying England “haven't become a bad team because we haven't performed well in ten overs at the World Cup” – a stunning feat, But ignoring that they were the only ones in the ten rounds when they came under any pressure.

Knight seemed equally unhappy with England's third defeat in three Ashes matches on Friday, claiming they were “leading for most of the chase” while blithely failing to mention when England tried to catch Australia's A miserable 6-for-22 from the field while accelerating.

England may respond that the real post-mortem is taking place in the dressing room. But actions speak louder than words. What leadership or personnel changes have we seen over the past 18 months? There isn't any. England made a bold big move after the World Cup, dropping Alice Capsey for the T20 match against South Africa, but two weeks later her replacement Paige Schofield England have recalled Paige Scholfield after her injury.

How about changing up the bat approach? No. Even in the face of any evidence that the approach worked, England retained absolute faith in the unbridled attack with the bat – a style of play the players nicknamed “Jo” after their coach Jon Lewis. Ern Bauer”.

“We need to be more brave with the bat,” was Knight's verdict after the second ODI, apparently ignoring the fact that Charlie Dean and Sophie Ecclestone gave up what they should have done with needlessly reckless shots. Solid, direct run chase. Is she watching the same game as us? It sometimes feels like England is a member of a cult and that Lewis is the supreme, unmistakable leader of that cult.

England are yet to lose the Ashes, but defeat in any of the three T20 matches would seal their fate: just a week into the series, they are already in the salon of their last chance. How should England react? From a personnel perspective, they have few options: Freya Kemp, Danny Gibson and Lindsay Smith have all joined the T20 squad, but Kemp and Gibson are recovering from injuries, while Smith ( As a pitcher) it's hard to be the answer to hitting woes.

Some are calling for Amy Jones' head to be chopped off after she forgot to run out the final ball in Melbourne's chase, leaving Lauren Bell exposed. But who will take away the gloves? Bess Heath was the official substitute but was not trusted in the role during England's tour of Ireland last year.

All England can do is take the time for some honest reflection. Because the worst part about them falling 6-0 is that none of it is a surprise. England under Lewis batted recklessly. England under Lewis did not cope well with pressure. They can shrug it off, as they have for 18 months, and continue to look the other way — or they can finally admit that Jon Ball doesn't have a job. Then, and only then, can they do what Lanning did all those years ago: shed a few tears and move on to build something better.