5 players England must sack after the Ashes whitewash

3. The third bowler: Chris Tremlett/Tim Bresnan

While it is beyond any doubt that the fundamental cause of England’s downfall was their deflated batting, it must be noted that the Australians were making runs for fun at the fag end of the series. James Anderson was in the conversation in the debate about the best Test bowler prior to this series but he has lost a lot of his sheen.

He went wicketless in several innings of the match and was often scored off at a heavy run-rate. Stuart Broad was the man Australia wanted to hurt but he was the lone man who came out unscathed. He is a leader whose potential England can exploit if they do decide to give Alastair Cook a break. However, the cause of concern for England’s bowling department is the third seamer.

Tim Bresnan has been given the nod by England but this series proved what many thought deep in their hearts. He is not a threat comparable to Broad and Anderson and relieves pressure at one-end without making those relevant breakthroughs. He lacks breath-taking pace, prodigious or late swing, troubling movement off the pitch and he is not the accurate work-horse that Peter Siddle is. He is a bit-part player who is exposed in harsh testing conditions.

Chris Tremlett was given the go-ahead by England in the first test and he wasn’t horrible. He bowled his lengths but lacked that pace that makes his height come into play. It might be time that England explored a few new options. The positive is that they have some back-up in all-rounder Ben Stokes.