Former captain Michael Atherton has slammed England 's batting as being in the worst state he has ever seen in his cricketing life.
While not the sole cause of England's issues Down Under, the batting order's ongoing woes have helped Australia to confirm a series victory after the first three of five Tests.
In truth, the hosts have barely had to break a sweat in order to do so, so little has the threat been when the tourists have been at the crease, and are now threatening to pull off another whitewash.
Only captain Joe Root has come away with any sort of pride intact from his performances with the bat in his hand, with everyone else in the top order stuttering every time.
And even the skipper was powerless to prevent his side being skittled for 68 in the lowest point yet as Australia didn't even need a second innings to secure victory in the third Test with a meagre 267.
Writing in his column for The Times, Atherton described the last hour of that Boxing Day Test as having had "an apocalyptic feel" and made his feelings about the state of England's batting crystal clear.
"Although one has to beware knee-jerk reactions after losing a Test by an innings and 14 runs to go 3-0 down in a series, it would be fair to say that English batsmanship is at a nadir," he wrote.
"Never before in my association with the game – and surely rarely in the whole history of English cricket – has the standard of batting been so poor, the options so thin.
"The only bit of good news is that the template for excellence is staring them in the face, and sitting in the same dressing room.
"The latest shocker, 68 all out in a session’s worth of cricket, was the worst of a litany of horrendous collapses throughout the year.
"Thirteen times now they have been bowled out below 200 – eight times below 150 and twice below 100. The collective average over these three Tests is the worst in an Ashes series for more than 100 years.
"There is a statistic that has had Australians rolling in the aisles, namely that "extras" are now the third-highest scorer for England this year, after Root and Rory Burns."
He did have some praise for captain Root, though, who he says has dealt with the responsibility of being skipper admirably and with no cost to his own individual performances.
"Amid the carnage, Root, 30, has stood tall, posting a significant sequence of scores, doubly remarkable given his status as captain," Atherton continued.
"He is in his fifth year in the role now, the point at which most of his predecessors had already checked out, form having withered away under the burdens of leadership.
"Root’s form has not only survived the onslaught but prospered... With bat in hand, he wears his responsibility lightly."
