The Light Roller: There is no single model for success but leadership is key

Diary of a cricket obsessive

England coach Andy Flower (L) and captain Alastair Cook (R) (GETTY IMAGES)

How many Englishmen does it take to beat Australia? More than eighteen

As I passed a fellow cricket fan on the office escalators yesterday we struggled to look each other in the eye. 'Let's not talk about cricket,' he muttered, 'ever again'. Sure enough, if English cricket hadn't been cremated in 1882, it would certainly be dead and buried after the latest catastrophe. The only further chat would be at the funeral.

But of course we will talk about it. All of us who love the game, and who love to loathe it from time to time as well. There is, in fact, a need to talk about Kevin and the seventeen - yes seventeen - other players who made an appearance in the latest Ashes instalment.

The last time England came close to using so many players in a series was in that peculiar five-match rubber of 2008-09 in the Caribbean, which England contrived to lose 1-0 and which featured seventeen Englishmen. That was thoroughly dismal in its way but at least it promised to herald a new era, with Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower at the helm for the first time. The Australian debacle has apparently closed an epoch but it is, as yet, unclear just how much change there will be.

England need more control as well as more runs

Plenty of experienced commentators have analysed the players' performances: Pietersen, it is said, is disengaged, Cook is a naïve captain, Bairstow and Borthwick are apparently not up to it. Poor old Ben Stokes, meanwhile, is the saviour of the English game. Frankly, time will tell.

But individuals aside (and for those who think it's just a question of needing players with more grit, just remember that the last time England were so humiliated, against New Zealand in 1999, the top order included Atherton, Stewart, Hussain and Thorpe), some of the collective stats are shocking.

England's inability to score 400 has been well-documented. But consider too their recent lack of control with the ball. In the last five tests England's bowlers sent down 850.2 overs, of which 136 were maidens. By contrast, Australia bowled 209 maidens out of 746. Even allowing for specific match circumstances that's a staggering differential.

Fun is not a prerequisite to winning

The Aussies have clearly had a blast in this series and there will be plenty of focus on the fun approach beloved of the man they call Boof, set against the inflexible and over-coddled English set-up.

There is, as there always is in such matters, a grain of truth here. But the fact is, there is no particular model for attaining or sustaining greatness. Some have played the underdog (New Zealand), others the cornered tiger (Pakistan). The West Indies were a force in the 70s and 80s for a whole host of reasons. Australia made themselves the best team in the world by utter willpower (see the Steve Waugh one-legged ton of 2001). England oversaw a top-down change in its entire cricketing culture to overcome years of under-performance.

There are two factors which link great teams: great players and, usually, great leaders. The question for England right now is whether they have either in sufficient quantity.

Kerrigan and Borthwick need to be nurtured

Poor Scott Borthwick seems to have 'done a Kerrigan'. Brought in for a one-off test having not been in the original squad, playing in a side devoid of confidence and control, and generally expected to be a bit of a bright spark; two low scores and a handful of full-tosses later he finds himself at the mercy of every analyst's review. And several have concluded, as they did with Kerrigan, that he isn't ready.

But why were expectations so high? Borthwick has effectively had to reinvent himself as an all-rounder to secure his place in the Durham first XI. He barely bowled any long spells at Chester-le-Street last summer. And he is a leg-spinner, the most quixotic bowler there can be. Frankly, four wickets on debut shouldn't be sniffed at, whatever the circumstances.

With some luck, the Lions Tour to Sri Lanka after Christmas should tell us more about both Borthwick and Kerrigan.  Realism should tell us they are probably the best we've got, so let's show some faith.

@berkowillgore