BY the time you read this, England will almost certainly have lost their grip on the Ashes.

Barring an improbable turn of events in Perth, Australia will have opened up an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Even if England do manage to somehow snatch a draw, it is likely only to be a stay of execution with the Melbourne and Sydney Tests still to come.

We have seen little so far to suggest that Alastair Cook’s men have what it will take to wrestle things back in their favour.

Following such a spectacular summer, when England won their third successive Ashes series, what has happened Down Under has been nothing short of humiliation.

How the tables have turned. England have dominated the rivalry since 2009 but have been well and truly put in their place by the Baggy Greens over the past few weeks.

But should we really be surprised? The triumph in the summer, while filled with drama and excellent cricket, was not the one-way traffic the 3-0 scoreline seems to have suggested.

The first Test could have gone either way and the third was stopped early because of rain, with Australia very much in the box seat.

England deserved to win overall but they were given a few warnings by the Aussies and they don’t appear to have heeded them.