CAN’T bat, can’t bowl and can’t field.

That was how England were once famously referred to in one of our broadsheet newspapers.

I think it’s fair to say similar comments can now be directed at Australia in the wake of their Ashes humiliation.

There is not one department where the hosts have won – even the Barmy Army have outsupported the Aussies in their own backyard.

There is no praise high enough for the bowling attack – each and every one of them have been fantastic.

But the fact the batting line-up has been consistently brilliant and capable of massive totals has given their colleagues with the ball the platform to succeed.

Five England batsman (Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior) all averaged above 50 with the bat compared with just Mike Hussey on the other side.

Of those, Cook (128) and Trott (89) have stellar averages that have ground the Aussie attack into the ground.

And skipper Andrew Strauss was spot-on when he suggested this is only the beginning for his team.

After all, the average age of the team is 28 with only the captain himself and Swann over the age of 30 once Paul Collingwood is replaced. Apart from loss of form and injury, this England team can go on and challenge the top teams in the world for the next five years plus.

The Australians are so hurt by defeat that they have been re-scheduling the television listings to knock cricket shows off the box. It is a magnificent reversal in fortunes for England and is great for the game here.