The guilty trio were Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Harry Brook – all three pushing with loose drives.
Ben Duckett nicked Scott Boland to slip to begin the collapse and five other wickets followed later but those three wickets in six balls were Australia’s crucial blow.
Pope got a snick off Boland, Brook a thick edge third ball off the Victorian while a Root inside edge to his eighth ball crashed back on to his stumps to give Mitchell Starc a ninth scalp.
Analysts CricViz have an ‘Expected Leave’ model for every delivery tracked in Test cricket and historical data suggests Pope’s delivery would have been left 72% of times on average, Brook’s 68 and Root’s also 72.
That, though, is not England’s way.
“I am so disappointed,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan.
“From that position of dominance, to lose nine wickets and three big drives – the same mistakes two years later…
“What you look for is: are you improving, are you getting better?
“This England team, at the worst possible time when they have had the best team for the conditions in Perth, have made exactly the same mistakes as 2023.
“That is inexcusable.”
