Don't be fooled, England still superior team
England will be shaken by this defeat, but should not think of stirring things too much
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
England will be shaken by this defeat, but should not think of stirring things too much. There are still remarkable vulnerabilities within this Australia team, writes Mike Atherton in the Times.
No doubt there are those who will use the arrival of the families to point out that England's smooth-running tour has taken a sharp downturn. Do not be fooled by such nonsense. England was beaten by its own inadequacies in dealing with Perth's special conditions. It is nothing to do with nappies, buggies or dummies and all to do with the brutality of cricket in these parts. As suggested here before this game, Perth was always Australia's best chance of success.
England need to successfully combat Mitchell Johnson if they want to win the Ashes, writes Stephen Brenkley in the Independent.
Stuart Clark, in the Guardian, says James Anderson's sledging tactics against the Australians, especially Mitchell Johnson, may have backfired at the WACA.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo