England’s Ashes approach is confusing the brains of the next generation of cricket | Mark Ramprakash

TThe cracks are starting to show in this England team and in the narrative we have been fed for three years after another defeat. Their identity of always choosing the aggressive option and relentlessly pressuring their opponents does not stand up to scrutiny. So far in this series, they haven’t had the power needed to accomplish this, nor have they had the skills.

I was confident they could win the Ashes this time, especially as I thought there was quality in the squad and they had adapted their game to add intelligence and adaptability to their arsenal. It becomes clear that none of these beliefs were entirely true. And meanwhile, at home, I’m seeing things that make me worry that this team is ruining not just this series, but an entire generation of young cricketers.

In their first innings at the Gabba, Australia added 189 for the last four wickets, and how did they do it? They were ruthless, courageous, determined and had the big picture in mind. After the brilliant Joe Root’s stunning, stylish century, England showed none of these qualities until the fourth day, when they were already heading for almost certain defeat.

At this point Ben Stokes and Will Jacks showed the adaptability I would have hoped for more of, as the two faced 220 balls in a batting partnership of 96. Stokes has proven many times that he is a highly adaptable cricketer, capable of batting in different styles at different times, and here we saw that quality again. But he sees none of that adaptability in his players, who have been bombarded with messages for three years about taking the aggressive option that moves the game forward.

Obviously I don’t know what’s being said in the locker room, but there’s not a lot of nuance in what they say to the media or how they play on the field. We need to see more of it if the game can be won. There are times when advancing in the game means scoring quickly, and there are times when it means showing grit, fight and determination when the game is on the line to make sure it goes your way.

My concern is that all of this will have real long-term consequences. I work with guys in provincial tracks and they are absolutely confused. Provinces bombard young players with talk of power hitting, reverse sweeping and aggression. In recent weeks I have spoken to three boys, all from different provinces, and when I asked about their batting, all three told me that they are hyper-aggressive and want to score with every ball. One thing we have seen in this series, and in Test history, is that on pitches that are a bit of a stretch, that bounce unevenly, and against bowlers of the highest skill, that is not going to be possible.

The really amazing thing is that there is a different approach and that England have the best in the world in the dressing room. But no one seems to be looking for the next Root, and England certainly haven’t tried to pick anyone else with anything like his skills. They say: we like what he does, but we have something better, more fun and more successful. And we see the limitations of that philosophy in every game.

There are players in this team who have technical problems, which is a completely different problem, and others whose problems are related to their mentality. Harry Brook is a great player who will have a great career, but his dismissal in the first innings was astonishing in the context of the match situation, the changing light, the fact that Stokes was next and that Mitchell Starc would probably be back quite soon. England have zero chance of winning the Ashes while the players are so carefree.

The bowling showed similar problems. I was so frustrated when I saw how fast Jofra Archer bowled at the start of Australia’s second innings – it was irrelevant at the time, as Steve Smith apparently told him. I thought he would have gotten a lot more out of that field given his pace, length and accuracy, but if he hasn’t done what I expected him to do so far, he’s one of many. While Starc is of course a great player, Australia’s attack in this match was not incredible, but it was incredibly disciplined and very well led. When they had a bad spell at the start of England’s second innings, they quickly identified it, had a chat at the next break and went back to basics.

What a contrast to their opponents. In Brisbane, barely 5% of England’s deliveries in Australia’s first innings are said to have hit the stumps. That was on a pitch that bounced unevenly. To me that shows a lack of discipline, a lack of accuracy and a lack of clarity in their plans. Meanwhile, Michael Neser, a bowler of very English style – not fast pace but very accurate – took six wickets in the match. There were just too many bad deliveries from a group of English bowlers who couldn’t exert any sort of control, and they went all over the park.

Brendon McCullum suggested England had probably trained too much and spoke about the need for more variety in their practice schedule, which was a fascinating comment. I think he may have been referring to the limitations of training in nets, which they have been largely limited to due to their lack of match practice. Now they’re heading to Noosa for a mini-golf holiday.

This is a very talented group of players, but we are seeing a mentality that has lost its nuance after three years of consistent reporting. From what Stokes said after the game, I think he has become aware of this, and it seemed like he was planning to have some very honest conversations with his players before they head to Adelaide. Maybe their training needs to change, but so does their attitude. And if those responsible cannot achieve that in the next three tests, there will be a strong argument for changing that too.