SECOND TEST - DAY FIVE

Flooding rains arrive too late to save Australia

Yesterday I said that only a tsunami like storm on the last day could save Australia from the ignominy of defeat by an innings. The funny thing is, if the Australian batsmen had shown even a modicum of application, they need only have hung on for little more than two hours more and sanctuary in the shape of a deluge of biblical proportions that was to leave the Adelaide Oval under a flood of water thus rendering any further play impossible would have saved the day.

However, as an Australian, I have always viewed reliance on the elements to save a test match to be a spineless way to save face. You either find a way to win, or you go down with all guns blazing trying to win.

Today, Australia did neither. The capitulation was so meek as to invite the obvious question of whether this combination has any belief in their own abilities. The team of even two years ago still would have had at least enough ability to bat the three and a half session required to save the match with the oncoming storm doing the rest.

Today, the white flag was run up before lunch. A spectacular collapse of six for sixty six left even the most optimistic Englishmen wondering how easy it ended up being.

Hussey was out after a miscued pull shot off Finn flew straight to Anderson at mid on who completed the simple catch. Hussey made a fine fifty two and was one of the few Australian batsmen who can hold his head high.

Oh dear! Mike Hussey miscues a pull shot off Finn and Australia's faint hopes of saving the test went with him

Haddin was out next, caught behind by Prior off the probing Anderson for twelve. Harris followed immediately for a king pair padding up to a sharp inswinger from Anderson who was now on a hattrick. Marcus North was out next, LBW to Swann for twenty two - surely his last test innings?

Doherty was bowled by Swann for five and then Siddle was last man out for six - also bowled by Swann who picked up his maiden five wicket haul against Australia.

It's over! Peter Siddle is bowled by Swann ending the test.

It seems to me that the Australian selectors would still be delusional enough to think they have a chance of selecting a combination that is capable of winning the series. On what I have seen from these two tests - it simply isn't going to happen.

On SEN (24 hour Melbourne sports talk back station), nearly every call accepted that this series is gone and that the selectors must start picking a team for the future NOW. The calls were overwhelmingly of the tenor of "even if the kids lose every test this summer, it would be better than watching 35 year olds with no improvement left in them going around again".

As I noted not so long ago in discussion with friends, the team in the first test was a carbon copy of the team that lost the Ashes at the Oval in 2009. They are not eighteen months better, just eighteen months older...and so it has proved.

However, even I could not have predicted that the collapse would be so swift and so complete. Katich's career is effectively over. Achilles tendons take time to heal - and he doesn't have time. So sad to see him hobbling so badly while he was batting one last time.

I salute his courage.

Doherty will never be seen again. Not his fault. Just not up to it.

North is finished. A good County cricketer - that's it.

The rest of the summer should simply be an audition of kids to see who has the right stuff.

But I am dreaming, the Australian selections under Andrew Hilditch have never been forward thinking. The bottom of the barrel is not enough to convince the National Selection Panel that regeneration is needed.

As for the English test team - congratulations, you won because you played the better cricket.