What gets them the most is soft resistance. After the first two days of this third Test, everyone, friend or foe, was full of praise for an England team who appeared to be missing out on the breaks but who displayed terrific team spirit, plenty of old-fashioned grit and some

talent. For virtually an hour yesterday morning these attributes were on show again as two feisty competitors, Nasser Hussain and Mark Ramprakash, batted with comfort against the spinning ball. It took a supreme piece of fast bowling by Glenn McGrath to split them and then, depressingly, humiliatingly, embarrassingly, England fell apart.

The last five wickets fell in 21 balls for the addition of just 17 runs. This followed extreme collapses in Brisbane - four for 15 at the end of the first innings - and Perth - four for one in six balls at the end of the second innings. To hear Australians whinge ought to be a joy. But they are beginning to whinge about England's lack of skill and, during this ghastly day, about a lack of stomach, which is hard to take.

These collapses are not new. In fact, they are chronic. Last summer, against South Africa at Lord's, England slid shamefully from a cosy 222 for three to a cock-up of 233 for nine. At the end of the tour to the Caribbean last winter, Hussain and Graham Thorpe were bravely saving the fifth Test in Antigua when Hussain's run-out led to a fall from a dizzy 295 for three to a desolate 321 all out. No one down the order can tough it out at the highest level. It seems as simple as that.

However, it won't do to blame the tail for the malaise in England's batting. The tail contributes to the problem by not contributing, so to speak, but the top half of the order are the ones letting down the side. By heaven, seven of them were chosen here and did not do the business. Since the first Ashes Test at

Edgbaston 18 months ago, England have played 19 further Test matches and in the first innings of each of those have managed to score more than 350 on only four occasions. If a Test team are to compete with a real hope of winning, they have to score runs in the first innings.

England's best batsmen perform as a unit spasmodically - one day Bloggs, the next Biggins. Some consistent 30s and 40s would do in support of the player who is having his day but too often, key men get out between nought and 10, which leads to sudden collapse.

Michael Atherton has not scored regularly or heavily for two years. Mark Butcher's form is up and down like the deutschemark. Alec Stewart is suffering from his many responsibilities, whatever he may think - remember those long, resilient occupations of the crease in the Caribbean last winter when he was neither captain nor wicketkeeper. Graeme Hick and John Crawley have no more or less permanency as England batsmen than they have ever done, which is why the debate surrounding them is ongoing. Thorpe is in England, injured, which is as bad as it gets for him and the team. Only Ramprakash and Hussain are doing themselves true justice and they cannot alone resist Australia.

England are often exposed in Australia and never more so than yesterday. Right now, both nations need these batsmen to show some gumption to ensure that Australia really earn everything that they achieve.