England had absolutely no right to escape from Adelaide with a draw. And, surprise, surprise, they didn't. But in the first innings, crass team selection could be blamed for England's demise. This time round, with rain in the air, the only guilty party was crass shot selection. Say what you like about the majesty of Australia's attack. At the start of play, England knew only too well that they were a session, maybe two, from a potentially apocalyptic downpour. In the first innings, after Michael Vaughan had batted England into their strongest bargaining position of the tour, the tail surrendered the initiative through no great fault of their own. This time they simply surrendered, and at a time that should have suited their resolute, if inept, techniques - runs were of absolutely no consequence.

But Robert Key's dismissal in the third over of the day set a wearily familiar tone. In the week before the Test, Key scored a monumental 174 not out against Australia A to rescue an equally lost cause. But he demonstrated he had learned nothing from the experience by plugging a long-hop into the hands of Darren Lehmann at midwicket, and at 40 for 4, England were once again a wicket away from the inevitable demise.

And yet, while Vaughan and Alec Stewart were adding 74 for the fifth wicket - 71 more runs than four-down had provided in three previous innings - hope sprung eternal. Vaughan, who is in such stunning form that he backed himself to middle Warne's spitting legbreaks from out of the rough, once again demonstrated that he has succeeded Michael Atherton as England's most wanted man. No fast bowler on earth should have to resort to the type of full-length, sprawling dive that Glenn McGrath pulled off to send Vaughan on his way. It was the ultimate accolade from his most persistent adversary. For anyone else, he probably wouldn't have bothered.

Even then, England were only five-down, only half of their team had been dismissed. But the subsequent clatter of spikes on the pavilion floor and the panicky application of pads and gloves was demeaning and depressing. The less said about Craig White's dismissal the better. For the second time in the match, he executed a brainless swat at a ballooning bouncer, but whereas in the first innings, he could almost be forgiven - after the first day, England had earned the right to take an attacking approach - this time, with Alec Stewart going strong, his duty was simply to loiter. And loiter he had, to the tune of 5 runs in 50 balls, until his latest aberration.

The rain came and went in tantalising bursts, but with it went England's application. Stewart fell to the very next ball after White's demise, Steve Harmison played a pointless paddle, and even Richard Dawson, who earned a Pyrrhic victory over McGrath with four fours in five balls, was guilty of negligence when flinging his bat in search of a fifth.

When all is said and done, the denouement will pale into insignificance. Vaughan's magnificence will forever shine out of the scorecard, as will Ricky Ponting's 154, and the fact that England lost by an innings inside four days will stand as testament to yet another mismatch. But for today at least, England were given the remotest chance of an undeserved salvation. And they didn't even try to take it.

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