It will be interesting how this will be received if it doesn’t benefit the rest of the series. I was sitting at the breakfast table before the fourth day at Lord’s and former England greats came up to me and said, ‘We’re wasting our talent,’ the DailyMail quoted Ponting as saying.

But all we hear from the locker room is how they attract all the talent. It’s already started, and if this Ashes gets worse for England, the noise will become significant, he added.

However, Ponting also praised England coach Brandon McCullum and said: He led New Zealand this way in one-day cricket and that led them to the World Cup final. I saw him coaching Big Bash teams when it was all-out attack, every ball. So I’m not surprised or surprised at the players England picked as a result. It’s an exciting, gritty style of play.