MITCHELL JOHNSON: Jofra Archer sledging Steve Smith too little too late as England fight to rescue Ashes

Two things grabbed me by the collar in the second Test, and both told a clear story about where Australia and England sit in the battle for the Ashes.

The first was that over by Jofra Archer to Steve Smith, when Archer and Ben Stokes went at Smith verbally as the Aussies were close to completing an eight-wicket victory.

For a moment, it genuinely made me laugh and got the blood pumping like I’d slipped the baggy green back on.

Classic Ashes verbals, plenty of chest-out energy, but let’s be honest, it was all a bit late from England and especially from their main quick. Leaving that sort of attitude and fire until the second-last over of the entire match says more than they probably realise.

Archer bending his back, bowling fast, letting the emotion spill a little, I actually loved seeing it. It’s great theatre.

But if that’s the gear they want to reach, it needs to show up on day one, not when the result is already heading in one direction.

Otherwise, it looks like exactly what it felt like, something done for appearances, a bit of “look at us, we’re going hard now.”

This is what we were told to be worried about with England’s bowling attack.

And funny thing about it all is Archer still hasn’t rattled or got Smith out. All the hype, all the words in the world mean nothing if you can’t deliver and Archer isn’t alone on that front.

And that rolls into the bigger picture. England now trails 2-0 in the series, and it’s extremely hard to see them pulling off any comeback from here. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but it’s not a position you want to be in as a travelling team.

All that early confidence, all that talk about their talent and fearless cricket, well, it’s starting to look like finger pointing and excuses.

Stokes’ post-match interview said a lot, and so did the coach’s comments on their “over preparation”.

Really? We’ve all been there after a loss, trying to find words, trying to hide disappointment, trying not to say something that will blow up in the media.

England have done all this to themselves and because of all the talk before this series had even begun, they are now left searching for answers - but only in a positive manner as their approach will be the same: no negative comments and no accountability.

I saw Stuart Broad make a comment on England only being at 20 per cent of their ability.

Again, on paper, all this talk is just that. Australia are doing it with bat, ball and in the field (including Alex Carey’s brilliance behind the stumps). Keep talking as you please, but you don’t win by talking or making excuses.

Even more concerning for England was how quickly the Bazball script vanished in their second innings.

Well, Joe Root showed in the first innings that if you bat like a Test cricketer, the results will come.

Stokes and Will Jacks saw what the Aussie lower order did and knew they had to knuckle down, play traditional Test cricket, defend when needed, and grind Australia’s bowlers into the dirt.

Ironically, that’s exactly what Bazball was supposed to avoid - overthinking, hesitating, second-guessing, putting a price on your wicket. But when the pressure’s on, teams revert to what they truly trust. England clearly don’t know what that is right now.

Meanwhile, Australia look like a side that understands their game, their moments, and their roles.

They’re making small wins matter. The bowlers are disciplined. A few batters have now spent time in the middle and look far more settled.

True confidence isn’t loud, it’s calm. And that’s the feeling coming out of the Aussie rooms.

Tactics must be flexible and adaptable. Carey coming up to the stumps took away from the England batsmen’s movement down the pitch to the Aussie quicks.

It was a simple and effective plan that England had no answer to because of their mindset and inability to adapt.

You don’t want to get ahead of yourself in an Ashes series, but Australia would be feeling good without getting complacent. The job now is simple: reset, head to Adelaide, and win each moment the game throws up.

Nothing flashy, nothing reactive, just hard, old-fashioned Test cricket.

As for England, the pile-on will continue. Their own fans will start asking the same questions the rest of the cricketing world is asking if they haven’t been already. Talent alone won’t save them.

They need a plan that’s more than slogans, more than catchphrases, and certainly more than waiting until the last over to show some fire.

Right now, Australia are doing the basics better. They’re doing the big moments better. And they look like a team ready to put the foot down even harder.