It will be interesting to see what happens in February/March next year during Australia's tour of South Africa when the South Africans, unlike the English, return fire with fire.
Not only will South Africa be playing at home with the home crowd behind them, they also have much bigger guns in all three departments, batting, bowling and fielding not to mention playing with skill, dedication and determination whilst at the same time using their brains, none of which the England team can claim to have if their performances or lack thereof thus far in the Ashes are anything to go by.
When South Africa fight back and return anything and everything Australia tosses at them and with interest to boot it will be interesting to see how the Aussies react.
Personally, I played cricket at the grass roots level for decades and can't remember a game whether it be at junior level starting from the u/12s through to my very last season where sledging wasn't a part of the game.
My response to the sledging I received was always to harden my resolve, double my effort and my concentration to make the opposition pay for the things they were saying and doing.
It's embarrassing at international level that you would allow yourself to become so rattled by opposition sledging. You have two choices, either say nothing and feed off it by using it as extra motivation or respond in kind with both verbals and the act of taking wickets and scoring runs.
There is no way back for England from this as they are mentally shattered. They would have to make wholesale changes to get anywhere. Ballance and Bairstow would have to come in as would Finn and Rankin, but I can't see them doing anything other than replacing one of the spinners with Bresnan.
3-0 to the Aussies here we come. Hopefully Australia bat first in Perth because if England bat first instead we'll be lucky to make it to stumps on Day 3.
