Awful England staring down the barrel

England's dismal capitulation in the fourth Ashes Test will, barring rain and miracles, be completed today with Australia needing just five wickets to inflict the worst defeat in many years on their hosts.

To have stood any chance of saving the game England needed to make quick inroads into the Australian batting on Saturday, but they didn't and Michael Clarke (93) and Marcus North (110) took Australia out of sight before a flourish from the tail took the score to 445 - a lead of 343.

England's openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook started solidly but when Strauss fell with the score on 58 another awful batting collapse unfolded, with Ravi Bopara getting a golden duck and Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood and Cook all losing their wickets to leave England 82-6 -still 261 runs from forcing Australia to bat again.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:Vic Marks, the Observer: "There is barely a consolation to be found. England's batting has been hopeless, their bowling hapless. Within the space of two days, the momentum of this oscillating series is all with Australia. England's fate was probably sealed in the 23rd over of their second innings when Ben Hilfenhaus dismissed Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara with consecutive deliveries, which triggered another collapse. In the final session, five wickets fell in 39 minutes."

Simon Wilde, the Sunday Times: "After two more hard sessions in the field they lost five wickets in a disastrous final 40 minutes. Wicket to wicket, the five fell in the space of 44 balls. There can be no escape from here. There doesn’t deserve to be. The series is destined to go into the final game at The Oval next week at 1-1, with England needing a win to regain the Ashes, but their middle order now lies in ruins."

Scyld Berry, Sunday Telegraph: "At Headingley, England have been crushed, humiliated and found lacking in fundamental resolve. As it is bred in the bone, this is not something which a cricketer can learn or acquire. Hence Australia will surely keep the Ashes until a new, tougher generation of English cricketers emerges."

James Pandaram, Sydney Morning Herald: "This Headingley humiliation will surely end inside three days, with England having neither the nerve nor talent to hold out a rejuvenated pace attack exposing every weakness in a brittle order." ·