Aussies offer solutions to England's 'fundamental weaknesses'

England lost the one-off Test against Australia by an innings inside three days

England need a reset and a new direction.

And if imitation is the greatest form of flattery, England should be heading en masse to the metaphorical Baggy Green shop.

I spoke to some Australians to find out what they'd do if they were in the England team's shoes.

Former international Mel Jones says it starts with honesty: "There can be no wishy-washy comments like 'we're close' or 'we're only a session away'. That's not right. There needs to be that reflection on personal, individual performances and team performance."

Compare that to what England's Alice Capsey said after the decisive second ODI where England failed to chase 180: "We can't control what they do, but what we can do is we can control how we plan, how we prepare and what we want to do when we go on to the pitch."

Then look at what Ashleigh Gardner said on Australia trying to put the world's best bowler Sophie Ecclestone off her game in the third ODI: "I tried to put pressure back on Ecclestone, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. I guess it made her change something, and that was what I was trying to do."

Semantics, or evidence of an underlying proactivity and aggression that permeates Australian cricketing culture?

England unable to 'accept constructive criticism'

There are deep, wider expectations of Australian athletes, says cricket writer Geoff Lemon: "What you see, whether that's men's or women's sport, is that there is a demand that you absolutely have to do every possible thing to be picked.

"It's about what it signals, about how seriously you're taking the job and how hard you're prepared to work. It's the signal that you have done the work and you're willing to keep doing the work."

Former Australian all-rounder Louise Broadfoot told me England struggle with facing reproach: "I just get the feeling that they are missing the ability to accept constructive criticism and just work on some really fundamental weaknesses."

Matthew Mott coached Australia to three ICC titles and agreed self-reflection is a vital component: "Some of the greats of the game - [Ellyse] Perry and [Meg] Lanning - admitting they made mistakes was very empowering for young players to put their hand up on how they can get better."

And Jones believes England need to follow a clear example on responsibility: "I would get people almost to say: 'You're going to sign up to a programme of accountability and if you don't want to do it, the door is that way. When you come back in, you're going to have to step up and step in'.

"You've got to make things uncomfortable. There's a privilege to play for your country. And at the moment, it feels as if people have got through to a certain stage with talent, yes, but are not getting challenged."

Lack of 'repercussions' due to 'lack of pressure outside'

The danger England must avoid is letting successful series at home to weaker opponents paper over the evident cracks.

Lemon has seen England struggle against Australia for many years: "You see players putting in performances of the type that we've seen, and there aren't really repercussions. There isn't that ruthlessness to demand the absolute best standard."

Jones believes the inevitable review must involve voices external to the England and Wales Cricket Board: "I wouldn't get it run by the ECB. The whole saying is 'culture eats strategy for breakfast'.

"I'm bringing in some different and innovative thoughts about successful high-performance cultures. And that might not all be sport, but got a collective of minds in the room to figure out what is going to work best for England."

Lemon cites particular value in Australia's settled domestic structure: "Across the state teams, there are another probably 10 or 11 players who could equally slot into this side and be just as good as anybody who's out there.

"A lot of the players who are in the England side who've been picked year after year - there isn't that pressure coming from outside that you have to keep performing, or you might find yourself being left out."

Beyond structural change, the consistent message we're hearing is there must be a culture of accountability, honesty and old-fashioned hard work.

As Jones says: "You do it so that you can raise your bet for 100 on the MCG and see your name go up on the board. You do it so that you're a part of a legacy piece over and over again and you do it so you don't lose your spot in the team."

England need to see these brutal hours of hard work and embrace them.

As Australia celebrated with their friends and families, England players were watching too. They'd do well to put pictures of the scenes on their dressing room walls as a reminder of the disappointment, but also the rewards on offer for those who can reach them.