Before this series began, the odds of a 5-0 win to Australia were about the same as of Bangladesh winning next year's World Cup. But Michael Clarke's men enter the Sydney Test on the verge of completing a clean sweep. England came to Australia with the Ashes in their possession and a sense of stability around their squad. Whatever happens over the next five days, they will leave these shores without the urn and without any real idea of how to fix their problems.
Graeme Swann has retired mid-tour, the vice-captain Matt Prior has been dropped, Jonathan Trott has spent most of the series at home, their only centurion has been the new boy Ben Stokes, they don't have a batsman in the top five series run scorers, they have only one bowler averaging under 30. They're a rabble, and even if they avoid a 5-0 defeat this result should hurt more than the 2006-07 clean sweep, for that was against champions like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.
This Australian outfit has been cobbled together after a period of retirements, experiments and abandonments. In recent years, Australia's Test team has been changed as often as a baby's nappy and sometimes produced similar results. That was certainly the case in India in February-March, when they were humiliated 4-0 on the field and embarrassed off it. Their success in this Ashes campaign is all the sweeter for it. It remains possible that Australia may take the same XI into all five Tests in the series, which would be a first.
Not every question has been answered for the Australians, who have a three-Test tour of South Africa in a month's time. Most notably, the No.6 position occupied in this series by George Bailey could be up for grabs after this series. If Bailey plays at the SCG and fails, he can hardly be retained. Whatever happens, though, this squad has achieved everything that was asked of it. Australia have the Ashes and will get their hands on the (replica) urn after this Sydney Test. It's now just a question of 5-0, 4-0 or 4-1.
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