You can't win against good sides with reckless shot-making
England are looking more like a team resigned to the fate of losing the Ashes rather than the freewheeling confident bunch who felt they could comfortably achieve victory at home in any circumstances.
The Australian team has great confidence and belief in captain Pat Cummins, who has proved his leadership style in a variety of conditions. England, on the other hand, are reeling, having lost a Test they thought they would win, at Edgbaston, and then seen their hopes at Lord's dashed by all-round sloppy work in the field and a failure to cope with a bouncer attack from the opposition.
Australia are growing in strength, while England are starting to question themselves, and this is a recipe for a disaster for the home side. They suffered an ignominious 4-0 hammering in Australia, and now the ugly scars are re-emerging; they'll have trouble halting the slide.
There is no doubt Ben Stokes is employing the right strategy in trying to win Test matches from the first ball; that is how the game is best played. What is in doubt is the ability of England - as they're currently constructed - to successfully employ that strategy.
England's bowling and fielding have been disappointing, and now their batting has suffered a dramatic collapse against the short-pitched delivery. Major doubt is now evident in the English camp.
It's going to take a monumental display of strong leadership from Stokes to reboot England's confidence to a point where they can turn the tables on Australia.
Forget the first-innings declaration in the Edgbaston Test - that was a positive move. England lost that match because of their unbalanced, struggling attack, inept fielding, and their confusing and downright poor selection. They had an ageing attack that lacked variety and whose control over line and length was in question when confronted by an onslaught. They also don't have the pace required to mount a meaningful bouncer barrage.
When their batting - a source of comfort in the past - collapsed in a flurry of panicked shot-making at Lord's, the doubts quickly resurfaced. That this occurred following a major injury to Australia's prized offspinner Nathan Lyon only underlined England's plight.
The England batters had no sensible answer when Australia resorted to a bouncer attack, and this gave Cummins' men a huge boost. It's true that Australia's bowlers have the height and pace to employ bouncers well, but it helps when the opposition self-destructs. While it's also true that a bouncer assault takes a physical toll on the bowlers, if it helps secure an early series victory, the remaining Tests become a matter of coasting home.
It's all well and good for England to say "That's the way we play", but when wild and woolly shot-making like in the first innings at Lord's is on display, it's time for the batters to answer some serious questions.
In the field England are struggling to combat Steve Smith's monumental thirst for runs, Usman Khawaja's stubbornness, and the aggression of Travis Head. In addition, David Warner has shown tremendous resolve to overcome Stuart Broad's domination. In the face of Australia's determination, England needed to field superbly but they failed dismally.
England's error-ridden selection was summed up by Moeen Ali's recall. he was not a successful spinner against Australia even at his peak and yet England chose to bring him back, making yet another serious miscalculation.
Now that England's batting has stumbled and fallen, the selection blunders become more apparent. In the past England haven't been quick to change tack and resolve thorny issues. I'll be surprised if the modus operandi changes under this selection group, while Australia are likely to go from strength to strength.
Trying to win from the first ball is admirable, but gifting your wicket to the opposition with reckless shot-making is not a tactic designed to beat good sides. Australia under Cummins are a good side.