Former England skipper Michael Vaughan launched a scathing attack on Ben Stokes-led English side for conceding the Ashes after only three Tests Down Under.

Australia hammered the Three Lions by 82 runs in the third Test at the Adelaide Oval to claim an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. With two games remaining, England will have to buck up or face further humiliation of a 5-0 whitewash.

In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan minced no words as he mentioned that England had come to Australia with an approach which was destined to combust under pressure. He also commented on the lack of improvement in the team and their refusal to learn lessons after getting caught out by quality opponents.

“England thought they were coming to Australia with a new method that could win, but have been proven completely wrong. They had already been caught out a couple of times by good teams, but failed to improve. You look at the way Ben Stokes batted in the first innings in Adelaide, and Zak Crawley in the second. You think if they had batted like that in Perth in the second innings, the game would have been safe. That defeat in Perth killed the tour. It is a very long way back from a two-day loss,” Vaughan wrote.

Vaughan also highlighted that the Aussies weren’t at full strength with key fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing the first two Tests. While Cummins returned to lead the side in Adelaide, Hazlewood was ruled out for the entire series.

According to Vaughan, this England team lacked proper application even with all the talent in the world.

“In the end, with defeat inside 11 days, it’s the worst I can remember in Australia. Some teams we’ve sent here had no chance. This time, Australia have had all the bad luck. Josh Hazlewood missed the lot, Pat Cummins missed two, Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja have had injuries, and Steve Smith illness. That’s the real frustration. This England team can play, they have talent, but the application comes only occasionally. England have had a cockiness about them for three years and the entire cricketing world has wanted to shut them up as a result. This tour has been humbling for them and the ‘RonBall’ T-shirts that the Aussies wore on the Adelaide Oval pitch after winning were the perfect example of that,” Vaughan stated.

“Aussies are laughing. They can’t believe how fragile this team have been given the quality in the side. There are world-beaters in there. They have watched from afar and there has been some admiration for the way England have played. But there was always a sense of “try this here” because what England have tried is the opposite of what Australia do. They are a good, hard cricket team. They are sensible, and very rarely feel the need to think outside the box. The players earn the right. A lot of Aussies are also disappointed, because they thought this would be the close series they have craved for a long time. It’s actually been too easy for them, and that’s a massive problem,” he added.

The fourth Ashes Test will be played at MCG from December 26-30, while the series will conclude at SCG with the New Year’s Test from January 4-8.