London, August 6: England's cricketers found themselves under fire again on Monday from a host of former players in press reports following their latest Ashes capitulation.

After going down to a seven wicket thrashing by Australia inside three days at Trent Bridge - a match that gave the visitors an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series - there proved to be no hiding place for the vanquished.

Inquests into the state of English cricket following defeat at the hands of the old enemy are nothing new: this was Australia's seventh successive Ashes series victory and they are on course to equal the achievement of their 1920-21 predecessors in beating England 5-0.

However, England's current players may be entitled to wonder how, with this welter of insight, the country ever lost a Test while the 'old boys' were out in the middle.

Former England opening batsman Geoff Boycott said, with usual modesty, that what the team needed most was a batsman capable of grafting all day - in short, a player much like himself.

``Our batting is getting worse, not better,'' he said in the Daily Telegraph. ``No matter how excellent our bowling is, we don't bat well enough to make Australia take a second new ball, and without runs we are never in a position to win.

``So many people talk about batsmen being able to play shots. Our problem is that we cannot stay in. The first thing I look for in a good batsman is his ability to defend.

``I ask myself has he got a good defensive technique. It's not because I want batsmen to be blockers but because if you can't stay in, you can't make runs.''

And Boycott added: ``What England would not give for a (Ken) Barrington or Boycott who would bat all day.''

He also said that all-rounder Craig White and Ian Ward should be dropped, with Mark Ramprakash given a final warning at best although Boycott said now was not the time to bring in a replacement for veteran wicket-keeper Alec Stewart.

Boycott's former England team-mate Ian Botham, not for the first time, disagreed with 'Sir Geoffrey' and said Essex wicket-keeper/batsman James Foster should be brought in.

``I believe England should start building for the 2002/3 Ashes in Australia now. That means including a young wicketkeeper-batsman in their squad for the fourth Test at Headingley next week,'' Botham told the Daily Mirror.

``Jamie Foster is one youngster who should be brought into the squad and England must also consider Vikram Solanki, Usman Afzaal, Owais Shah and Durham's Nicky Peng,'' added the all-rounder who almost singlehandedly secured the Ashes for England on home soil 20 years ago.

Botham's friend, colleague and fellow former England captain David Gower slammed Ramprakash for the way in which he gave his wicket away against Shane Warne in the second innings but warned that now was not the time for wholesale changes.

``Nobody but Ramps can imagine what was going through his mind when he decided to play that shot at such a crucial time,'' he said in the Sun.

But Gower added that new recruits for Headingley, where the fourth Test starts on August 16, could be in for a torrid time.

``Potential replacements like Usman Afzaal, Owais Shah and Jamie Foster would be facing a cock-a-hoop Australian attack on potentially the most bowler-friendly wicket at Leeds - a mind-blowing experience,'' he said.

Another former captain, Bob Willis, said the county system must shoulder much of the blame for England's poor performances.

``For 10 years now I have been warning that full-time professional cricket in this country is not capable of producing the type of player able to withstand the heat,'' the fast bowler told the Daily Mail.

He added: ``Australia and South Africa have a pyramid of excellence that leads players from school cricket through a tough league system and then into the first-class game. Only when they are on the brink of the national side do they have to decide whether to become a full-time professional.''

Meanwhile, former Australia captain Allan Border also had his say.

``All the good work done by Nasser Hussain and Duncan Fletcher over the past 18 months has sadly been wiped out,'' he wrote in the Mirror.

But he did add: ``It is obvious that while you Poms are capable of beating any other side in the world, there is a massive mental problem when facing Australia. The players have scars that they can't overcome.''

Still it's worth remembering that as long ago as 1882 England were being written off.

A seven run defeat by Australia at The Oval led to a mock obituary of English cricket in the 'Sporting Times'. It concluded: ``The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.''

That's how the Ashes got their name: whether any of the current 'death notices' has such a lasting impact remains to be seen.