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I don't know about that. Hussain was a fine Captain and an excellent leader. Much better than Atherton, Stewart and Gooch before him. Hussain just didn't have the firepower in his side to ne majorly successful. Sure he made a bonehead decision to field first in Brisbane but overall I believe he was an excellent Captain for England and is therefore entitled to his view more than most.

As for Vaughan then they have to change something otherwise a defeat in the last Test seems inevitable and it has to be a major change to give a major boost. If he's anywhere near fit then I think he has to play and I'd drop a bowler and go into it with 2 spinners Flintoff and Hoggard with Collingwood to bowl some occasional overs.

England have often in the recent past after a heavy defeat had the habit of picking the same side for the next game with the attitude of "you got us into this mess now you get us out of it".

That cannot happen this time. England look a completely dispirited, dejected and beaten side and they have to make changes. Whether that's just a one off, or permenant. A change has to happen.

You say they can't go into the game with 4 bowlers but they can't go into it with 5 batters either. Pick 6 batsmen, and 4 bowlers and least we might be able to get a draw out of it and that won't happen with the current batting line up as it stands.

I do disagree with you about Hussain's man management skills. He was a fine Captain and an excellent leader of men and had the respect of all his players.

Look at the Caddick situation. He was a good Test class bowler but had an abrasive character coupled with an often sullen attitude. Both Atherton and Stewart discarded him as they didn't see that he was mentally strong enough to play Test cricket and therefore got other bowlers in who were less talented but tougher characters.

This was more of an indictment on them as leaders than Caddick as it's part of the Captains job to get the best out of his players. Something Hussain did well and much better than his predecessors. Then when he became Captain, Hussain immediately got Caddick back into the side and Caddick blossomed under him. Something Hussain did exceptionally well with not just with Caddick but others as well.

Look I'm not saying Hussain was a great Captain but he was a pretty decent one and like Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ponting who reaped the benefits of Alan Borders leadership because it was Border (and Bobby Simpson) who set the platform for them to go onto better things then and alot of what England achieved against Australia in 2005 came from the platform that Hussain had set them in the years before.

Well we are going to have to agree to disagree here as in my opinion Hussain was an excellent England Captain. Not as good as Vaughan but easily the best England Captain since Gatting.

We'll also have to disagree on the batters as 5 looks suicidal the way we're batting. 4 bowlers in Sydney should be able to do the job as one spinner will be able to bowl 30 overs in a day leaving the other 3 to shar 60 and if a quick bowler can't bowl 20-25 overs a day minimum then he shouldn't play Test cricket.

Our views are different so as I said we'll have to agree to disagree.

A consistently detailed and careful analysis from you guys! You clearly love your cricket- any of you involved or members at club or county level?

Played club cricket for years but I was no superstar even at that level but a dodgy shoulder and the fact that I'm well into my 40's means I'm well past it in the playing stakes anyway.

I still go to see the mighty Somerset at Taunton when I can.

Well 5th test should be underway soon enough

I do hope England can make a better effort. Spin should come in to play in Sydney so the likes of Warne in his last test and Panesar should do well here if Flintoff gives him an attacking field and gives him more overs to bowl. I wonder if England will pick a second spinner? in place of Mahmood? I can't see them dropping Harmison, Hoggard and Flintoff from the seamers attack to make way? Will Pieterson play at no.4 this time? looks as if it could be?

Justin Langer of Australia has anounced he is retiring, so now we have 3 Aussie players playing there last test match and all of them have played over a 100 tests. Damien Martyn had already retired during this series so 4 in all finished from the test arena to make way for new talent.