Former England cricketer Derek Pringle has said that the second Ashes Test in Adelaide is likely to decide whether England's current tour of Australia could unravel like the 'Ashes horribilis' of 2006-07 when they suffered a 5-0 whitewash.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Pringle believes that the similarities are mounting in 'eerily' familiar fashion after Jonathan Trott's sudden departure from the tour as seven years ago, Marcus Trescothick had quit the tour just before the first Test suffering from a depression.
Stating that England would be hoping that it does not afford Mitchell Johnson the pace and carry he got at the Gabba in the Adelaide Oval, Pringle said that Trott's return to England will test both the resilience and resources of Alastair Cook's side in the Oval, which has been replaced by a drop-in one to suit both cricket and football.
Pringle further said that Cook would be desperate for a good showing in Adelaide, gaining either a win or a draw, after the humiliation of the first Test as they would not want to be two down going to the WACA, a venue where England have won only once since 1971.
However, Pringle pointed out that Cook's team is different in one or two aspects from their whitewashed predecessors, such as in their ability to overcome an early deficit as they did in India a year ago, adding that the current squad has a strong bowling side, although its batting is still susceptible to collapse.
Pringle also said that the sheer hostility and ferocity with which the Australian players, the parochial media and the public have hit England is also a reprise of seven years ago.