A week can be a long time in cricket, especially in marquee tournaments and series, like the Ashes. Seven days and change ago, the talk was all about Australia continuing on from where they left off in Sydney in January 2014, and England to have any role purely on the basis that they are the second and only other team in the series.


England captain Alastair Cook (right) takes a break from practice with teammates on the eve of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s yesterday. Pic/AFP 

Four days in Cardiff have turned the tables, talk and the fortunes around, as England slickly pulled the carpet from under Australia's feet, pounding the Antipodeans in to submission with a new brand of cricket, that is brimming with one of those buzzwords, 'positivity'.