England have 'no chance to win Ashes' against Australia - Geoffrey Boycot

England's Joe Root walks off after he was caught behind for 67 runs. Photo / AP

England have no chance of reclaiming the Ashes from 2-0 down, according to former captain Geoffrey Boycott.

Joe Root's side slumped to their second defeat of the series last night after collapsing to a 120 defeat.

Needing 178 runs to win on the final day in Adelaide, with six wickets in hand, England managed 57 runs.

In a column for the Telegraph newspaper Boycott, who played 108 tests for England, said the tourists had no chance of coming back from 2-0 and will need to do a massive job to avoid a 5-0 series defeat.

Boycott said England have missed their chance to get a jump on Steve Smith's side, who need one more win in the final three tests to get their hands back on the Ashes for the first time since 2015.

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"These two test matches have been played on slow Australian pitches and one was a day-night Test match in English-type conditions that should have given England a great chance of a win.

"England competed occasionally but for huge periods, and at the crucial moments, we were just not good enough and lost by large margins in both Tests," Boycott wrote.

According to Boycott, England have won just two sessions over 10 days of cricket. They next head to Perth for the third test, a city they haven't won a test in since 1978.

"How the hell can you put pressure on the opposition with batting totals of 302 and 190 in Brisbane and 227 and 233 in Adelaide? Irresponsible, careless strokes are down to the mental side of Test match batting as much as technique.

"Many of our guys are not prepared to work for their runs. They come in playing shots straight away as if it is one-day cricket. Do they not understand that scoring rates don't mean anything, or that how many balls you receive and the number of fours and sixes you hit are unimportant?"

The third test begins next Thursday at the Waca.