David Leggat: England's confidence trick is their own undoing

Did anyone else get the feeling England were just getting a bit ahead of themselves before the Perth test began late last week?

Here's their cocky wicketkeeper Matt Prior a couple of days beforehand: "You'd like to think we can go unbeaten through this tour now. There is no reason why we shouldn't ..." and so on.

That feat hasn't been managed for 40 years, since Ray Illingworth's team of 1970-71 won the Ashes 2-0 and went unbeaten through eight other first-class games.

Now here is one of England's leading columnists James Lawton, writing after day one, at which point you'll recall England were 29 for none, having rolled Australia for 268.

"Are we feeling yet a small pang of pity for what is left of Australian cricket? No, thought not."

And again: "You want to see Australia beaten, no doubt, but perhaps not cuffed to one side ... desperate to exert themselves but somewhat out of their depth ..."

Timing is all. The chortling of the English after Adelaide always ran the serious risk of being rather premature, as the events of the last two and less-than-a-half days amply illustrated.

By any standard, England got a severe duffing in Perth, inspired by a couple of lefties, Mike Hussey and Mitchell Johnson, with bat and ball.

So what will that do for the remainder of the Ashes? A full house at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day is a monty, for starters.

It certainly does not mean a corner has been turned and Australia will now march on majestically to regain the Ashes.

They're not playing that well down the line. But it does guarantee that England's senses will have been sharpened for Melbourne. Might this judder bar knock them off their stride?

No one is neutral in this series. So who to support? Around these parts, it's either back the near neighbours against the insufferable Poms, or relish them getting a dunking.

This is shaping as a close series, with a difference. The results have been anything but. There have not been the cliffhangers of 2005 and 2009. A win by an innings in Adelaide to one side; a thrashing in Perth by the other suggests neither is vastly superior.

It's riveting cricket - which is different from rivetingly magnificent cricket - but unmissable for all that.