Myles Hodgson, PA Sport Cricket Correspondent, England's campaign to retain the Ashes began with the selectors gambling on previous glories and ended with cricket's equivalent of bankruptcy with a humiliating whitewash.

The whole basis of their Ashes campaign was based on repeating as much as possible everything they did in 2005 to pull off their memorable series victory over Australia.

They picked 10 of the 12 players used during 2005 - Simon Jones and captain Michael Vaughan were injured - in their 16-man party to travel to Australia.

The selectors even chose the same date and venue - September 12 at The Oval - where the Ashes were won the previous year to reveal the names of those players who would be competing this winter in a showbusiness-style presentation.

What they failed to acknowledge, however, was that time moves on quickly in top-level sport and while England were still revelling in their 2005 triumph, Australia had regenerated and waited patiently for their revenge.

They had ruthlessly removed Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and ex-Hampshire batsman Simon Katich from their plans while England chose to stick by their 2005 Ashes heroes - despite several of them clearly facing question marks about their fitness.

Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles was selected despite failing to bowl a ball in anger for nearly a year because of hip and hernia problems and back-up bowlers Liam Plunkett and James Anderson were chosen after missing most of the previous summer with injuries.

Captain Andrew Flintoff also made the trip, although he clearly had not fully recovered from a second operation on his left ankle, an injury which restricted his performances throughout the series, and Steve Harmison was included after also suffering side strain problems at the end of last season.

The selectors' final error of judgment surrounded opener Marcus Trescothick, who was chosen despite well-publicised stress-related problems which manifest themselves while he is away from home and he did not even make it as far as the first Test in Brisbane.

In nearly every case the selection was a gamble, some to a greater degree than others, and in nearly every situation it is one that has backfired to such a degree that England lost the Ashes in just 15 days of cricket.

Having messed up the original selection of the squad, England compounded those errors by then attempting to field as many members of the 2005 side as possible.

Giles was preferred to Monty Panesar for the first two Tests until England finally accepted the benefits of the younger man and coach Duncan Fletcher's stubborn faith in wicketkeeper Geraint Jones for the first three Tests was equally short-sighted.

Having arrived in Australia convinced they could take advantage of their ageing opponents - dubbed as 'Dad's Army' by Ian Botham before the start of the series - it was England who looked pedestrian and laboured in everything from their practices to their performances during the series.

Australia, inspired by athletic fielders like former Rose Bowl star Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds, were energetic and inspirational every time they bowled and ran between the wickets to snatch runs throughout the series in a manner which put England to shame.

Other factors have also contributed to England's dismal displays, including the constant presence of most of the families from before the first Test in Brisbane which cannot have helped to foster team unity.

The preparation also left a little to be desired with the England and Wales Cricket Board agreeing to an itinerary which left them very little time for match action in the build-up to the first Test on November 23.

Agreeing to just one one-day game and two three-day matches - the maximum amount of cricket available following the ICC Champions Trophy - instead of extending the series to allow for more build-up was always going to damage England's hopes of retaining the Ashes.

All those factors contributed to an England side who were not capable of competing with an Australia side who, far from fading, were possibly at the peak of their powers.

Hampshire skipper Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath both produced stunning displays while there were other outstanding performances throughout an Australian side, who dominated the series from the moment Steve Harmison's first delivery at the Gabba flew to second slip.

They dominated that first session and exposed every weakness in the tourists' armoury so efficiently and so ruthlessly it will be hard for any positives to be taken from the trip.

Flintoff has already underlined his determination for the tour not to become ''a pointless exercise'' and has advised that every member of the squad learn from their experiences so the same mistakes are not made again.

They could do worse than look at the opposition camp and match the way Australia reacted to their own Ashes defeat - by increasing their intensity, work rate and desire until England were beaten once again.

Only then can England begin to compare themselves as equals with Australia, when the only thing they leave to chance is the toss of the coin at the start of the 2009 Ashes series.