Geoffrey Boycott: Now it’s time to dig in and fight back

So, England. You have suffered a body blow and been knocked down. But you are not counted out — not yet, anyway.

What are you going to do about it? Do not tell us that we have been in these situations before, such as when we lost to the Indian spinners in Ahmedabad last winter or got out of jail against New Zealand in Dunedin with a draw. New Zealand’s seamers were very ordinary and so, too, were India’s spinners. This feels different.

For the first time in a while the opposition have more ammunition than us. A genuine fast bowler on flat pitches is an ace which trumps any card we can play. Mitchell Johnson can hurt us, he can intimidate players and put the wind up tail-enders. It is a whole new ball game.

This is what I say to England’s players: the psychologist who was with you before the first Test cannot help you. And whatever food you eat from that 82-page booklet sent to Cricket Australia is not much good either. All the backroom staff you carry around, they cannot bat or bowl for you. Now you are on your own out in the middle in the heat of battle, so no more talking.

In my opinion it is vital that Ian Bell moves to No.3 in place of Jonathan Trott. Why? Because it is so important when England bat that the first three make a statement against Johnson and the rest when they are at their freshest and fastest. Bell, Alastair Cook and Michael Carberry all played the short ball well. If they can do that again and not get out after making small totals it will send a message to the whole England team that fast bowling can be played well.

It also tells the opposition you will not be bullied. In Brisbane Carberry played the fast bowling well. His judgment of what to play and what to leave was excellent. He let the ball come to him and played it close to his body and under his nose. However, when the spinner Nathan Lyon came on he went in to his shell and became ultra defensive. He stopped batting and just looked to stay in rather than to score. He created his own pressure and handed the initiative back to Australia.

Carberry does not have to go after Lyon. But when you have done all the hard work against Johnson and Ryan Harris you should not let a finger-spinner box you in. He gave the impression that Lyon was bowling hand grenades and he was fighting for his life. It was unnecessary.

Also, after his dismissal in the first innings, he can expect Johnson to go around the wicket. Those four balls he received from that angle gave him so much trouble and took him out of his comfort zone. Give it some thought. Be ready for it. And above all move your feet. Do not just become an Aunt Sally and get stuck on the crease.

Kevin Pietersen has got to stop giving away his wicket. He is by far our best batsman. But twice in the first Test he got himself out. Most of the time the opposition are not good enough to get him out. He is that good. They just wait for him to self-destruct. He is so talented. It is not lack of ability, it is lack of brains.

We need to use Adelaide as a chance to rehabilitate. It is vital we bat well in both innings, restore our confidence and deal with Johnson and Harris, if he plays. Whatever happens, if we cannot win the match because the pitch is too flat to force a result, we have to make sure that we come out of it with our confidence high, because around the corner is the third Test at fast and bouncy Perth, and that did for us three years ago.

If we get into a good position again and get Australia down as we did in their first innings in Brisbane, Cook has to stop being cautious in his captaincy. He has to find a way to finish them off. He cannot sit back, wait for things to happen and be a careful captain. You have to grasp any opportunity in Australia with both hands. They do not come along very often.

We have had a huge setback. Adversity never breaks good men. It tests their character and, if they have got what it takes, they should be able to rise up stronger and better. That is the key for England. We need to make their bowlers work hard for our wickets. We cannot have another batting debacle. Runs are vital again.

— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2013