London: England hope that the great Steven Finn mystery, which at least four bowling experts are attempting to solve, will be cleared up in time for him to play a leading role in the challenge for the next Ashes.

One of the biggest disappointments of a tour full of them has been that Finn, a central plank in the “big, fast and nasty” bowling strategy that has fallen flat here, has lost the spark that made him one of the best young fast bowlers in the world.

It was only in New Zealand last winter that Finn was taking the new ball ahead of Stuart Broad in Test cricket and proving close to unplayable in the one-day game. But he has fallen by the wayside to such an extent that his very future in the international game has been in jeopardy.

Yet Finn, still only 24, is adamant he can now detect the green shoots of recovery in a bowling action that had to be remodelled because of his habit of knocking the bails off with his knee that led to a change in cricket’s laws.

“I’m working my nuts off to get back to bowling as well as I have done,” said Finn, who England have felt unable to trust in any of their three defeats.

“It feels like I’m getting there but it’s just about doing it on a more consistent basis.

“Everyone goes through ups and downs but when I’ve had a few iffy patches I’ve always felt as though I’d been bowling OK and the turning point wasn’t far away.

“That turning point has felt further away over the last eight months than it has in the past but I feel I’m nearing it now.”

The suspicion is that Finn - so important to England’s attempt to rebuild from this crushing Ashes defeat - has had too many voices in his ear; that contrasting advice from country and county has left him unsure if he is coming or going and what length of run-up he should take to get there.

Bowling coach David Saker, highly regarded by England, was the prime mover in Finn shortening his run-up, which he subsequently abandoned, while Angus Fraser has been a long-time advisor. Add Richard Johnson, the Middlesex bowling coach, and Kevin Shine, the technician in charge at Loughborough, and Finn has had plenty of support but perhaps not as much clarity as he needed. He refutes that.

“I’m working closely with Sakes and I always speak to Gus because he’s my mentor and has had me under his wing for about five years now,” said Finn.

“I have people I can bounce ideas off and I’m grateful for all those who can offer me different bits of bowling coaching because everybody has their strengths.

“Richard Johnson and Kevin Shine are very good technically.

“Sakes is very good at the thinking side of bowling and Gus has been there, done it all and experienced everything.

“Ultimately it’s up to me to filter all the advice. Maybe I haven’t filtered it as well as I could over the last 12 months but I’m getting a lot better at that. I’m not going to stop using anyone.”

The root of the problem is surely the psychological one of his knee hitting the stumps, a habit first highlighted by South Africa’s Graeme Smith when he claimed it was distracting him.

For a while umpires would signal dead ball when Finn did it but, when that penalised the batting side, it became a no-ball.

“It wasn’t ideal but even though I was knocking the stumps I was still bowling well and still bowling quick,” said Finn. “Straightening my run-up and going straight through the crease, as I do now, will benefit my bowling in the long-term.

“Having to work through that problem was a good thing for me but the other bits of timing in my action may have been thrown out by the work I did on that.

“The shortening of the run-up may not have helped but at the time it was my decision to do that. I tried it but now I’ve gone back to my old run-up and it feels as though I’m getting closer to being a better bowler than I was before, or at least as good as I was.”

England will sincerely hope that he is right because they have missed him badly here. It is felt that he is highly unlikely to play in the final two Tests as he still has work to do but Finn, who was dropped during the previous two Ashes and is yet to play in this one, is adamant he wants to be considered for the MCG.

“It’s been my determination to get back into the Test side ever since I got here,” said Finn at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne where seven England players were test driving the Jaguar F-TYPE in a competition won by Joe Root.

“I haven’t come here thinking I’m on holiday. That would just be stupid and I’d never do that. At no point on this trip have I thought that I’m only here working on my bowling.

“I’ve always thought I’m here to play Test cricket and contribute towards England winning. It’s what I’ve done in the past and it’s what I want to do in the future.

“My greatest asset is my pace and, when I’ve been at my best for England, I’ve been bowling at 90 miles per hour with bounce and getting that nip off the pitch that has got me plenty of wickets.

“So there’s no reason that won’t keep working in the future.

“I’m going to make it as natural as I can and I’ve got evidence of me bowling in the early 90s before so there’s no reason why I can’t do that again.”

For England, the sooner he can do that the better.