WITH hindsight, Marcus Trescothick’s first decision as stand-in captain yesterday was not his best. It is always something of a risk to chase under floodlights in this country, when the atmosphere becomes heavier and more conducive to swing bowling and the outfield slower with dew. This was a gamble that never looked like paying off once England had been reduced to six for three.

Granted that hindsight, Trescothick conceded that his decision might have been different. “I don’t think that the lights had much effect, but the wicket deteriorated more than I expected,” he said.

England had chased successfully in their past two meetings with Australia, in Bristol on Sunday and at Edgbaston in the semi-final of the ICC Trophy last September, victories that had served the important purpose of removing England’s fear of facing the world champions. A comprehensive defeat such as this could easily chip away at that newfound confidence, although the final margin was reduced considerably by Darren Gough’s valedictory strokeplay.

“It was really important that we didn’t get bowled out at the end, that showed the character of the team,” Trescothick said. “The confidence and the spirit goes deeper than losing one game.”

It is a long time since Australia had felt relief at beating England but, having endured the unusual sensation of suffering four defeats in a week, Ricky Ponting, the captain, suggested that his players were beginning to find their form. “It was pretty important for us,” he said. “The pressure we created in the field and with the ball was as good as it’s been for a long time.”

That pressure was all the easier to apply after the dynamic opening bursts from Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath, the meteor and the metronome, from which England never recovered. “To have Brett bowling the way he was, swinging the ball back into the left-handers, is very dangerous,” Ponting said. “At the same time, Glenn bowling his nagging line and length pushing across the left-hander is a great foil to have at the other end.”

If Ponting felt relief, greater still was Andrew Symonds’s pleasure at being back in the fold after his two-game ban for overexuberant celebrations of Shane Watson’s birthday. “That was the worst I’ve ever felt,” he said. “It felt like I’d had my guts ripped out, so I was glad to be back.” And back with a man-of-the-match award, a bottle of champagne. Would he be celebrating late into the night with it? “I might give it to charity,” he said.