Although there is only one instance of England winning a Test on Christmas Day (vs India in 1972), Stokes & Co may have enjoyed a better festive season had they shown some fight in Australia

England captain Ben Stokes cuts a frustrated figure during a nets session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. PIC/Getty Images

A 0-3 situation, be it in a completed or incomplete series, can never relate to a joyous time for any team. The England cricket outfit in particular has to face this ignominy during the festive season. Although they stretched Australia to Day Five in Adelaide, they were still beaten by a margin that was convincing.

The Australians are cock-a-hoop; they talk about a 5-0 scoreline while the critics (in the form of ex-greats) are having a field day. England’s former players, who now sit in commentary boxes, have been ruthless in their criticism of Ben Stokes & Co. They just cannot comprehend how England didn’t cash in on Josh Hazlewood’s injury-related absence, regular skipper Pat Cummins missing the first two Tests, and Steve Smith not being in the line-up for the Adelaide game.

Be that as it may, it’s not a Christmas Day that Stokes and his team would have wanted. I figured that there has been only one occasion in nearly 150 years of Test cricket when England have won on Christmas Day — versus India at New Delhi in 1972.

It was some achievement because India had not been beaten in a Test since........

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