Like Allan Border, who recently enjoined the players in his gruff way to “look at themselves”, Jonesy, too, has shunned cheapo scapegoating and laid out a plan for the players that they’d do well to follow, even if the system itself also needs addressing.

After all, when a system is broken, it’s bloody hard to shift blame, as no individual seems accountable.

Jones, like Border, should know.

Before the resurrection of Australian cricket under AB’s reluctant captaincy, they featured in batting collapses Jones has called “gutless and insipid” – particularly the Boxing Day Massacre against the Windies in 1988.

Here’s his manifesto:

  • Minimise outside influence. “Steve Smith – take control of your team.”
  • Get in opponents’ faces. “No more Mr Nice Guy”   
  • No more coddling of fast-bowlers. “We need our quicks to be match fit and I want our bowlers to come in and let batsmen know they mean business. Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Big Merv let batsmen have it when they bowled.”
  • No more of batsmen being nice to bowlers.
  • Mutual encouragement. “It's time our batsmen said the right positive things in between bowlers.”           
  • “No more negativity with the bat. If it's a bad ball, smash it! If it's a good ball, then defend it with the best body language you can muster.”
  • “No more with the silence from bat pad and the keeper.”
  • “No more rotation or resting, Steve Smith. You are the captain of the Australian cricket team. Take control.”
  • “No more soft practice in the nets, batsmen. If it means you need to net for seven hours in a day to find some form, then so be it!”
  • “No more wives and partners for the next month. It's time the team got together and really worked hard for each other.”
  • “No more negative talk within the team. If someone says something negative, nail them!”

No argument from us. It’s a formula that has worked for Australian cricket in the past.

The most positive thing to come out of this debacle is the tough love the Aussie side is getting from past greats who care enough to say something.