There were fraying minds and failing bodies.
A much vaunted bowling attack had failed to bowl out the opposition, even when conditions suited them.
The opposing batters seemed to have figured out the front line spinner and left him looking toothless.
Even one of the world’s best batters had been frustrated and the seemingly endless supply of runs had dried up as the opposition squeezed.
The team faced difficult questions about the captain and coach while wider concerns were raised about why the first class domestic competition wasn’t producing batters who could consistently perform at Test level.
But it wasn’t England.
This was Australia last summer, suffering a second consecutive home defeat against a gutsy injury-ravaged India, an Australia humbled by chastening defeats at the SCG and, even worse, at their so-called Gabba fortress.
What a difference a year makes, eh?
Of course, English cricket’s soul-searching has been far more wrenching; the scale of the three defeats in the series thus far at the conclusion of an annus horribilis demands it.
Nothing has been spared in the hunt for root causes; coaching at youth level, the fragmenting of the County Championship, too many teams in the Championship, sub-standard pitches, prioritisation of white-ball formats, the rise of the IPL, a lack of diversity, not enough cricket played outside private schools, broadcast paywalls, lack of meaningful preparation, the travails of COVID bubbles, rotation policies, the selection process, too much use of dog-throwers and on and on and on in a world without end, amen.
No doubt there is merit in some or even all of these theories and yet none of them will matter when eleven men bearing three lions on their shirts walk out at the SCG.
This tour has been wretched for England from the start but the week before the fourth Test has been particularly onerous.
While trying to keep out the tidal wave of negativity following their capitulation in Melbourne they have also desperately been fending off the encroaching threat of COVID, which has wormed its way into almost every group surrounding them.
It has cut a swathe through their coaching ranks and at one point left them without net bowlers, further reducing their resources.
In response they have rolled sleeves up and pitched in wherever and however possible.
Everyone from Joe Root to the media manager and the physiotherapist has been on hand to throw the ball down and the team analyst played his part in fielding training.
Jimmy Anderson conducted drills to help Mark Wood face the short ball while Johnny Bairstow walked from one net to another asking if he could help anyone out.
At one point even the head of security was called upon to feed a bowling machine.
Root told journalists he hoped it would make the remaining group even tighter; a captain looking for comrades to stand with him and go once more unto the breach.
“In many ways it was sort of reminds me a bit of when I was playing,” Graham Thorpe told Sporting News ahead of the SCG Test.
“There weren't as many coaches around and you had to be a bit self sufficient and also you have to help your teammates out as well. Coaching has changed, I suppose, over the last 10 years.
“The support staff which comes with you is so great a number but I've sort of found this week that they're just making sure that the players are getting enough of what’s important for them.
“Most importantly it's been the mental side of it for me, getting the guys in the right mental state to perform here.
“And the reality of it is we won't know until we turn up over the next few days and see how we perform but being in the right frame of mind and having the right attitude is going to be key to a performance here.”
Thorpe, who is acting as head coach in the absence of Chris Silverwood, admits the constant testing and the loss of coaches who are in COVID isolation while the threat of an outbreak looms has left players on edge.
That has been evident during the week, too, as the batters in particular have netted and analysed and tried to find their way; poor shots are cursed and any frustration is clear.
“I think sometimes you might see that occasionally in the players practice,” Thorpe said.
“And all I encourage them to do is, on day one, have that required fight and competitiveness going into the game and enjoyment for it as well.”
Plucky attitude and fighting spirit can’t suddenly transform a batter’s technique into one that is capable of dealing with Pat Cummins bowling a perfect line and length with a 150kph moving ball on a seaming pitch.
But whatever England’s technical frailties, Thorpe - a veteran of 100 Tests - believes a mental shift can make a difference.
“It starts from the mental side, from having a positive intent in your mind,” Thorpe said.
“Having an intent to score runs is important and obviously, the ability to keep out the good balls.
“That is the bottom line. And there are some technical things which our players are constantly working on to keep themselves safe when the bowling is good at them and also having the ability to look at their strengths and be able to throw punches back and to be able to counter attack against good bowlers.
“You have to have the ability to try to knock them off guard from time to time.
“That's why you have to play the situation in front of you when someone's bowling exceptionally well.
“You've got to be able to try to get through that spell with skill and find a way of putting pressure back onto a bowler as well.
“So the guys have been working hard to put that in place over this week.
“You do need a bit of fight and you need to look inside yourself and say where do I want to be? What do I want to do? Do I want to run towards the issue or do I want to run away from the issue and I'm encouraging our players here to take it full on.”
The players have responded to that challenge in their own different ways in the past week, whether it’s Haseeb Hameed’s quiet concentration and repetition, Ben Stokes’ increased aggression with the bat, or Dawid Malan’s meticulous analysis of his every movement.
If their personal or team introspection translates to an improved showing at the SCG there may be a glimmer of hope that could spark the kind of turnaround Australia has seen since last summer, although they have further to go.
“What I see is a team which wants to put on a performance and there's some frustration in there,” Thorpe said.
“The distractions off the field wouldn't have helped that and we will find out, it’s as simple as that.
“I think we've done our best to get them into the right place but it's also players responsibilities as well.
“I've said to not die wondering, you know, go out there, look to enjoy what you're doing.”
So while the wider cricketing world looks for answers from top to bottom, the England XI can only look within.
For now, at least, it’s up to them.
