Looking back on how each player performed through the Ashes series Ben Stokes comes out the best of a bad bunch
*Alastair Cook 4/10 *
Tormented by superb Aussie pacemen, Shane Warne on the box and a team that could not help him out, however much they respect him. He discovered how tough it is to captain a side that scores no runs. Now needs to be selfish: to concentrate on his own batting, score more runs and the captaincy will become much easier
*Michael Carberry 4/10 *
Did the extremely hard bit (surviving the new ball) very well but faltered badly with the routinely hard bit (staying in and progressing). For the team and his own good he should have trusted his aggressive instincts more. He was the second highest runscorer, yet he may well have played his last Test
*Joe Root 3/10 *
Played one fine innings only in Adelaide on a tour that became the harshest learning environment imaginable. Like Carberry he was starved of easy runs and then dismissed. One lesson is that it's a myth that you should play less shots in Test cricket than elsewhere. But he will come again
*Kevin Pietersen 5/10*
Was England's highest run-scorer but this was with a paltry 294 – has there ever been a five Test series in which no England cricketer has notched 300 runs? As ever Pietersen was the focal point and liable to be pilloried for a) playing too many shots or b) not enough shots. England's most dangerous batsman played without freedom, which was a triumph for the Aussies
*Ian Bell 3/10 *
Began encouragingly, but there were limp dismissals against the spinners and when he was moved up to number three after much external clamour he was unable to produce. It is, of course, much more difficult at three against a new ball on lively Australian pitches. But England still needs him
*Ben Stokes 8/10 *
The major plus and maybe the solitary one. He can bat properly like a pure batsman (which means that he should not give his wicket away as he did in his final innings just because the situation was hopeless.) And he can bowl with great vigour and intent. Most important of all he clearly enjoys the craic
*Gary Ballance 3/10 *
No tangible rewards from his one Test outing except that he looked unspectacularly calm – and he was dismissed by two devilish deliveries. The odd thing is that he would probably have played in the first Test at Brisbane if Cook had not developed a dodgy back at the start of the tour
*Matt Prior 2/10 *
Model pro blows up. Even his keeping regressed. But he showed some fibre after being dropped scurrying around as one of the 12th men ferrying drinks zealously and helping out however he could. They probably did him a favour by dropping him since he will now be right back in contention come June
*Jonny Bairstow 3/10 *
Was soon transformed from a potential specialist Test batsman to the reserve keeper and when given his chance he did not look a permanent successor to Prior. He is energetic but neither his keeping nor his frenetic batting provoked much confidence. Will need a magical early season to retain the gloves
*Tim Bresnan 3/10 *
His reputation soared only when he was not in the team, though he bowled a mean and effective spell in Melbourne. After his injury he has lost pace, however wholehearted his intentions and his batting barely warranted all-rounder status
*Graeme Swann 2/10 *
Was unrelentingly battered by Australian batsmen and bowlers to such an extent that he took the unprecedented step of retiring in the middle of the tour to the "disappointment" of Andy Flower. His first and his last days as an England cricketer were messy. In between he was often magical
*Stuart Broad 7/10 *
Pilloried everywhere as a pantomime villain he remained defiant though far from convincing with the bat, which he kept swinging frenetically. But he was the leading wicket-taker with a highly respectable 21 and he kept soldiering on despite the batsmen giving him no time to put his feet up
*Jimmy Anderson 6/10 *
He persevered; he was Cook's most reliable bowler, who delivered more overs than anyone in the series. He was not flattered by his figures but the trademark late movement was seldom in evidence. He batted bravely and was always around to shake the hand of a victorious Australian at the end of the match
*Monty Panesar 3/10 *
Bowled two superb deliveries in Adelaide, clipping the off-stumps of Clarke and Smith. However his modest record in Australia had only deteriorated by the end of the series. After the retirement of Swann he played just one game in Melbourne, which suggests that the hierarchy are losing faith
*Chris Tremlett 4/10 *
Did what he now does in the first Test in Brisbane. Which is not what he did on the 2010/11 tour. It should not have been such a surprise to the coaching staff that Tremlett was a lesser, slower bowler in 2013
*Scott Borthwick 4/10 *
Gets an extra mark for topping the bowling averages, even though he has yet to propel a maiden in Test cricket. If anyone managed to place a bet on that he/she would now be heading for luxurious retirement. Borthwick had a surreal baptism in Sydney, five runs and four wickets. He has promise but it's hard to imagine him as England's sole spinner at Lord's in June
*Boyd Rankin 2/10 *
Ferried around Australia until he finally made his debut in Sydney, whereupon severe cramp forced him to withdraw from the attack in the first innings, a nightmare which was hardly softened by the wicket of Peter Siddle with what may be his last ball in Test cricket
**Jonathan Trott **
Should not be assessed so crudely since we now know that he was suffering from a stress-related illness in Perth before flying home
*Steven Finn* was the only player in a massive tour party that did not play a Test Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 day ago.
*Alastair Cook 4/10 *
Tormented by superb Aussie pacemen, Shane Warne on the box and a team that could not help him out, however much they respect him. He discovered how tough it is to captain a side that scores no runs. Now needs to be selfish: to concentrate on his own batting, score more runs and the captaincy will become much easier
*Michael Carberry 4/10 *
Did the extremely hard bit (surviving the new ball) very well but faltered badly with the routinely hard bit (staying in and progressing). For the team and his own good he should have trusted his aggressive instincts more. He was the second highest runscorer, yet he may well have played his last Test
*Joe Root 3/10 *
Played one fine innings only in Adelaide on a tour that became the harshest learning environment imaginable. Like Carberry he was starved of easy runs and then dismissed. One lesson is that it's a myth that you should play less shots in Test cricket than elsewhere. But he will come again
*Kevin Pietersen 5/10*
Was England's highest run-scorer but this was with a paltry 294 – has there ever been a five Test series in which no England cricketer has notched 300 runs? As ever Pietersen was the focal point and liable to be pilloried for a) playing too many shots or b) not enough shots. England's most dangerous batsman played without freedom, which was a triumph for the Aussies
*Ian Bell 3/10 *
Began encouragingly, but there were limp dismissals against the spinners and when he was moved up to number three after much external clamour he was unable to produce. It is, of course, much more difficult at three against a new ball on lively Australian pitches. But England still needs him
*Ben Stokes 8/10 *
The major plus and maybe the solitary one. He can bat properly like a pure batsman (which means that he should not give his wicket away as he did in his final innings just because the situation was hopeless.) And he can bowl with great vigour and intent. Most important of all he clearly enjoys the craic
*Gary Ballance 3/10 *
No tangible rewards from his one Test outing except that he looked unspectacularly calm – and he was dismissed by two devilish deliveries. The odd thing is that he would probably have played in the first Test at Brisbane if Cook had not developed a dodgy back at the start of the tour
*Matt Prior 2/10 *
Model pro blows up. Even his keeping regressed. But he showed some fibre after being dropped scurrying around as one of the 12th men ferrying drinks zealously and helping out however he could. They probably did him a favour by dropping him since he will now be right back in contention come June
*Jonny Bairstow 3/10 *
Was soon transformed from a potential specialist Test batsman to the reserve keeper and when given his chance he did not look a permanent successor to Prior. He is energetic but neither his keeping nor his frenetic batting provoked much confidence. Will need a magical early season to retain the gloves
*Tim Bresnan 3/10 *
His reputation soared only when he was not in the team, though he bowled a mean and effective spell in Melbourne. After his injury he has lost pace, however wholehearted his intentions and his batting barely warranted all-rounder status
*Graeme Swann 2/10 *
Was unrelentingly battered by Australian batsmen and bowlers to such an extent that he took the unprecedented step of retiring in the middle of the tour to the "disappointment" of Andy Flower. His first and his last days as an England cricketer were messy. In between he was often magical
*Stuart Broad 7/10 *
Pilloried everywhere as a pantomime villain he remained defiant though far from convincing with the bat, which he kept swinging frenetically. But he was the leading wicket-taker with a highly respectable 21 and he kept soldiering on despite the batsmen giving him no time to put his feet up
*Jimmy Anderson 6/10 *
He persevered; he was Cook's most reliable bowler, who delivered more overs than anyone in the series. He was not flattered by his figures but the trademark late movement was seldom in evidence. He batted bravely and was always around to shake the hand of a victorious Australian at the end of the match
*Monty Panesar 3/10 *
Bowled two superb deliveries in Adelaide, clipping the off-stumps of Clarke and Smith. However his modest record in Australia had only deteriorated by the end of the series. After the retirement of Swann he played just one game in Melbourne, which suggests that the hierarchy are losing faith
*Chris Tremlett 4/10 *
Did what he now does in the first Test in Brisbane. Which is not what he did on the 2010/11 tour. It should not have been such a surprise to the coaching staff that Tremlett was a lesser, slower bowler in 2013
*Scott Borthwick 4/10 *
Gets an extra mark for topping the bowling averages, even though he has yet to propel a maiden in Test cricket. If anyone managed to place a bet on that he/she would now be heading for luxurious retirement. Borthwick had a surreal baptism in Sydney, five runs and four wickets. He has promise but it's hard to imagine him as England's sole spinner at Lord's in June
*Boyd Rankin 2/10 *
Ferried around Australia until he finally made his debut in Sydney, whereupon severe cramp forced him to withdraw from the attack in the first innings, a nightmare which was hardly softened by the wicket of Peter Siddle with what may be his last ball in Test cricket
**Jonathan Trott **
Should not be assessed so crudely since we now know that he was suffering from a stress-related illness in Perth before flying home
*Steven Finn* was the only player in a massive tour party that did not play a Test Reported by guardian.co.uk 1 day ago.