Show us your Johnson

After eight days of English domination Australia finally fought back today to drive stakes of fear and doubt through my heart. With assistance from the Fremantle Doctor a potent mix of a four strong pace attack, some Steve Waugh sledging and crucially, the appearance of swing put to an end any hopes England and I had of wrapping this series up before Christmas.

But when have England ever done things the easy way? As co-founder of the Barmy Army, Paul Burnham was quick to point out. We won the 1966 World Cup in extra time, the 2003 Rugby World Cup in extra time and won the 2005 Ashes by two runs at Edgbaston. To watch England win anything you have to be put through the emotional ringer first. And maybe that's how it should be.

I've lost count of the amount of people who've told me that winning in Adelaide didn't feel as special as they thought it would be. The chants of 'easy, easy, easy' just don't sit right when you consider the opponents and the way we've struggled here in the past. But today, in the stands and on the field the Aussies of old turned up and reminded me just how desperately I want to beat them.

"Oh fuck! Mitch is back

Came the text from Nathan midway through the opening session. It reminded me of summer holidays in times gone by. Untroubled days when me and my mates had hung out on the streets without any mishaps. But then without warning we'd turn a corner and walk straight into the local family of hardnuts who'd either just returned from a two week holiday or had been recently let out of Borstal. The emotions then were the same as the one I had today. A sinking feeling that what I'd been enjoying wasn't actually a true reflection on life and that perhaps I hadn't made the most of it whilst it had lasted.

But that was then and this is now. And while it's not right to let one bad day at the office ruin your week it's hard to see how England can possibly salvage something from this game. Five wickets fell in this morning's session and four in yesterdays. It will need something similar tomorrow for England to have any chance of winning this match. A minimum target of 350+ looks likely and that won't be easy. But then 'easy' isn't what winning the Ashes is about and nor should it be.

And England may not be the only side who've left themselves too much to do. For nothing less than a series win will do for Australia. There's only one team who would have taken one a piece with two to go before Brisbane. And just like at the start of this game England still only need to win one more match to keep the Ashes.

So while it's easy for Australia to get carried away by the return of form of Mitchell Johnson we all know that his performances are symptomatic of both these teams. They are both capable of brilliance but not capable of doing it day in day out. For there is a reason why they are ranked 3rd & 4th in the world. The consistency of their inconsistency. Win big one minute lose big the next. It was the story of the 2009 Ashes. Will it be the story of this one?

Before the start of the tournament I said to Nathan that I thought one of these teams may well break the world record fourth wicket run chase at some point in this series. I still think this may happen. But as I get ready to make my way back to my hotel and a nervy evening I'm not sure it's going to happen in Perth.