James Vince looks set to be given one last chance to save his international career during England’s forthcoming tour of New Zealand following his latest failure on the fourth day of the final Magellan Ashes Test.

The No.3 batsman was out for 18 edging Pat Cummins to slip as the tourists slid towards defeat on a gruelling day in Sydney.

It was the sixth time in nine innings this series Vince has been out caught behind the wicket – a worrying and persistent habit that has put him on the brink of being axed.

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The 26-year-old was a surprise call-up for this tour having been dropped after an unsuccessful first stint in Test cricket during the northern summer of 2016.

That gamble by England’s selectors has patently not worked and after 12 Tests, Vince averages 22.83 and is yet to score a century.

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He would have no complaints if he were shown the door again but Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has hinted Vince, averaging 25 in this series, will be given one final chance when the squad for the two Tests in New Zealand starting in March is announced on Wednesday.

“There’s no doubt James Vince needs to score more runs if he’s going to play international cricket for England,” said Farbrace.

“He knows that. Of course 25 isn’t an average any top-order batsman wants but he’s shown some glimpses and you think ‘this could be the innings’.

“But there comes a time when ‘this could be the innings’ has to stop and it’s got to be hundreds. The blunt answer is he knows he has to score the runs if he is to have a long career with England in Test cricket.”

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There appeared to at least be some good news for England with Farbrace confirming captain Joe Root had not sustained a fractured finger after being hit by Mitchell Starc on the fourth evening at the SCG.

The fears were Root could be ruled out of the upcoming Gillette One-Day series that starts in Melbourne on Sunday if he had sustained a break.

“I think it’s just sore,” said Farbrace. “I asked him how it was and he said ‘sore’ and it’ll be a bit stiff in the morning.”

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There was scant else good news, though, for the tourists on what must rank as their worst day of the series so far as Australia piled on the runs and slowly basted their beleaguered opponents for 46 more overs in scorching temperatures that reached 57.6 degrees centigrade out in the middle.

England were not only being beaten but humiliated and put in danger of suffering heatstroke.

Some of the statistics generated by Australia’s monster total of 7-649 declared, accumulated across 193 overs, were as brutal as the Sydney heat.

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The most damning one for the tourists, and their Australian coach Trevor Bayliss, was the fact this was the fifth time in 15 away Tests since the start of 2016 that England have conceded 600 or more in a single innings. That happened just five times between 1955 and 2015 – the year Bayliss took over.

That suggests either England have an alarming lack of depth in their bowling resources or those resources aren’t being utilised properly by a coach who knows little about the domestic game.

One player from county cricket Bayliss has been keen on for a while is Mason Crane, the 20-year-old leg-spinner playing his first Test here. The problem is he hardly plays first-class cricket for Hampshire. So is it any wonder the inexperienced and raw youngster grabbed an unwanted slice of history by conceding the most runs by an England bowler on debut?

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Crane’s return of 1-193 beat Devon Malcolm’s record of 1-166 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1989.

They were also the third-most expensive figures by any England bowler in a single Test innings. Crane has time on his side but everything suggests perhaps this opportunity came too early for him.

Moeen Ali, who has endured a nightmare series, also conceded 170 runs. It meant this was only the second time two England bowlers had conceded 170 or more in an innings. The previous occasion was at Mumbai in December 2016 when Moeen and Adil Rashid were sent around the Wankhede Stadium by India’s batsmen.

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Moeen is the one constant here and he badly needs to sort out the inconsistency that sees him bowl brilliantly at home but horrendously abroad.

Indeed, his series average of 115 with the ball is also the worst by any bowler in history to have taken five wickets or more.

Then there is James Anderson, England’s record wicket-taker who has had a decent series, taking 17 wickets at 27.

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Worryingly, though, he has been flogged into the ground.

The 35-year-old wants to play in the 2019 Ashes but he is in danger of not getting there at this rate. Anderson, whose injuries have mounted with age, has bowled 223.3 overs in this Ashes – the third most by a seam bowler in any series in history.

But, really, the statistic that will hurt England the most is the fact they will end this Ashes series on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline.

After being barbequed by a ruthless Australia here in Sydney it’s almost time to put a fork in Root’s men because to all intents and purposes they appeared done.

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test Australia won by an innings and 41 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test Match drawn. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Scorecard

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21