London: Even if England have spent the majority of time since their Ashes triumph in a revelry-induced stupor there is little evidence Australia's batsmen will make them regret it at the Oval later this week.
Within half-an hour of the Australians' tour match away to Northamptonshire being called off on Sunday afternoon, when the visitors scrounged 9-312 dec in response to 396, those who had not already decamped - such as retirement-bound duo Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers - hurried onto the team bus to London, where the full squad convened for the first time since Nottingham a week earlier. 
One or two failures could be excused in a match where the result was inconsequential, but when it comes to a team demolished in three of their four Tests in England even those practice matches are consequential. There ought to have been evidence the mistakes made which have cost Australia the Ashes have been noted, and changes are being made accordingly.
But what changes were there? Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh fell to nicks to the slips cordon well short of decent scores, David Warner was of little benefit in the first innings of a match, Shane Watson was trapped leg-before, and the dramatic form drop of incoming captain Steve Smith continued.
It was not an Ashes Test in Northampton, but it was an 2015 Ashes-like performance, right to the point to Australia needing a ninth-wicket partnership of 98 between top-scorer Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to get them most of the way to avoiding the follow-on target.
The Australians started the final day of the three-day match (which became a two-day match due to Friday's complete wash-out) with how they ended the preceding day: losing a newly elevated leader cheaply. Incoming vice-captain Warner edged to slip for 6 to end day one. Two overs into the final day captain Smith fell to the same bowler, Maurice Chambers, edging behind for a duck.
Shaun Marsh did his hopes of holding his Test spot for the Oval against England no assistance by tentatively edging to second slip for 24. Both Shaun Marsh and Voges squandered promising starts at the crease, with each falling to the 50th delivery they faced.
Voges' dismissal was worse than his teammate's - and added to the mystique surrounding Northamptonshire's Australian-born all-rounder Steve Crook.
Having belted 142 not out and taken the catch to remove Warner on day one he was introduced 16 overs into day two and struck with his first ball. Voges tried to drive him from well outside off-stump and got a thick edge comfortably taken at second slip.
Watson made a solid start to his innings, stroking five early boundaries, before he departed in, sadly, customary fashion: trapped leg-before, for 20.
Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill played another diligent innings, staying at the crease for 20 overs to allow partner Marsh to reach his half-century from 95 deliveries. He fell for 25, losing his off-stump to the player surely the man of the match: Crook.
Mitch Marsh's pursuit of a century ended when he lost his off-stump to first-gamer Richard Gleeson. Soon after Siddle became Crook's third victim.
Australia would have been 9-229 had George Munsey held on to a simple catching opportunity at point when Lyon was 17. His fumble allowed he and Cummins to get to the cusp of a century partnership, until Lyon was easily stumped after aggressively advancing to off-spinner Rob Keogh and missing.
At least when Lyon made his costly mistake and was stumped he was on 41. For most of his batting peers that would represent an improvement on their current scores.