England arrived at the Oval hunting history: winning each Test of a home summer for the first time since 2004. It is an ambition that, after a torrid weekend, is now only just about within the side’s grasp.

A perfect home Test summer would be historic for England – but, to their biggest rivals, it would scarcely be worth celebrating. Since Michael Vaughan captained England to their sweep 20 years ago, Australia have enjoyed six home summers in which they won every Test.

It encapsulates a curiosity in modern English Test cricket. For all the justifiable focus on developing a side capable of thriving away, in recent years England have been relatively weaker at home than abroad.

In all Test cricket since 2015, England sit fourth among countries away from home, with a win-loss ratio below India, Australia and Pakistan. But at home, England’s win-loss ratio is even lower – fifth, below India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Since 2015, India have won 8.5 home Tests for every defeat, Australia 4.7 and New Zealand 3.4. England have only won 2.2 home Tests for every defeat, with 18 losses to go with their 39 wins.

By design, England’s home Tests include abundant visits from Australia and India. Yet these rivalries have been asymmetric: fiercely contested in England, but abjectly one-sided abroad. In the past three Ashes series down under, England have lost 13 Tests and won none; in the past three at home, England have won seven Tests but lost six. In the past three series in India, England have lost 11 Tests and won just two; in their past three series hosting India, England have won nine Tests but lost four.

England’s overly welcoming spirit has extended to less-heralded tourists. West Indies have won just four Tests away from home against the top seven ranked nations since 2000; half were in England, with victories in both 2017 and 2020.

Yet, for all England’s batting foibles, their bowling attack at home has not been quite as peerless as widely assumed. From 2015 until the start of this summer, England’s bowling attack only had the fifth best average of all nations in home Tests.

For all the supreme skill of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, even in England, bowling attacks crave variety. The need is especially great with recent batches of Dukes balls offering less lateral movement.

In the 2019 and 2023 Ashes, England began both series without a high-pace option – Jofra Archer in 2019, Mark Wood in 2023. Without Archer or Wood, England lost all three Tests across the two series. But, with one of these quick bowlers, England won four Tests and lost just one. Having Archer or Wood didn’t just provide England with a new dimension; it complemented the rest of the attack, making them more effective.

Such thinking has underpinned England’s approach all summer. A varied attack is rightly seen as essential to make England better abroad, yet it should also make England a better side at home. Gus Atkinson’s 33 wickets this year, the devastation wrought by the pace of Wood and Olly Stone and Shoaib Bashir’s five wickets in a session at Trent Bridge have all provided vindication for this thinking. So far this summer, each wicket that England take costs just 24.3 – the lowest in any season since 2010. Greater variety has not come at the expense of quality.

Now, on the final day of the summer, the attack is charged with rectifying the batsmen’s folly. From Saturday morning until the end of their second innings on Sunday afternoon, England lost 17 wickets for 220 runs. After reaching 261 for three in their first innings, England batted with the air of a side who felt that an immaculate summer was preordained.

Such nonchalance is brutally penalised in the World Test Championship. To reach the final, teams need to be impregnable at home. New Zealand, the World Test Championship victors in 2021, won all six of their home Tests during the cycle. Australia, World Test champions last year, won nine out of their 10 home Tests, with one draw, during the cycle. Home defeats, even in series already won, are a barrier to qualifying for the final of the Test game’s global trophy.

Barring a fourth-innings Sri Lanka collapse, England’s 20-year wait for a perfect summer will extend further. It would emphasise a widely overlooked truth: for all England’s need to become more rounded away, their hopes of reaching the Test summit also hinge upon being far more ruthless at home.