Did the WAGs contribute to Australia's Ashes humiliation?

The iconic wicketkeeper, part of several Australian wins in England in the 1980s and 1990s, claimed the WAGs were a "distraction" as Australia were thumped by England inside three days in the third and fourth Tests to relinquish the urn they claimed with a 5-0 series success Down Under two winters ago.

"Your mind needs to be completely focused on it. Cricket is a sport that requires complete concentration.

"You need everything going for you and I'm not sure they're pushing for that hard enough.

"Their hearts might not be that strong ... are they together as a team? Do they fragment from here? Do they meet and talk about it tonight? Will they confront it?"

Healy was part of Australia's 1989 win in England when former captain Allan Border banned the WAGs in a bid to boost team spirit.

When Australia lost the Ashes in 2005, Healy's successor as wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist suggested the WAGs were not helpful in his autobiography.

"I guess this was why the old-time captains had always said no to bringing partners on tour. I still thought it was a great idea to have them but the experiment did carry a risk."

Australia apparently banned WAGs from being in the same country on Tours as its cricketers back in the 1930s with players agreeing to sign contracts, according to various reports in the Australian media.

Healy appears to be lost in a mist of machismo, and is clutching at straws as much as he once grasped cricket balls if he is remotely serious about this theory. It is a fairly dismal analysis, sounds sexist and is utterly ridiculous. It is fairly bogus to suggest wives and girlfriends could in any way contribute to such a wretched couple of Test matches at Edgbaston and Tent Bridge that ultimately cost Australia possession of the urn. The WAGs were with the tourists after the first Test defeat in Cardiff, but they were also with them when the Aussies enjoyed a thumping win at Lord's. On the contrary, it could be perceived as a source of inspiration to some people.

It has been a hoary old line trotted out before in football when you recall England's shenanigans at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. England manager Roy Hodgson imposed a ban during last summer's World Cup finals, but such a ploy hardly had any effect as the side tumbled out at the group stage without winning a match. It should also be noted that Ian Healy's niece Alyssa is bowler Mitchell Starc’s partner. She isn't just in England to watch cricket, but is representing Australia in the women's Ashes series. Like Healy, she is a wicketkeeper of some talent having helped her country claim several world titles with a voracious appetite for scoring runs in Twenty20.

Scapegoats should be made of the players that came up short. Nobody else. Australia's failure comes down to their own lack of technique in dealing with pace and seam bowling. For better or worse, that is not something that can be discovered or lost over a cup of tea with one's partner.