The Ashes Chatter: Was this Ashes series a disappointment?

Looking back on the 2017/18 Ashes, it is clear that it was not a vintage series by any means and although Australia should be pleased with their 4-0 victory and a job well done, the meekness of England's play throughout the majority of the five Tests meant it was too one-sided to make it much of a spectacle.

Cricbuzz correspondents Tristan Lavalette and Rob Johnston discuss the talking points at the end of the series and look ahead to the next match-up between the two teams in 2019 in England.

Who would you rate as the best performers for each team?

Lavalette:Obviously, Steve Smith was the standout in the series after a batting masterclass for the ages. It wasn't as if England weren't inventive; they tried numerous tactics - including some head-scratching ones resembling backyard cricket - and even resorted to verbal volleying but nothing worked.

Right now, it's a shock every time he's dismissed; it's basically pin drop silence at the ground when he's out because no one can quite believe it. When he was dismissed for 83 in Sydney it almost felt like a failure. Such is the inevitability of Smith compiling centuries with ease.

Any comparison with Sir Don Bradman can be nauseating and manufactured but Smith, right now, deserves the right to be thrown out there next to the legendary Australian. I've just never seen someone so assured at the crease - which makes no sense when you look at his awkward mishmash of a technique.

For England, indefatigable veteran paceman Jimmy Anderson deserves plaudits and was their best performer. The 35-year-old has never been totally appreciated in Australia because of his middling record Down Under. But even Australians, noted hard task masters, would have surely been swayed by Anderson's unwavering efforts amid little support.

He ended with serviceable figures of 17 wickets at 27 but his toil deserved so much more. Anderson's perseverance was inspirational and something his teammates should take heed of. You feel if England can insert some explosiveness into their attack, Anderson will be even more effective in his twilight years.

Johnston:I could have chosen both Steve Smith and James Anderson too but instead I am going with Nathan Lyon for Australia and Dawid Malan for England. Lyon took 21 wickets at 29.24 in the series but got few headlines as Australia's three paceman of the apocalypse ran riot. He is just as important to their attack as any of the others, though.

The off-spinner's control was pivotal in allowing Smith to rotate his faster men at the other end. England never found a way to get on top of him and he had the wood over Moeen Ali who he dismissed seven times in the series. Lyon also produced some brilliant deliveries - the one to remove Alastair Cook at the SCG, for example - and took two stunning caught and bowleds.

Malan came into the series under serious pressure following some middling performances against South Africa and Windies last summer and there was no guarantee that he would make the squad in the first place. By the end of the series, he had emerged as a Test player of note with three half-centuries and his maiden hundred at the WACA.

It was just not the runs the left-hander scored but the fact that he was prepared to scrap until the end that has got him my vote. He gritted it out, played to his limitations and adapted to the different situations and conditions. I can remember few times where he got himself out. The Middlesex man looks a proper player.

Do you think Australia is on the cusp of a golden era?

Lavalette:Despite some pretty good signs, it is still a flawed team and Australia's batting depth is still shockingly shallow. However, this is the closest they've been to genuinely emerging into a powerhouse since the McGrath-Warne era ended.

Australia's blue-chip bowling attack echoes their great arsenals of the 2000s to ensure they have a chance of winning almost any Test. Of course, one injury can sabotage everything as we saw when Australia looked a lot less potent in Melbourne without Mitchell Starc.

They probably need another gun batsman - Shaun Marsh was exactly that this series but will need to back up in South Africa to truly silence the critics, to really feel legitimate but the future looks very bright for Australia.

Johnston:Australia have undoubtedly got the potential to develop into a top class Test side. The age profile of the team is good with just Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine over the age of 32 and their x-factor bowling attack, provided they can stay fit, looks to have the ability to perform on different types of surfaces.

They also have Smith who is fast becoming one of the true greats in the history of the game. So yes, I do think they are on the cusp of something special. However, before Tristan gets too happy, there are some pretty big caveats.

The batting still looks vulnerable when the ball moves as it did in Adelaide and the back-up bowling, as proven by Jackson Bird's uninspiring effort at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test, leaves a lot to be desired. This is a fine team but Australia do not have yet a deep enough squad. Time will tell whether they can add the depth they will need. Then, they truly will be formidable.

Was the attritional and one-sided Ashes series a disappointment?

Lavalette:Yes. We just witnessed exciting and riveting cricket - Test cricket at its best. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the Ashes but in the highly entertaining series opener between India and South Africa in Cape Town.

In contrast, the Ashes was slow moving and, honestly, pretty excruciating over the last two dead rubber Tests. The flat pitches didn't help bar Adelaide, which unsurprisingly was clearly the best Test of the series.

There were no dramatic finishes or indelible Test matches. It's hard to even recall any memorable bursts or dramatic moments; there were no Mitchell Johnson-esque pyrotechnics. The series will be remembered for Smith making England's attack look like mere bowling machines but little else.

Johnston:Yes, it was. This was a poor Ashes series and it has continued the trend of one-sided victories for the home teams in recent times. In 2015, the scoreline may have been 3-2 to England but it was not a close contest. Australia were thrashed three times and England thumped twice. Perhaps the respective boards need to ensure the touring teams face sterner opposition in the warm-up matches to help them better prepare.

The pitches for this series were perhaps the biggest let-down, though. None of the surfaces had much pace or bounce in them and the MCG surface was a shambles. England may have copped much worse treatment at the hands of Australia's fast-bowlers if there was more pace in the pitches but it would also have given their bowlers something and would have helped the scoring rates which barely got above three an over for the series.

The Ashes is the flagship Test series in world cricket. It needs good contests and exciting cricket to remain so. It's fast becoming a bit of a bore.

Are England better than they showed in Australia?

Lavalette:As has been the case in Test cricket for a while, teams are generally home strong but struggle away. In the comforts of their home terrain, England will be far tougher. But that shouldn't mask the number of question marks plaguing the team right now.

Most worryingly, England desperately need some firepower in their popgun attack, which just too often looks lifeless on unresponsive pitches. The differences in speed between the teams was jarring and England could also well do with a quality spinner - although leggie Mason Crane showed some encouraging signs.

The batting is also a concern with just too much pressure around captain Joe Root with veteran opener Alastair Cook slowing down these days. Dawid Malan was a find and Mark Stoneman looks the goods but frustratingly can't convert starts. Maybe, he just can't raise his game at the Test level.

James Vince was the biggest tease of them all but, sadly, probably just isn't up to the top level despite his intoxicating aesthetics. Of course, plugging in superstar Ben Stokes would paper some of the cracks but his future is uncertain. Clearly, this is an unsettled team and selectors face a big task to find the missing pieces.

Johnston:Not in away conditions, no. England have struggled overseas for a number of years and although many Test teams do, that is no reason to simply accept it. At home, England will always be competitive but they are a poor side away and this Ashes loss follows a similar 4-0 drubbing at the hands of India last winter.

There are too many gaps in this side: a shaky top five; no pace in the bowling attack; no Test class spin; too many inconsistent players. In England, four or five experienced players push the team along but away from home, where those players are less effective, there are few others with the ability to step up.

England have some good cricketers but the development system is not producing players capable of performing well in all conditions and the team continually fails to stand tall in pressure situations. Despite some good victories, it has been that way since the last Ashes series and something needs to be done about it.

Prediction for 2019?

Lavalette:A lot can change in 18 months. After all, just 14 months ago Australia was in "crisis" and a punch line after a home humiliation to South Africa. Assuming, Australia's quicks can stay healthy - which is a big if given their track record - then they have a golden opportunity to finally breakthrough in their graveyard of the UK.

Despite being a site of several embarrassing moments, Australia has generally been competitive in the UK - even the 3-0 defeat in 2013 was closer than that lopsided score line. You sense a motivated Smith will be unwavering in achieving his "bucket list" dream of Ashes glory in the UK and, right now, that's all I need to be swayed in picking Australia.

Johnston:I think England are still favourites given Australia's batting fragility when the ball moves as it surely will during the 2019 series. It doesn't matter how good your bowlers are, if they have no runs to play with, you're in a losing battle and plenty of Australia's top six have struggled in England.

However, Australia are a lot closer to being competitive in England than England are to being competitive in Australia so Steve Smith's team have a chance in 2019 if their bowlers stay fit, Smith's form sustains and the other batsmen chip in. But as South Africa found last summer, England, in their home conditions, remain a formidable team so I'm going with a home victory.