Michael Clarke doesn’t want to even think about the danger of leading the first Australian side to lose four Ashes Tests on British soil after a humiliating choke gifted England a third-straight series win.

Clarke’s crestfallen team have now gone eight Tests without victory and are winless in their past six Ashes matches.

Down 3-0 in the series, several changes are likely for the fifth Test at The Oval next week, with Australia desperate to avoid going down in the record books as the worst team to tour England.

Australia’s 74-run loss in the fourth Test at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday left Clarke struggling for answers, other than to credit England’s man-of-the-match Stuart Broad (6-50 and 11-121) for a devastating spell and admit his batting line-up wasn’t good enough to cope.

Australia went from 0-109 after a brilliant opening stand from David Warner (71) and Chris Rogers (49), to be all out for 224, with their final eight wickets falling for 56 runs.

Clarke was part of the collapse and said he took the shattering defeat personally as he came to grips with the fact he could become the first Australian captain to oversee four Test defeats in a series in England.

“I knew there had to be a statistic. I won’t even think about it,” said Clarke.

“I have been part of a lot of records and a lot of them of late have not been great. We will try to win this Test.

“If we get outplayed and lose the Test match that is what happens in this game.

“A lot of things are hard to swallow at the moment.

“I have taken losses personally especially when you make no runs yourself.”

Devastating batting collapses continue to be the problem for Australia, and this was as calamitous as any in recent memory.

Phil Hughes appears likely to come in for The Oval, given he sits third on the tour run-scoring list behind Clarke and Chris Rogers despite not playing the past two Tests.

Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith are the batsmen most under pressure, and will need something special in the two-day tour match at Northampton starting on Friday.

The series’ averages list makes for ugly reading.

Clarke and Rogers are the only two Australian batsmen to average in the 40s, and after that bowlers James Pattinson and Ashton Agar come in next.

However, Clarke said the country’s best batsman are in his squad and fears Australia don’t have anyone knocking down the door for inclusion.

The skipper stressed selectors must show faith.

“Everyone says rebuild, rebuild, rebuild. But you need guys in first-class cricket making runs to take someone’s spot,” said Clarke.

“You can’t just drop someone if there is no one better to take their spot.

“We have to continue to show faith in young players in Australia.

“It takes time when you are playing against good opposition.”

Even after Rogers (49) and Warner (71) fell, Australia were well positioned at 2-168 with 131 left to win.

But after spinner Graeme Swann laid the groundwork, Tim Bresnan got the key wicket of Warner and then Broad ripped the heart out of Australia, inspiring a landslide that yielded 5-13 in 54 minutes.

A match that was set for a thrilling final day climax reminiscent of Trent Bridge, was over before it got dark on day four in Durham, leaving blood on the pitch.

Should Australia fail to win at The Oval they will drop to fifth on the ICC Test rankings.

Rogers’ maiden Test hundred in the first innings and Ryan Harris’ career-best figures of 7-117 in the second dig counted for nothing.