The Ashes

[Bailey]

I'd drop Swann tbh. He's been terrible for quite a while. Barely a threat. Not that I want Panesar in there either like.

 

Don't really know why you're complaining about Root moving up to 3 to replace Trott, he's just hit 87 and looked our best batsman.

 

If Cook wasn't captain then I'd want him dropped as well. He's a walking wicket at the moment.

 

I don't like Finn. At all. He goes for a disgusting amount of runs guaranteed, so if he doesn't take wickets then he's a waste of space. And with players like Warner, Watson and Clarke the last thing you want to do is give them free runs so they find their rhythm.

 

Swann is still probably our most dangerous spinner and the fact he can hold a bat and generally field quite well puts him ahead of many others who are of an equal ability to him.

 

Its his technique and he doesnt look at all comfortable at the top of the order (not saying a lot at the moment I know). Even in his century that he made opening the batting, he got about 3 reprieves and was incredibly lucky to stay there. He certainly has ability, but for me he isnt ready to be playing that role. He may have scored 87 but he was only trying to block. As soon as you ask him to score some runs he gets out. Look at the first innings, truly awful decision making after all the hard work he had done up until that point.

 

Cook will get through it and he has been one of the most consistent English players. He might not be in top form at the moment but when you consider we have very few openers to chose from, it would be crazy to drop him now.

 

I agree that he goes for a lot of runs but it doesnt really matter if he goes at 4 an over if he gets wickets which he has a happy knack of doing. He is probably the one real pace bowler we have (Broad gets there sometimes) and the Aussie bowlers are showing us how important that can be. The three you mention are pretty much doing as they please atm anyway. Finn will be coming in as a rotation bowler so the batsmen will generally have settled down by then anyway and they will probably look to attack him which will give him more opportunities if he holds his nerve. No doubt Bresnan will be coming in though seeing as he bats and bowls.

[Romey 1878]

 

Swann is still probably our most dangerous spinner and the fact he can hold a bat and generally field quite well puts him ahead of many others who are of an equal ability to him.

 

Its his technique and he doesnt look at all comfortable at the top of the order (not saying a lot at the moment I know). Even in his century that he made opening the batting, he got about 3 reprieves and was incredibly lucky to stay there. He certainly has ability, but for me he isnt ready to be playing that role. He may have scored 87 but he was only trying to block. As soon as you ask him to score some runs he gets out. Look at the first innings, truly awful decision making after all the hard work he had done up until that point.

 

Cook will get through it and he has been one of the most consistent English players. He might not be in top form at the moment but when you consider we have very few openers to chose from, it would be crazy to drop him now.

 

I agree that he goes for a lot of runs but it doesnt really matter if he goes at 4 an over if he gets wickets which he has a happy knack of doing. He is probably the one real pace bowler we have (Broad gets there sometimes) and the Aussie bowlers are showing us how important that can be. The three you mention are pretty much doing as they please atm anyway. Finn will be coming in as a rotation bowler so the batsmen will generally have settled down by then anyway and they will probably look to attack him which will give him more opportunities if he holds his nerve. No doubt Bresnan will be coming in though seeing as he bats and bowls.

Swann isn't dangerous at all right now. With the next Test being at the WACA it'd be worth considering going without a spinner at all and going with a seam attack. He might be able to hold a bat but he's a clown with it too. You want him to grind out runs when we're in trouble but he's incapable of it.

 

I really do not understand how you can criticise the way he got his 87. He played exactly as we needed him to under the circumstances. Which is more than we can say for the senior players who threw their wickets away.

 

It'd only be crazy to drop Cook because he's captain. If he wasn't then no one would bat an eye about it. He did next to nothing in the home Ashes series and he's doing nothing out in Australia either.

 

I don't really care if he takes 4 wickets but goes for a hundred runs to earn them. He's perfectly capable of that. Our batters are struggling so you don't want a bowler who gives away runs like they're sweets. That's another reason for getting Swann out of the team as well, he's leaking runs.

[Bailey]

Swann isn't dangerous at all right now. With the next Test being at the WACA it'd be worth considering going without a spinner at all and going with a seam attack. He might be able to hold a bat but he's a clown with it too. You want him to grind out runs when we're in trouble but he's incapable of it.

 

I really do not understand how you can criticise the way he got his 87. He played exactly as we needed him to under the circumstances. Which is more than we can say for the senior players who threw their wickets away.

 

It'd only be crazy to drop Cook because he's captain. If he wasn't then no one would bat an eye about it. He did next to nothing in the home Ashes series and he's doing nothing out in Australia either.

 

I don't really care if he takes 4 wickets but goes for a hundred runs to earn them. He's perfectly capable of that. Our batters are struggling so you don't want a bowler who gives away runs like they're sweets. That's another reason for getting Swann out of the team as well, he's leaking runs.

I dont know anything about the WACA so I will take your word for it about the lack of turn but I would still pick Swann over any other spinner I have seen in an England shirt. Unless your Shane Warne or Murali its going to be hard to look good in the circumstances he is being asked to bowl in. Same comments obviously apply to Monty.

 

Im not knocking his display in the 2nd innings in the last test match. Quite right that he did what he had to, but over the other test innings I have seen him play at 2 or 3 he gets bogged down, struggles to rotate the strike and ends up in a hole. Lower down the order when the ball is a bit older and the bowlers arent as pumped he seems more equipped to play his shots. He is a talented player just not at the top of the order at this stage of his career IMO.

 

Cook isnt in the form of his life but he is still one of Englands best batsmen. He desperately needs some runs but I dont see who is going to come in and do better, or at least consistently better.

 

At the moment our strike bowlers are going for hundreds and still not getting the wickets. Finn is a game changer whereas the others arent. Tremlett has lost his pace, Bresnan has always been a bit of a plodder, Im not convinced about Rankin and Woakes is never a test match bowler. I dont know much about Stokes but he looks alright.

 

Whatever happens, things need to change pretty quickly otherwise we are going to be well and truly humiliated this series. We looked dodgy at times back in England but the bowlers got us out of trouble, but now the Aussies have their confidence back up and we look a shell of the team we used to be.

[Cornish Steve]

Sorry for this - but, as a Celt, I am just loving the thrashing England are being given. Bailey hits 28 off a single over, and the Cook is out first ball. You couldn't make this up.

[Bailey]

Rolled over again and now the Ashes are lost.

 

Fair play to Ben Stokes though as he has done well since coming into the side with both bat and ball.

[Romey 1878]

Rolled over again and now the Ashes are lost.

 

Fair play to Ben Stokes though as he has done well since coming into the side with both bat and ball.

 

 

While senior players continue to be shit. Major changes need to take place after this series.

[Bailey]

We cant just go about changing things for changes sake though. Simply put we dont have any batsmen than Cook, KP, and Bell or better bowlers than Anderson, Broad and Swann.

[Romey 1878]

We cant just go about changing things for changes sake though. Simply put we dont have any batsmen than Cook, KP, and Bell or better bowlers than Anderson, Broad and Swann.

Who said anything about Anderson or Broad? At the minute Broad is our best bowler for a start. Anderson looks like he's starting his decline but he's still worth having in there. But the selectors really need to start looking at his replacement.

 

Cook, unfortunately, is bulletproof seeing as he's captain. Bell is still quality so there's no reason to replace him. KP and Swann can both go though. Prior too. Bresnan is just a plodder and not good enough.

 

It's not changes for changes sake, how can you even say that when these players have underperformed for a period of time?! It's not just this Ashes series, it's not the one in England too. The pace bowlers just about covered up the many deficiencies we have last time round.

 

Other than Cook the ones who need getting shut off are all getting on anyway so it makes sense to get replacements in sooner or later. The sooner (after this series) being the better.

[Matt]

is it lost (again) yet?

[Romey 1878]

is it lost (again) yet?

Yes it's lost. But again? We've won the previous 3.

[Matt]

Yes it's lost. But again? We've won the previous 3.

really?! Fair enough! Not a big fan of cricket but only ever hear about when we lose (being abroad an all)

[Matt]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/ashes-loss-happened-too-far-away-to-count-2013121882133

[Bailey]

Who said anything about Anderson or Broad? At the minute Broad is our best bowler for a start. Anderson looks like he's starting his decline but he's still worth having in there. But the selectors really need to start looking at his replacement.

 

Cook, unfortunately, is bulletproof seeing as he's captain. Bell is still quality so there's no reason to replace him. KP and Swann can both go though. Prior too. Bresnan is just a plodder and not good enough.

 

It's not changes for changes sake, how can you even say that when these players have underperformed for a period of time?! It's not just this Ashes series, it's not the one in England too. The pace bowlers just about covered up the many deficiencies we have last time round.

 

Other than Cook the ones who need getting shut off are all getting on anyway so it makes sense to get replacements in sooner or later. The sooner (after this series) being the better.

 

I wasnt questioning SB & JA place in the team, I was just saying that there arent many bowlers or batters out there better than those I named. KP hasnt been great but he was still one of our best batsmen at home and he probably isnt far off here (at least in runs scored), not that its saying much. Both he and Bell are the only two players capable of taking the game away from the opposition on their own.

 

For me, the problem lies at the top of the order. Cook stays, but none of the players we have had at the top of the other alongside him have chipped in. Now that Trott has gone, we have no 'safety net' either and whilst he wasnt in his best form this summer, he still chipped in with runs here and there normally helping to see of the new ball too. We dont have a genuine no 2 or 3 and it piles all of the pressure on Bell and Pietersen, especially against in form bowlers on their own tracks.

 

I agree about Bresnan but considering you dont like Finn and also considering Broads injury, we really are going to be stuff for bowlers. Stokes has done well, Anderson is still a top bowler but that leaves you with Tremlett who seems to have lost a bit of his pace or Rankin who doesnt appear to be anything special (albeit I havent seen a great deal). Regarding Swann, I still dont think there is a better spinner than him at the moment, but his ego is starting to get bigger than KP's!

 

I would definitely look at giving Prior a break from the team, bringing in Bairstow. I think he did well in one of the tour matches out there and whilst Im not convinced by him, if he can keep well and contribute with the bat then its more than Prior is doing at the moment.

 

My team for the boxing day test would include, Cook, Bell (at 3), Pietersen, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Swann, Anderson, Finn.

 

Ballance and Robson seem to have done well for the Lions/EPP side recently but I dont really know enough about them to comment.

[Romey 1878]

Swann's retired.

[Cornish Steve]

Swann's retired.

 

His Swann song?

[Romey 1878]

 

His Swann song?

Marco will hunt you down for that!

[MikeO]

Not Ashes related but cricket stuff....

 

South Africa come up eight runs short of the biggest test run chase in history.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/25485681

 

I can't understand how with three wickets in hand they settled for a draw with seventeen needed from the last three overs....played out two maidens instead of going for it with history beckoning. Crazy for me.

[weebittight]

Swann's retired.

Couldn't just hang around for a couple more weeks and try to end his career showing a bit of fighting spirit? I am sure they would all like to come home.

[Romey 1878]

Couldn't just hang around for a couple more weeks and try to end his career showing a bit of fighting spirit? I am sure they would all like to come home.

He hasn't looked interested one bit this Ashes. He just hasn't looked right.

[Bailey]

Couldn't just hang around for a couple more weeks and try to end his career showing a bit of fighting spirit? I am sure they would all like to come home.

 

Sounds like he was already thinking about it before he went out there and probably should have done it sooner.

 

It gives someone a chance in two important test matches to show us what they are made of.

[johnh]

I think one of our main problems is Cook being captain. He is poor, and I don't just mean he can't win a toss.

We need a hard nosed cricketer in the mould of Brian Close or Ray Illingworth. Swann threw in the towel. He should have seen the series out. Sounds like he wanted to protect his test averages. If he'd played the last two tests he would probably have gone for 2 for 300. Cook, Pietersen, Prior, Anderson, should all be replaced.

Not sure about Carberry, seems more suited to the shorter version of the game.

[MikeO]

I think one of our main problems is Cook being captain. He is poor, and I don't just mean he can't win a toss.

We need a hard nosed cricketer in the mould of Brian Close or Ray Illingworth. Swann threw in the towel. He should have seen the series out. Sounds like he wanted to protect his test averages. If he'd played the last two tests he would probably have gone for 2 for 300. Cook, Pietersen, Prior, Anderson, should all be replaced.

Not sure about Carberry, seems more suited to the shorter version of the game.

 

Lost again today.....but we've made a decent start .

[MikeO]

Took a bit longer than it should've done to take the last Aussie wicket but we can kick on now and get a bit of pride back (hopefully).

[Romey 1878]

Took a bit longer than it should've done to take the last Aussie wicket but we can kick on now and get a bit of pride back (hopefully).

 

 

 

And then the usual happened.

[MikeO]

 

 

 

And then the usual happened.

 

Gutted...was 54-0 at lunch when I went to bed last night....we were in a decent position .

[Bailey]

I watched until that point too. Our bowling plans in the morning were shocking. I have no idea why we were trying to bounce out a number 11 when he was backing off his stumps in the first place!? If that's a plan to Haddin then fine but not the number 11, just bowl at the stumps FFS.

 

Cook was playing quite nicely when I saw him, finding the middle of the bat but Carberry was getting bogged down in a whole. I think at one point he has scored 1 run off almost 30 balls whereas Cook was around a run a ball. Im also not sure how an international cricketer can get bowled around the wicket by a RH bowler so consistently. Once maybe but not time and time again!

[Cornish Steve]

Once again, as a Celt, I am just loving this. The fifth test follows the same course as the other four: total humiliation of the England team. They've just lost 4 wickets in 11 balls.

 

(Sorry folks!)

[Cornish Steve]

It's all over. England have been put out of their misery. If it wasn't for Stokes and Broad, they'd have failed to make 100 in either innings. Australia were toying with England like a cat toys with a mouse.

[Romey 1878]

The majority of that team needs to be placed on the scrapheap and new, younger, hungrier, players need to be given the time to bed themselves in.

[msloan78]

Complete lack of bottle from most of the senior players. I believe it's only the 3rd time there has been a whitewash in the history of the Ashes, and it's not as a result of Australia being out of this world.

 

The Sri Lanka tour will be interesting in terms of selection as some of the old horses look like they are done and dusted.