Apologies Tut, must be confusing you with someone else It all sounds so familiar ... Happy Boxing Day
Absolutely pathetic!!! Has any English batsmen even scored a century on this tour yet? I don't think they have, if so W(hy)TF not As for the team selection why not play Bairstow as an opener as he very rarely lets the team down and has opened many times before? Then we could leave Crawley out of the side, because lets face it he has been even more crap than the rest of the team of late. Then in his place we could bring back Woakes who also very rarely lets the team down and is a very competent batsman, plus he would add great strength to the bowling attack as well. Furthermore, I wonder do we really need a specialised spinner, maybe we don't as we have Root and now Malan who do a pretty good job as part time spinners, then we could possibly add yet another quick bowler to the line up, however I'm not so sure that is a realistic option.
Apart from Bairstow at the top of the order, every single thing you have suggested is what we did in the last test - and we got walloped.
How on earth did this lanky twerp get back in!? The selectors need taking out the back and shooting one-by-one, followed by Chris Silverwood & Marcus Trescothick. How can you call yourself a batting coach and our openers have zero skill, zero technique, zero confidence and zero patience! All of them can f**k off. Root is a world class batsman but as a Captain I would say he's probably the worst I can remember. No leadership qualities whatsoever, sh*t field placings, sh*t bowling changes and no aggression at all!! A nice guy (met him a few years back) but has to step down as captain! That said, no idea who i'd give it to!
I literally sent you a polite, friendly message on a thread on here the other day - and you chose to ignore it! And how on earth you took my reply as ‘looking for a fight’ I don’t really know! There was nothing even remotely argumentative in it! I merely pointed out that you are suggesting they do something they have already done - and it didn’t work!
He wasn’t great at test cricket - but I’d almost be tempted to give whatever Eoin Morgan wants to step back into the test arena. He certainly can handle the pressure, doesn’t suffer fools easily and is a ruthless selector. Shame he’s getting on a bit mind you. But he’s someone in the England setup who they really should be leaning on. I’d also get Alastair Cook back in the setup as batting/opener advisor. Silverwood should never have been given the gig in the first place - County Cricket is so up and down and a team can be successful one season and poor the next….Silverwood just isn’t even close to being qualified for the role.
Just brainless batting, Buttler can bat, why is he trying to smash it out the park? Just show discipline, how hard is it? I don't get how you can be one of the best white-ball batsmen in the world and you can't be a reliable red-ball batsman.
Hate this team and most of the players. Even the absolute dross team and multiple selections in the 90’s had players who gave everything and had their moments despite our mostly miserable decade. Just a few off the top of my head, Thorpe, Cork, Gough were entertaining at times.. heck even Atherton and Hick had their moments. Crawley, Buttler, Pope et al aren’t even fit to tie their laces. Silverwood isn’t even good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as even David Lloyd or Ray Illingworth as a coach!
100%. The team of the 90's with Atherton, Thorpe, Smith, Hick et al would absolutely pulverise this sh*t team now. The team of the 90's were just very unlucky to come up against the greatest Aussie side of all time, the greatest South African side of all time and one of the best West Indies sides of all time as well. They weren't actually a bad side.
No idea how Butler still gets in the side! Chance after chance! Either gives Foulkes a go or play Bairstow as keeper and put Pope back in down the order at 6 or 7.
Totally agree with all of that! Morgan is the only natural leader we have in any format. The fact Cook hasn't be used in any way shape or form is criminal. Our greatest ever batsman! Questions need to be asked of Strauss as well.
Good news of course they are all healthy but cannot even catch COVID it seems despite a scare after their family time on Christmas day. Apparently had this been the 4th test in Sydney they'd all have to stay inside so bet the organisers are glad its not. Mind you how long will this last?
The bowling wasn't too bad (albeit Anderson by far the best as usual) Trouble is we had to bat again! Some doubt over if the test will carry on anyway.
I actually thought we might be going to get back into this test when we had them at 204 - 8.... Then we let their tail wag to give them an 82 run lead. Furthermore not content with that we go and lose FOUR wickets before the close of play and still remain 51 runs behind
Settled in to watch Root and Stokes heroic stand —00.35am and it’s all done. Stokes, Bairstow, Root. Ashes lost. Miserable performances. Depressing.
County-level seamer takes 6 for 7. Scott Boland? This lot would struggle against Marc Bolan. Or Mo Mowlam.
That has to be dead cert resignation territory. Head coach and captain have to announce their intent to step down from their respective roles at the end of the tour.
I saw Michael Atherton’s heroic rearguard 2 day 185 not out innings at the Wanderers Joburg in 1995. What a performance that was to save the 2nd test against the South African quickies Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock.. Part of test cricket at its best, defying the odds. If only we had a batsman who could hold his ground to support Root. We are hopeless at test cricket atm. Will the great England test teams and players ever come back...?
We’ve invented many sports games we’re now **** at. But as we know, it’s the taking part that counts. Winning is is so aggressive and non PC.
‘Yeah but who else is there?’ The job is like representing the UK at Eurovision now. 4-0, 5-0 and potentially 5-0 again in the last three Ashes in Australia. You need real steel, ability and determination to win down there. Having a nodding dog Captain who’s happy, seemingly, to be the only decent batsman in the team and a clueless coach who shouldn’t have ever got the job but they didn’t want to give it to an Aussie. All while we waste Anderson and Broad’s last few years. Shameful.
We hadn't done a great job of papering over the cracks with the batting in the past few years but the building has now collapsed. Hollow words from Silverwood, no way will we win either of the remaining tests, laughable and insulting to suggest we will after the performance today. ECB are accountable for this humiliation as well. I hope this is rock bottom.
Without wishing to appear too sexist, but shouldn’t England’s men’s team compete for the Ashes against Australia Ladies? It would make it far more competitive, and they might even win the odd test match.
Didn’t even make it till the lunch break then. World record number of ducks etc. Yet it seems the batting kind of gets away with it .
Hameed and Crawley stroll out to the middle to start the England reply, and Australia are already into the tail.
https://twitter.com/sirswampthing/status/1475631810935590915?s=21 This Extras fella needs to open for us
Chris Silverwood to miss the 4th test as he has to isolate for 10 days. He's been absent for the first 3 tests anyway.