England's Ashes Test Team

[Alistair20000]

Could this be a repeat of Headingley in 1981 ?

 

[IndoMike]

England's Ashes hopes all but over

England's hopes of regaining the Ashes look all but over after they are bowled out for 67 by Australia in the third Test at Headingley.

www.bbc.co.uk

This nicely written article sums it up

 

[IndoMike]

Could this be a repeat of Headingley in 1981 ?

No...........

 

[IndoMike]

The price to pay for focusing on limited overs cricket is a Test team which can't bat. It's up to the punters to decide if that's a price worth paying.
Such a pity that the hope and excitement has died a death. What should we do now : experiment and put Roy, Root, Denly and Buttler out of their misery?

 

[geoffwp]

Could this be a repeat of Headingley in 1981 ?

Al. While I grant you that Archer could make a passable Willis, I am finding it difficult to figure who is going to play the Botham role this time around. It would be fantastic should it happen but fantasy is perhaps all it will be. I reckon there was a hardness about that squad that is missing today. Maybe Bairstow has it? Maybe Stokes? It doesn't run deeper than that I think.

 

[IndoMike]

Al. While I grant you that Archer could make a passable Willis, I am finding it difficult to figure who is going to play the Botham role this time around. It would be fantastic should it happen but fantasy is perhaps all it will be. I reckon there was a hardness about that squad that is missing today. Maybe Bairstow has it? Maybe Stokes? It doesn't run deeper than that I think.

Poor old Stokesy is knackered

 

[geoffwp]

Poor old Stokesy is knackered

He looked it today Mike though to be fair they all looked it, knackered, out of touch, out of ideas, out of luck.

 

[Alistair20000]

Al. While I grant you that Archer could make a passable Willis, I am finding it difficult to figure who is going to play the Botham role this time around. It would be fantastic should it happen but fantasy is perhaps all it will be. I reckon there was a hardness about that squad that is missing today. Maybe Bairstow has it? Maybe Stokes? It doesn't run deeper than that I think.

Stokes is yer Botham..........if there is any petrol left in the tank. Shocking shot from him to get out yesterday mind. As Big Bob Willis said (or rather he spat it out in anger and disgust) on The Debate last night: none of these batsmen are good enough to play test cricket apart from Root and Stokes. Jonathan Trott sheepishly replied that they are the best available. God help us if that is right.

 

[Alistair20000]

The price to pay for focusing on limited overs cricket is a Test team which can't bat. It's up to the punters to decide if that's a price worth paying.
Such a pity that the hope and excitement has died a death. What should we do now : experiment and put Roy, Root, Denly and Buttler out of their misery?

Assuming we lose and it is a dead series get rid or Roy, Denly, Buttler and maybe also Bairstow for Manchester and the Oval and bring in some others on the basis they will get a decent run to establish themselves. Root to bat at 4. Don't know who to draft in but we are at the point where in red ball cricket anybody is better than this lot.

The ECB has brought this about by trashing the 4 day game, banishing it to the fringes of April and September and focussing too much on the white ball stuff. All of this before the shitty "Hundred" is rolled out next year.

 

[IndoMike]

He looked it today Mike though to be fair they all looked it, knackered, out of touch, out of ideas, out of luck.

Drained of confidence. Over-reliance on Archer. Poor leadership. Poor batting technique (Stokes attempted stretch to cut a wide ball). Lack of spark.