Ashes 2019...

[ramAnag]

Great effort full of grit and determination from Root and Burns...then the usual tumble of wickets.
No likely help from the weather now, so much rests on Stokes and Bairstow (again!).

[AdiSalisbury]

Weather probably saved us 20 minutes of pain at the end! Plan has to be to eat up as much of tomorrow as possible, and preferably avoid an embarrassing follow on. Burns stepped up again, looking every bit a reliable opener.

[ramAnag]

Weather probably saved us 20 minutes of pain at the end! Plan has to be to eat up as much of tomorrow as possible, and preferably avoid an embarrassing follow on. Burns stepped up again, looking every bit a reliable opener.

...or there again!

Take a real miracle now...still at least we don’t have to worry about the Ashes again till 21/22.

Wonder which comes first...England reclaiming the Ashes or Derby winning promotion?

[AdiSalisbury]

Root not standing up again, not good enough

[Geoff Parkstone]

...or there again!

Take a real miracle now...still at least we don’t have to worry about the Ashes again till 21/22.

Wonder which comes first...England reclaiming the Ashes or Derby winning promotion?

Probably me shuffling off my mortal coil

[ramAnag]

Root not standing up again, not good enough

Feel a bit for him Adi. Fifth highest run scorer in the series and he might as well have been opening given the repeated failures of one or two of the genuine openers.

Can’t help feeling, Smith apart, it’s in the bowling department that we’ve lost it. Think Broad especially, but also Archer, have been excellent but them apart we’ve been short of a threat.

Both teams are reliant on two or three reliable batsmen but the Aussies always seem to have had three or four decent paceman compared to our two and a better spinner too.

Full marks to Leach and Overton for guts with the bat but I fear their bowling isn’t Test class. Sam Curran for the Oval please...really don’t know what he’s done wrong. Such a pity that Wood and Anderson were injured.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Feel a bit for him Adi. Fifth highest run scorer in the series and he might as well have been opening given the repeated failures of one or two of the genuine openers.

Can’t help feeling, Smith apart, it’s in the bowling department that we’ve lost it. Think Broad especially, but also Archer, have been excellent but them apart we’ve been short of a threat.

Both teams are reliant on two or three reliable batsmen but the Aussies always seem to have had three or four decent paceman compared to our two and a better spinner too.

Full marks to Leach and Overton for guts with the bat but I fear their bowling isn’t Test class. Sam Curran for the Oval please...really don’t know what he’s done wrong. Such a pity that Wood and Anderson were injured.

Are you sure Sam Curran isn't your lovechild? Personally don't think he is a test level first change seamer. He could come in for Stokes as 4th seamer, but, unless he is strategically rested, that's not gonna happen.

The lack of Wood in particular has been keenly felt, maybe less so Anderson who is in the evening of his career and we may decide to look beyond for the winter tour (he's always been better in home conditions). Woakes has disappointed, but is worth persevering with.

The spin slot is difficult as Leach hasn't made much of a case for himself, and the door seems to be always kept half open for a resurgent Moeen, should he ever re-surge. Perhaps time to find the attacking legs pinner for the slot - perhaps a Parkinson.

Still the series is still at stake, so I'm not sure there will be much change at Oval unless the selectors give up on it.

[AdiSalisbury]

Same squad for next test. Would be nice to spank them before they get too cocky, not likely though

[ramAnag]

Are you sure Sam Curran isn't your lovechild? Personally don't think he is a test level first change seamer. He could come in for Stokes as 4th seamer, but, unless he is strategically rested, that's not gonna happen.

The lack of Wood in particular has been keenly felt, maybe less so Anderson who is in the evening of his career and we may decide to look beyond for the winter tour (he's always been better in home conditions). Woakes has disappointed, but is worth persevering with.

The spin slot is difficult as Leach hasn't made much of a case for himself, and the door seems to be always kept half open for a resurgent Moeen, should he ever re-surge. Perhaps time to find the attacking legs pinner for the slot - perhaps a Parkinson.

Still the series is still at stake, so I'm not sure there will be much change at Oval unless the selectors give up on it.

Sadly quite certain, Parky.

Not so sure why he’s not been seen though.
Great success last year, good left arm option, better batsman than many of the specialist batsmen, young enough to be gaining valuable experience for the foreseeable future and with the final Test being at his home ground I’ll be mystified if he’s not selected.
Even though there’s less than we all hoped at stake my side would be...

Burns, Denly, Root, Stokes, Bairstow, Buttler/Roy, Curran, Woakes, Archer, Broad, Leach.

Though in all honesty, unless the Aussies are hungover, I suspect the result will be much the same...fact is...they have the two best batsmen, the two best pacemen and the best spinner...it helps!

[Geoff Parkstone]

I believe Sam Curran played last year due to Stokes being suspended didnt he? That's his slot, 4th seamer cum all rounder: backing up our new national hero!. If Stokes plays purely as a batsman after injury at Old Trafford, then I surmise he comes in instead of one of Roy/Bairstow/Buttler,