OT Ashes

[navypie]

I don't watch the Champions League and Notts are unlikely to be on again. I don't suppose BT would allow me to cancel !!
One positive , I got the dogs 1st walk of the day done a little earlier than planned.

[The_Don_ORiordan]

This game was lost in the first innings. The fact that England managed to get a sniff after 3 poor days was frankly a miracle.

I thought Australia bowled well today and England were unlucky as ever with the first 3 wickets to fall, all if which were pretty much the nail in the coffin.

Still not 100% convinced woakes hit it. Root to get caught of the underside if the bat, on a earring pitch with an old ball is pretty unlucky. And Ali despite the foolish sweep was unlucky both on line and on hitting which were both umpires call.

If's, but's and maybe's.

England won't get another sniff this series unfortunately.

[jackal2]

Nowt wrong with our Geoffry regarding playing cricket. O.K. - very blunt and rude at times but must admire his record. What was it he came from? A terraced house in Fitzwilliam to become one of Englands finest openers - well done.

The only people who would find Geoff Boycott boring or controversial are those who don't like to hear the truth! England's batting is an embarrassment and we desperately need someone who can just stay in and build a proper innings. I have considerable sympathy for our bowlers, who time and time again perform to a very high level (sometimes even with the bat!) and are constantly let down by our so-called specialist batsmen. Test cricket is a long game requiring careful shot selection and patience.

[legs77]

its got 5-0 written all over it before a ball was bowled the selectors need sacking how can you really put Crane and Foakes into this side it could ruin their careers.

If you score under 250 in 3 innings out of 4 you are not going to win many test matches Stevie Wonder can see where the problem is.

Bayliss is on very thin ice too he comes accross to me as though he isn't bothered I guess you can say the same about the players as first thing they did when they landed is head to the bar.

You look at the squad and think who can we actually bring in its that bad Ballance is no better than me truely awful he is the back up batsman I guess we might go Wood for Overton which would be very harsh on Overton who has had a decent debut.

[Mapperleypie]

The only people who would find Geoff Boycott boring or controversial are those who don't like to hear the truth! England's batting is an embarrassment and we desperately need someone who can just stay in and build a proper innings. I have considerable sympathy for our bowlers, who time and time again perform to a very high level (sometimes even with the bat!) and are constantly let down by our so-called specialist batsmen. Test cricket is a long game requiring careful shot selection and patience.

Even though the bowling in the first innings of this match was not up to scratch I agree that the frail batting line up is costing us. Scores of 400+ are required in Australia (certainly in the 1st innings of a match). In the 4 England innings so far we have managed 302, 195, 227 & 233 - an average of 239 which is unlikely to win any test match in any part of the world.

5-0 is now the fear.

[seriouspie]

Well that didn't take long. Woke up this morning thinking we could pull it off but England never fail to disappoint . I predicted 3-1 to us at the start of the series , glad I am not a betting man ,if I was I would now go 5-0 . I think our bowlers have given their best but some of the batsmen would struggle to get a game for a Burton Joyce 2nd XL on present form.

And even BJ's 1st X1 aren't much cop!

[navypie]

The only people who would find Geoff Boycott boring or controversial are those who don't like to hear the truth! England's batting is an embarrassment and we desperately need someone who can just stay in and build a proper innings. I have considerable sympathy for our bowlers, who time and time again perform to a very high level (sometimes even with the bat!) and are constantly let down by our so-called specialist batsmen. Test cricket is a long game requiring careful shot selection and patience.

I have no problem hearing the truth about how bad we are , just because Boycott is blunter than others doesn't make him any more right , if you enjoy listening to him great, I don't .

[queenslandpie]

Even though the bowling in the first innings of this match was not up to scratch I agree that the frail batting line up is costing us. Scores of 400+ are required in Australia (certainly in the 1st innings of a match). In the 4 England innings so far we have managed 302, 195, 227 & 233 - an average of 239 which is unlikely to win any test match in any part of the world.

5-0 is now the fear.

Australia have only managed over 400 once so I cannot agree. What is required is consistency and the ability to build pressure. England have built pressure briefly only once in Day 2 of the Gabba and Smith put paid to that. They never built any pressure at Adelaide and when they could Root and co went cheaply. Australia have lots of potential match winners. Cook has been a joke so far and this needs to be his last tour. He is so out of form he could have been out 4 times before he actually got out in Adelaide. Broad not much better. 5-0 is where it's going.

[Notts78]

Funny thing is people are saying that this player is done or that player is not good enough, who do you replace them with?
We are blessed to have 3 world class players in Root, Anderson and Stokes. Broad on his day can be, but when did that last happen.The rest are not consistent enough but in most cases show glimpses, that is the frustrating thing about this side.

[LaxtonLad]

Stokes was found guilty by the selectors while the ink was still wet on the newspapers. Gleefully they announced his non-selection and replaced him with - who?? Happily they will say WE play (lose) the game in the right spirit and our high horses are the highest in the land.

Players from the Indian subcontinent get caught spot-fixing and their officials are suspected of bribing match officials but all they get is a suspension of about half an hour and not one official voice from the ECB dare speak out for fear of being labeled racist and then sacked.