OT Ashes

[navypie]

Batting . I don't see any changers for Melbourne simply because we don't have any alternatives.
Bowling . See above.

[legs77]

Personally another problem is that too many players who have potential spend the winter holidaying, aling and the odd net session. Why are players not going to Oz, South Africa or the sub continent and playing there? And I am not on about T20, I am on about proper 4 day cricket. Look at how many players the County scene has accommodated from other countries.

I think the reason for that is because South Africa and Australia dont have many state sides its very rare an overseas players gets the nod.

Putting it bluntly they probably dont want to blood our young players as we are touring during their season they have no chance of Root or Stokes.

[Notts78]

I get that but the standard of cricket at the level below state cricket is still damn good. You only have to look at what the Cricket Australia XI did against England, and how many of those young men have played a heap of state cricket? None.

[legs77]

I get that but the standard of cricket at the level below state cricket is still damn good. You only have to look at what the Cricket Australia XI did against England, and how many of those young men have played a heap of state cricket? None.

Who knows some of the 17-20 year olds may go over and play in Australia but we don't hear of it as they aren't names.

Australia isn't the oracle of cricket as soon as they leave their own country they are exactly the same as us.

I think Geoff Boycott is right so much international cricket now that you have no time to prepare properly in conditions you aren't used to, this will never change now T20 has been added to the list of fixtures.

For example when India go to Australia they will get hammered switch that around and India will beat the Aussies with ease thats how it is now.

[seriouspie]

Well there we go lads ... thrashed again.

Not picking out individuals but our bowlers are woeful compared to the Aussies and as a team not as good.

[legs77]

Well there we go lads ... thrashed again.

Not picking out individuals but our bowlers are woeful compared to the Aussies and as a team not as good.

I said 5-0 at the start so a touch better at 4-0 but we were hammered regardless of what rubbish we are saying some games were tight etc it was a brutal beating and the sooner they face up to that the better.

Our bowlers were not good in Australia they are not woeful in England though .....this is where I blame the selectors and Bayliss anyone who knows the game could have told you Plunkett would be better in Australia than Ball or Curran for example, I like Crane but we should not have thrown him into this test match England won't pick him for a while now.

I don't think we'd have beat them in Oz regardless but we clearly didn't send the best players for the conditions.

[Notts78]

I think we will lose. Our batting line up is not up to the task and I actually think we will struggle to take 20 wickets a game. The loss of Stokes can not be under estimated.
The warm ups have been glorified nets on slow tracks.
Will go 4-0 with us scraping a draw, probably in the first test at Brisbane.
I hope I am massively wrong.

Here you go. As predicted, got thee draw at the wrong venue tho.

[sidders]

Lamentable. How does anyone pick the bones out of that?

[Notts78]

I don’t think we can. We are simply not good enough in foreign conditions with bat or ball. England don’t have a battery of 90mph bowlers to choose from and only a handful had batted in Oz before.
Fast bowling is a real issue in England, is it the tracks? Is it the silly numbers of games played? Should County cricket be stretched over 3 divisions to reduce games played and allow fast bowlers to go full pelt without fear of injury or longevity? The one day and T20 competitions have far to many games played. Thankfully the T20 looks to be getting a revamp.
We will be more competitive in the ODIs and T20s because players play more of it all around the world. Several England lads have played in this Big Bash which is fabulous viewing.