O/T:- Unofficial NCM Ashes thread

[jackal2]

England's batting is beyond pathetic. Woakes top scorer FFS!

[Elite_Pie]

England's batting is beyond pathetic. Woakes top scorer FFS!

Decent effort with the ball in the last session, but although Australia's lead is only 152 even that might be enough.

[Notts78]

Decent effort with the ball in the last session, but although Australia's lead is only 152 even that might be enough.

Oz should declare to make a game of it.

[Elite_Pie]

Decent effort with the ball in the last session, but although Australia's lead is only 152 even that might be enough.

So, a target of 152 would have been more than enough. The bowlers did a pretty good job in taking 20 Australian wickets for 458 runs, but our batting is just pitiful. We don't just lack technique, we lack any sort of guts, fight and application. The whole series has been men against boys, only the Sydney rain saved us from a deserved whitewash.

[jackal2]

So, a target of 152 would have been more than enough. The bowlers did a pretty good job in taking 20 Australian wickets for 458 runs, but our batting is just pitiful. We don't just lack technique, we lack any sort of guts, fight and application. The whole series has been men against boys, only the Sydney rain saved us from a deserved whitewash.

It's been the story for many years now. Our bowlers generally perform well and give us a chance to win games, but your description of our batsmen is spot on. They spend the vast majority of their summer playing cartoon cricket where you just swing the bat at everything looking for fours and sixes, and if you give your wicket away then it's accepted as the price of trying to get a decent score in the space of a couple of hours. The way things are going we might as well give up Test cricket and form a baseball team instead. In fact, the way our batsmen play, you would think they were already using baseball bats!

[ForeignLegion]

finally a half decent opening partnership.....a half decent team should be able to knock those runs off. Then again......

[i961pie]

finally a half decent opening partnership.....a half decent team should be able to knock those runs off. Then again......

After a good start 3 gone for 15, looks like the usual collapse is on

[jackal2]

I woke up this morning to Test Match Special telling me England needed 271 to win. Always good to start the day with a laugh!

[meoldlaner]

If we go on and win it will only mask our failings.
Time to rethink the cricket season. Money is more important than good coaching, and we need test cricket or we'll end up playing rounders!

[queenslandpie]

Not sure how Burns stayed in as long as he did. I've walked away now after several hours of viewing. Be surprised if we make 150. Crawley on the balance of more recent innings looks like he is worth persevering with for a while but gawd knows who is going to partner him.

EDIT - I just read that the opening stand in this innings is our highest opening stand in Australia since 2013. My lord.