The Ashes (Australia tour of England)

[Bevab]

Imagine being Stuart Broad, a guy with a test 150, now batting below a fella who averages less than 12 in first class cricket.

That guy with an average of 12 has shown far better grit and defensive technique than some of these 'batsmen' throughout this series.

 

[A.P Haux]

The ECB should have read this thread. They would have realised the cricket fanatics here kinda have more knowledge in cricket than they have.....

 

[Aalay]

England are getting bowled out by Mitchell Marsh.

It's the Pune Warriors effect muda****aaas

Jos Butler has bought himself another 6 months of test career?

 

[Dutch]

I like Leach as he had qualities a lot more could do with; humility and bottle.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Jos Butler has bought himself another 6 months of test career?

Probably. It's a 50 in a dead rubber (I know the series can be drawn and there are World Championship points at stake but the Ashes are gone) and his first since the last dead rubber England played after losing in the West Indies. George Dobell said last week there are too many English batsman doing 'just enough' to keep their place. Buttler's the perfect example.

Even though I'm in the give Foakes a chance camp, given that he's had a below par county season, maybe it's time Buttler was given the gloves and Pope came in at six. Ponting nailed it about Buttler when he said he needs to find the right balance to his game in test cricket. From what I saw of him today, until we were 8 down, most of his runs seemed to come off the edge of the bat. Then he upped the tempo and started middling it.

 

[Jalen]

Anyone who watched the 2015 Ashes should know that Bison bowls really well when the ball is moving in the air, props to him, want him to get his 5-fer with some runs as well.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Another half century for JOkE Root!

 

[Yorkshireman]

Another half century for JOkE Root!

Err... ok.

Who said Buttler should be dropped

 

[Aislabie]

Who said Buttler should be dropped

Me, and I stand by it.

He definitely doesn't make it into a 4/5/6 of Root, Pope and Stokes. They all have a higher ceiling than him as a batsman.

If he makes it into the side then it's at seven as a keeper. Which is fine, but I think that Foakes is the better Test match option, and that a reasonable degree of separation between red and white ball is quite desirable

 

[Ed Smith]

Me, and I stand by it.

He definitely doesn't make it into a 4/5/6 of Root, Pope and Stokes. They all have a higher ceiling than him as a batsman.

If he makes it into the side then it's at seven as a keeper. Which is fine, but I think that Foakes is the better Test match option, and that a reasonable degree of separation between red and white ball is quite desirable

If you won the world cup and you're not a bowler or Joe Root. You're gone.

 

[Aislabie]

If you won the world cup and you're not a bowler or Joe Root. You're gone.

Not what I'm saying. I'm saying that the World Cup has nothing to do with Test selection.

If you want to stay in the Test side, you've got to play well in the Test side.

If you want to break into the Test side, you've got to do well in first-class cricket.

If neither applies to you... well, tough.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Not what I'm saying. I'm saying that the World Cup has nothing to do with Test selection.

If you want to stay in the Test side, you've got to play well in the Test side.

If you want to break into the Test side, you've got to do well in first-class cricket.

If neither applies to you... well, tough.

You really can't overstate the importance of playing first class cricket. Burns has been the best opener in the series - played a lot of first class cricket this season. Broad has bowled better than I remember for sometime - had a good chunk of first class cricket. Labuschagne came in and immediately looked the part - played a lot of first class cricket. It's not going to work for everyone, Bancroft for example, but it sure as hell makes a difference.

Buttler's began to find some form in the fourth match of the series, you'd hope so after have six innings of practice. Maybe if he'd had a couple of games at some point he'd not be using the Ashes to find form and rhythm. Same thing that frustrates the hell out of me about hearing people say about Roy 'well he's learning.' You can learn the about test cricket and the increased challenge, as every player does, but you don't learn how to open the batting in an Ashes series.

Really think the ECB's planning and selection of players is at biggest fault. Trying to squeeze in six test matches after the World Cup with no opportunity for players to even get one game beforehand is just arrogant or sloppy and greedy.

 

[Aislabie]

You really can't overstate the importance of playing first class cricket. Burns has been the best opener in the series - played a lot of first class cricket this season. Broad has bowled better than I remember for sometime - had a good chunk of first class cricket. Labuschagne came in and immediately looked the part - played a lot of first class cricket. It's not going to work for everyone, Bancroft for example, but it sure as hell makes a difference.

I completely agree; as I think I've said previously, the answer for me isn't necessarily more County Championship matches (I think a shorter ten-game schedule would be more conducive to the welfare of properly fast bowlers) but it is definitely better County Championship matches. I would happily put together a post about exactly what I would look to do with English cricket if there's interest; it probably wouldn't be for about another week though, owing to stuff I've got going on at the moment

Buttler's began to find some form in the fourth match of the series, you'd hope so after have six innings of practice. Maybe if he'd had a couple of games at some point he'd not be using the Ashes to find form and rhythm. Same thing that frustrates the hell out of me about hearing people say about Roy 'well he's learning.' You can learn the about test cricket and the increased challenge, as every player does, but you don't learn how to open the batting in an Ashes series.

Definitely; Test cricket is definitely a place for people who already have a rough idea of what they're doing. It's not really fair on anybody to say "hey, I know this isn't your job but if you could go out and represent your country doing it that'd be grand". You wouldn't make Samson Lee kick field goals, or Mo Salah play as a goalkeeper, so why has Jason Roy been opening the batting?

Really think the ECB's planning and selection of players is at biggest fault. Trying to squeeze in six test matches after the World Cup with no opportunity for players to even get one game beforehand is just arrogant or sloppy and greedy.

I think there's an element of that, but Australia have been able to manage playing five Tests and a bunch of first-class warm-ups in the same time. These are deeply atypical circumstances and absolutely not a defence for England, which is why it's rather frustrating that they like to use it as one

 

[asprin]

Another half century for JOkE Root!

To be fair, the only reason it's being highlighted to this extent is because of the failures of the other batsmen around him. The consistency with which he keeps scoring these 50s is astounding. I agree that in Tests 50s don't help much (especially from a top order batsman) but perhaps if he had support from the other batsmen, England might have found themselves in much better positions on numerous occasions.

 

[Dutch]

I dont think it is useful to talk of a par score for the pitch, which is in excess of 350, but to speak of a par score for this line-up, which is perhaps more a 250 figure.

It could have been 220 all out!

“The boys showed character......”