The Ashes

[Diasi]

Well I thought it was great.

They could nearly get the entire English last innings on the 6 o'clock news.

Lol. 

[Michael Rolls]

I think the 6 o'clock news has enough tales of disaster as it is!
Mike

[Cassandra]

Back 'spasms' etc! Fred Trueman bowled over a 1,000 overs a season, as did the great Brian Statham. John Lever of Essex was renown for bowling 'through' injuries. You could have only kept all three from bowling on a 'green-top' in Hobart with cloud cover by chaining them up. Let alone paying them a million pounds in a calendar year!

This batting line-up is a national disgrace and more importantly so is the captaincy and the structure behind it all.

Huge salaries, for re-cycling garbage, Boris Johnson must be envious.

Good job perhaps the British game is becoming extinct. Who wants to watch decay ferment?

[Michael Rolls]

I don't think that I have ever seen so abject a performance from an England Test side. No idea how bad the injuries picked up are, and given the relative success of Mark Wood, I do wonder what might have been the case had Stone and Archer been available - several of the Aussie batsmen were clearly unsettled by Wood.
Mine you - as Broad said a little while back 'if you get bowled out for 148, it doesn't matter which bowlers you pick'
Mike

[Michael Rolls]

Oh, and there was a discussion on the web between Ian Chappell and Mark Taylor on the general progress of the series and Taylor mentioned Root. 'He's not a captain, never mind a Test captain,' was Chappell's cutting response
Mike

[Cassandra]

Oh, and there was a discussion on the web between Ian Chappell and Mark Taylor on the general progress of the series and Taylor mentioned Root. 'He's not a captain, never mind a Test captain,' was Chappell's cutting response
Mike

Right on, great batsman but when I first saw him as skipper, his field placings were naive and his limited personality doesn't assure command. He should go now and let Ben have a turn whilst we still have him, concentrating on his batting only, to avoid injury exposure as he goes older. I think it will aid Joe too. Even his seemingly disinterested cliche repetitive, monosyllabic delivery must be shaken by this latest debacle. He got out to 'good' balls but at his level he keeps playing 'bad' shots to them!

[crabbyob]

my cricket knowledge is hovering just above minus...but... i feel i must agree with Cass on this one, i think Root is a top class batsman, but being skipper of any team is a diffrent kind of skill set... i think his place in the team is at risk [and you dont exactly have a shed full of batsmen] in my opinion if you dont have a 'Captain' i would give it to the keeper who sees everything on the park.... :biker:

[Michael Rolls]

Interesting - Billings is skipper of Kent, a much better keeper than Butler. At 30, not a callow youth
Mike

[Cassandra]

Interesting - Billings is skipper of Kent, a much better keeper than Butler. At 30, not a callow youth
Mike

Nice chap, but not in the same class as Buttler as a batsman and only played cos he happened to be in Lockdownia at a time, when both the former and Bairstow as keepers were damaged and the position was a hapless one anyway. Bit like Jon Agnew in the 80's I remember somehow. Though Billings still had to drive over 500 miles to play as the Govt wouldn't permit him to fly of course!

[Michael Rolls]

As a batsman, Butler seems terrific in white ball, but was pretty non-existent in this series. In 57 Tests he has two centuries, averages 31.94, but nothing like that of late. FC average is 32.17, Billings actually has a slightly better FC average at 33.90, with 6 centuries in 75 matches; Butler has 7 in 122, so Billings' stats as a batsman seem reasonably comparable. A couple of really good catches apart - remember I only saw the highlights, Butler's keeping wasn't anything to write home about.
Interesting comment in the paper the other day - adding the three 'wickets' to no balls to 17 dropped catches - that's Oz bowled out twice!
Mike

[zoony]

Forgive me Mike butt you're driving me mad mate.. BuTTler spells his name with two Ts!!..

[Michael Rolls]

thanks - so he does - never noticed - just about makes his spelling as odd as his recent batting!
Mike

[klondike]

Or bating 

[crabbyob]

as i posted in tother place, its reported that England are hireing the tennis player who has been filling the news ....he impressed the ties that run English cricket as it took the Aussies two weeks to get him 'OUT'

[klondike]

You sure it was there I read that? Bugger I thought I'd given that up in my new year resolutions. I do still put  a post or two in every few days to annoy Chris. Childish I know