Gone seem to be the days of England preparing green tops and allowing their seam bowlers to make hay, well grass, in the sunshine.From watching Lancashire play on the exact same wicket 2 days later, I strongly suspect we'd have struggled to take the wickets anyway, it was such a flat wicket, good batsmen were very difficult to get out.
It was meant to be T20, that is why the launch 2020 was pencilled in, otherwise it would have started earlier.I still watch some of it although I do convert everything back into 6-ball overs when doing the necessary mathematics. I think somewhere someone thought cricket needed a shorter game with less arithmetic skills required by the viewer but they forgot that the existing fans love all that. It’s an abomination of course but it’s still the same bowling, batting and fielding skills. Don’t care who wins though and couldn’t tell you who won last year or the year before either.
A lot of games are double matches and not sold out, they say season tickets sold out after the first game as there is only 4 games so they don't sell them after.Probably giving a lot of tickets away .
Wickets changed dramatically when they introduced the bidding system for Test around 2005. Glamorgan weren't going to bid millions backed the Welsh assembly and have it ending in 3 days. Headingley was a seamers paradise in those days.Gone seem to be the days of England preparing green tops and allowing their seam bowlers to make hay, well grass, in the sunshine.
The wickets in India will be prepared to benefit the hosts so one wonders how England will adapt their play. On the last tour, India even prepared two strips on the same middle with completely different soils and properties so as to keep England guessing.
Yes, the captain is bonkers, but I like him.And the crazy declaration in the first test.
When you consider how poor we were under Root, the turn round is remarkable. Bowling is a problem- Broad has gone,Ali gone, Jimmy getting on, injuries to quickies, no spinner looking likely. Woakes looking decent. Onward!Another brilliant Ashes series, but one that England really should have won. We made some big calls with team selection and they didn't pay off ultimately. Bairstow wasn't ready to come in and keep wicket. Our discipline with the ball wasn't there either. No balls, dropped catches and a huge number of extras. We'd scored more runs off the bat than Australia in the first two tests but were 2-0 down. Woakes not playing at Lords was a crazy decision as well with his average there.
Having said that, the Aussies losing Lyon was huge and putting the England glasses down, something they could point to in terms of not winning the series.
A real shame we couldn't get the win. Missed opportunity in my opinion. But to take on the number 1 test team and outplay them in the majority of the tests means we're building something special. If we can enhance our bowling attack, get that top spinner in the side, then we are in very good shape. With the averages that Aussie top 6 has, we bowled very well. Particularly as they didn't often have to face the moving ball and the wickets suited them more than usual.
I suppose, if people are prepared to take the good, then the occasional bad comes as part of the package. It's just annoying that the Ashes were definitely there for the winning this summer. The Aussies may well be world test champions, but we should have beaten them.Yes, the captain is bonkers, but I like him.
Wow.Reading the Australian papers, it’s interesting that they almost uniformly feel that they should have won the series outright as well. Both teams leave with regrets and both teams now need rebuilds.
When you consider how poor we were under Root, the turn round is remarkable. Bowling is a problem- Broad has gone,Ali gone, Jimmy getting on, injuries to quickies, no spinner looking likely. Woakes looking decent. Onward!
Reading the Australian papers, it’s interesting that they almost uniformly feel that they should have won the series outright as well. Both teams leave with regrets and both teams now need rebuilds.
Had England been two up, people here would have been crestfallen that they hadn’t gotten over the line. Similarly, had England been 264-4 yesterday and collapsed thus, there wouldn’t be much bonhomie today. The Australians see it as a huge opportunity lost, and I imagine there will be significant changes, with Smith already back as captain when the sides recommence hostilities.I think that's fair comment.
They'll be pretty forthright on the Aussie failings, I expect.
If I was an Aussie I'd be raging over those Khawaja/Labuschagne 2.5 an over partnerships. Particularly the one at Headingley when the sun was still shining.I think that's fair comment.
They'll be pretty forthright on the Aussie failings, I expect.
It's been brilliant. The final couple of years under Root was horrific with 1 win in 17 tests. The team just couldn't score runs. We might dig in and soak up deliveries but we'd still be out for very few. The side wasn't settled and with no runs on the board our bowlers couldn't do anything. It was a disaster.
The approach now is fantastic. Just go and try and win games. Don't worry if you score 4 or 104, just play with confidence because you'll be back in the team next time anyway.
During the rain break yesterday they did their Ashes squad for Australia's next visit over here. Plenty to be positive about. Obviously the next series over there is the focus, and the bowling attack needs work but again we have some good bowlers coming through. Sam Cook of Essex needs to be in the next home test squad, he's got excellent numbers in the county game. Can Archer get fit? Mahmood? Both would be lethal in Australia, and I particularly rate Mahmood but both have had so many injuries. Rehan Ahmed can bat and bowl, he had to be in the squad moving forwards.
I've said a few times I don't rate Leach. He doesn't tie up an end and make it hard for the team to score. Maybe he will come good, Stokes rates him so who am I to doubt him. But I think we need more and considering Ahmed can bat a lot better there's a real opportunity for him.
Cummins and Starc aren't as quick as they were, so in the next Ashes if we can get a couple of pacemen fit and/or find that extra height and bounce from someone like Tongue we could go and do something over there.
Had England been two up, people here would have been crestfallen that they hadn’t gotten over the line. Similarly, had England been 264-4 yesterday and collapsed thus, there wouldn’t be much bonhomie today. The Australians see it as a huge opportunity lost, and I imagine there will be significant changes, with Smith already back as captain when the sides recommence hostilities.
If I was an Aussie I'd be raging over those Khawaja/Labuschagne 2.5 an over partnerships. Particularly the one at Headingley when the sun was still shining.
The last 18 months or so of Root/Silverwood the whole batting line up apart from Root looked terrified out there. I've been critical of Crawley (with good reason!) but you look at the difference between 2021 where he averaged 10 and this year he's averages mid 40's.It's been brilliant. The final couple of years under Root was horrific with 1 win in 17 tests. The team just couldn't score runs. We might dig in and soak up deliveries but we'd still be out for very few. The side wasn't settled and with no runs on the board our bowlers couldn't do anything. It was a disaster.
The approach now is fantastic. Just go and try and win games. Don't worry if you score 4 or 104, just play with confidence because you'll be back in the team next time anyway.
During the rain break yesterday they did their Ashes squad for Australia's next visit over here. Plenty to be positive about. Obviously the next series over there is the focus, and the bowling attack needs work but again we have some good bowlers coming through. Sam Cook of Essex needs to be in the next home test squad, he's got excellent numbers in the county game. Can Archer get fit? Mahmood? Both would be lethal in Australia, and I particularly rate Mahmood but both have had so many injuries. Rehan Ahmed can bat and bowl, he had to be in the squad moving forwards.
I've said a few times I don't rate Leach. He doesn't tie up an end and make it hard for the team to score. Maybe he will come good, Stokes rates him so who am I to doubt him. But I think we need more and considering Ahmed can bat a lot better there's a real opportunity for him.
Cummins and Starc aren't as quick as they were, so in the next Ashes if we can get a couple of pacemen fit and/or find that extra height and bounce from someone like Tongue we could go and do something over there.
Agreed. They’ll need to start rebuilding and relieving Cummins of the captaincy will immediately free him up to concentrate on his bowling. The two sides seem to have the same problems but in contrasting areas. England now have a consistent top order and a deep pool of batsmen from which to draw, but they have immediate problems in the bowling unit but a fairly shallow pool of bowlers from which to draw. There are a good number of players with potential, but how do they get sufficient experience and consistency so as to be ready to tour Australia? The Australians will need to overhaul the top order in the next couple of years, but they don’t seem to have many players ready to step up; in terms of bowling, they appear to have more options. This winter/summer, the Australians have Pakistan (3 Tests) and the West Indies (2 Tests) at home before travelling to New Zealand (2 Tests), so by March we’ll have a better sense of how radically they are developing their team.I think the same, and they'll rue the weather intervention at the Oval as much as England did at Old Trafford.
It's pretty obvious that a few of both sides are done. Australia will lose the openers and Starc won't be long. Smith won't be around much longer either, I'd think - Ashes in Australia and done, I'd think.
I guess the difficulty is when/how to bring in the new and how long to give them.
Tongue played against Australia in a 2019 county game, is going to be 26 when the next test comes round yet only has 2 tests, one of which was Ireland.
How long until they tell Anderson/Woakes/Wood that it's time to move on, or that they're being left out?
I think much depends on whether Stokes' knee can be fixed, and the issue of who doesn't cry off going to India. They'll need some nous on what they're up to, and surely can't lose all of those three. Stokes is 32 now, so they'll need a plan if he can't make 4 years time as well.
You've got to give them 3 consecutive tests really. They might have "beginners luck" so to speak, or be all over the place because of nerves. 3 tests gives you an idea of their capabilities. You'd hope they already have an idea of those they want to bring through. Most of those that have been away with the Lions are around 25 and ready to start coming through and into the test arena. Sam Cook has to be considered, although as I said I'm not sure how well he'll travel. He's so consistent though. Josh Tongue is another who has been with the Lions and I thought he looked okay. Offers something a bit different with his height. Ideally Archer and Mahmood can come back and find some fitness as well.
I'm sure Stokes will hope to bowl a bit more, but I'm not sure if that's the right decision for him. Being the captain is full on, and he's so good with the bat I'd almost prefer he focussed on that. But ideally you would want him to bowl a few spells.
I would imagine Wood will eventually have an injury that ends his time. Woakes has never travelled well so could play a fair while longer if saved for English summers. Jimmy will want 700 wickets, or possibly to go past Warne. I'd expect his ideal scenario would be doing it like Broad. Go past 700 in a home series and then announce your retirement and take your applause. Throw in a reverse sweep for 6 and a last ball wicket too of course.