England Cricket Team Thread

[mentalist (slight return)]

Yeah average pitch but compelling game. 2 down, see-saw moving towards Australia. Was reading somewhere that Cook averages 27 over 6 Ashes series.

[Penk!]

He had that one immense series against you but otherwise struggles.

To be honest he’s not what he once was in general. Big centuries are a rarity these days, though he did get that double against the Windies in summer.

Now Vince has gone too. Looking like 1-0 to the hosts.

[joels344]

Yeah average pitch but compelling game. 2 down, see-saw moving towards Australia. Was reading somewhere that Cook averages 27 over 6 Ashes series.

That’s not a very convincing batting average at all, especially for an opening batsman. I’m guessing he just collapses under pressure. I don’t know if dropping him from the squad would be right answer either because finding a fitting replacement would be difficult.

[Penk!]

Yeah average pitch but compelling game. 2 down, see-saw moving towards Australia. Was reading somewhere that Cook averages 27 over 6 Ashes series.

That’s not a very convincing batting average at all, especially for an opening batsman. I’m guessing he just collapses under pressure. I don’t know if dropping him from the squad would be right answer either because finding a fitting replacement would be difficult.

It's not accurate either. His overall average against Australia is 38, and his average in Australia is 46.

This is skewed, though, by the remarkable series he had in 2010-11 when he scored three centuries in seven innings including a monster 294. Otherwise yeah, his record down under is pretty modest.

He is not known for cracking under pressure - quite the opposite - but like many of the England team has developed a frustrating inability to consistently turn starts into big scores.

The problems with the team - lack of concentration in the batting, no proper spinner, no bowler of genuine pace - have been glaringly obvious for a long time now and it seems futile to keep banging on about them. Neither the selectors nor the squad seem interested or imaginative about fixing things.

At least now, though, it looks like Stokes might be able to play: he's arrived in New Zealand (he will presumably get a connecting flight soon) and the police are reportedly due to announce the result of their investigation today (given that he has left the country he will presumably not be getting hit with any serious charges!). He does offer something really important even if I think his bowling needs to improve for him to be considered a top-class all-rounder.

If Stokes plays then I think Bairstow should bat 6 with Stokes and Moeen coming in after him. I think he is the one who needs more time to construct an innings and as I've said before he seems to be struggling to capitalise on starts batting further down the order.

[borofan]

At least now, though, it looks like Stokes might be able to play: he's arrived in New Zealand (he will presumably get a connecting flight soon) and the police are reportedly due to announce the result of their investigation today (given that he has left the country he will presumably not be getting hit with any serious charges!).

News this afternoon that the police have completed their investigation and passed the file on to the CPS.

[joels344]

Yeah average pitch but compelling game. 2 down, see-saw moving towards Australia. Was reading somewhere that Cook averages 27 over 6 Ashes series.

That’s not a very convincing batting average at all, especially for an opening batsman. I’m guessing he just collapses under pressure. I don’t know if dropping him from the squad would be right answer either because finding a fitting replacement would be difficult.

no bowler of genuine pace - have been glaringly obvious for a long time now and it seems futile to keep

Yeah, none of the England pace bowlers look remotely threatening. Broad is brilliant in spells. Age seems to be catching up with Anderson. Ball and Woakes have far too many mediocre spells to poor spells. Meanwhile, every ball from Starc, Cummings, and Hazlewood could be a wicket. And they have a proper spin bowler in Nathan Lyon. I can’t believe he’s nearly at 300 career wickets.

[mentalist (slight return)]

Swann debuted at roughly the age Lyon is now and ended up with roughly the same number of wickets that Lyon already has. It's really only in the last year, when his spot was under threat, that he has become the bowler we see. His achievements recently in Bangladesh and India were top notch, and now he seems to have found a way to succeed in Australia, using a lot of bounce. Offies just don't do that down here. Just look at the feats of Swann and Ashwin.

Anyhow I'm flying down to Adelaide to watch the Test care of a present for a significant birthday!

[Penk!]

Once again waking up to a rather depressing scoreline. England’s batsmen have to show fight and patience here - this doesn’t seem to be a challenging pitch - otherwise the whitewash starts looking likely.

What annoys me is that the likes of Paine and Cummins have made runs but yoy just know some of England’s top order will fail...

[mentalist (slight return)]

Our quicks are quicker, which is important down here, and our spinner is better than Moeen. We're also playing at home which helps. Smith has started to mould this team into batting more patiently, by setting the example with his own batting, which is clearly something England didn't expect. But tomorrow's a new day!

[Lord Rother]

I am usually quite the optimist but I really don’t think this is going to end well for England.

[Penk!]

At what point does one just give up caring?

[mentalist (slight return)]

:roll:

At what point does one just give up caring?

I'll be saying that in a couple of years.

[Lord Rother]

There is something very wrong with this England team.

I pointed out in the summer how the sequence of results over the last 2 years has been either massive win or massive loss. That sequence continues unabated.

It really suggests to me that we are absolutely fine if we can take the initiative early on in a game, but if it goes the other way and we have to show a bit of steely concentration and discipline to wrest the initiative back - well, forget it. We just go through the motions. We give up as near as dammit.

Root, clearly our best batsman for decades, gives his wicket away too easily. He’s a better batsman than Steve Smith, but although his talent will often shine through, he doesn’t have the patience, he doesn’t have the balls to tough it out in the way that Smith can.

He set a terrible example this morning which betrayed his own mental weakness. Unfortunately it’s a weakness that is endemic in English cricket.

I haven’t done my research on this but it feels like if the opposition bats first and posts anything over 300 we get intimidated by that (not exactly huge) weight of runs and just want to catch up as quickly as possible, so end up getting out to loose run chasing shots.

There isn’t a chance in hell we can come back from this.

The series is over. And it’s terrible / pathetic that we know that when the 2nd game in the series is only at the half way point.

[Penk!]

I more or less agree.

I think it's bad coaching and bad preparation.

The players have the talent in many cases (Root is probably the best batsman around technically, and indeed makes more fifties than anyone else, but doesn't press on: that can only be down to poor focus and determination) but they do not have the concentration, the application, the mental approach or the adaptability when abroad. Some of the senior players like Anderson and Broad are clearly capable of adapting their game - witness the way that when it isn't swinging they still bowl tightly and with control - but too many of the rest just scrabble around.

Why are they going there not able to play against fast bowlers on fast pitches? Why did they go to India not prepared to play against spin? Why did they go to India without a proper spinner of their own?

We have a man in charge who freely admits he can't be bothered watching county cricket. Why not? Why is this OK? There are coaches in the game who've said that the standard of pace bowling coaching isn't up to it. Why have we gone to Australia without a genuinely fast bowler? If Wood is injured well we should have somebody else shouldn't we? But no.

England have been slipping for a few years now and I think it's the fault more of the men in charge than the players. There isn't much difference in ability between the two sides: a better spinner and slightly quicker bowlers should not be having such a big effect for Australia. But it seems that they have just approached things the right way whereas England simply cannot knuckle down with the bat or find consistent control with the ball. Today what was needed was a calm and determined batting performance. Instead most of the team played airy shots and gave their wickets away. Again. Contrast that with the grit shown by Australia.

[Penk!]

Even more frustrating to see them finally pull a good bowling performance out now when it's far too late. If the batsmen can find some inspiration in this and bat out a day and a half... but that won't happen, will it?

At least there are signs that some dignity and pride can be salvaged.

[Lord Rother]

Meanwhile Kohli just notched his 2nd successive double century which is his 6th in his 33 innings in 2016 and 2017.

What we would give to have someone who scored 200+ once in every 5 or 6 visits to the crease!

Or actually if we had a whole batting line up capable of doing that, not just one person.

Kohli is ridiculous.

[Penk!]

Of course his stats might not be so incredible if India ever dared play a series outside the subcontinent...

[mentalist (slight return)]

Yeah Kohli's great but he's a home track bully. Meanwhile in Australia Smudge should have sent England in under the lights. Funny game!

[WG Kaspar]

Didn't he score 2 centuries last time he was on Australia?

[Lord Rother]

Yeah Kohli's great but he's a home track bully. Meanwhile in Australia Smudge should have sent England in under the lights. Funny game!

His average in both Africa and Oceania is better than it is in Asia.