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Ashes thread 18:40 - Oct 9 with 53277 views

Kicks off next month with the news that Cummins is likely out of the first test and possibly most/all of the series. That helps.

Poll:

Kitchen threads or polls?

Ashes thread on 12:32 - Dec 6 with 1158 views

ted_hendrix

England's backroom staff consists of;

Coach Brendon McCullum, Assistant Coaches like Paul Collingwood and Marcus Trescothick, specialist coaches for Batting (Trescothick, Anthony McGrath), Bowling (Pace: David Saker, Spin: Jeetan Patel), Fielding (Paul Tweddle, Carl Hopkinson), and support staff for strength, conditioning, physio, and analysis, with figures suggesting around 15-20 key personnel.

LOL.

My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.

Ashes thread on 12:34 - Dec 6 with 1144 views

JamesB1979

If you’re going to arrogantly stick to your “plan”, you’ve got to back it up. You can’t get beat by best part of an innings.

Ashes thread on 12:37 - Dec 6 with 1113 views

themodfather

have we prepped properly for this ashes tour? one test game v our B team, before than a ODI tour of New Zealnd , many rained off ! now getting dicked walloped and will be 2-0 down soon and series gone.
are they there to win, be competitive or get the sun loungers out, lap up the sun and have a long, paid for holiday?
Starc has been brilliant

Ashes thread on 12:51 - Dec 6 with 1022 views

Nov77

Getting 2006-7 vibes, at least that was a decent oz team, this isn’t even their first choice attack, no Lyon, no Hazlewood, no Cummings.

Need to send them all home in a pedalo.

Poll:

December goal of the month - vote for your favourite R's goal during December

Ashes thread on 12:52 - Dec 6 with 1019 views

Rsole

Ashes thread on 12:32 - Dec 6 by ted_hendrix

I think I can see the problem, Ted.

No set-piece coach, or Director of Cricket, right ?

Those possessed by devils, try and keep them under control a bit, can't you ?

Ashes thread on 12:53 - Dec 6 with 1017 views

CateLeBonR

Ashes thread on 12:37 - Dec 6 by themodfather
have we prepped properly for this ashes tour? one test game v our B team, before than a ODI tour of New Zealnd , many rained off ! now getting dicked walloped and will be 2-0 down soon and series gone. are they there to win, be competitive or get the sun loungers out, lap up the sun and have a long, paid for holiday? Starc has been brilliant

The talk beforehand was that they'd been building for this for years.

Ashes thread on 12:58 - Dec 6 with 982 views

johnhoop

Ashes thread on 12:52 - Dec 6 by Rsole
I think I can see the problem, Ted. No set-piece coach, or Director of Cricket, right ?

They’re clearly lacking a “Head of Methodology.”

Ashes thread on 13:12 - Dec 6 with 944 views

Rsole

Ashes thread on 12:53 - Dec 6 by CateLeBonR
The talk beforehand was that they'd been building for this for years.

‘The project’ reveals itself…..

Those possessed by devils, try and keep them under control a bit, can't you ?

Ashes thread on 13:23 - Dec 6 with 905 views

PlanetHonneywood

Ashes thread on 12:34 - Dec 6 by JamesB1979
If you’re going to arrogantly stick to your “plan”, you’ve got to back it up. You can’t get beat by best part of an innings.

Actually, I think you're about to find out that you can.

	'Always In Motion' by John Honney available on amazon.co.uk
Poll:	Who should do the Birmingham Frederick?

Ashes thread on 13:47 - Dec 6 with 828 views

Superhoops2808

Ashes thread on 09:40 - Dec 6 by DWQPR

We were sold Bazball on the basis that we would win back the Ashes. First 18 months it was fun but then other teams started to suss us out. No plan B. Batsmen looking foolish getting out with awful shots (Brook the master of stupidity there). Bowlers encouraged to continually bowl short which I suspect adds to their injury woes. We have a master bowling in this test pitching the ball up and although aided by more awful shot choices is hoovering up wickets for fun. And yet we still bang the ball in short. In the last couple of years we have lost series away to Pakistan and India, it looks like we will be hammered here. We failed to win our home series against Oz and India and even lost a home test against Sri Lanka who themselves were undercooked in the first test. McCullum has failed miserably and should fall on his sword at the end of this series. And whoever is responsible for the preparation for this series should go as well. I get that the England team didn’t fancy playing second XI state sides but to be fair, any amount of cricket in their legs is better than none. Alternatively they could have organised a short provincial tour of South Africa where pitches are similar to Australia. Instead they just rock up after a short one day tour of NZ where some of that team weren’t even part of the Ashes squad. Sheer arrogance.

This is so true

It is arrogance. And I am sorry but you cannot tell me that ALL eleven of those players did not want to go and play more warm up games and were ill advised. I read somewhere (not sure how true) that Mark Wood wanted to drive from Perth to Brisbane before it was pointed out to him the distance and time it would take.

We don't have a team of bad players. We have a team of players that are being asked to play in a particular way and it is not working. As you say, when that fails you have to have a plan B

I stopped watching yesterday when Carse was bowling bouncer after bouncer and had gone for 13 in 3 balls. It clearly wasn't working after 2 balls of the over but they persisted in blindly doing the same knowing full well that if a catch did come begging it would be dropped anyway.

This test has been lost with poor fielding, poor bowling tactics. Yes the batsmen have been poor too with decisions, but this time its bowling and fielding.

McCullum is too arrogant to resign and I bet he is given another 2 years for a home series. Sitting here at work this morning I predicted we would lose 5 wickets without even reaching parity and I was correct. Done with this ashes already and just would rather they came home.

Ashes thread on 14:32 - Dec 6 with 759 views

Rsole

Here’s the thing that bemuses me the most….our best Test batsman (ever) does not play the same way as everyone else. That’s who they should be modelling themselves on.

Two of the best Test bowlers we have produced - ever - only just retired and should be the models for the younger bowlers. They never bowled with extreme pace or tried bouncing anyone out - neither did Pigeon or any of the three current Aussie bowlers.

Bloody hell - Nathan Lyon has made a Test career as a spinner that offers some control….it can’t be that difficult. We have to go back to Swanny for a Test quality spinner, but we are choosing to send Bashir on tour and then he isn’t selected anyway.

Those possessed by devils, try and keep them under control a bit, can't you ?

Ashes thread on 14:40 - Dec 6 with 732 views

Beckenhamhoop

Ashes thread on 14:32 - Dec 6 by Rsole

This is so, so bad I’d sack McCullum before the end of the series if it continues as expected. What a complete waste of time.

Ashes thread on 14:48 - Dec 6 with 709 views

loftus77

Ashes thread on 14:32 - Dec 6 by Rsole

Our best batsman of the 21st Century, definitely, but not ever IMHO.

Hobbs? Hammond? Hutton? Barrington? Boycott? - all of whom made huge runs Down Under.

Ashes thread on 15:00 - Dec 6 with 667 views

Rsole

Ashes thread on 14:48 - Dec 6 by loftus77
Our best batsman of the 21st Century, definitely, but not ever IMHO. Hobbs? Hammond? Hutton? Barrington? Boycott? - all of whom made huge runs Down Under.

I don’t think he’s even close to being finished yet and let’s face it, we can’t not select him !!!

Those possessed by devils, try and keep them under control a bit, can't you ?

Ashes thread on 17:44 - Dec 6 with 505 views

CiderwithRsie

Ashes thread on 14:32 - Dec 6 by Rsole

Root's a phenomenon and I don't know anyone else, ever, any team, who can accumulate so quickly without boundaries - I don't think you can expect other players to be like that (or have Jimmy's ability to make the ball talk, or McGrath's consistency).

IMO the pure joy of Bazball is (was) that it was carefree - the players were free to express themselves and so did amazing things.

This isn't carefree, it's careless.

It's neither gloriously exciting nor dependably solid, it's just poor. I don't mind Brooks batting like Brooks instead of like Root, but there's no excuse for failure to learn and adapt. The Aussies batted poorly in their first innings at Perth - a day later they batted completely differently (and better). England are making the same cock-ups in the 4th innings of these Ashes as they did in the 1st one - still not adapting to the way the pitches behave.

Preparation has been non-existent and catching has been unprofessional.

Personally, I want blood. One of the great revolutions in English cricket was when Flower and Strauss took over from Moores and KP and ended the culture of failure. One of the first things they did was drop Ian Bell for serial failure. He came back a better player (as did Root after being dropped for the last match of the 13-14 Ashes.) I think Pope and Brook would both get a valuable lesson if dropped (sadly there's only one Bethell to come in).

McCullum is a different sort of man to Flower (more Alec Stock than Alex Ferguson) but I think a bit of the latter is long overdue and if he can't do it he should go too.

Ashes thread on 18:13 - Dec 6 with 450 views

BlackCrowe

Series all but over and i feel for all those that have saved and spent thousands to be there. Utterly pathetic against the weakest Oz team we have faced for ages and ages, possibly ever.

[Post edited 6 Dec 18:14]

Poll:

Kitchen threads or polls?

Ashes thread on 20:51 - Dec 6 with 295 views

Hooparoo

Not here to gloat and I’m as surprised as anyone that it’s not a close series but I’m completely baffled why England didn’t accept the offers of some tour games to prepare. Our pitches are very different and it’s also bloody hot here and a real challenge to keep concentration for hours. When the Aussies go to England the team always plays a few county teams to get used to the different conditions which is just sensible professional preparation.

All a bit odd and after looking forward to a close series it’s now all rather predictable.

Poll:

Where will we finish up next season?

Ashes thread on 20:55 - Dec 6 with 285 views

ted_hendrix

Ashes thread on 20:51 - Dec 6 by Hooparoo

I think the World of cricket are baffled why England didn’t accept the offers of some tour games to prepare.

My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.

Ashes thread on 21:44 - Dec 6 with 213 views

CiderwithRsie

Ashes thread on 20:51 - Dec 6 by Hooparoo

Not actually true. In 2023 Ashes Aus didn't play any County matches. Don't recall India doing any in 2025 either, though they did have a couple of matches vs England Lions.

Don't think anyone plays any serious tour matches in the sub-continent either, which is another place where the conditions are very different

In living memory Aus used to play more tour games - Alistair Cook first came to my notice when he got a century vs Aus for Essex in 2005

They did (in 2023) however have several players go into English county sides in the Championship (Steve Smith had three games for Sussex) which England don't seem to do.

Whatever, it's well recognised that the tour matches in 2010-11 were a big part of the only successful England tour of Aus in decades, that they were a step up from previous tours even then. So, naturally, England have never done anything like it again. Go figure.

[Post edited 6 Dec 21:45]

Ashes thread on 21:44 - Dec 6 with 212 views

CiderwithRsie

(My big idea is that tour matches v 1st class sides would not only make for more competitive tours but could be a boost for 1st class cricket in each country. You could include the "lesser" test sides in it e.g. sides touring England could play a test v Ireland with the Dukes ball and sides touring SA could have one v Zimbabwe. Maybe Zim could be incorporated into the Aus tours as well, as nearest thing to an Ireland for Australia? Or maybe play Afghanistan in Aus?)

Ashes thread on 06:45 - Dec 7 with 30 views

LimehouseR

England in sensible batting shock.
If only the rest of them had played a bit more like this, maybe we would be in a better position.
At lest we're going to make them bat again.

Ashes thread on 07:00 - Dec 7 with 9 views

ozexile

Ashes thread on 06:45 - Dec 7 by LimehouseR
England in sensible batting shock. If only the rest of them had played a bit more like this, maybe we would be in a better position. At lest we're going to make them bat again.

And this is way more exciting to me than throwing your wicket away A test batsman building a solid innings. Good to see

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