NFR The Ashes

[Colton F.C.]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Joe chuck the towel in when they get home. He must be sick of all the dross around him.

Maybe not.  Probably best to stick with England and keep as much distance  between him and Yorkshire with all the turmoil there at the moment.

[Somerset Fulham]

Well....

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

I also can't understand why we didn't try bowling round the wicket at Warner, a weakness of his.
Anyway, at the time of writing we are "almost" back in the game.

[bobbo]

Calm down some of you were 2 days into a 5 match series very dodgy start I know but giveusa chance.

[Somerset Fulham]

Well....

Fack sake!

That was an absolute shambles.

[SG]

Well....

Fack sake!

That was an absolute shambles.

I get up early in hope only to find the game finished. How can 220 odd for two become 289 all out. Only our lot can manage that. Still as long as we have the hundred and are good at T20 the powers that be are happy

[JimmyConway]

If Rory Burns is a test match batsmen then the world's gone mad. If there is not at least 3 or 4 better opening batsmen than him in English county cricket we are in a sorry state.
We can't do any worse by opening with Bairstow.

[Somerset Fulham]

I agree, it's an absolute shambles.  The thing is, there is talent there but they just don't show it enough, or on a regular enough basis.

English test cicket is in a seroiously dodgy place right now.

[JimmyConway]

I said on earlier post that we would do no worse than Bairstow & Crawley opening as they are both technically better than the two openers we currently have.
We will have more chance of putting on at least 20 runs or more with them. These two currently are literally rabbits in the headlights. They need to be dropped as nowhere good enough for international test cricket and having detrimental effect on the team.

[filham]

Someone please post something about Australia becoming a Republic so that this thread gets withdrawn, it is becoming more and more painful by the day.

[the nutflush]

Nathan Lyon is running rings around you guys.  Best spell of off spin bowling I've seen in a long time.

[JimmyConway]

Gutless is probably to kind a word for 2/3 of this England team.

[sunburywhite]

Bring them home now

[Twig]

I'm surprised that there isn't a thread already? Sorry if I've missed it.

Come on England!

Now you know why there wasn't a thread already, lol.

[Plodder]

You never know in any sport, and things do change suddenly, but at this stage, it's hard to think of anything which will cause a change to stop this being another 4-0 or 5-0 thrashing.  My brother has lived in Australia for nearly 40 years, and he says that his Aussie friends are of course pleased to be winning, but even they would prefer to win a properly hard fought contest, which neither the First Test nor the Second Test (to date) has been.

[the nutflush]

You never know in any sport, and things do change suddenly, but at this stage, it's hard to think of anything which will cause a change to stop this being another 4-0 or 5-0 thrashing.  My brother has lived in Australia for nearly 40 years, and he says that his Aussie friends are of course pleased to be winning, but even they would prefer to win a properly hard fought contest, which neither the First Test nor the Second Test (to date) has been.

Its the only cricket I can watch... an Ashes series.  I hate T20.  There is no tradition.. Down here in Aus we have the Big Bash league dominating summer and I cant watch a minute of it.  All these manufactured teams and mercenaries running around for a quick pay day.  Im not against cricketers making money as they have been way underpaid compared to other sports for decades.  But the only cricket that excites me is an enthralling Ashes contest or maybe a series v India.  I loved staying up all night to watch the 2005 series even though England won.  It was the best series Ive ever seen.  The recent series in England was another one.  Its five day theatre. 

I gotta say I thought England would put up more of a fight.  I though Australia were going in underprepared for the five day format.  Ive got mountains for respect for Anderson and Broad.  Two absolute warhorses. How they could both be left out of the first test is mind boggling unless they were both unfit but I hear that is not true.   Its the batting and even more so the fielding that are letting them down.  The differences in catches held/dropped between the two teams is remarkable. 

Now Stokes looks injured.  Sorry to say guys it looks like 4 or 5 nil. 

[Mokes]

Its the only cricket I can watch... an Ashes series.  I hate T20.  There is no tradition.. Down here in Aus we have the Big Bash league dominating summer and I cant watch a minute of it.  All these manufactured teams and mercenaries running around for a quick pay day.  Im not against cricketers making money as they have been way underpaid compared to other sports for decades.  But the only cricket that excites me is an enthralling Ashes

Mate the big bash is just as much to get future generations into cricket as to "pay the mercenaries". Without short form cricket the popularity of the game would be on par with lawn bowls and croquet.  With the rise in e-sports or computer games or whatever you want to call it as a serious competitor to actual sports for kids (future generations) attention.

I love test matches, I go to the pink test every year and appreciate the nuance of the game. In saying that, I don't blame people that are new to the sport being bored out of their mind.

I came up on Bevan, Gilly, Symonds, Pointing etc smashing it around in the ODI's and that is what initially gripped me. I don't love that the ODIs are becoming obsolete, but when you see the crowds and the amount of kids at the BB games, the future of cricket  looks pretty bright

[Plodder]

I'll try to stay up for at least the first session, but I might be better off going to bed tonight and wistfully imagining Root, Stokes, Bairstow and Buttler all making 50 or more, and the rest chipping in another 50 combined, setting Australia about 200 to win, and at least making a game of it.  That way, at least I would avert until I wake up the sad probability of England being bowled out for about 150, and Australia knocking the 70 or so needed for victory before tea.

[Plodder]

Just about speechless. Bairstow and Buttler might as well open in the next Test, and play it like an ODI. Crawley and Pope can bat at six and seven and maybe make runs and get confidence for the future.  Boland is a decent fast medium bowler, but how he takes 6 wickets for 7 runs in just over four overs is beyond words.

[SG]

I too am lost for words. Just when you think it can't get any worse it does. Still you reap what you sow. The powers that be have marginalised the county game for too long in the pursuit of T20 and this abomination of a game the Hundred. It may draw the crowds but the big money is made selling out Lords and the Oval 8 months ahead of a test match with tickets at £90+ each. When/if that stops, which it will if they carry on playing like this, the poo really will hit the fan.
The grass roots of the game are flourishing, (our club has 250 junior members), through All Stars and T20 games. They could more usefully put all the money that's gone on the Hundred into grass roots coaching support and the womens game.