The Cricket Team.

[Mince n Tatties]

Another gutless collapse out for 124.
4-0 to them,and we only escaped the Whitewash  by one wicket....Disgraceful  performance in every test..🤢

[Blawarmy]

Another gutless collapse out for 124.
4-0 to them,and we only escaped the Whitewash  by one wicket....Disgraceful  performance in every test..[emoji1785]

The whitewash was prevented only because of the rain. The series was an absolute disgrace.

[Somerset Fulham]

The worst effort that I have ever witnessed. Pathetic.

[Plodder]

Strictly speaking, it was not "gutless".  It takes courage to face top class fast bowling.  It is simply a lack of ability and technique, not character.. The batting collapse today was exaggerated by desperation once they were six wickets down (Pope, Woakes, Wood and Robinson all decided to go down swinging as that was the only almost infinitesimal chance of winning) and (to this very small extent I agree with "gutless") because the tail looked demoralised and resigned in the knowledge that they had to all intents and purposes no chance of winning

[bobbo]

But for COVID I would have been down there for the Sydney test only but COVID has saved me the embarrasment.

[cookieg]

It would have helped if they had had some warm up games and be better prepared. May not have affected the outcome but at least they would have been ready.

[Plodder]

The worst effort that I have ever witnessed. Pathetic.

It's close call between this one and Melbourne. On balance, I would say the third day at Melbourne was even more pathetic, given that it was the morning session,  the sun was shining, the pitch was good and there was a reason given the match situation to try to bat properly, whereas at Hobart, the pink ball was doing a bit in the evening session, and the tail decided to swing in desperation. But both were abject.

In a strange way, it may be better in the long run that England were so awful today, Had they put up a decent fight or even won, that might have been used as a reason to avoid the drastic short term and long term changes needed.

[Southcoastffc]

The worst effort that I have ever witnessed. Pathetic.

It's close call between this one and Melbourne. On balance, I would say the third day at Melbourne was even more pathetic, given that it was the morning session,  the sun was shining, the pitch was good and there was a reason given the match situation to try to bat properly, whereas at Hobart, the pink ball was doing a bit in the evening session, and the tail decided to swing in desperation. But both were abject.

In a strange way, it may be better in the long run that England were so awful today, Had they put up a decent fight or even won, that might have been used as a reason to avoid the drastic short term and long term changes needed.

But it wasn't just today, or this year.  England are THE best in the world at batting collapses and have been for some long time now.

[Somerset Fulham]

I wasn't talking about any particular test, I was talking about the whole tour.

What must Broad and Anderson think, being stuck with this dross around them.

[Mince n Tatties]

Strictly speaking, it was not "gutless".  It takes courage to face top class fast bowling.  It is simply a lack of ability and technique, not character.. The batting collapse today was exaggerated by desperation once they were six wickets down (Pope, Woakes, Wood and Robinson all decided to go down swinging as that was the only almost infinitesimal chance of winning) and (to this very small extent I agree with "gutless") because the tail looked demoralised and resigned in the knowledge that they had to all intents and purposes no chance of winning

Why dont you just come out and say they were unlucky to lose the series...lol
Like I said Gutless.
The Womans side would have had more fight than them.
And gave them a better game.

[Mince n Tatties]

No battlers who can steady the ship,stay at the crease and not try stupid shots every ball.
Like my Dad said,someone  on the lines of Ken Barrington.

[bill taylors apprentice]

Strictly speaking, it was not "gutless".  It takes courage to face top class fast bowling.  It is simply a lack of ability and technique, not character.. The batting collapse today was exaggerated by desperation once they were six wickets down (Pope, Woakes, Wood and Robinson all decided to go down swinging as that was the only almost infinitesimal chance of winning) and (to this very small extent I agree with "gutless") because the tail looked demoralised and resigned in the knowledge that they had to all intents and purposes no chance of winning

I suggest that if they were more determined to make the most of their limited ability and courage to fight back it would have been a closer series, so for me they are gutless!

[Plodder]

Strictly speaking, it was not "gutless".  It takes courage to face top class fast bowling.  It is simply a lack of ability and technique, not character.. The batting collapse today was exaggerated by desperation once they were six wickets down (Pope, Woakes, Wood and Robinson all decided to go down swinging as that was the only almost infinitesimal chance of winning) and (to this very small extent I agree with "gutless") because the tail looked demoralised and resigned in the knowledge that they had to all intents and purposes no chance of winning

Why dont you just come out and say they were unlucky to lose the series...lol
Like I said Gutless.
The Womans side would have had more fight than them.
And gave them a better game.

Please feel free to give your own views, but don't misrepresent mine or make a silly comment that I am implying they were unlucky. Of course they weren't. They were thrashed, and no one is saying otherwise.

In my youth and middle age when I played, I was a cricketer of very little ability, who faced really quick bowling on (fortunately) very few occasions (and still considerably slower than Test pace bowlers), and it is a frightening experience. Sadly, as we all know, Philip Hughes was killed by a bouncer.  Calling even specialist batsmen (let alone the bowlers) who face up to Cummins and others "gutless" uncalled for.  They can be criticised for lack of ability, but not for lack of courage.

[filham]

I don't want to get political but perhaps we can stop wasting time in parliament talking about parties and instead address the more serious matter of our test team and whether the money spent on the flight to Australia could be better spent.

The Ausies may have enjoyed it but here a Virtual match on Zoom would have been more pleasing.

[Mince n Tatties]

Strictly speaking, it was not "gutless".  It takes courage to face top class fast bowling.  It is simply a lack of ability and technique, not character.. The batting collapse today was exaggerated by desperation once they were six wickets down (Pope, Woakes, Wood and Robinson all decided to go down swinging as that was the only almost infinitesimal chance of winning) and (to this very small extent I agree with "gutless") because the tail looked demoralised and resigned in the knowledge that they had to all intents and purposes no chance of winning

Why dont you just come out and say they were unlucky to lose the series...lol
Like I said Gutless.
The Womans side would have had more fight than them.
And gave them a better game.

Please feel free to give your own views, but don't misrepresent mine or make a silly comment that I am implying they were unlucky. Of course they weren't. They were thrashed, and no one is saying otherwise.

In my youth and middle age when I played, I was a cricketer of very little ability, who faced really quick bowling on (fortunately) very few occasions (and still considerably slower than Test pace bowlers), and it is a frightening experience. Sadly, as we all know, Philip Hughes was killed by a bouncer.  Calling even specialist batsmen (let alone the bowlers) who face up to Cummins and others "gutless" uncalled for.  They can be criticised for lack of ability, but not for lack of courage.

So the Australian  team dont face fast bowlers do they?
Just ours...lol....They can't even deal with spinners.
Gutless.

[Somerset Fulham]

Arguing over a choice of words aside, the thing with this test side is that it should be better. It should be able to compete with those batsmen and that is what is so desperately lame about this defeat.

The openers are clearly not up to the task but that middle order should be world class, it has the talent there.

[Plodder]

Arguing over a choice of words aside, the thing with this test side is that it should be better. It should be able to compete with those batsmen and that is what is so desperately lame about this defeat.

The openers are clearly not up to the task but that middle order should be world class, it has the talent there.

The middle order has talent in terms of stroke play, but not in terms of Test match batting. Root is clearly the leading English middle order Test batsman of his generation, and would be a serious candidate in a World XI - and therefore "world class".  Stokes has shown that he can play Test match innings and is one of the world's best all-rounders in Test cricket.  But is anyone else world class?  Bairstow was correctly praised for his performance in Sydney, but had not passed 60 in his previous 37 Test innings, one of the longest such sequences ever by a Test batsman.  Pope has the best first-class figures, head and shoulders better than any other English batsman, but he has not translated it into Test match cricket. Crawley shows signs of having the ability, but I think he may be better suited to middle order batting than opening.

It is fair to point out that no one else is making an irresistible claim for a place, but I think our middle order is amongst the weakest in Test cricket.  I just think it is a generational thing, exacerbated by an excess of One Hundred, T20 and one day cricket, so our most talented young batsmen don't learn from experience how to play a long innings. I don't think there'll be a sudden improvement (hope I am wrong). I think it will take at least five years after the balance between "red ball" and "white ball" is shifted back to the former, and our younger batsman get a chance to develop their technique and learn the art of building a big innings over a day or longer.

It has been a chastening experience for English cricket, not just this series, but the signs have been there for the last 2-3 years. One hopes that the lesson is heeded and radical reform is taken - but not holding my breath.

[Plodder]

Strictly speaking, it was not "gutless".  It takes courage to face top class fast bowling.  It is simply a lack of ability and technique, not character.. The batting collapse today was exaggerated by desperation once they were six wickets down (Pope, Woakes, Wood and Robinson all decided to go down swinging as that was the only almost infinitesimal chance of winning) and (to this very small extent I agree with "gutless") because the tail looked demoralised and resigned in the knowledge that they had to all intents and purposes no chance of winning

Why dont you just come out and say they were unlucky to lose the series...lol
Like I said Gutless.
The Womans side would have had more fight than them.
And gave them a better game.

Please feel free to give your own views, but don't misrepresent mine or make a silly comment that I am implying they were unlucky. Of course they weren't. They were thrashed, and no one is saying otherwise.

In my youth and middle age when I played, I was a cricketer of very little ability, who faced really quick bowling on (fortunately) very few occasions (and still considerably slower than Test pace bowlers), and it is a frightening experience. Sadly, as we all know, Philip Hughes was killed by a bouncer.  Calling even specialist batsmen (let alone the bowlers) who face up to Cummins and others "gutless" uncalled for.  They can be criticised for lack of ability, but not for lack of courage.

So the Australian  team dont face fast bowlers do they?
Just ours...lol....They can't even deal with spinners.
Gutless.

Ah, my mistake. I thought you knew something about cricket, but I now see you were trolling. My fault for taking the bait.  You win.

[Somerset Fulham]

No, I agree with that entirely.  It is a horrendously weak middle order, but thats the point I was trying to make.

Forget Root in this conversation although there have been questionable decisions made as captain. He is clearly world class.

Stokes (ok, he gets a pass as he's been away for a long time), Bairstow and Buttler all have the tools to be top end middle order batsmen but they quite clearly aren't. I guess what I am trying to say is that to me at least, the sum of the parts is less than the individuals that make it and that means something is going very badly wrong somewhere.

I miss Ian Bell!

[bog]

When we had a batsmen out from the first ball of the series that set the standard....crap. I wonder what Boycott said when we had a player run out with 2 runs on the board....

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