The Ashes 2017-18

[smartcooky]

Steven Smith batting superbly again. I remember telling you guys back in 2014 that this guy has the goods to be one of the world's best batsmen... 22 centuries now (and 21 fifties) in 58 tests with an average of over 60, and he's only 28 years old.

 

[MarkyH]

Don't be so optimistic, we're gonna be bowled out on day 4 for less than 100

 

[Big_Grumper]

That delivery by Starc to remove James Vince. Unbelievable.

I remember Shane Warne's 'ball of the century' to remove Gatting all those years ago and this comes close............

 

[smartcooky]

That's it.... the little urn returns to Australia

England comprehensively outplayed in every facet of the game.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Playing Broad and Anderson in Aussie conditions is like putting Mike Teague and Dean Richards in your back row and expecting an open running fest.

Humiliating.

 

[ncurd]

Broad on Andserson both have previous blistering form in Australia. The problem is the attack has solely relied on them for a good 4 years and they don't get much backup from their other bowlers the rest of the time. Dropping them even though they haven't performed this series is the way of madness.

Nope the real problem is batting and our senior players haven't performed their either.

We don't have new bowlers coming through and we refuse to take either of the two best spinners in the country.
We've been struggling for an opening partnership since Strauss retired and even then its been an issue since Trescothick. But our middle order is just getting weaker and weaker.

We've been a poor side for years held up by a world class batsman in Cook & Root and world-class Bowlers in Anderson and Broad. Its no surprise they are are a bit burnt out and finally starting to underperform.

Fair play to the Aussies I felt we wouldn't win a test match this time around. Its like being back in the 90's again.

 

[smartcooky]

Just a couple of things

First, England's pace attack looks to be all same, same, same; there is no variety. Chris Woakes, Criag Overton, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are all right arm fast-medium and generally bowl over the wicket. Both the left and right handed Aussie batsmen are always facing the ball coming from the same general direction. A key factor in a bowling attack's ability to make batsmen uncomfortable is changing the angles of attack.

Secondly, I thought Joe Root's captaincy was poor. Not only were his field placings not good, but he didn't counsel his bowlers very well. Surely he could see as well as anyone else that balls hitting the pitch cracks were often deviating sharply and/or bouncing unevenly, yet he didn't appear to be talking to his bowlers, telling them to concentrate on hitting those cracks.

 

[Big_Grumper]

Just a couple of things

First, England's pace attack looks to be all same, same, same; there is no variety. Chris Woakes, Criag Overton, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are all right arm fast-medium and generally bowl over the wicket. Both the left and right handed Aussie batsmen are always facing the ball coming from the same general direction. A key factor in a bowling attack's ability to make batsmen uncomfortable is changing the angles of attack.

Secondly, I thought Joe Root's captaincy was poor. Not only were his field placings not good, but he didn't counsel his bowlers very well. Surely he could see as well as anyone else that balls hitting the pitch cracks were often deviating sharply and/or bouncing unevenly, yet he didn't appear to be talking to his bowlers, telling them to concentrate on hitting those cracks.

I've got to agree with our Kiwi friend. We were just too predictable.

I think too much has been made of Australia's 90mph+ bowling attack in comparison to ours. The difference is that Starc is s lefty and can bowl around the wicket. We don't have anything different.

The same goes for our batting: we're too relient on Root and Cook.

 

[GarethGriffiths]

Disappointing, but perhaps not unexpected.

The media definitely had a downer on England's chances, even before the first ball was bowled, and with all the off-field nonsense it's not been a particularly savoury Ashes series.

I can't really see much changing in the short term, sadly - oh for the heady days of 2005 and Freddie & co, how they are missed!