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This is Worse than 2013/2014
- Thread starter brandon
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Billy Rocket
Guest
Hard to believe that their selectors were being pilloried just a month ago.
smoker
Striker
They aren't the problem.
Cook, Broad and Ali are automatic picks and have been shit.
If they were Australian, they'd be out of the team in a shot. No sentimentality when it comes to picking their teams.
Bri
Striker
Ali has an injured spinning finger apparently .... so why aren't they using their other spinner Crane? Because they don't trust him it seems. So why did they pick him for the squad if they were never going to play him?
Twisted
Striker
Simple as that. This Australia team are absolutely f***ing average, yet they're going to beat our spineless bastards 5-0 again
bit harsh, they have a decent attack and two world class batsmen. we have... well... root.
Voice of fair play
Striker
I really think that is worse thing about it, the fact that Australia are not a good side
Tbf to Ali he has performed very consistently for a number of years if they dropped him for this test, that would have meant he would have been dropped after just 2 bad tests, that would have been very harsh.
Tbf to Ali he has performed very consistently for a number of years if they dropped him for this test, that would have meant he would have been dropped after just 2 bad tests, that would have been very harsh.
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Jack Torrance
Striker
He's not fit enough to bowl. He hasn't spun a ball in 3 tests
Voice of fair play
Striker
Yeah fair enough if not fit, there is a difference between dropping him because he has been shit and dropping him because not fit enough.
smoker
Striker
Absolutely shocking selection that. We'll take Ali as our one and only serious spin bowler, and a kid for the experience.
Our spin bowling options are pretty poor, but at least take the best ones available to you. In the last few series we've picked Dawson, Crane, Ansari and Batty, not one of which fits that bill.
Comeback_Kenwyne
Striker
Why not take three, if they want to take Crane? There are no rules on how big a tour party can be - they are in control of it!
Simple as that. This Australia team are absolutely f***ing average, yet they're going to beat our spineless bastards 5-0 again
I'm not sure this is true. I felt this after Brisbane, where they looked ordinary - but they've played some very hard cricket since, particularly in Perth.
If the Marsh brothers are now, finally, about to fulfil some of their undoubted promise, then they look a good team. Khawaja is a dud, for sure, and I'm not at all convinced by Bancroft. Therefore they're batting is, at best, good to middling - but they have, statistically at least, the best batsman since Bradman to balance that out. He really is something special - we need to start talking about him as if he's in the pantheon of greats, rather than just the best batsman in the world at the moment. Ok, we've swung him out a couple of times in England - but that applies to everyone, anytime, ever. He still managed some pretty big tons when he was last here.
Then there is their attack. Lyon is easily the best non-Indian spinner in the world and this makes a huge difference. I don't particularly rate Starc myself, I prefer more controlled opening bowlers, but there's no doubt he's capable of bowling the odd unplayable ball. Cummings and Hazelwood, on the other hand, look the real deal.
As Atherton said: one brilliant batsman and a well balanced attack is usually all it takes to win test matches. I think they are on an upward curve assuming - big assumption - they can keep their bowlers relatively healthy. Having pace, Lyon and big run scorers means they have the potential to be an "all-court" test team as evidenced by them running the Indians a lot closer than we did. Anyone who can run India close, in India, is a decent side - that remains the toughest mountain to climb in modern test cricket.
I think we're going to have some problems in the next Ashes series.
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We said that ahead of the 2015 series and win that without problem
Jack Torrance
Striker
I agree. England will always be a formidable side in English conditions. Pretty appalling on tours though
Same can be said for Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa etc
Agree that we are particularly bad in Australia (mental block) and India (inability to play spin)
Comeback_Kenwyne
Striker
They are on an upwards trajectory. We, on the other hand, will need to entirely reconstruct our seam attack by then. The main reason we've been so dominant in home conditions is because we have arguably the best swing bowler of all time. He is highly unlikely to be around and firing by the next Ashes, whilst his new ball partner and our leading run-scorer ever will, frankly, be lucky to see out this one.
Yes, Stokes should be around and Woakes is a good swing bowler too. But we're losing over 900 test match wickets with Broad and Anderson . You can't just write that off.
smoker
Striker
"Without a problem" - we got hammered at Lord's and the Oval and Root was the only batsman who turned up.
Nee pressure son.
Hammered at Lords on a flat pitch when they batted first. Hammered at The Oval when the Ashes were already secured. The last few Ashes series in England have been easy for England -0 2005 was the only one where the Aussies had any fight in them 2009, 2013 and 2015 were a cake walk overall
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