any one in the IPL missed the New Zealand series - so Stokes, Archer, Buttler, Curran, Woakes etc.
A lot of the players missed the Sri Lanka series or India series due to white ball priorities
Stokes played 1 game in the IPL and got injured, Archer was injured and would have missed the series anyway, Moeen got Covid in Sri Lanka.
Loads don't rate the other 3, we had cover in their positions and I don't think you play Woakes and Curran in the same side.
Buttler, Bairstow, aye maybe fair enough, it was obvious though that series was an opportunity to have a look at those on the fringes who were in form & deserved a chance like Foakes (who got injured), Robinson, Overton, Bracey and see if they could stake a claim.
I've no problem with that. Some did, some didn't.
I don't personally think Root has been too hard done by with availability and selection overall, certainly not to the extent that I'm prepared to excuse his or our performance since India entirely because of it.
Yeah of course it could have been better, but then I think he could have done his job as captain better as well...
A few did for NZ just this year
We didn’t pick a first choice XI once before ashes
Players also flew home after 1 test in India and then 2
Not sure there is much debate those things happened like
Played have been missing whole series for 18 months now
Vaughan is a better captain than root but he’s not that good and he’s never manged in a situation like this
All his captaincy was before the IPL you just can’t compare mate
He captained series when England had 3 or 4 warm up games
He’d crumble
So just two Tests against NZ really then. Sorry mate but I can't really have the team being weakened as an excuse.
Pope, Lawrence who had done ok in the sub continent in the winter, the first choice openers, Crawley, Root, Wood, Broad and Anderson all played. Most people if not all would have those as first choice.
Aye, we've fucked it and made it harder for Root with rest and rotation, I'll admit that. Initially I never had a problem with it, on the proviso the end goal of winning the Ashes was achieved. But it wasn't and it now looks stupid and, although I know it was done for the right reasons, a total shambles.
Vaughan never captained in IPL era, true enough, nor Covid.
I don't think that's the point, though. Him, Nasser, even Strauss were better captains than Root. He makes basic, fundamental mistakes and doesn't admit them.
He is poor tactically and strategically and I won't change my mind that the others would get more out of this side than Root has, which was the original point.
Not sure how you can blame Root for not getting more out of the batting?
Which let’s face it was the main problem, it had none of the batting (root excluded) as greatest ever players you taking about.
In fact the complete opposite ,it could be argued the opening batsmen was the worst ever opening partnership!!
He refuses to bat anywhere but 4...that could be one argument. Stokes is one of our best ever all rounders and bats 5 so I include him in the batting. Take your point otherwise.
Look I'm not trying to slaughter Root, he's got a pretty thankless task, he's led from the front with the bat brilliantly all year, he seems a top bloke, a good person & a good character. He's one of the best batsmen I've ever seen and it's been a joy to watch him this year. None of that means he can't be criticised for being a poor captain. There are loads of examples, we all know what they are, they've been highlighted on here so I'm not going to again. I believe, as bad as we are in certain areas, we've under achieved and his captaincy, along with the coach and management is a major contributing factor for that.
two very good bowlers and a bat don't make a team. stokes had't picked up a bat for how long and wasn't ready for that series at all, and the players surrounding them are some of the worst in recent memory, at the lowest points in their careers, with little to no preparation. team selection was abysmal anarl, which root has to shoulder some blame for admittedly.
root is not a good captain there's no debating that IMO but this is a very poor team
Mo is our 3rd highest wicket taking spinner of all time, Bairstow held the record for most runs in a calendar year for a keeper, both were messed around under Root. His lack of faith and poor management of spinners in particular is poor to say the least. Stokes, Root, Broad, Anderson all world class. Wood, Buttler both decent to very good and lots of potential elsewhere. We're a long way from being able to say we're more than the sum of our parts, I'd say.
