Worst England Team in History?

[brandon]

Modern history atleast? Can’t really speak much about the era prior to the 80’s because I wasn’t around, but this current lot are abysmal.

Only really three or four players in today’s XI that can reasonably claim they deserve their place for the next game based on their performances this season.

People get on about the side that lost to NZ in the late 90’s, but I genuinely believe that side would comfortably beat this one more often than not.

 

[Jack Torrance]

When everyone is available we have 3 or 4 who would be described as English greats. Shame the rest are absolutely useless

 

[brandon]

When everyone is available we have 3 or 4 who would be described as English greats. Shame the rest are absolutely useless

Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll see Broad back.

Root and Stokes need to be central to the rebuild but I’ve got my concerns over the availability of the latter too.

As for Anderson, the clock is ticking unfortunately and we can’t keep being so reliant on him.

 

[Tonton Zola Moukoko]

Nah, as shite as we are the 90’s was desperate. Worrying that we are resorting to bits and pieces cricketers again though. Bowlers in because they can swing the bat a bit.

 

[Mr Redknapp]

Nah, as shite as we are the 90’s was desperate. Worrying that we are resorting to bits and pieces cricketers again though. Bowlers in because they can swing the bat a bit.

Pretty much every international side in the '90s was top class.

 

[Jack Torrance]

Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll see Broad back.

Root and Stokes need to be central to the rebuild but I’ve got my concerns over the availability of the latter too.

As for Anderson, the clock is ticking unfortunately and we can’t keep being so reliant on him.

Stokes would be the obvious next captain choice but as you say we don’t know when he’s available. He’s missed 3 of our last 4 test series.

I think we have a decent amount of bowlers who can come in when everyone is fit. The batting line up just looks bleak

 

[Voice of fair play]

Modern history atleast? Can’t really speak much about the era prior to the 80’s because I wasn’t around, but this current lot are abysmal.

Only really three or four players in today’s XI that can reasonably claim they deserve their place for the next game based on their performances this season.

People get on about the side that lost to NZ in the late 90’s, but I genuinely believe that side would comfortably beat this one more often than not.

I think you right with this test side in this particular test but not this current squad if that makes sense, some big players missing.

Lot better bowling attack when all fit than that 90s side.

Although you could be right with the batting can’t remember worse top 3 in my lifetime

 

[The Great MES]

Worst batting line up (apart from Root obvs).

 

[brandon]

I think you right with this test side in this particular test but not this current squad if that makes sense, some big players missing.

Lot better bowling attack when all fit than that 90s side.

Although you could be right with the batting can’t remember worse top 3 in my lifetime

Aye, it makes sense, but even if Stokes, Broad and Woakes were available (I’m assuming those are the 3 you’re on about) I worry about what is left in Broad’s tank and Woakes hasn’t done it away from home.

 

[Voice of fair play]

Aye, it makes sense, but even if Stokes, Broad and Woakes were available (I’m assuming those are the 3 you’re on about) I worry about what is left in Broad’s tank and Woakes hasn’t done it away from home.

Was thinking Archer as well

 

[Second slip]

Pretty much every international side in the '90s was top class.

This. Even the perennial whipping boys of that era Zimbabwe would give all the sides of today a run for the money

 

[brandon]

Was thinking Archer as well

Forgot about him. Definitely a sign of just how depleted our reserves are though. I think it’s time those in charge spent a bit of money working out why we can’t keep players fit. You’d probably make a better XI out of players who are injured/unavailable than those who are in the side currently.

 

[The Breen Machine]

Same problems for years now, unable to find a reliable opening pair, a solid number 3 and our best batsmen bar Root are all more suited to batting at 6.

Spin cupboard occasionally looks bare but Leach is more than capable and Ali has performed well over the years.

Selection and scheduling in recent years has been a joke and the repeated collapses suggest we are brittle mentally.

If the Ashes go ahead, I expect a comfortable defeat and a bit of a watershed moment as I think Root will resign and it’ll be the last of Broad and Anderson.

 

[rentaghost]

Modern history atleast? Can’t really speak much about the era prior to the 80’s because I wasn’t around, but this current lot are abysmal.

Only really three or four players in today’s XI that can reasonably claim they deserve their place for the next game based on their performances this season.

People get on about the side that lost to NZ in the late 90’s, but I genuinely believe that side would comfortably beat this one more often than not.

I think having no top 3 is the crux of it really. Yes there’s faults elsewhere but not having a top 3 puts pressure on everything else. Full strength we have a very good bowling attack still. I don’t think it’s worse than some teams late 80 early 90s but there’s a decent argument for it.

 

[Sack Fatto]

When you are regularly 10 for 2, it piles the pressure on...If Root has a drop in form, we are absolutely fucked.

 

[Steak Pie]

Modern history atleast? Can’t really speak much about the era prior to the 80’s because I wasn’t around, but this current lot are abysmal.

Only really three or four players in today’s XI that can reasonably claim they deserve their place for the next game based on their performances this season.

People get on about the side that lost to NZ in the late 90’s, but I genuinely believe that side would comfortably beat this one more often than not.

Have a look at the team around 1987/8

Bill Athey, Tim Robinson, Bruce French, Neil Fairbrother, Neil Foster, David Capel, Derek Pringle, Martyn Moxon, the list of shite that turned out for us back then goes on and on.

Seemed like we picked 5 new players every game.

 

[brandon]

I think having no top 3 is the crux of it really. Yes there’s faults elsewhere but not having a top 3 puts pressure on everything else. Full strength we have a very good bowling attack still. I don’t think it’s worse than some teams late 80 early 90s but there’s a decent argument for it.

Yeah you’re right, I think the reason we bowled first in this Test was because Root has absolutely no faith whatsoever in his own batsmen.

 

[smoker]

Meh, these players are better than the sum of their parts. Get rid of the clown Silverwood, reinstate first class cricket in high summer and things should improve. This team, give or take a few players, trounced India in 2014 and 2018, they are not performing to their abilities.

 

[vinegar hill]

Root and Stokes apart we simply don’t possess any test class batsmen.
The bowling attack when everyone’s available and fit is good.

 

[Beau Peep]

Even when we were in the absolute doldrums in the mid 90s, post Gooch, we still had Atherton Stewart Thorpe Hussain Ramprakash (definitely a 90s Buttler) Hick Russell Gough Fraser Caddick. High quality cricketers, with their faults.

As a team, it never really clicked at a time that Australia in particular were imperious, but our coaching went from the incompetent man management of Illingworth to the refreshing and innovative but divisive Bumble who just couldn't quite get them to a higher level, though South Africa (h) 1998 was a great and breakthrough series.

By the time Duncan Fletcher came in, some of our best players in 20 years were on the wane and he and Hussain turned it around, wrung the neck out of a squad that was more than the sum of its parts (Karachi 2000 ) before the Vaughan/Flintoff/Harmison years where we had a fantastic side, the Ashes in 2005 was an incredible series (assisted by a football of course).

We also never had a decent spinner in the 90s (and didn't really until Giles and then Swann) and we don't now.

That 90s team were also prone to some terrible collapses and lacked some mental toughness. Atherton's back went, Ramps was mercurial, Hick was mentally weak and fell apart when he wasn't playing fat 40 year old county trundlers throwing pies at New Road.

But even in that awful mid 90s side I'd only pick Root and Stokes; Anderson and Broad are greats but at the end of their careers.

I think the point I'm making is that we aren't just a poor test side with poor matchcraft, we are a poorly coached side of actually rather poor players, with no mental toughness, no form, little practice in first class cricket, and completely worn out by short format cricket. It's a perfect shitstorm that the ECB needs to take blame for.

Despite our limited individuals, I actually think what we need more than anything though is a world class coach ... and I suppose for our Test players to play less short cricket and more county cricket. The transformation of our team of great individuals in the 90s to a together unit of lesser individuals in the 2000s was all Fletcher and Hussain, central contracts but with a prioritisation of first class/Test cricket, and laid a platform for when real quality emerged that could be coached into an exceptional cricket team.