a bowlers job is made a lot easier when they can 'allow' batsmen to swing the bat, so a decent score from their own batsmen is a godsend...with only a small total to defend they have to try to contain the opposition. no idea why but the collapsing middle order seems to have been an english disease for many a year, all teams go through bad patches and/or very good patches but england just seem hell bent on never finding a team but occasionally find one or two individuals that offer a ray of hope.
It's been this for years. If Root fails we are out for 100-150. If he succeeds we are out for 200-250. At least a few years ago we had Cook who would sometimes help out Root but since then our batting has been a disgrace. Take our first innings we were 50-0 and got skittled for 140. At 1 point we were 8-5 from 28 balls fair enough if this is once a year but its every innings. No other test team does this and I'm sure it's not a lack of talent it must be a mentality thing.
Can't see us chasing what we already need. Might as well let new Zealand get another 150 and fail chasing 400 than embarass ourselves trying to chase 250-300
Slightly underplaying just how good Cook was with the “help root out “ mind. Cook was a tremendous opener. The perfect player. We’re yet to replace him. Hopefully the peoples who pick the team don’t keep chopping and changing. Some decent county players around but Crawley and Lees were our best pair in the first innings by a long way. The rest were utter dross. You need a stand to get the team off to a start. On the first 3 wickets really imo. Otherwise you’re relying on the middle order. And our middle order is not in a good place.
I’ve thought this for a while, that we are missing one or two players like Trott in the middle order. Players that love defending and occupying the crease. It wouldn’t matter if they are boring to watch as at least we would have an anchor for the innings.
I agree he was quality I guess i was trying to say we had 2 players who might make a score rather than 1 now.
