Off Topic Sport Other than Football - formerly the Ashes Thread

At least the weekend will pretty much be over when we play when it inevitably goes wrong.

 

The batting was woeful because they insist on doing the same thing regardless of the opponent or conditions.
They didn’t take into account the pace and bounce of Australian wickets or the skill of the bowlers. They didn’t take the turn into account in India or the skill of their spinners.
Bazball doesn’t seem to be able to take account of opponents or conditions. It’s madness when those conditions are largely unfamiliar. Can’t their tactics adapt to take these things into account?

 

Weak excuse, I am afraid - and if they are it is down to the lack of preparation and match fitness. Going into an Ashes series with a single 3 day game against a mid-level English opposition is no way to get ready for Australia on home turf.

Amateur hour!!

 

And they picked 5 fast bowlers so that they each have short spells.

 

FFS!!
BBC News - The Ashes: England will not send first-choice batters to pink-ball tour game - BBC Sport
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cz94pz4eqy1o

 

The art of test cricket is dying thanks to the 20/20 slog fest culture so seems like they can’t seem to think about these technicalities like they did back in the day.

 

The problem with England cricket is England itself.
Or what the great Boycott once called "English conditions" .

Elsewhere, the pitches are going to be bare
clay-baked in a hot sun all game. The only thing that
changes them is the "wear and tear" of the bowlers
feet towards day 5.

So the local bowlers are forced to produce
(with metronomic accuracy) "line and length" ,
"pitching into the rough" etc. They do not have
the luxury of slightly wayward deliveries
suddenly being transformed by the moisture of
either pitch or air into wicket takers.

In the 80s, I remember during "off season"
non-international squad players off duty
would go to Oz and play club cricket,
At least then they would get more experience
of playing in those locales should they get
selected for overseas tour duties.

 

Give it 5 more years of global warming and the pitches will dry out.

 

Although Stokes has demanded flat pitches in England so that England can play Bazball. In England the ball bounces at waist height so it’s easy to score on flat pitches; in Australia, there is extra bounce and in India, there is turn. It is these variables which catch England out abroad because they don’t seem to think they need to prepare.