what was the problem then, arrogance, conditions, Aussies much better than we gave them credit for, we was ****e?
My thoughts are that the responsibility for the debacle lies in 4 major areas: Administrators. They did not do a true root and branch evaluation after the Ashes here last Summer. We'd won but they assumed that the team was therefore strong. However, all the signs of 'cracks' were already there - no large scores, too much 'accommodation' for Pietersen, no evident development plan. Like the FA they are more about making money than looking after the best interests of the teams. Players. Too many lived on their reputations and desperately hoped that it would be 'all right on the night' - it didn't. There were too many cowards and I'm not talking about Trott. If things are going badly for your side and a faster bowler is hitting you then you have to stand and take it! Those who knew that they were not in form should have withdrawn. Press. Even up to the morning of the first test we were being told that our side was just too good to be beaten by the Australians. Where were the siren voices warning of the truth? Selectors. It really looks like it became a closed club with a we like xxxie and yyyie even though the y continue to play poorly! All of them including the Skipper should resign and let's start again.
Not sour grapes, but this Aussie team isn't that good! Wait till they play the Saffers, I'll be very surprised if the Saffers don't give this Aussie team a good beating! Back home and back to the drawing board for us..
Yeah,we've seen far better Aussie sides down the years,goes to show how bloody poor England have actually been.When you look at the result of each individual test its staggering.Men and boys! The Aussies will arrive in S.A. on a high (first test 12th feb) but they will do well to win a series there.
I'm ****ing disgusted by this ****ing result. I thought i'd seen nearly everything in test cricket, even though it's a game that can throw up some amazing situations. I've never seen a reverse this bad before. The nearest was in county cricket when Lanky won the first division title one season and were demoted the very next. There are obviously very serious issues here. I really don't know where to start. ****ing bollocks
We don't have the bowlers to exploit the conditions like Australia do, and the batsmen that played have been massively out of form for the last 2 years. Even in the series we won, I think we only got over 300 once? It's just the fact that Anderson/Broad were able to use the English conditions to exploit the batting in the same way they have to us this tour. Had Australia's batsmen not been so bad last series and not had a bit of bad luck with weather we could have easily lost at home.
Going foward, I'd Keep the following: Cook (captain) Carberry, he was our second highest scorer and at least tried to show some fight, keep him until we find someone young and good enough to take over) Trott, hope he recovers from his depression and is back this summer) #4 TBC, good bye KP, you've been a liability and not a leader of late, maybe give Ballance a run there for a few tests.. Bell Root Stokes WC, bring back Prior, but he needs to be playing County Cricket for the first two months of the season and get some runs under his belt! Broad, best bowler last 12-18 months Finn/Panesar, time to bring the young lad back into the fold, he's got genuine pace, he tightens up his line and length, he'll be bloody hard to play, he's up there, pace wise with Johnson, or use Monty should the conditions require a spinner. Anderson, but he maybe dropped in favour for Finn/Onions should he not up his game, he's been poor of late, maybe going downhill now? They need to be told to up their game or they can kiss their nice/comfy central contracts good bye!
I've been secretly hoping you'd shut it down three weeks ago so I could pretend we hadn't even played these fecking tests
Agree for the most part but would have Bell at three, keep KP (for now) and Ballance would be five. I would also relieve Cook of the captaincy as he clearly isn't up to it and give Anderson a series off. Not bring him back till India in the summer. If Prior isn't looking like returning to form then James Foster comes in.
