The Ashes 2013/2014

Aussie headline

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Naturally the press are having a field day but the player that is getting as much praise as any Aussie is STOKES

 

Certainly improved in the last year, after a difficult spell following a bad shoulder injury in June 2011.

 

Looks like our ladies are showing the men how it's done.

 

Always seem to do the business these days.

 

They couldn't bat for **** either. All this 20/20 is ruining test cricket. That's my excuse for our lamentable performance and I'm sticking to it.

 

I blame Joe Kinnear!

 

Wish they'd show me, I don't know how to do it.

 

Yes, a lot of the old school teaching ' bat and pad together, foot to the pitch of the ball' has gone out of the window since 20/20 was introduced.

 

Is it though, should England not be trying to get the odd one or two top 20/20 batsmen into the Test team.
As it stands they're getting left behind by the scoring rates of the likes of India, SA and now Australia where they have quick scorers and players willing to give it a go.
When you look at Joe Root, he was actually a free scoring player, as was Carberry but in the test team they have gone into their shells.

 

Very much tongue in cheek mate. I just thought I'd throw th token line in there! Our defeat out there had zero to do with 20/20. To be honest we're not getting left behind either. We've comfortably done Austrailia, India over the last few years and competed with the best but come up short with South Africa. There are a multitude of reasons why we've failed over there, many of our own doing.

The preparation cannot have been spot on. We were woefully out of nick across the board. There is a distinct sense of things having gone a bit stale around the set up. Hopefully this will be the kick up the arse to re-energise it.

Jimmy A has been our big bowler for a number of years but there was a sense even over here in his favourite conditions he was on the slide. Swanny too, the signs have been there for a while since that last op. That is the core of your attack right there. Lets not forget we had Austrailia on the racks throughout the series but just couldn't sustain the pressure. The main reason for that was Swanny had previously been able to control an end. People say "ah its because they worked him out and attacked him" but 3 or 4 years ago he'd have had you on toast trying that. When the Aussies wer epiling on 2nd innings runs, they were doing so from a position of dominance. Its a different game if you have skittled them for 150 odd.

On the batting front, having Cook and Trott so woefully out of nick and one going home left our flair players cruely exposed. We got away with not having Strauss. But once you then have your other two "Mr Reliables" out of nick, you are back to Bell, KP, Prior facing a newish ball. They hadn't suddenly become great outside their off stump, they were just coming in against demoralised bowling attacks and old balls. Prior had been out of nick for a while.

The selection was wrong. Those in the know who watched Tremmers last year knew he was pedestrian now. I was an advocate of taking him but having seen his level, I wouldn't have. They had seen his level. Onions being left at home beggared belief. Rankin was a strange selection and wreaked of "Big lad, fast bouncy pitches, job done". Finn? Why? He had lost his action midway through last year. The only one they got bang on was Stokes. Dropping Root in favour of Carberry. Why? We all know Root has a future with England, does Carbs? (not that he was horrific in the grand scheme of it all)

There is a big sense that England are about to enter one of traditionally dificult transition phases. The old guard move on and the younger guys hit a steep learning curve. I think we need to keep a few of the older heads around personally. Great opportunity to get ourselves organised and take in a proper review of where we are at once they get home.

 

Thank You Hacky
Very insightful for someone like me and makes a lot of sense.
I'd rep you I could

 

Have some yourself instead.

 

Cheers AB

 

Welcome.

 

The signs were all there last year if you take off the rose tinted glasses for a while the end result could quite easily have been the other way around

 

This is Hacky with his rose tinted specs on... be afraid... be very afraid....

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He's slimmer than I imagined - and looks more intellectual too.

 

Thought it might have been Jimbo.

 

Nah, I can't see a Zimmerframe in that pic.