Three Ashes series wins, winning home and away against India, a Twenty20 world cup win and number 1 test ranking is fantastic. This tour could be blessing in disguise. Its great experience for Root and Stokes. It now gives us a proper to rebuild for the future. You can't really do that if you win in Australia. For the series against Sri Lanka I'd like to see a side of Robson Cook Root Bell Ballance Taylor Prior Borthwick Bresnan Broad Finn
Just seen that on the highlights, no class at all. England win and loose with dignity, the Aussies just can't manage that, they moan when they loose and gloat when they win.
Its lasted longer that I thought. I thought we'd be bowled out 200 again. Try and dig in as long as possible tomorrow. Hopefully Stokes will get his century.
28 off a single Anderson over, including 3 x 6's in a row. How's that for control? Get Finn in for the next test, the series has gone so we've nowt to lose. Well done to Stokesy, the only positive from this series IMO.
I love Anderson, but unless it swings he's cannon fodder. Stokes looks a great option. Bowls 85mph+ and can bat at 6. He deserves a run. Bell has to bat at 3. Root has great potential, but he just gets bogged down. Robson and Ballance have to be given a chance next summer. We haven't scored 400 in a test match for 20 odd innings. The difference now is the bowlers aren't performing.
Just looked at Root's record in the last 2 series and it's grim reading. In England. Innings-10 Runs-339 Avg-37.8 HS-180 Take away his 180 and he averaged 19. In Aus Innings-6 Runs-153 Avg-30.6 HS-87 Without that 87 he'd have averaged 16. The point I'm making is he makes the occasional big score, which is just enough to keep him in the team, and then does **** all for several innings. To prove my point; In his last 16 innings this is his record; Less than 10 runs- 6 times. 11-20 runs-5 times. 21-30 runs-2 times. That's 13 innings out of 16 where he has scored less than 30 and 11 of those were less than 20. Simply not good enough.
He is good enough as he's proven with the big scores, he's just young and inexperienced hence some easy dismissals and low scores. Getting him playing test match cricket now can only be good for him as he has the potential to mature into a great batsman.
Time will tell but at the moment he's just not producing the goods, far from it. Saying that he's not alone.
Fair play to Bell & Stokes for giving it a go with the bat last night, but it's preventing the inevitable.
Agreed, I suppose we're looking at building the team around players like Root in years to come, I think if we had a decent alternative he may have been dropped by now.
I just think in times gone by we could afford to 'carry' a young, inexperienced player who was just finding his feet as the old guard were producing the goods. That's not the case anymore. Three of our top six are wet behind the ears with less than 20 tests between them and one century. We don't have that luxury anymore and the new lads need to hit the ground running, especially as the 'senior' players aren't scoring runs.
Root reminds me of Ian Bell 6 or 7 years ago. Just couldn't convert 20's into 50's and couldn't convert 50's into 100. Bell went to Australia in 2006/07 and it really developed him. Stick with him and he'll come good. This moving him up and down order won't help him too.
Give Root sometime to progress. He's played well for Yorkshire and in Adelaide for a small stint. I thought he did ok in England, considering it was his first Ashes series. He probably needs to be put down the order. It's what to do with Cook, Pietersen, Prior etc, that's the main problem.
I've always defended Pietersen when he got out for playing stupid shots because you knew a magic innings was around the cormer. Now these magic innings are getting fewer and fewer. Then there's all the drama that goes with Pietersen and him wanting to play in the IPL. I can see quiting and just being a 20twenty player and playing all different ones around the world. Cook will be fine batting wise, but he needs to improve his captaincy. Carberry looks decent, but he's far to old. Sam Robson should come in to open. Bell is probably England's best batsman ATM and should be at 3. Ballance has to come in middle order, he averages over 50 for Yorkshire. Root at 5 and Stokes deserves a run at 6. Prior won't be picked for all the limited over games so will have chance to go away and refresh and play some first class cricket when the season starts. Bowling wise is tricky, Swann and Anderson have taken nearly 700 test wickets between them, but don't look like taken wickets ATM. Maybe because they don't have anything to bowl at. IMO the biggest change has to be the style of cricket. We need go out and try take wickets with attacking bowling and funky field settings. Instead of taking wickets by being economical and creating pressure. Because its been proven when pitches are fast or spinning we have no answers.
We can win this now. 254 needed with 5 wickets left. We Need Prior, Stokes and Bresnan to get the next 200 and then who knows ? Time to shine boys.
'Kinnell Tickles you been on the Moonshine again? All I want is for Stokes to get a hundred, the game has gone mate. Time to let it go pal. Just let it go.
