Root gone now too. Ffs thin feather through to the keeper, didn't need to be playing at that. New ball due in 2 overs, you gotta think that's game over. Load of bollox
This is utterly innept and gutless, truly pathetic. The bowling hasn't even been that great, so many poor shots. Gone down with a wimper and not even anything to give uscsome confidence for Adelaide. Not a cat in hells chance of scoring anywhere near 400 in this series
Some horrendous slot selections, where was the management telling batsman what to do. Gone from having a decent chance to no chance
Why must the trio of deadly boredom in the BT studio keep alluding to biased Aussie commentary? Look at yourselves you ****ers,
Some horrendous shot selections to average balls. Why bother going over if u can't be arsed. Very annoyed!
If we're serious about ever winning a series in Australia again then the right preparations are vital. It's no good rocking up 2 weeks in advance with two 3 day games arranged against an England A side. When we won there in 2011 the side had 4 proper warm up games, to get used to the vastly different conditions and wickets. I appreciate that there's so much short form cricket now and Covid, but it's pointless attempting to win the biggest series in cricket with this preparation. The ECB need to have a long look in the mirror and prioritise The Ashes. Yes there was 20/20 World Cup, but I know what I'd rather win as would most English supporters. It's so evident from alot of our dismissals how half cooked most of our team are , Stokes has hardly played any cricket at all. Obviously clueless decisions by the management and captain over team selection and toss choices just accerbate the whole sorry situation !
You are correct. The Ashes series & test cricket in general should be paramount to the ECB and the boards from around the world. However, they pander to the likes tv channels instead of the fans. Five day test match cricket must surely be numbered. Having thought we’d be in for an interesting finish, today’s collapse was certainly disappointing but l will never say no to a win. Aussies require 20 runs.
Last time I saw a team bowl this many no balls was Pakistan, and they'd agreed to bowl them on purpose ffs. Amir and Co got bans because of it, as I said already its just lack of game time. When was the last time Robinson and Stokes bowled competitively ? Very disappointed with Woakes' bowling in this test, his overseas record is abysmal compared to at home, and he doesn't have an excuse as he bowled in the 20/20 World Cup. It's no coincidence that Head and Labuchagne who both batted superbly have been playing a shed load of Sheffield Shield cricket prior to this , and Warner played himself into form during the 20/20;World Cup. I'll still never know what was going through Root's head when he decided yo bat first and the decision to omit Broad was mind numbingly cretinous !
Absolutely disgusted with England. I made the deal with the kids to go and do some Christmas shopping on Saturday morning hoping for a subsequently relaxed 1.5 days of good cricket. What did I get? Australia needing to score 20 runs to win after lunch on the 4th day. Typical England, no consideration, at least they could have made it interesting and say batted until tea and put on a couple of hundred more.
Does anyone get the feeling none of our players actually want to be there? Moreso after this shambles...
OPINION Like Bob Willis 40 years ago, England’s tactics and selections confound please log in to view this image Geoff Lawson Cricket columnist December 11, 2021 — 1.30pm please log in to view this image Greg Chappell and Bob Willis leave Adelaide Oval after Australia’s Test victory in1982.CREDIT:FAIRFAX The series was always going to be defined by key moments and extraordinary individual performances, rather than a rampant home team steamrolling an underprepared visiting side. Decision-making, tactical moves and strategic differences were keys – like winning the toss and misreading the pitch and the weather. In the third Test, Willis ignored the lessons of 100 years of history and the holy cricket trinity of “death, taxes and a hundred at Adelaide”. As the coin bounced truly on a good length from Greg Chappell’s velvety flick the Australian bowlers let out an audible groan and commenced lacing up their boots. Willis had called correctly and there was only one option at the Adelaide Oval on a 35-degree day with the northerly wafting in over St Peter’s Cathedral, fresh and hot from the Simpson Desert: BAT. Do not think twice; barely think once. Willis bowled. please log in to view this image Tough days at the office ... England captain Joe Root.CREDIT:GETTY His decision was based on viewing Les Burdett giving the pitch a late “misting to seal the surface” the previous evening. The pitch looked wet and England did not want to give the Australian seamers any head start, even though the first morning presentation was harder than a HSC English question. Chappell strode purposefully from the middle and, straight-faced, informed his bowlers that we would have first use of the pitch ... after England. Opening batters John Dyson and Kepler Wessels beamed. please log in to view this image The Ashes ‘Catastrophic’ Gabba power failure pulls plug on Ashes broadcast England obviously felt they could win or draw in Brisbane (the weather forecast was for rain, but who could trust the BOM boffins?) with Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes and Jack Leach taking 20 wickets. Leach was a complete liability but, given the lack of contribution from English finger spinners going back to Wilfred Rhodes a century or so ago, then his dismantling should have been no surprise. It’s not as though he sent down a series of half-volleys and long hops. He landed the ball on a good length and Travis Head landed it back over his head. Plan A in the Australian team meeting would have been to attack Leach, and the domino effect was a lack of rest for the quicks in a semi-tropical climate. England looked well cooked in the field and the niggles to Stokes and Robinson multiplied the effect. Halfway through the third day of the series England looked dispirited. Leg-spinners Matt Parkinson or Mason Crane would have been far more rational selection decisions. Contemporary international cricket teams are equipped with no end of vision and data, but how many coaches missed the memo? Leg spin works in Australia, and especially so at the Gabba. Decisions made before the tour are creating issues for England already. Joe Root had a very personal stake in minimising the handicap of his day one decision and the confusion of the Broad and Anderson omissions. His hindsight would have been blinding. He batted like a leader, he gave hope and direction when chaos and despair infected the camp. He and Dawid Malan’s partnership was critical in restoring some pride on and off the ground. England will almost certainly play their pink-ball trump cards in Adelaide. If they do, and win, that will at least give some validity to their decisions in Brisbane. But they will be 1-0 down in the series when they get there.
