Perhaps not but Flintoff isn't captain and Harmison isn't in it so it's a massive improvement right there.
Fair comment but unfortunately that side could actually score runs sometimes. I watched the Aussie innings thinking those ****ers had forgotten how to bat like Test players.....but it seems we've just forgotten how to bat full stop I blame these bloody South Africans
There does seem to be a complacency to them that reoccurs at the start of each new series. What gives me hope is they then seem to snap out of it so I'm working on that assumption. Carberry aside, as he is only getting started, the top four are bang out of form and then at six you've got Joe Root (ahem) who has lost all ability to bat it seems. The loss of form seems terminal with Trott though, could be time to take him out of the firing line. Although that then exposes Bairstow and Root as very green middle order batsmen.
Bring on a collapse of biblical proportions I'll see you all on Monday. Doubt I'll be happy, but we live in hope...................
sorry it went badly wrong last night guys.... we got somewhere but then fell apart. nobody stuck like the one guy i was hoping for.
Well what a complete load of crap that was On what everyone is calling a very good batting pitch, to skittle them out for less than 300 we stood a good chance of pushing on and getting a commanding lead only for our flimsy batsmen to let the side down. What's that now, 17 tests since the last time we got 400 in an innings? They seem to have got set plans for most of our top batsmen like Cook & Trott and it seems when those two get out cheaply the middle order crumble. You could normally rely on Prior to get you out of trouble with a solid 50 but even he's out of form recently. Don't think we have a chance of winning this game now, only hope is that they have a massive collapse like we did, or they bat long get a huge lead and we manage to do similar and get a draw. Either way, plenty to think about for the batting department.
The difference being, you want an England victory in the series (fair enough ) and I don't mind who wins.I just want some exciting test cricket to listen to/watch. May the best team win.
1st test going well then Best we can hope for is the batsmen finding a bit of form in this second innings in the hope it gives them a bit of confidence going into the rest of the series.
