Off Topic The Ashes

What is Batshit crazy by the way????

 

Noakes
Woakes
Okie Dokes
Stokes
Foakes
Jokes
Blokes
Polks
Coax
Tokes
Cloaks.
Chokes as 12th man.

 

Well, that's it then, 4-0 to them, England finished on 180-9, Aussies win by an innings and 123 runs. Root retired on 58 due to dehydration and heat stroke, temperatures topped 47.3 in Sydney yesterday, a bit warm to say the least. Curran looks useful with the bat and finished 23 NO.

 

Wow....just wow....some of Nasser's ratings for the tour beggar belief! 7s for Cook and Crane, 5s for Woakes and Broad....in the wash up here's my view:

Cook - 5
One immense innings does not cover up for a failure to pass 50 in all other innings, needs to start producing more consistently big scores or we're going to be screwed
Stoneman - 4
Looked handy at first, toughed it out in the first test or two but shown nothing since then, position is very much under threat
Vince - 3
We all knew what was coming, pretty 20s then nicking off. So to that extent i'd give him a 9/10 for achieving expectations bang on (other than that pesky run out) but lets face it, every international team is going to do the same thing, and unless he can sort his technique/mental approach out he'll not make it
Root - 6
I'd initially put a 7, but then changed it down a notch, it is easy to focus on the failure to convert 50s, which is infuriating, but to consistently score 50s is no mean feat. That said, failing to convert every 50 when his counterpart could have been batting in flip flops with a plastic bat showed his tour up
Malan - 8
Is 8 too high? Had a lower average than Root in the end, and a similar one to Cook, but for a first Ashes tour, to be our stand out bat deserves recognition
Bairstow - 6
Can walk away with head if not held high, at least held firm, very good behind the stumps, and he spent a lot of time there, and scored well with the bat, ridiculously low in the batting order at first cost him some runs as he batted with the ferrets
Mo - 2
Perhaps harsh, but utterly ineffective with the ball and bat
Broad - 4
One good innings with the ball, one with the bat. Found out compared to his opening partner, and looked worse than COverton when he was bowling too. Position should be under serious question, but isn't
Anderson - 7.5
No support with the ball at all. Out-bowled all the other Englishmen consistently and finished with respectable figures
Woakes - 4
See Broad, only he didn't even really have that one innings.
COverton - 6
Bowled and batted well in the first few tests, and fair play to him for toughing it out with a fractured rib, hope he is fit for NZ
Curran - 5
Slightly generous maybe, didn't really take any wickets, not very quick, scored some with the bat, don't get this view from the commentators that he 'had a good attitude so whooppie do and hurrah'
Crane - 4
Ok, he looked half decent, certainly looked more threatening than Mo, but end of the day.....1/200 is bobbins. Needs a run as our #1 spinner, if he's dropped back to drinks for NZ and then the summer then the ECB need their heads looking at as he'll never frigging learn or improve

 

Agree on all counts apart from Crane. He needs time to learn his craft more, and doing that in the Test arena would be tricky and possibly damaging.

 

A pretty good assessment I would say, Vince certainly doesn't seem to have the mental strength to make the number 3 slot his own. Personally I would like to see Root/Malan/Bairstow move up one in the batting order, and hopefully when Stokes comes back in you would have Cook, ANO (Possibly Hameed), Root, Malan Bairstow, Stokes, Ali, Woakes, Woods, Broad (Though Broad is looking a bit vulnerable), Anderson. Agree in hindsight I think Crane needs to be taken out and let him get more experience.

 

Re Tuckin & John, the Crane problem is confounded by the fact that he plays / played only half of the CC matches for Hants last year, and with the ECB marginalising the CC in the upcoming season, with basically hardly any matches scheduled in July / Aug to accommodate short form cricket, he may not get any kind of a run in the longer form until late season when the pitches are more accommodating as early season the pitches tend to be damp and green. May be a baptism of fire, but i'd stick him in the team for NZ and drop Mo.....bit of sink or swim for him and a message to Mo that his place is far from guaranteed

 

I certainly agree the County Championship needs tweaking so that spinners get more of a chance - at the moment it's rewarding aged trundlers like Darren Stevens instead. I hope Crane gets more first-class cricket this year.

Leach of Somerset is the spinner who's really knocking on the Test door, though. Three quicks, plus him, plus Stokes (batting at 5 or 6) and Moeen (at 7) would give us balance and take the bowling pressure off Moeen. He needs runs to keep his place, though.

 

We have to decide whether we want to win every game or just to prepare for Ashes in 4 years. If the latter, we need a clear out and identify players with some balls.

I'd give Stoneham an extension, we cant just chop and change and he did start ok. I do wonder if it's to our advantage continuing with Cook. Take the double century away and he averaged 15. As someone else stated, that's not just this series. So need to find an opener, I would probably stick with Hameem. He has shown he has the balls and the temperament.
Have to stick with Root and Malan. A part of me thinks Bairstow should focus on batting at No 5, but his keeping has improved massively so as long as we have a decent tail, maybe at 7 when Stokes comes back (6). So we need a number 3. Weston was unlucky not to go and showed some signs.
For me, I knew our batting was going to be suspect. I was shocked how ineffective our bowling was.
I heard on the radio that Moeen doesn't even like bowling! We need to find another spinner. Crane will only be effective on certain venues (definitely not NZ) and still a lot to learn 1 for 190 odd! I don't like the fella but Patel is probably a better spinner and batsman than Ali until we can identify someone reliable. Leach has been mentioned, never seen him.
Moving forward, I think playing both Broad and Anderson will stunt our progress. One has to go, probably keep Anderson. Woakes had a poor series but was injured pre tour so maybe deserves to be at least around the squad. Toby Roland Jones would be fine in English conditions, but is not young. Curran probably needs to go away and find another 5 mph. We do need to find genuine pace, Wood if he wasn't injured otherwise not sure who is coming through. Need to consider both Overtons.

 

Look as if England are cruising to victory in the first One dayer, Aussies got 304-8 with Finch getting 107. England are 279-2 after 42 overs, with Roy on 179 NO& Root

 

Has to be said, our ODI batting has been great for two years now. We just need to improve the bowling a bit before the World Cup.

 

Roy out for 180 going for a big short and skying it, highest score by an Englishman in a one day international match. Root still there on 80, Morgan just joined him. Need 17 more runs in 5 and a bit overs.
Edit: Morgan out for 1.

 

England lose a couple of cheap wickets, Morgan and Buttler going for 1 & 4 respectively, But Root with 91 and Ali with 5 saw them to victory 308-5

 

I think the key is we need a sixth bowler, bring Stokes back into that team and the bowling looks a lot stronger, take one of the batsman out. Most teams have six bowlers as it gives you flexibility if one bowler has an off day.

 

If anyone is interested, Aggers & Boycott are doing a show at the City Hall on 1st of February.

https://www.hulltheatres.co.uk/events/boycott-aggers

 

England beat the Aussies in the 2nd OD series by 4 wickets, Aussies batted first and posted 271-9, then England chased it down with 5 and a bit over to spare. Bairstow topped scored with 60, Root finished 46NO, and Woakes 39 NO.

 

Another well-paced and in the end comfortable chase. Great little cameo by Woakes at the end, was a bit worried when we went 6 down

 

Me too, though in the end they paced it well, Root did well anchoring things, and nice to see Buttler get a few.

 

If you win the ODI series 5-0 I does mean we retain the Ashes on aggregate right?