England may have retained the Ashes but the batting from the top order, apart from a few individual innings in the second test, has been bloody awful on the whole. Thankfully our bowlers have been brilliant and the Aussies batting line-up only on a par with ours.
Bell, Pietersen and Trott out batting like it's a one-day game, and Cook batting like it's a ten-day game before boring himself to tears and getting out.
Ashes - Fourth Test
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RegencyCheltenhamSpa
- Posts: 29852
- Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Was excruciating at times watching from the stands today.
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RegencyCheltenhamSpa
- Posts: 29852
- Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Hopefully any doubt anyone had before this series that Broad and Bell should always be the first name on the England team sheet has now passed. Always leaves me baffled when people are surprised when Broad takes a 5-fer or better - most people have expected that from him for years, with a few runs knocked in with the willow too.
Khawaja the biggest failure of the season.
I consider Bairstow pointless.
Khawaja the biggest failure of the season.
I consider Bairstow pointless.
All the batsmen, bar Bell, need to sort themselves out. All keep getting out to stupid dismissals. Gonna have to step it up when we go down under.
RCS, anyone who has doubted that any of Anderson, Swann, Broad, Bell, Cook, Trott, Prior and Pietersen are automatic choices is a fool. They can't all be the first name on the team sheet though, but I'd imagine the captain would be. The only players who have to work hard to keep their places at the moment are the players that haven't been in the team very long (Root & Bairstow) and the player who is interchangeable depending on the pitch (Bresnan). If we could, I'd have Bres in there all the time, but he's the one who has to miss out if we need another seamer or spinner.
As for Root and Bairstow...do they need time still to settle in or are they not going to quite make the grade? Compton was obviously dropped very quickly. Personally I'd have another go with Compton and drop Root to #5 and send Bairstow back to Yorks and see if he can do it there again.
RCS, anyone who has doubted that any of Anderson, Swann, Broad, Bell, Cook, Trott, Prior and Pietersen are automatic choices is a fool. They can't all be the first name on the team sheet though, but I'd imagine the captain would be. The only players who have to work hard to keep their places at the moment are the players that haven't been in the team very long (Root & Bairstow) and the player who is interchangeable depending on the pitch (Bresnan). If we could, I'd have Bres in there all the time, but he's the one who has to miss out if we need another seamer or spinner.
As for Root and Bairstow...do they need time still to settle in or are they not going to quite make the grade? Compton was obviously dropped very quickly. Personally I'd have another go with Compton and drop Root to #5 and send Bairstow back to Yorks and see if he can do it there again.
I think Bres will miss out more often than not in Oz as Finn's extra height and bounce is ideally suited for down-under. I do think the jury's still out on both Bairstow and Onions. Root, I agree, would be better off at four or five and I do think the other opener should be a specialist opener, which the youngster certainly is not - but does that really make Compton the only candidate?
Well, no, but then I think he was dropped a little quickly considering the chances other players have had. But given that he slagged off the selectors after being dropped I don't think he's got much chance of getting back in! I don't know how long he's been doing it for, but Root was opening for Yorkshire, wasn't he? I'm sure there must be somebody better out there in county cricket at the moment though... Your face has got to fit, though. Or you've got to be so good you can't be denied.
Sorry, you're right: for some reason, I thought Root had batted at either three or four for Yorkshire, as that's where he was put we he first started to play for England. However, a quick check of some of scorecards at the start of the season confirms he generally opens. Leave him there, in that case: let him grow into the position. While he may have been 'lucky' with his century this series, having been dropped on six, he's been out to some absolute pearlers from the the Aussie bowlers that would have troubled even the best batsmen.