Ashes 2015

[Super_horns]

Already taken 2 wickets!

 

[JJH]

The Ashes are coming home!!!

 

[SpireiteDan]

Yes!!!

Great effort to win the series considering where we were 5, 6 months ago.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Fucking yes, outstanding performance.

The best thing about this series/match. The wickets have been shared around. We haven't just relied on Anderson. 6 for Finn at Edgbaston, 6 for Stokes, 8 for Broad. That only bodes well for the future. Obviously, it's been in our favour and the UAE will be completely, compltetly different - we will need Ali and Rashid.

Michael Clarke has announced retirement at the end of the series.

 

[Baz]

Utterly destroyed them overall, brilliant display all round. Pup has had an excellent career too, so I really wouldn't begrudge him going out winning the final test.

 

[Matt_]

Some excellent interviews after the game today.

Delighted for Alastair Cook after the ridiculous criticism he had to endure a while back. Also delighted for the England selectors that their faith in their long term approach for rebuilding the team has been vindicated in the face of criticism from people who can't see beyond the end of their own noses.

Finally great to hear Cooky pay tribute to the very important part played by Peter Moores in terms of where the side currently is.

There are still some things to be resolved and areas for improvement but hopefully people will now finally back off with their criticism and back the side and show the faith in the selectors that they deserve as they don't get much wrong. This side is firmly heading in the right direction and should have a great chance of retaining the Ashes in a couple of years time if they keep developing.

Now let's go to The Oval and really stick it to them and win the series 4-1, 3-2 would flatter the convicts.

 

[claret50]

Fantastic news to wake up to (early Sunday morning here) and as an added bonus the all blacks & South Africa both lost at rugby!...happy times indeed.

 

[Ciderhead]

Win 4-1 and we go above Australia into 2nd in the world rankings, so there's an incentive to win at the Oval.

 

[anonymous1605point1]

Australia

 

[Matt_]

Win 4-1 and we go above Australia into 2nd in the world rankings, so there's an incentive to win at the Oval.

Indeed it is.

There has been talk of bringing in Rashid at The Oval in place of one of the pace bowlers.

I just hope if that happens it is done for the right reasons, i.e. picking the best available team to win the game for the conditions at The Oval, rather than experimenting like we did with Kerrigan and Woakes in the final test of the last home Ashes series.

Otherwise, if the pitch looks likely to help the faster bowlers it should be the same eleven as there is absolutely no reason to now risk Anderson.

 

[anonymous1605point1]

Indeed it is.

There has been talk of bringing in Rashid at The Oval in place of one of the pace bowlers.

I just hope if that happens it is done for the right reasons, i.e. picking the best available team to win the game for the conditions at The Oval, rather than experimenting like we did with Kerrigan and Woakes in the final test of the last home Ashes series.

Otherwise, if the pitch looks likely to help the faster bowlers it should be the same eleven as there is absolutely no reason to now risk Anderson.

completely agree I would keep James back and make sure he's 100%

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

Clarke to retire, probably the best decision given his form and injury problems. He's been fantastic, and like his subtle dig at cowards like Swann by saying he won't abandon ship in a series.

 

[Matt_]

England going with an unchanged eleven for the final test.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/33988641

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

Irrelevant test really but Australia put into bat first and they've done pretty well really, played Broad especially well. 200-3. Clarke out after a guard of honour fairly cheaply.

 

[Matt_]

Yes, credit to the convicts today for a much improved performance with the bat as England haven't bowled badly.

 

[Ciderhead]

Moeen ali with 2 wickets in an over before lunch. 376-7

Agree he's not good enough to play as a lone frontline spinner in the UAE but he's more than a part-timer and better than given credit for

 

[Matt_]

Time rapidly running out for Adam Lyth after getting out to a horrible shot.

 

[Bobbin']

How many chances does Lyth need to learn his lessons?

It's astonishing someone as poor as him has an ashes victory on their CV.

 

[Ciderhead]

Hales getting a big hundred as well, not a good day for him.

That root dismissal I don't think you can say for sure he hasn't clipped his front pad there rather than the ball

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

Australia going through England now, each test has been a walk over for one side, England will have to do well to prevent that in this one.

 

[SpireiteDan]

Not seen a lot of this test but the batting in this series has been poor. It's a good job the convicts efforts have been even worse than ours.

Lords and the Oval, two decent pitches and two matches where we've been skittled, that needs to be a looked at.

 

[Ciderhead]

Well it stops us getting carried away, at least. We're still very much a work in progress.

Can't seem to bat under scoreboard pressure at all. Cook and Bell got good balls but the rest have been some terrible shots

 

[Bobbin']

Buttler should be concerned about his place too.

 

[SpireiteDan]

Buttler should be concerned about his place too.

I'm a big fan of his and his keeping seems to be gradually improving but you can't average 11 or whatever in a 5 match series and expect your position not be questioned.

He's got out to Lyon a few times as well, not a great sign for when we go out to the UAE.

 

[Bobbin']

I was a big fan.

I just feel there are a few good keepers behind him, Bairstow and Billings for example and as you say, his batting has serious question marks over it at the moment. I wouldn't bomb him out straight away but he needs to liven himself up.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Dire.

I honestly hate this kind of performance when the series is over, it's embarassing. It takes the invincible feeling away and brings them credit in the series. Whimpering over the line, when it could have been a hammering is a joke.

Pathetic. I hope they cringe through the celebrations.

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

Dire.

I honestly hate this kind of performance when the series is over, it's embarassing. It takes the invincible feeling away and brings them credit in the series. Whimpering over the line, when it could have been a hammering is a joke.

Pathetic. I hope they cringe through the celebrations.

England aren't much good that's why, few good players but a very average test cricket team. Australia are worse away from Australia, but that's not much consolation.

 

[Super_horns]

Case of after The Lord's mayor show?

 

[slaphead]

Dire.

I honestly hate this kind of performance when the series is over, it's embarassing. It takes the invincible feeling away and brings them credit in the series. Whimpering over the line, when it could have been a hammering is a joke.

Pathetic. I hope they cringe through the celebrations.

Thing is though, the series isn't over. Should we have beaten Aussie 4-1, we would have gone above to number 2 in the rankings. That should have been motivation enough, but it goes to show, unless we set the track up to suit our bowlers, we are bang average. That track at the Oval is a quality batting strip, but we can muster barely over 100 on it, shows what a struggle it will be in the UAE.

For me, Lyth has to stay simply because there is no ready made replacement. My major concern is Buttler, great one day player, shite Test batsman, just has no idea how to defend and dig in and apply himself. His embarrassing lack of runs and abysmal record against Lyon speak volumes why he should be left out of the Winter tours. Heard on the radio today the Lyon has got him 4 times, for 8 runs in 21 balls.

Rashid should be in for him, a proper spinner who can bat at 8 and shift Moeen up to 7. A bigger concern is the bowling on flat tracks, Broad the case in point 8-15 when it's going sideways, 0-59 when it's not. Should he go, or should we go with 3 seamers and two spinners once Jimmy's fit, and even when he is fit, does he come back in. Shoe ins for me are Wood with his genuine 90mph skiddy action and Finn for pace and bounce with his height.

Glad I'm not picking the side!

 

[lordofthepies]

My major concern is Buttler, great one day player, shite Test batsman, just has no idea how to defend and dig in and apply himself.

That's simply not true. He showed in the LAST TEST SERIES that he does. He's had 5 poor tests with the bat, but he's only played 12 matches. He's young and he's learning.

It feels quite nice that we're going back to a proper gap between Ashes series again. At least it might give England a bit more time to prepare properly for the next trip to Australia.