The Ashes 2019

England can't win this now so rain is our only hope.

Anderson was not fit to play and Moen isn't doing anything with the bat to warrant being played as a spinner.

Leach has to start the next test.

Leach will also get milked around by Smith and Co

Not as much as Moen as he has better control.

Obviously Root's captaincy doesn't help either.

Fookin embarrassing. 😡

Fackin awful from a team that has just won the ODI World Cup..(just)

Root needs to get a grip, Moeen needs dropping, Jimmy is done

Is Rampraskash still our batting coach...?

If he is he needs to go too

comment by Sheriff JW Pepper (U1007)
posted 27 minutes ago
Fackin awful from a team that has just won the ODI World Cup..(just)

Root needs to get a grip, Moeen needs dropping, Jimmy is done

Is Rampraskash still our batting coach...?

If he is he needs to go too
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Graham Thorpe now, Ramprakash (deservedly) got the boot.

1. Burns
2. Sibley
3. Root (wk)
4. Roy
5. Stokes
6. Buttler
7. Foakes (wk)
8. Woakes
9. Broad
10. Archer
11. Leach


^That should be our team going forwards in the series. Curran and Stone as backup bowlers in case of form/fitness, Northeast as backup for Roy/Buttler if they don't score.

comment by Amanda Hugginkiss (U11574)
posted 4 days, 7 hours ago
Initial thoughts:

Bairstow shouldn't be in the team since he averages about 25 in the last 2 years including 20 innings of 20 or under. Yet because he's one of the teacher's pets of the ECB, he's undroppable.

No idea what Moeen has done to justify his place. Not good enough with bat or ball. An all-rounder should be able to justify his place as a specialist in either discipline, and he can't justify either. Leach should've kept his place.

Relatively happy with the seamers but it's all a bit one-paced as usual, leaving Stokes to play the enforcer role, which he's not very good at since he's not quite quick enough. Personally I would've wanted to see one of Stone/Archer in for their genuine pace (probably Stone since he did nothing wrong against Ireland and Archer isn't fully fit anyway), or at least Curran for a bit of left-arm variation. That said, I'm not sure who I'd have dropped since Broad and Woakes both look in decent nick. No doubt Stones, Archer and Curran will all play a part in later tests though.

Fingers crossed one or two of our top 4 can scrape together some form. If they can, we'll win the Ashes. Much more likely we'll see England 3 down for under 50 as usual. I think if Burns, Denly and (to a lesser degree) Roy fail regularly throughout the series, then that will be the end of their test careers for the foreseeable (though I certainly don't see Burns or Roy being dropped any time soon due to lack of alternatives).

Either way I can already feel the familiar disappointment when the Aussie bowlers' extra 10mph of pace runs through our batting order like a hot knife through butter.

Fingers crossed, eh.
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Well, I didn't do too badly

Bairstow, Roy, Butler, Moeen and Denly are not Test Match cricketers.

Nice to see our batsmen giving archer a nice long rest to put his feet up and recharge his battery

There will be a very happy Indian poster laughing his bollix off

Australia 10-1 broad gets Warner again