Back it up with a good showing in the next session and then some real praise might be due.

Got to get a 100 run lead from here. Can easily see a collapse though.

As so often, the early overs will be vital. Settle in again or lose some quick wickets?

Too little, too late. Cook could get three hundred. Means nothing. Ashes already done and dusted for the Aussies. It is like scoring a consolation goal, when you are already 6-0 down.

Cook will tell the world that he averaged 45+ in this series but truth is he let England down when it mattered.

Fantastic knock from Cooky, on a flat pitch that's slow he's a master, got out of jail when Smith dropped him on 66.

Need something to be happy about and to have two days of positive cricket has been great

comment by sandy (U20567)
posted 58 minutes ago
Too little, too late. Cook could get three hundred. Means nothing. Ashes already done and dusted for the Aussies. It is like scoring a consolation goal, when you are already 6-0 down.
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This thread isn't for casuals

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Absolutely supreme from Cook. These test matches still matter. Australia would have been more desperate to win 5-0 that England would have been not to lose 5-0.

Now go and carry your bat Cook for the first time in your career. Don't farm the strike, let Jimmy swing his bat at a few whilst the Aussies set attacking fields to him. No point staying in for another 6-7 overs just to score at 1 an over.

I'd like to see us frustrate the Aussies a bit more,

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Could have declared with a few overs left but now we haven't push on tomorrow and rack up another 40-50 runs

I wanted England to win Ashes but I knew that Australian bowlers and Smith were going to be the difference but still I predicted an optimistic 3-2 Ashes win for England before this series.

Jackson Bird was getting pelters on the last few overs, took it well

comment by wearethefamousTHFC (U19211)
posted 30 minutes ago
They dont matter at all........... we lost
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Don't be stupid.

Each test match is it's own match, they still affect the rankings, they still affect averages. They still matter and the Australians will be wanting to inflict a 5-0 series defeat more than we will be wanting to avoid it. Australia haven't been complacent, they've been outplayed.

He's on the wum, ignore

Traditionally England have always played best at Melbourne out of all the aussie grounds - the only reason why Adelaide was earmarked as England's best chance of a win was because it was a D/N match. Therefore, all this too little too late talk is nonsense.

Effectively Smith's dropped catch has cost the Aussies 178 runs and counting

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Nothing will change until we get players who can bowl in excess of 85mph

On the MCG and SCG we will always play well generally,

With all the first class cricket played in spring and seemingly early Autumn, the wickets are falling to the 80-85mph swing bowlers. In the middle of summer, when you'd expect pitches to be dry and flat and best to get fast bowlers and spinners involved, the one day cup and T20 Blast competitions are played.

Need to change the schedule really, play the one day stuff and T20 stuff at the end of the summer and get all the first class stuff done in the middle of summer. The problem is, T20 brings the money in so they want to ensure they get the best weather for it.

Have to agree with what a lot of people have said here, it's too little too late.

If we manage to avoid a whitewash (it would be a 3rd in the space of 10 years) then yes this has saved some embarassment and Cook, Broad and Anderson have performed for us many times in the last, but I really think it's too much to pat them on the back when during the live series they did nothing and now the series is over, they suddenly are performing.