Cheshire Cat
The most curious thing..
Stokes alone wouldn't make that much of a difference to the overall performance. We would just loose by an innings and slightly less.
Ali’s batting and bowling averages over the last year or so (before this series) were as good as Stokes.
Ali’s batting and bowling averages over the last year or so (before this series) were as good as Stokes.
Innings defeat after posting 400, I wonder how many times that's happened?
Usual post mortem on TMS, no solutions other than to miracle up some fast bowlers who don't exist. By the sound of Bayliss this was a hopeless task before we got on the plane.
This fast bowler thing. In England they probably wouldn't get much of a game, the county set up plays half the games in April, May & September when wickets are green & slow. A medium-fast bowler who can do a bit with the ball is far more effective & in demand - see Magoffin - superb for Sussex but never had a sniff of a Test cap for Australia.
That session under the lights in Adelaide when it was swinging around Jimmy was virtually unplayable. Smith the best batsman in the world couldn't get near the ball. We'll regain the Ashes in England but then lose 5-0 again down under. It is what it is.
Don't think its enough to say it is conditions, especially given we have just won all 3 tosses and the batsman have failed each time. We really haven't given our bowlers any plaform this series. They can do it in Aussie conditions, but you have to give them something to work with.
I broadly agree with this - the real issue in the tests so far has been that too many of our batsmen have thrown away their wickets. To have any sort of chance, we needed Cook and Root to bat to their best ability, and they've both been woeful. The only real bright spot has been Malan's performance. All of that said, we do need some proper quicks to replace Anderson (age) and Broad (age and performance) if we are to ever compete IN Australia.
But maybe it's time for the ECB to recognise that they're doing a shìt job of making the sport accessible to working class lads? I've seen enough evidence of the sport marginalising middle class boys who don't go to private school, so God knows how they expect talent to rise from council estates.
The Guardian has answered this:
Teams to score 400 in first innings and lose by innings
Inns and 75 - England, Chennai 2016
inns and 41 - England, Perth, 2017
Inns and 39 - England, Oval, 1930
Inns and 36 - England, Mumbai, 2016
Inns and 18 - Pakistan, MCG, 2016
Inns and 14 - Sri Lanka, Cardiff, 2011
That's incredible.In 139 years of test matches, it had happened just three times and England have now done it three times in just over a year
.... But maybe it's time for the ECB to recognise that they're doing a shìt job of making the sport accessible to working class lads? I've seen enough evidence of the sport marginalising middle class boys who don't go to private school, so God knows how they expect talent to rise from council estates.
Why can't Broad bat anymore? Wasn't there a time he batted at like 7/8 and was considered a genuine all-rounder? Now they might as well pull straws for 11 at the bottom of the order.