5th Test: Sydney : 23:30 Start.

[big nuts]

Sorry are you on drugs?!?!? KP had the captaincy, but chucked it away after his "character" got the better of him one too many times with the ECB. The time has come to put him out to pasture, along with Anderson. Carberry has shown he's not up to it, so send him off with them. Next test side I'd like to see would be this.....

Cook
Root
Compton
Stokes
Ballance
Bairstow
Broad
Finn
Tremlett
Panesar (for now)

Firstly that's a shocking side and secondly its only has ten players, I'm not sure if we can afford that luxury quite yet.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Loose by an innings and several thousands with that side.

 

[vegster]

It's difficult to know what to do for the best. I'd suggest they all take a month off cricket, Prior might be back already ? The ECB should tell all the contracted players to do a normal pre season with their counties, and that ALL of them are available for selection for their counties, for all matches. Then we pick on previous/current form plus good prospects.

I think we can't jettison everyone but we can't wait for ever for players to come good.

 

[Worthingite]

Firstly that's a shocking side and secondly its only has ten players, I'm not sure if we can afford that luxury quite yet.

I left out Bell by mistake!!! Pop him in somewhere between Stokes and Ballance

And it's a shocking side, but with the cupboards as bare as ours, could you suggest any better??!!

 

[JCL - the new kid in town]

I left out Bell by mistake!!! Pop him in somewhere between Stokes and Ballance

And it's a shocking side, but with the cupboards as bare as ours, could you suggest any better??!!

Why would you bring tremlett in and drop Anderson when he is older and not as good? The bowling doesn't need a lot if work except a spinner

 

[big nuts]

I left out Bell by mistake!!! Pop him in somewhere between Stokes and Ballance

And it's a shocking side, but with the cupboards as bare as ours, could you suggest any better??!!

1.Cook
2.Root
3.Bell
4.pietersen
5.Ballance
6.Taylor
7.Stokes
8.Prior
9.Broad
10.Onions/Panesar dependent on conditions.
11.Anderson

With Swann's retirement I'm not sure we have a spinner worthy of a place. I would look to use Root's off spin more regularly. If its a spinning pitch then I would use Monty his clearly our best spinner.

 

[JCL - the new kid in town]

1.Cook
2.Root
3.Bell
4.pietersen
5.Ballance
6.Taylor
7.Stokes
8.Prior
9.Broad
10.Onions/Panesar dependent on conditions.
11.Anderson

With Swann's retirement I'm not sure we have a spinner worthy of a place. I would look to use Root's off spin more regularly. If its a spinning pitch then I would use Monty his clearly our best spinner.

I quite like that and even with monty the team don't seem to trust him and underuse him so you may as well not select him and use root

 

[vegster]

I think that Usman Rashid from Yorkshire is worth another look, he can certainly bat too as a bonus.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Idle speculation , but this is NSC, someone mentioned at the game today that in November Australia were 66/1 to do the 5-0 whitewash, have we witnessed some kind of betting coup/fix?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Idle speculation , but this is NSC, someone mentioned at the game today that in November Australia were 66/1 to do the 5-0 whitewash, have we witnessed some kind of betting coup/fix?

Someone else suggested this during the last Test.

I don't think so. We are just, genuinely, shit. The players are broken men, desperate to shuffle off home and hide for several months, and there's not a lot of quality emerging from the younger players.

This could be the first in a series of humiliations that will bring back memories of the 80s and 90s.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Ben Stokes is tainted by participation? I don't think so.

Many players have to make their debuts in adversity - it is not unusual for this to happen, especially when dislodging well established senior players - this is their big chance and is often within series defeats. This will be character building for any player. Many of England's greats had their debuts when England were struggling. I seem to remember Vaughan coming in when we were smashed in SA in '99. Some of them should have played at the end of the summer - if selectors and the coaches had been doing their jobs properly.

I don't think you can cotton wool players waiting for a more convenient debut. Stick them in. In Stokes we may have found an absolute gem. Maybe.

Ben Stokes is not one of the three debutantes though, and that's my point. There is very little chance of any upside in blooding three new players when Australia are rampant and the rest of the England team are in turmoil, but a big chance of downside and long-term scarring.

Stokes was always likely to feature in this series. I fancy if things had gone according to plan in the first couple of tests he would have come in as an extra bat for a Bresnan or Tremlett to shore things up in tests three or four.

And statistically players are more likely to succeed if they have time to adjust while the senior players carry them for two or three matches. Good sides will introduce one or two players each year, not three in one match.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Good sides will introduce one or two players each year, not three in one match.

On this we can whole heartedly agree and is the principle failure of this England setup over the past 18 months.

 

[Pavilionaire]

1.Cook
2.Root
3.Bell
4.pietersen
5.Ballance
6.Taylor
7.Stokes
8.Prior
9.Broad
10.Onions/Panesar dependent on conditions.
11.Anderson

With Swann's retirement I'm not sure we have a spinner worthy of a place. I would look to use Root's off spin more regularly. If its a spinning pitch then I would use Monty his clearly our best spinner.

I think the key is finding new coaches to bring out the best in what we've got. Take Bairstow - he and Taylor played in the same England test side in 2012 vs a very strong South Africa and Bairstow shone while Taylor struggled. Bairstow can score quicky or steadily, and if England are to play more positively - possibly under a new captain - then Bairstow's capable of doing that.

I also think the same applies with a bowler like Finn. New coach, new ideas. If we can get the coaching side right my team is:

Cook
Root
Bell
Pietersen
Bairstow
Stokes
Prior
Broad
Anderson
Panesar
Finn.

 

[brakespear]

so will England stretch this match to a fourth day?

 

[vegster]

Wonderful gestures for the "Pink" day today, big cheers all round to all involved in this wonderful cause.

 

[vegster]

I don't get this ... this time yesterday there had already been 2 wickets down

 

[Pavilionaire]

You can't help feeling this bit is the calm before the storm.

 

[The Wizard]

Comes to something when it's more interesting listening to Botham & Warne talking about their personal lives, good stuff. 9 out of 10 venomous snakes live in Australia apparently & Botham is paranoid about sharks.

 

[vegster]

Comes to something when it's more interesting listening to Botham & Warne talking about their personal lives, good stuff. 9 out of 10 venomous snakes live in Australia apparently & Botham is paranoid about sharks.

Go to TMS, a cricket match has broken out apparently.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Time for the spinner, oh, it's Pietersen....