5th Test: Sydney : 23:30 Start.

[vegster]

That was worse than the blackwashes in the 80's, the West Indian bowlers were truly terrifying but this Aussie lot are nothing compared to Holding, Marshall & co. Makes you wonder what has happened behind the scenes for it all to fall apart so quickly

That was a truly frightening bowling attack, Courtney Walsh, Michael Holding, Colin Croft , Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Patrick Patterson just to name a few. Big Bird was usually 4 th choice bowler !

 

[Ernest]

That was a truly frightening bowling attack, Courtney Walsh, Michael Holding, Colin Croft , Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Patrick Patterson just to name a few. Big Bird was usually 4 th choice bowler !

It scared me watching them on TV but we shouldn't be bowled out by this Aussie attack like that

 

[larus]

I know this has been a disasterous tour, especially, as most felt we were going to be able to compete with an AVERAGE Australian team. Their batting line-up is weak IMO.

Anyway, I've just looked on the BBC site at the Engalnd results page. It's quite surprising the amount of cricket they've played. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/teams/england/results

This doesn't include friendlies/warm-up matches. That's a lot of cricket - compare that to the footballers playing say 50 games of 90 minutes in a year.

It some way, it's no wonder they're jaded. It's so easy to criticise, but although they are professional, they are just normal guys who play cricket for a job.

 

[Gwylan]

Just heard Cook saying the Australian attack is the best he has ever faced. MJ has bowled well, but Harris, Lyon and Siddle ahead of McGrath, Lee, Warne?

I think Cookie has had too much of the Sydney syrup over the course of this tour.

That's been the trouble with this tour, the quality of the Aussie attack has been badly underestimated. Harris, in particular, is a class act - he has a test average slightly better than McGrath's - and a lot better than the likes of Lillee and Thomson. Admittedly it's in fewer tests, but he wasn't picked until he was 29 so that's not his fault. I think that Cook is making is that the bowlers stuck to a plan and had no let up. McGrath and co were class but England still made decent scores (Lee was fast but profligate), this side, while not having players as good as McGrath or Warne, bowls well as a unit and bowls according to a plan.

Outside of the management, the three biggest problems in this series have been....
COOK
PIETERSEN
PRIOR

I think you're being harsh here. I'm certainly not convinced by Cook as a captain but to say he's the worse opening batsman of the last 40 years is way off the mark - I still remember Brearley's efforts and there have been many who have fallen by the wayside. Cook will come good again.

I also don't think Pietersen is quite as selfish as people make out - he was very restrained at the MCG. It's become a cliche that he's self-obsessed but he's a mighty effective player. I do think he needs to commit to England and to have a spell in county cricket.

Prior is nowhere near as bad a keeper as you suggest: he's a better keeper than the likes of Dhoni and De Villiers for a start. And it was only a year ago that he was holding England's batting together in NZ. Like Figjam, he needs a spell in county cricket to get his mojo back. He didn't handle pace well - but who in the England side, did?

They've had wake-up call but they'll win the next few series comfortably and have got plenty of time to find a couple of new players before the challenge of SA. If the lessons are learned, England have enough good players to find their feet again

 

[BensGrandad]

I hope that Prior does the biz for Sussex and forces his way back into the test team as he is much better than Bairstow in all aspects of his game.

 

[Buffalo Seagull]

Just heard Cook saying the Australian attack is the best he has ever faced. MJ has bowled well, but Harris, Lyon and Siddle ahead of McGrath, Lee, Warne?

I think Cookie has had too much of the Sydney syrup over the course of this tour.

I think you are underestimating how well the Aussies bowled over the whole series. They were incredibly disciplined with line and length, and built the pressure on the English batsmen. Of the four pace bowlers, Johnson was the most expensive, but even he only went for 2.74 runs per over. Compare that to England, where Anderson was the least expensive, and he went for 3.22. It was the pressure that then forced the English batsmen into poor shot selections.

 

[Gwylan]

I think you are underestimating how well the Aussies bowled over the whole series.

It's because El Pres reckons he knows a left-arm pace bowler who's a bit tastier than Johnson

 

[Bold Seagull]

They've had wake-up call but they'll win the next few series comfortably and have got plenty of time to find a couple of new players before the challenge of SA. If the lessons are learned, England have enough good players to find their feet again

You reckon!?

You won't find two test teams at a lower ebb than when the West Indies host England in February. Our last visit was hardly spectacular, and if our bowlers have struggled in Australia, goodness knows how they're going to take 20 wickets on the flat tracks out there.

Both Sri Lanka and India will be tough opponents in the summer as well. India are improving, and I honestly think we'll be taking one or two side ways or backwards steps before we take any forward. We don't have a single player other than Ben Stokes in any kind of form.

 

[keaton]

Just heard Cook saying the Australian attack is the best he has ever faced. MJ has bowled well, but Harris, Lyon and Siddle ahead of McGrath, Lee, Warne?

I think Cookie has had too much of the Sydney syrup over the course of this tour.

I don't know if Cook said that, but that's what Glenn McGrath has said