I'm damn sure if the England selectors couldn't bring in James Foster, regarded as the best keeper in the world, a few years ago, they are unlikely to go with Foakes.
Buttler could get a quick 50 so all will be forgiven. Including crucial drops that costs stacks of runs. Catches Foakes would have taken.
But still, he averages a few more than others. False economy ? Of course not
The only chance to save the Ashes is a Covid outbreak and the Aussie govt imposing a lockdown
How would that save the Ashes, when we are behind as it stands!?
Cant award the Ashes if your 2 down and 3 to play
But they already hold them.
Then again we are only two double hundreds from a win.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...nd-vs-australia-5th-test-62652/full-scorecard
Take the captaincy off Root now. Like football managers, the best players don’t always make the best captains. Something stinks inside England and has done for a while. Amazing we bowl our only decent spell in the series while Root is in hospital, comes back and has Robinson bowling spin, we’ve had countless chances go through 2nd slip because he goes so defensive so quick. I’m not sure being the squeaky clean golden boy of cricket has helped, but we lack any kind of stomach - the number of collapses under his leadership is probably worse than the dark days of the 90s.
I’d use the rest of the series to turn this side upside down, round and about. Maybe even give it to Broad or Jimmy to see this out. Discuss…
Root’s lost the dressing room as it were for me, best batsmen without a doubt, he’s a poor captain though.
Test cricket in England is dead and this series proves it. Even in Australia they're running it in parallel with The Big Bash.
The long format of the game has been sacrificed for the one day game. It's not even worth debating dropping players and picking players because these ARE the best we've got. It's beyond embarrassing, it's disrespectful to the sport of cricket itself.