The Ashes.

[only1billybonds]

Just been announced that Josh Hazlewood will miss the first test due to start in Perth next Friday. This is a big blow to the Australians as they will already be without their captain and no.1 pace bowler Pat Cummins.

Englands preparations for the tour has been questioned by many as they have opted to play no warm up games aside from a one off against the English lions. 

Many are saying that its crucial that we get of to a good start in Perth which basically means we cant afford to lose seeing as the 2nd test in Brisbane is a day/night game ( fucking ridiculous) where the Aussies are strongly fancied.

Looking forward to this now but really unsure of how it will play out, I guess I'd still make them slight favourites due to home advantage. Going to be a few all nighters in the coming weeks for me, let's hope it'll be worth it.

[Westham67]

There is a TMS podcast with Ryan Harris (Who retired due to a knee injury) about the 2010/11 Ashes series, which we won 3-1; he said we could not get them out. The Boxing Day test MCG we got 513 in our first innings and won by an innings and plenty

I was working in Malaysia with a few Aussies for 2010/11 and then the 2013/14? whitewash  . Johnson, Harris and Siddle

[Come On You Irons]

I'd ask Root to take up the captaincy again. If he doesn't want it then it'll have to be Brook I suppose. No other realistic candidates.

 

Sorry, are they cheats or captain material? Given you appear to have such a problem with it they can't be both, surely?

They are chests just like the current Australia captain who was literally banned for cheating. Didn't stop him coming back to captain his side, did it.

[onsideman]

I'd ask Root to take up the captaincy again. If he doesn't want it then it'll have to be Brook I suppose. No other realistic candidates.

 

 

Sorry, are they cheats or captain material? Given you appear to have such a problem with it they can't be both, surely?

[Fauxstralian]

There ARE county players who can play proper red ball cricket
Theyve just been sidelined because they aren’t ‘exciting’ enough

First step would be an English coach who actually cares about England winning Test matches & the Ashes
McCullum? Having a fun time counting his money but will walk away not particularly bothered 
Trying to play positive cricket is a good thing but there are times in 5 days where you have to resist or grind the other team 
That requires some subtlety & nuance. Relying on a New Zealander for that ? Now THAT is brainless

[southbankbornnbred]

Think we're stuck with Bazball until this tour ends,no way will Mcullum and Stokes ditch it now.
But once this tour is done, it needs to be binned for good. If peple want crash bang wallop cricket there is T20 and the hundred, leave test cricket alone. 

 

 

Yep - reckon you’re right, fella. Changing mid-tour might be problematic anyway: they’ve all been coached out of playing disciplined, technically correct cricket. With the exception of Root, who predates Bazball by a distance, they’re all pretty much groomed on slogging like fat Sunday players.

Even players who started out with decent techniques and mentalities, like Pope, Brook and even Stokes himself: they’re now coached/encouraged to waft at pretty much every delivery. They can’t really play in a disciplined way. It’ll take months to unpick that.

[Westham67]

I genuinely thought they would bat with more restraint for the Ashes 

They have the talent to win the Ashes, but not the nous and most of them not the willingness to graft to take control of the game.

[only1billybonds]

Think we're stuck with Bazball until this tour ends,no way will Mcullum and Stokes ditch it now.
But once this tour is done, it needs to be binned for good. If peple want crash bang wallop cricket there is T20 and the hundred, leave test cricket alone. 

[southbankbornnbred]

Basically the Liz Truss of test cricket.

[southbankbornnbred]

There’s so much wrong, most of all the delusional pretence that you can bat “Baaazball” in tests against decent attacks. But the lack of preparation and fitness is there for all to see.

Stokes and McCullum will no doubt wang on about how they’re a super-fit group etc. It’s their standard wang. But they have absolutely no stamina or staying power - physically or mentally. They’re designed to play smash-bang 30 over cricket. In five-day tests.

[southbankbornnbred]

England are having their asses handed to them here.

The most annoying thing is that this Australia side is not even that great by their high standards. Especially without Cummins and Hazlewood. They’re basically being steamrolled by Starc.

It’s like kids against men, because England are poorly prepared, playing a ludicrous style of test cricket and extremely arrogant with it.

Baaazball Ltd’s directors have talked a big game for years, wanging on about how this team has been cherry-picked and built for this tour etc.

Then they deliver this?!

Absolutely spineless, mindless and talentless cricket. Its surely the end of this nonsense.

[Westham67]

Six wickets after tea. Rain is due late tomorrow afternoon. Even if we draw this test, this regime has shown they won't change their batting ethos

[Come On You Irons]

Both McCullum and Stokes need to be sacked. I am sick of both of them and their arrogance.

I'd ask Root to take up the captaincy again. If he doesn't want it then it'll have to be Brook I suppose. No other realistic candidates.

[Takashi Miike]

just sack mccollum tonight, and save on the long flight home

[twoleftfeet]

You see I was right about Smith. Fucking bang average batsman and keeper. Ben Foakes is a far superior player. Fucking useless Bazball. 

[claypole]

Humiliating 
All for ego

[Westham67]

It's the cult of Bazball because no one believes in it other than the regime and the team

[Come On You Irons]

Three England batsmen have cheated now. Root, Brook and Smith.

Going down with no pride or sense of shame here. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic.

[Eastside surge]

It’s an old fashioned saying but half this team when it comes down to pressure in the biggest of all series in world cricket they simply don’t have the “arsehole” for it !

[only1billybonds]

On the bright side there really is no point in me getting up at 4.14am again.

[Westham67]

If you want an insight into the cult of Bazball mindset, have a listen to the TMS second day, second test BBC Sport podcast, featuring Simon Mann, McGraph, Vaughan, Agnew, and Leach, who join on Teams or Zoom. And Roots interviews its alarming

[Come On You Irons]

Root clearly nicks one and doesn't walk. That leaves a sour taste. A great batsman for sure but exposed as a cheat.

[southbankbornnbred]

I do hope this is the end of Baaazball. It’s great against lesser quality sides. The sort we’d beat anyway. But as we’ve seen, the likes of Australia, India etc aren’t remotely stressed by it.

Its also been an excuse to leave out some good players and keep others in the side for too long. Foakes - as good as any keeper in world cricket - has basically missed a good chunk of a test career. Others, too.

Think there’s a chance Stokes retires from tests after this tour, though. Especially if Baz gets the elbow. It’s been a poorly planned disaster so far. Undercooked, over-confident in a gimmicky approach.

And the most embarrassing thing is they’ve spent years preparing or “building” for this tour.

[Westham67]

The pitch is cracking up, so we need to set the Aussies at least 170 for their second innings to give our bowlers something to bowl at. Then again, if our bowlers are bowling before lunch on the 4th day or by mid-afternoon, they are going to be running on empty, and Australia will have a day and a half to make the runs, so no need for them to go throw the bat

[onsideman]

They're all dense
English ineptitude is costing Cricket Australia millions of dollars in match revenue though, which is nice

[Takashi Miike]

none of these cunts, bar root, have the required attention span for test cricket