Don't Mention The As*%s

[Paul]

Oh dear ....

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

I can barely believe that on Thursday afternoon I sat on the meadow at Beccles with my new DAB bought the previous day listening to Australia tumble to not a lot for 8 whilst Jamie and Breydon played on the park. Now I am watching the worst English capitulation since the fall of Singapore. Sadly, I predicted just as much on the recent world cup thread. I'd like to say if defies belief, sadly it doesn't. 

I would be surprised if England don't suffer a whitewash defeat in this test series, the first ever on England soil. The ECB made clear that their priority this summer was the world cup, which by hook or by crook they managed to win (with a lot of help from India!), so they I'm sure will consider this summer a success regardless of the outcome of what once stood unsurmounted as Cricket's premier competition. Never have I seen an England team so lacking in preperation, or technique at the start of a test series. 

Can we declare now and save the suffering?

 

[JennyMorgan]

Knowing something of the tragedy and subsequent  depravity & suffering following The Fall Of Singapore I'm not convinced that there can be any meaningful comparison with a mere cricket match. Our local Norfolk Regiment was trapped out there and many Broads families, mine included, have recent forbears  that suffered horrifically as unwilling guests of the Japanese empire.

[SteveO]

They were probably out enjoying themselves too much on Sunday night. Worse things have happened at sea.

 

[Aboattime]

I dont mind losing, its when they dont seem to TRY,that gets my goat.

[VetChugger]

Australia and the other Test and cricket playing nations do not select three different squads for its national team. The captain and  nucleous is the same for all forms and these players get used to playing with each other and develop a team spirit. Central contracts also limit the actual play they get by stopping them turning out for their counties, sometimes even when not in the national team playing at that time! Makes me steam!

[Paul]

So much is made about the amount of cricket the top players play nowadays but it's nothing like what they did when I was a kid. For a start the twelve for the test would be announced the previous day and those players not in it would be released to their county. Even the twelfth man would be sent back to his county, often taking the field after lunch following a frantic taxi journey. Now those not in the playing eleven lounge around the dressing room doing nothing, then when called upon are "out of practice"

[Paul]

So the squad has been announced for the next Ashes test, and yet again our selectors have demonstrated alarming cowardice in not facing up what needs to be done. I feel for Moeen, I like him as a cricketer and he's a great guy, and very important to England when in form but right now he's so low on form and confidence that a return to county cricket to recover both is the only way forward. But he must go back and play some county cricket, not stay with the England squad which seems the modern trend. 

Anderson's loss is a big one but he was obviously not fit for the first test and I hope the selectors have learned their lesson. The decision on fitness lies with the physio's not the players, and any recovering player should always have a match under their belt before returning to test action, as Archer has done. This is almost certainly Anderson's last ashes series, of course he wants to play and that, inevitably, will influence his decision on fitness. 

After the shocking display at Edgbaston several other England players should feel themselves very lucky. Roy should be out. There is a lad at Warwickshire, Dom Sibley who's scored 900 plus runs on CC1 this season, he's 23 - the ideal age to start a test career and whilst the Ashes is not the best environment to bring in new players the ECB are out of options. Roy is a one day player, he lacks the technique or mentality for test cricket, as does Jos Buttler who should also be included in the "cull". A single 100 in 56 test innings and an average of 34 is not good enough for a top order batsman. 

Knives are out for Bairstow too who like Moeen is so out of form, with bat and gloves that swapping him for Foakes seems inevitable. It seems almost that he's been damaged by the world cup and cannot get back into test mode. He's certainly capable but if you don't perform you should be given a rest, which is probably just what he needs. 

Sadly, it seems that England cricket has returned to the dark days when selection was based on "members of the club" and "faces that fit" rather than performances and ability.