Shame on you England! SHAME!

[shaz619]

Get paid in the millions, have the world's greatest facilities at Loughborough and an incredible domestic structure. Their set up is extremely professional and every player is looked after, more often then not if you are worthy, management will give you a long rope and back you to come good. Simply, there are ZERO EXCUSES for this PATHETIC showing in Australia.

England lack heart, bottle and mental toughness; these are the fundamental reasons for their shambolic performances down under. At least Australia always go down fighting when they tour England, the series are always very competitive; their players don't always benefit from bucket loads of experience in English conditions and nor are they always technically equipped to survive but despite that, they go down fighting.

England are just too posh to play cricket, never have I seen such a bunch of soft cricketer's before in my life. Shame on you England! SHAME!

 

[Ab Fan]

Unfair and harsh.

Everyone knew England would struggle and could lose 1-4 or even 0-5 this series. This is just 2nd test.

 

[shaz619]

Unfair and harsh, these boys are playing in AUS as if they are having a net! I reject their lack of bottle.

 

[Robert]

It is annoying that they only start to fight when backed into a corner. They need Stokes.

 

[shaz619]

Every time they tour AUS, there is always some excuse being prepared to justify their performances. It's not about losing the series but what is unacceptable is the lack of fighting spirit, people always seem to forgive and forget so quickly

 

[Raja Sab]

I expected a lot more from this english team because Australia are beatable at home now, South Africa have done it more than twice now and this english bowling attack has been their best for the last 5 years or so
Woakes disappointed me the most, I was expecting a lot from him in both bowling and batting. Moeen Ali has been another disappointment. Lyon is doing well and he isn't
Cook's career might be coming to an end, after a great run everyone was expecting him to be the one to break Sachin's century record but I guess that's not to be

And I see most english fans making the Stokes excuse which itself is something to be ashamed of

 

[Raja Sab]

It is annoying that they only start to fight when backed into a corner. They need Stokes.

what they need is their best batsmen to stop going missing when it matters the most. I think Root is yet to find success in Australia

this is also Bairstow second Ashes in Australia and he's still failing

 

[Markhor]

The coach Trevor Bayliss doesn't even watch domestic cricket so its not surprising the squad selection was horrible.

How can you expect to win on those hard, true Australian wickets playing 4 English-style line and length seamers whose speeds don't exceed 85mph on a consistent basis ? Only Broad has a good record in Australia but the others struggle to be threatening with the Kookaburra.

I've not seen the batting develop at all under Bayliss in Tests. Strauss, Trott and Pietersen haven't been adequately replaced and batting collapses have become the norm. Whilst England have a powerful, explosive LOI batting unit - they struggle to put up consistent totals of 450+ in the longest form as there aren't enough batsmen who can stay in and go big.

 

[Buffet]

The coach Trevor Bayliss doesn't even watch domestic cricket so its not surprising the squad selection was horrible.

How can you expect to win on those hard, true Australian wickets playing 4 English-style line and length seamers whose speeds don't exceed 85mph on a consistent basis ? Only Broad has a good record in Australia but the others struggle to be threatening with the Kookaburra.

I've not seen the batting develop at all under Bayliss in Tests. Strauss, Trott and Pietersen haven't been adequately replaced and batting collapses have become the norm. Whilst England have a powerful, explosive LOI batting unit - they struggle to put up consistent totals of 450+ in the longest form as there aren't enough batsmen who can stay in and go big.

It shouldn't stop batsmen to score runs and if batsmen score runs then it will not result in 4-0 or 5-0 scorelines. It's not too hard to score in Aus.

 

[AAli98]

Pretty difficult to beat Aus team with 12 players according to BT sports commentator Alison Mitchell she stated Australias captain Steve Starc is coming to bat next.

 

[Sherlock]

They should have Glenn McGrath's picture up in the dressing room...

Maybe then they'll get their act together and realise a whitewash could be on the cards if they continue they way they are. I think this Aussies side isn't as good as England are making them out to be. Their batting is stuck together by 2 names, and an inconsistent Shaun Marsh.

 

[Savak]

Heads need to to roll for this. It is as if they just woke up out of bed and toured Australia the next day. Where was the preperation needed for this tour in terms of team selection, practice?

 

[Virat_Kohli_fan]

England does not have the bowlers for these conditions, their batting has depth but not quality. With the decline of Cook, the only 2 good batsman are Root and Bairstow, Root's failing while Bairstow is batting too low.

 

[Kroll]

Batting needs to show more fight but I think most teams would struggle with the unrelenting hostile barrage of 90mph bouncers.

 

[IAJ]

I expected alot more from England. This is only second Test and they are not in a bad position either so things can still change.

Need a bowler like Wood or even a Plunkett could be handy here no?

 

[Robert]

what they need is their best batsmen to stop going missing when it matters the most. I think Root is yet to find success in Australia

this is also Bairstow second Ashes in Australia and he's still failing

Root picked a bad time to end his two year purple patch.

Bairstow should be playing as a pure batsman.

 

[R0H1T]

Root picked a bad time to end his two year purple patch.

Bairstow should be playing as a pure batsman.

No England should show some balls atm they;re batting as if they have a golf stick in their hands! Apart from Root, who's failed consistently in Aus, no one is looking to score runs. With that mindset you'll lose 5 zip, Stokes is a red herring, you can;t win in Aus with just one player & he's not even Sobers or the equivalent of Viv & Marshall rolled into one player!

England is looking scared (of losing) not unlike their travails in the SC with the spinning ball, or the tour of India when in fact the ball didn;t spin much.

 

[Raja Sab]

Root picked a bad time to end his two year purple patch.

Bairstow should be playing as a pure batsman.

who should keep ? Butler isn't that bright in Test

 

[jnaveen1980]

They miss one of their key player. But you cannot deny Australia was just too good for them.

 

[Mo Dipsy]

Not making any excuses for England but keep in mind that Australia is a very tough place to win a test series. Look at the last 25 years as proof. There are a few exceptions (like the 2010-2011 Ashes) but generally even mediocre Australian sides manage to beat strong touring sides. South Africa is the only team that has held its own in tests in Australia.

 

[AlizeeFan]

People are talking about bowling, first thing England miss is their batting.

They have 2 batsman in the team. 1 is over the hill now and other can't score in Aus. All other teams have done much better this and common aspect for them was good batting.

Pakistan showed heart during their chase in 1st test. SA won the series there. NZ was able draw 1 test lost a DN match by 3 wickets. India lost a close match at Adelaide otherwise saved 2 matches.

 

[AlizeeFan]

Not making any excuses for England but keep in mind that Australia is a very tough place to win a test series. Look at the last 25 years as proof. There are a few exceptions (like the 2010-2011 Ashes) but generally even mediocre Australian sides manage to beat strong touring sides. South Africa is the only team that has held its own in tests in Australia.

Other teams have been way more competitve than this Eng side.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Shameful batting by English batsmen really. They were just trying to survive, there was no will to score runs. I think Vince and Malan are just not good enough for test cricket.

 

[Buffet]

Not making any excuses for England but keep in mind that Australia is a very tough place to win a test series. Look at the last 25 years as proof. There are a few exceptions (like the 2010-2011 Ashes) but generally even mediocre Australian sides manage to beat strong touring sides. South Africa is the only team that has held its own in tests in Australia.

There is something between winning a test series and getting whitewashed.

 

[troodon]

You need to hit the deck hard to get wickets in Aus. Only Broad is that kind of bowler.

Anderson, Woakes are swing bowlers. Not good for these surfaces.

The loss of Stokes is hurting. He can hit the deck hard and bowl like Aus pacers. Also, as someone said, Mark Wood or Plunkett should be playing in place of Woakes and Anderson.

Cloudy is worthless on Aus pitches. He must be missing England already.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

The harsh reality is that this same Australian team had their tails between their legs the last they visited England. It’s a global pattern among the top teams.

 

[troodon]

The harsh reality is that this same Australian team had their tails between their legs the last they visited England. It’s a global pattern among the top teams.

Aus won 2 Tests out of 5 in England. In the 5th Test, though its a dead rubber, Aus demolished England.

When was the last time England competed in Aus?

 

[asfandyar]

Something needs to be seriously done about home advantage in tests. Maybe, for 5 most used stadiums in all countries, one stadium should have standardized bouncy pitch, two should be standardized batting friendly, one should be standardized spin wicket, one should have standardized swing / seam friendly wicket.

Also the touring team should decide well in advance where they would like to play, and the toss should be scraped for touring teams deciding what to do.

 

[Godhelpma]

English batsmen should not be blamed too much . Cook has been in poor form since time immemorial (almost 2 years now) , while the other opener and no 3 batsmen are being changed every other series but still English are not able to find half decent batsmen at those spots. Garry is replaced by just a slightly improved version of Garry I.e David Malan.Bairstow is very inconsistent for the no 6 position . He is doing Adnan akmal sort of things now-a-days. Moeen ali is a 30,40 score player mostly with occasional fifty or 70+. So only established batsman is joe root who can not win matches for the team himself solely. Moreover , he has been poor in Australia too.English batsmen can not be blamed as they are actually incapable to bat or win overseas( even though they are not so dominating at home).
Main culprits are bowlers. What the heck Broad , Anderson are doing ?They have combined 900 test wickets in international arena , more than two Ws.No effort , no variation in line , length , no setting up batsmen ? What actually are they doing , I can't get that . Only occasional good spells . Woakes was always going to be poor at this speed and he is not even very sharp to use variations wisely. Moeen ali , I would never rate him outside England and India , not even in UAE or Asia .He can be second/ support spinner only but no way main spin weapon.Stokes is surely being missed but he would not have made very vast difference too with this bunch of softies.The bowlers should share major blame , not the batsmen .Come on poms , show some fight .

 

[kingusama92]

Most eyes go to the bowlers but it's their batting that's let them down.

Quite unacceptable how they've approached their innings out in the middle (Joe Root included). They're batting like a team that's surprised Australian conditions are this way.

Everything has gone sideways for them including squad selection and the Stokes issue.

 

[jnaveen1980]

England lost to WI in their home turf with Stokes. So they are not exactly an inform side even though they appear to have a very long batting line up.

 

[Rana]

Nathan Lyon is in the form of his life, and England have too many left handers in the side. This is where you need a player like KP to nuetralize the off-spinner and blast him out of the park. At the moment, the key spinner has far too much comfort against this English line up.

 

[FreePalestine]

I think there are a lot of reasons England are underperforming.

1. Missing a true pace option - Mark Wood, Toby Roland-Jones both injured. Also Ben Stokes as a fourth seam option would have been useful in Australia. To add insult to injury - their back up seamers have been bowling the wrong lengths!

2. Lyon is becoming a quality spinner and bowling to a line up full of left-handers - unfair to compare Lyon and Ali. Lyon is a frontline spinner and is currently probably one of the best off-spinners in the world (yes, I know Ashwin has bags full of wickets in India..)

3. Missing quality and depth in their batting. As we all know, Root and Cook are their star batsmen, and if they are underperforming, then this England batting line up looks very ordinary indeed. The third best batsman in this ENG line up - Moeen Ali, has been a bit unlucky, but is clearly struggling against the quality of Lyon. Fourth best batsman, Ben Stokes, is in New Zealand.

Those are my three main reasons. There may be others though. Obvs, Oz' pace attack is much better than England's and that is implicit in point 1.

 

[MMHS]

I don’t want to rub salt, but I feel English team sportsmen are not proud to represent the national team. It’s true for football & rugby as well, but Union Jack athletes are doing great in Olympics. May be it’s MU, Liverpool, Arsenal, Yorkshire, Lancashire or Surrey first. Outside personal endorsements, still their cricketers are highest paid in world, best facilities, best school system for cricket, best domestic system, most loyal & passionate Test fan base .... ENG players do owe lot to English cricket establishments.

This English side is poor - to be honest, in a time zero world, this is probably the weakest Pom batting lineup since Clemente Attlee was PM (that’s just after WW2, the Pom side that created myth of invincibles). But, that doesn’t justify this unconditional surrender - no team gets so much preparation time in AUS like the Ashes tourists; Poms are into their 7th week in AUS I guess, still they are making fundamental mistakes in their team combination, batting order, bowler picks - just don’t feel the heart is there. Not many teams concede follow-on after inserting opponents

TB needs to go, and so should Root (as Captain). I am not sure whom, but won’t mind Moeen or Johnny as next Captain. Root should focus on his game and try to lead their batting. If his appearance & religion isn’t an issue, I would like to believe that Moeen can lead English side best. And, I'll again say that bring an Asian in the coaching setup - may be Kumble or Hathurusingha.

 

[shaz619]

I donÂ’t want to rub salt, but I feel English team sportsmen are not proud to represent the national team. ItÂ’s true for football & rugby as well, but Union Jack athletes are doing great in Olympics. May be itÂ’s MU, Liverpool, Arsenal, Yorkshire, Lancashire or Surrey first. Outside personal endorsements, still their cricketers are highest paid in world, best facilities, best school system for cricket, best domestic system, most loyal & passionate Test fan base .... ENG players do owe lot to English cricket establishments.

This English side is poor - to be honest, in a time zero world, this is probably the weakest Pom batting lineup since Clemente Attlee was PM (thatÂ’s just after WW2, the Pom side that created myth of invincibles). But, that doesnÂ’t justify this unconditional surrender - no team gets so much preparation time in AUS like the Ashes tourists; Poms are into their 7th week in AUS I guess, still they are making fundamental mistakes in their team combination, batting order, bowler picks - just donÂ’t feel the heart is there. Not many teams concede follow-on after inserting opponents

TB needs to go, and so should Root (as Captain). I am not sure whom, but wonÂ’t mind Moeen or Johnny as next Captain. Root should focus on his game and try to lead their batting. If his appearance & religion isnÂ’t an issue, I would like to believe that Moeen can lead English side best. And, I'll again say that bring an Asian in the coaching setup - may be Kumble or Hathurusingha.

They're just not very patriotic bunch unfortunately, at the end of the day they are guaranteed close to 1 million in their contracts outside their fee they get paid per game; regardless of how they perform their financial security has been ensured and there doesn't seem to be a hunger to do really well. The side may not be the best in terms of quality but we've seen many players from yesteryear who weren't exactly gifted naturally or sound technically but they wore their heart on their sleeve, gave 100% and never quit when the going gets tough; they basically always went out on their shield. England seem to just be there, clock in, clock out, playing cricket for your country is meant to be an honour; they need to show some spine.

Never been a fan of the best batsman in the team being captain, maybe if they relieve Root of that burden it will help him but you still expect more at this point in time, he didn't need to accept the arm band if he didn't intend on giving 100%. Mo could be a good option, he lead the U19 side during the World Cup very well and has some experience at the county level as well, he has the character to thrive in the role anyhow it's very challenging job but you never know, he could be a prospect or Bairstow after the Pub-Gate with Stokes. But realistically, Root will continue for a long time.

 

[KingKhanWC]

I feel the same, shocked by the cowardly approach of these players. Pakistan did better against Australia.

England are prob the worst side when it comes to selection. Im hoping one big innings or one great bowling spell will change things otherwise it's not worth watching the hyped up Ashes after this test match.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Bayliss is the problem. In terms of selection, there's a paucity of quality batsmen and bowlers at county level. I don't think there is anyone not in the squad that had a watertight case for selection.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

That's what happens when you over-do and pamper your players in a sport like cricket. The basic point of playing sports is intensity, tenacity and enjoyment. Cricket needs some raw energy and brashness which the whole systematic system and over coaching in UK sort of messes up. It's one of the cons of having such a brilliant system. Australians even though have a very good system as well, but they treat domestic cricket with some sort of bullying and illiteracy. They play like loud mouthed bullies in domestics and that sort of behavior isn't reprimanded, which doesn't tamper with their natural instincts. When everything is so mechanized, you lose some sort of natural fluency, which England are currently facing.

I recently read an article by an English bowling coach about why the fast bowlers are getting injured so frequently and why there are no express pacers (150kph plus) in cricket anymore. He said it is because kids from an early age are made to choose their sport and they focus on purely one sport rather than playing all of them. He argued that when a person is accustomed to playing variety of sports, it helps his body to adapt in variety of conditions, and build other muscles that cricket exercised wouldn't help much, something English cricket system is lacking and they are sort of building robots rather than cricketers.

I agree with his majority of points. The rawness and the intensity the guys of previous decades used to have, is gone. We might never see another bowler like Shoaib Akhtar. It was said that Tymal Mills was going to be the fastest English bowler a few years ago, but his spate of injuries in the domestic circuit led him to focus only on T20 format and give up the longer formats. He is just one example, gone are the days when we used to throw guys from the nets or new comers of domestic cricket directly into international cricket.

I believe you have to throw the exceptional talents esp pacers directly to the wolves when they are young. For batsmen it varies, as some will never know what they need to improve on unless they have faced the harsh and relentless environment of international cricket. Some batsmen know what they need to do to improve their batting, so they can make it to international cricket.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Aus won 2 Tests out of 5 in England. In the 5th Test, though its a dead rubber, Aus demolished England.

When was the last time England competed in Aus?

You are right. England never won an Ashes down under.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Aus won 2 Tests out of 5 in England. In the 5th Test, though its a dead rubber, Aus demolished England.

When was the last time England competed in Aus?

2010-11 if I’m not wrong.

 

[TalhaSyed]

Gotta say - so far it’s been a case of boys vs men. Once again the English team have showed up in Australia all hyped up and once again they have shown they are nothing but talk and their is a very good chance that we may see the end of certain careers here, such as KPs a couple of years ago.

The Australian team are by no means “world beaters”, but the way they have toyed with the English team on and off the field so far in this series is pathetic to see.

Root complaining about Smith laughing in press conferences

Anderson complaining about bouncers

Management imposing curfews on the team

Vince saying things like “Matthew Hayden will know who I am now”, after scoring flipping 83 (not 283, not 183 just 83!!) in a losing cause

An absolutely pathetic and spineless show so far in the Ashes from England. Anderson had a good last session yesterday - under lights with the pink ball ofcourse - but even then England cannot be considered serious contenders at this stage. The way the English batsmen have batted so far in this series, Aus can declare right now and Eng will still manage to fudge this up.

If Aus push their lead to 300, England can kiss the ashes good bye.

I’m not one for writing teams off early, however based on England’s performance so far, it will take nothing short of a remarkable turn around and a miracle for England to come back from here.

 

[Mamoon]

Extremely disappointing to see the state of English cricket at the moment. County Cricket is in decline, and I can see England slipping back into the late 90's obscurity once the likes of Anderson and Cook call it quits.

Joe Root is a wonderful batsman, and he should not be leading a declining side in all honesty. England should not compromise on his batting - he is their best home-grown product for over 50 years.

Play Bairstow as a specialist batsman at #4 and give him the armband.

 

[Saj]

Hate to spoil the party but what is Pakistan's record in Tests in Australia?

Our lot spend millions on PSL and waste plenty of money elsewhere yet can't put up a team that can actually win a Test in Australia.

 

[Bilal7]

They have picked a bunch of passengers in their team. Vince, Malan, Ball and Overton are pretty mediocre players, frankly speaking. They're not going to win you an Ashes series.

Apart from that, they do not have a single bowler, apart from Broad, who is built to do well in Australia. No pace or bounce whatsoever. Moeen's injured finger does not help either. They need to get Wood in for the next test.

However, I expect England to bounce back in this series soon enough. One great innings or spell of bowling is all it takes.

 

[Mamoon]

Australia should not invite Pakistan for at least a decade. A complete waste of time and money for the Australian supporters, and a national embarrassment for Pakistanis.

Two tours should not happen for a long time: Sri Lanka touring India, and Pakistan touring Australia.

 

[Bilal7]

Hate to spoil the party but what is Pakistan's record in Tests in Australia?

Our lot spend millions on PSL and waste plenty of money elsewhere yet can't put up a team that can actually win a Test in Australia.

Our players are nowhere as privileged as England's and our problems have almost always been off-field more than on-field.

In the most recent tour, we almost won the first match and batted much better than England have in the remaining ones, albeit on much flatter pitches than England have gotten.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Australia should not invite Pakistan for at least a decade. A complete waste of time and money for the Australian supporters, and a national embarrassment for Pakistanis.

Two tours should not happen for a long time: Sri Lanka touring India, and Pakistan touring Australia.

Reckon the defeat to the weakest Sri Lankan team in living memory was a bigger national embarrassment and I'm staggered how that performance has been brushed under the carpet.

 

[Hasan123]

This England team isn't good enough to win in Australia. But the way England mentally disintegrate on overseas tours is unacceptable. It does show that England players have a mental weakness. Don't often see Australia capitulate in tough conditions like England do.

Root should get a bit more time as captain. Moen and Bairstow don't strike me as leaders and I think they would prefer to play as just players. Stokes would be a better choice but for obvious and well documented reasons that won't happen.

 

[Bilal7]

Reckon the defeat to the weakest Sri Lankan team in living memory was a bigger national embarrassment and I'm staggered how that performance has been brushed under the carpet.

First series after the two most experienced players (and captain) retired. Pretty easy to see why no one except you treats that series loss as a "national embarrassment".

 

[waleed88]

English have a culture of 'playing for themselves' specially in knockout matches, they lack the character and bite.
Its called a soft underbelly

 

[babajee]

Reckon the defeat to the weakest Sri Lankan team in living memory was a bigger national embarrassment and I'm staggered how that performance has been brushed under the carpet.

It’s not like it was a phainty. Just terrible tactics and selections from Pakistan. 1-2 changes and we’d have won 2-0.

Also expecting Sarfraz to bounce back, he has the fire in his belly.

 

[Saj]

Our players are nowhere as privileged as England's and our problems have almost always been off-field more than on-field.

In the most recent tour, we almost won the first match and batted much better than England have in the remaining ones, albeit on much flatter pitches than England have gotten.

Privilege has nothing to do with it. It's 2 Test playing nations against each other and Pakistan have been a shambles in Australia. England have actually gone there and won some Tests.

 

[James]

You are right. England never won an Ashes down under.

England have won the Ashes several times in Australia, 2011 most recently.

 

[Saj]

Pakistan last 12 Tests in Australia:
L L L L L L L L L L L L

Last time they won a Test in Australia was 1995.

 

[James]

Pakistan last 12 Tests in Australia:
L L L L L L L L L L L L

Last time they won a Test in Australia was 1995.

But if this and that, and that and this had gone a bit differently in that match that time, they would have won the last ten series in Australia 3-0.

 

[shaz619]

Not sure why Pakistan has come into this. Firstly, their domestic set up is no where near as sophisticated as the one in England, nor are their players as well paid as the posh / soft English lot and the set up in general lacks professionalism it will be a while before they find success in AUS but despite the obstacles Pakistan will always punch above its weight. Anyhow the Ashes are meant to be the World Cup for England not Pakistan who tend to be measured by their feats against India. Also, England travel to AUS more frequently then Pak whilst the wickets there are not as alien to them as the ones in the subcontinent, AUS is as a big a test for Pakistan as much as the subcontinent is for the likes of AUS / Eng.

So lets get this out the way, England have not beaten Pakistan in a Test series home / away for 7 years! England were more recently destroyed by the Indians as well, AUS were destroyed by the Sri Lankans and the Pakistani's in 2014. Sure asian teams like Pak have struggled down under but this does put things into perspective.

 

[babajee]

Pakistan last 12 Tests in Australia:
L L L L L L L L L L L L

Last time they won a Test in Australia was 1995.

Which teams beat the Aussies of the 2000s?

 

[AFM]

Which teams beat the Aussies of the 2000s?

England

 

[Chief Destroyer]

It's quite pathetic, really. Despite all the resources, they have not had one period where they've dominated world cricket. Their culture breeds a bunch of a softies and their media a bunch of Desi Aunties ready to mourn at any given second. One loss to them is equivalent to a sign for doomsday, there's no coming back from it.

 

[Aman]

The output of the England team is atricious considering how wealthy they are.

Compare their record to Australia or India's, it's a complete mismatch.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

The output of the England team is atricious considering how wealthy they are.

Compare their record to Australia or India's, it's a complete mismatch.

India haven't been any better considering their population. Not one great bowler in their history and their overseas record isn't impressive either. Yeah, they've had a few wins but so have England.

It's mainly Aus, SA and Windies(of old) that have dominated.

 

[Aman]

India haven't been any better considering their population. Not one great bowler in their history and their overseas record isn't impressive either. Yeah, they've had a few wins but so have England.

It's mainly Aus, SA and Windies(of old) that have dominated.

India have won multiple trophies and are world number 1. They've also produced some of the best batsmen in the games history.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

India have won multiple trophies and are world number 1. They've also produced some of the best batsmen in the games history.

They've never dominated worldwide is what I was trying to highlight. Until they start producing world class bowlers, that will not change. Considering their talent pool and craze for cricket and now facilities, their results haven't been any more impressive than England. They don't deserve to be mentioned alongside Australia.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Privilege has nothing to do with it. It's 2 Test playing nations against each other and Pakistan have been a shambles in Australia. England have actually gone there and won some Tests.

Pakistan' fortunes will change eventually. Our guys are not used to playing in large grounds and our poor fitness levels and defensive game are not suited in Australia. Once fitness levels improve, our guys will be able to save a lot of runs in the field and our bowlers will take wickets. Defensive batting is something we have to change in order to improve in Australia. You can't stonewall to a draw in Australia, something our batters might have learned on this tour. With a slight change in team combination where we can get in with 4 pacers and a spinner, our chances will brighten.

As for England, they just don't have the team to win in Australia at the moment. You cant expect to go in with unproven and inconsistent batters and expect to win.

 

[Bilal7]

]India have won multiple trophies[/B] and are world number 1. They've also produced some of the best batsmen in the games history.

So have Pakistan and we were #1 not too long ago as well. We've also produced great players of all kinds, not just batsmen. Third best W/L record as well. Considering our plethora of off-field issues, we've probably done better than anyone except Australia overall.

1) Australia
2) Pakistan
3) South Africa
4) West Indies
5) India

 

[Bilal7]

They have picked a bunch of passengers in their team. Vince, Malan, Ball and Overton are pretty mediocre players, frankly speaking. They're not going to win you an Ashes series.

Apart from that, they do not have a single bowler, apart from Broad, who is built to do well in Australia. No pace or bounce whatsoever. Moeen's injured finger does not help either. They need to get Wood in for the next test.

However, I expect England to bounce back in this series soon enough. One great innings or spell of bowling is all it takes.

This just might turn out to be a special fourth innings chase by the Englishmen.

 

[Abdullah719]

Looks like this thread inspired them today.

 

[Amjid Javed]

It is annoying that they only start to fight when backed into a corner. They need Stokes.

Should not be reliant on one player (A thug) to make the team fight and show some grit.

 

[Mamoon]

So have Pakistan and we were #1 not too long ago as well. We've also produced great players of all kinds, not just batsmen. Third best W/L record as well. Considering our plethora of off-field issues, we've probably done better than anyone except Australia overall.

1) Australia
2) Pakistan
3) South Africa
4) West Indies
5) India

Pakistan the second greatest team in history?

You deserve a standing ovation. As I always say, you never fail to disappointment.

 

[ads101]

It is annoying that they only start to fight when backed into a corner. They need Stokes.

Think that's partly because some of their best batsmen aren't batting up the order. Bairstow shouldn't be batting at 7 when he's the third best batsman in the team. Stokes and Ali aren't great (and if stokes was playing), but they're more experienced/better than Vince and Malan atm. No one to stop the collapse in the middle order.

What seems to happen is Cook and Root bat by themselves, wickets tumble and then the lower order takes them to a par score. Much better to score runs upfront than to wait till the lower order where the pressure is on and hard to rescue the situation. I think England should open with Cook and Stoneman, Root at 3 and Bairstow at 4. If that means get in Butler to take over wicketkeeping, so be it.

Maybe a side in the future such as (assuming Stokes will return, which I think it's likely he will IMO)

1. Stoneman
2. Cook
3. Root
4. Bairstow
5. Stokes
6. Moeen
7. Malan?
8. Butler
9. Woakes/Ball
10. Broad
11. Anderson

 

[Mamoon]

Stokes would certainly have a difference at some point over the 27 sessions of cricket that has been played in this series so far.

I don’t think England with Stokes would have been 2-0 down. Australia have had their fair share of luck, but it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.

 

[shaz619]

Stokes would certainly have a difference at some point over the 27 sessions of cricket that has been played in this series so far.

I don’t think England with Stokes would have been 2-0 down. Australia have had their fair share of luck, but it ain’t over till the fat lady sings.

Stokes is not exactly Imran Khan, he'd not have made that big a difference and it's no excuse either from the current XI who are representing England. They've fought well today so credit where due, hopefully they make a fist of it tomorrow as well.

 

[Mamoon]

Stokes is not exactly Imran Khan, he'd not have made that big a difference and it's no excuse either from the current XI who are representing England. They've fought well today so credit where due, hopefully they make a fist of it tomorrow as well.

Stokes is England’s most high impact player. The difference between the two teams hasn’t been as big as the scoreline suggests - England have simply lacked some quick runs down the order and a hit-the-deck hard pacer.

Barring Smith’s magnificent hundred in the first innings of the first Test, Australia have played some average cricket. They are fluking a 2-0 lead to be honest.

They have been there for the taking, but England have not been able to capitalize without the best all-rounder in the world.

 

[shaz619]

Stokes is England’s most high impact player. The difference between the two teams hasn’t been as big as the scoreline suggests - England have simply lacked some quick runs down the order and a hit-the-deck hard pacer.

Barring Smith’s magnificent hundred in the first innings of the first Test, Australia have played some average cricket. They are fluking a 2-0 lead to be honest.

They have been there for the taking, but England have not been able to capitalize without the best all-rounder in the world.

He's too inconsistent to be considered their undisputed high impact player because Mo have an equal number of MOM's as him while Root has more then both and his inconsistency is reflected in the A/R ranking he's always switching places with Mo, it's been a while since he did anything special but obviously in these conditions he'd have been very useful but there is enough quality in this England side to win without him, they just need to show more fight and quit being bottlers; in their first innings Overton top scored, that's nothing to do with Stokes! had the others showed up, perhaps they'd have their nose in front right now.

 

[asifp]

He's too inconsistent to be considered their undisputed high impact player because Mo have an equal number of MOM's as him while Root has more then both and his inconsistency is reflected in the A/R ranking he's always switching places with Mo, it's been a while since he did anything special but obviously in these conditions he'd have been very useful but there is enough quality in this England side to win without him, they just need to show more fight and quit being bottlers; in their first innings Overton top scored, that's nothing to do with Stokes! had the others showed up, perhaps they'd have their nose in front right now.

Since 2016, he is averaging over 40 with the bat and under 30 with the ball. That is a high impact player right there. His quick runs really does change the match at times.

 

[silent ischemia]

Well England competed in the first 2 days in Brisbane and last 4 sessions in Adelaide. One good session in the morning tomorrow and they will win

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

So early to react like this buddy

 

[shaz619]

I've been trying to cut down on sugar but maybe I will enjoy some of this tomorrow:

 

[TalhaSyed]

I've been trying to cut down on sugar but maybe I will enjoy some of this tomorrow:

I heard Moeen Ali e-mailed a link to this thread around the English squad, which is what reignited their spark



Whilst going through the thread, at one stage Root & co. were just going to accept defeat because they realised that they had a better record than Pakistan in Australia, however, eventually they too realised that Pakistan's poor record in Australia bares no significance to their performance in the Ashes and brushed those useless stats aside....

 

[shaz619]

I heard Moeen Ali e-mailed a link to this thread around the English squad, which is what reignited their spark



Whilst going through the thread, at one stage Root & co. were just going to accept defeat because they realised that they had a better record than Pakistan in Australia, however, eventually they too realised that Pakistan's poor record in Australia bares no significance to their performance in the Ashes and brushed those useless stats aside....

I wonder how Moeen got the link to begin with lmao I thought Pak's record was meant to make them feel better, then again it must have surprised Root that the Ashes are their acid test