The Ashes

[AndyinLiverpool]

all too easy

[eddie]

Ashes to Ashes,

Dust to Dust,

If Jimmy don't get you,

Perm any one from four from the others and you're still buggered.

 

 

[Albert]

Well done England, a professional performance, done in the right way this series. The best way to turn around the 5-0 whitewash in England, and with a chance to win 4 Tests in a home series. Even without Anderson, England put on a masterclass of swing bowling, in a Test match that will be talked about for a long time to come. 

England's stocks look brilliant at this point, but a home series win is generally a bad yard stick. At the very least with Anderson, Broad, Wood, Stokes and Finn England can be confident in their bowlers for the time being. I still have my questions about Moeen Ali though, who whilst a good batsmen still looks like a middle order batsmen who does part time spin being asked to be the front line spinner. 

I'd be very cautious with the batting lineup as well. Beyond Cook, the lineup still looks like it can be rattled, and there's not really been any huge batting performances to speak of for England, this has been the series of their bowlers. At the very least there are a lot of very talented young batsmen, but there's a lot of work ahead for them. 

Cook's captaincy is certainly a standout of the series as well, as well as the fielding. There's definitely a lot to be proud of there. A great series performance, with only Lords as a blemish. The key now is how they can develop in the future and prepare for the Tour of Australia in 2017 (I think). The signs are good though, and at this point I think England are more likely to win in Australia than Australia to win in England. 

Michael Clarke will retire after the 5th Test. 

Sad to hear, but understandable. He's not been right since Hughes' passing, and at the very least he didn't retire after the First Test against India as so many feared he would at the time. A sad way to go out for such a great captain for Australia though. Not as successful as Ponting, but he guided Australia through a transition period that few would envy, and was in almost all respects, a better captain than Ponting, and he did it without the brains trust that made Australian cricket so dominate in the 2000s. 

Oh well, after the Oval, Australia begin an entirely new era, at least there's no question of "who next", Steven Smith now has his chance, and will be one of the youngest Captains Australia has had in such a long time. He'll have his own rebuild to consider though, with Rogers also retiring at the end of the series (to my knowledge) and it likely spelling the end of Watson, Haddin and already seeing the end of Harris. The next question is how long for Johnson, who is still performing, but still wayward as always on occasion. Voges will also be an interesting question but, knowing the selectors, with his show of fight in the second innings, a good performance at the Oval will likely see him replace Clarke for the summer. At the very least Australia have the talent for the future earmarked, with Pattinson, Cummins, Faulkner and Mitch Marsh all banging on the door as bowlers, and Burns, Lynn and a host of others battling for those batting roles. 

Screw channel 9 by the way. I know that Clarke retiring is a big deal, but they could have spent more than a couple of minutes congratulating the English performance. At least FoxSports had the class to congratulate, analyse and discuss how and why they won. Channel 9's broadcast appears to be done and they've moved onto other things, and seemingly used Clarke's retirement as a good way of turning attention off the loss. From the first ball today they were talking more about that than the Ashes itself. 

[Srg]

Have to agree about Moeen. I rate him as that mid-lower order counter attacker, especially when it comes to shorter formats but he isn't currently close to being a top flight spinner. Unfortunately, I don't even think we have one which will really hurt us on some of the tours to the sub-continent. 

I will always back Cook on a flat wicket, but other than Root everyone else looks like they can be got at. Will be interesting to see how the likes of Lyth etc do in a series abroad. 

[Wolfie20]

Oh oh! Game over before the Red Arrows flypast? Shall we hang on to watch it or scarper from this Godforsaken hole while we still can?

[Posh Ram]

Brilliant win, so pleased, looking forward to the party atmosphere at the Oval.

I agree that our lack of an elite spinner could hurt us in the long-run. Ali batting at 8 prevents terrible collapses but he's just a part-time spinner. I'd give Rashid a go at some point, in place of Moeen. 

Bairstow looked like he made some progress in the last test and I'd keep him in at 5, however I'd like to see Ballance eventually winning his place back when Bell retires/falls out of form, which could be pretty soon.

I'd drop Lyth for Hales for the next match, it would be good to have an aggressive opener to compliment Cook in the style of the Rodgers-Warner pairing. Give Jimmy the rest of the year off to make sure he recovers properly from the injury. Wouldn't mind having a look at James Taylor as well although there's not an obvious guy to drop to work him into the side.

[Curtains]

Great day at Trent Bridge. 

[sage]

Well done England, a professional performance, done in the right way this series. The best way to turn around the 5-0 whitewash in England, and with a chance to win 4 Tests in a home series. Even without Anderson, England put on a masterclass of swing bowling, in a Test match that will be talked about for a long time to come. 

England's stocks look brilliant at this point, but a home series win is generally a bad yard stick. At the very least with Anderson, Broad, Wood, Stokes and Finn England can be confident in their bowlers for the time being. I still have my questions about Moeen Ali though, who whilst a good batsmen still looks like a middle order batsmen who does part time spin being asked to be the front line spinner. 

I'd be very cautious with the batting lineup as well. Beyond Cook, the lineup still looks like it can be rattled, and there's not really been any huge batting performances to speak of for England, this has been the series of their bowlers. At the very least there are a lot of very talented young batsmen, but there's a lot of work ahead for them. 

Cook's captaincy is certainly a standout of the series as well, as well as the fielding. There's definitely a lot to be proud of there. A great series performance, with only Lords as a blemish. The key now is how they can develop in the future and prepare for the Tour of Australia in 2017 (I think). The signs are good though, and at this point I think England are more likely to win in Australia than Australia to win in England. 

Michael Clarke will retire after the 5th Test. 

Sad to hear, but understandable. He's not been right since Hughes' passing, and at the very least he didn't retire after the First Test against India as so many feared he would at the time. A sad way to go out for such a great captain for Australia though. Not as successful as Ponting, but he guided Australia through a transition period that few would envy, and was in almost all respects, a better captain than Ponting, and he did it without the brains trust that made Australian cricket so dominate in the 2000s. 

Oh well, after the Oval, Australia begin an entirely new era, at least there's no question of "who next", Steven Smith now has his chance, and will be one of the youngest Captains Australia has had in such a long time. He'll have his own rebuild to consider though, with Rogers also retiring at the end of the series (to my knowledge) and it likely spelling the end of Watson, Haddin and already seeing the end of Harris. The next question is how long for Johnson, who is still performing, but still wayward as always on occasion. Voges will also be an interesting question but, knowing the selectors, with his show of fight in the second innings, a good performance at the Oval will likely see him replace Clarke for the summer. At the very least Australia have the talent for the future earmarked, with Pattinson, Cummins, Faulkner and Mitch Marsh all banging on the door as bowlers, and Burns, Lynn and a host of others battling for those batting roles. 

Screw channel 9 by the way. I know that Clarke retiring is a big deal, but they could have spent more than a couple of minutes congratulating the English performance. At least FoxSports had the class to congratulate, analyse and discuss how and why they won. Channel 9's broadcast appears to be done and they've moved onto other things, and seemingly used Clarke's retirement as a good way of turning attention off the loss. From the first ball today they were talking more about that than the Ashes itself. 

Some good points, but overlooking Root? Really? Arguably the best batsmen in the world.

[Albert]

Some good points, but overlooking Root? Really? Arguably the best batsmen in the world.

Does anything really need to be said about Root, Smith, Kohli or Williamson in that regard? The four of them are the best batsmen in World cricket at the moment. That said I should probably have noted him a bit better with the batting lineup, but I had a bit of tunnel vision about the discussion earlier about "always ending up 3 down". 

[eddie]

Oh oh! Game over before the Red Arrows flypast? Shall we hang on to watch it or scarper from this Godforsaken hole while we still can?

Should have been in Blackpool. Fantastic air display today, and there is another one tomorrow. Red Arrows FTW.

[sage]

Does anything really need to be said about Root, Smith, Kohli or Williamson in that regard? The four of them are the best batsmen in World cricket at the moment. That said I should probably have noted him a bit better with the batting lineup, but I had a bit of tunnel vision about the discussion earlier about "always ending up 3 down". 

Just picked you saying Cook is our only reliable batter.

Just been named number 1

 

[Albert]

Just picked you saying Cook is our only reliable batter.

Just been named number 1

 

Again, it was more a case of a bit of tunnel vision about the point I was trying to get at, which was that beyond Cook, England still look a batting side that can and will end up 3 to 4 down very quickly. Root coming in at 5, as reliable as he is, doesn't prevent that from happening. Brilliant batsmen, but doesn't stop the top order being rattled to that point. If you look back a few pages you'll see the discussion about "ending up 3 down" that others were on about, and me posting piles of scorecards at three down for England and Australia if you're that interested. 

Again, Root's talent goes without saying. 

[sage]

Again, it was more a case of a bit of tunnel vision about the point I was trying to get at, which was that beyond Cook, England still look a batting side that can and will end up 3 to 4 down very quickly. Root coming in at 5, as reliable as he is, doesn't prevent that from happening. Brilliant batsmen, but doesn't stop the top order being rattled to that point. If you look back a few pages you'll see the discussion about "ending up 3 down" that others were on about, and me posting piles of scorecards at three down for England and Australia if you're that interested. 

Again, Root's talent goes without saying. 

http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/07/21/england-cricket-dont-throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater/

I wrote about the same issue before the series and here again after the second Test

[Albert]

http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/07/21/england-cricket-dont-throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater/

I wrote about the same issue before the series and here again after the second Test

I'm sure you, as many others did, it's pretty damn obvious. That said I disagree with Root at 3. It's best to keep batsmen where they are most comfortable, and there's no point throwing Root under the bus to try and save the top order. He's been brilliant coming in at 5, though moving him to 4 did no harm, 3 is a specialised position and should have a specialist, not just "the best" in it. 

I still think that Smith at 3 isn't the greatest idea ever, but he's young and can grow into the role. Australia ideally need a genuine number 3. 

Oh well, hopefully Australia's lineup for the summer is a bit closer to:

1. David Warner

2. Joe Burns

3. Steve Smith (C)

4. Chris Lynn

5. Adam Voges

6. Peter Nevill (W)

7. James Faulkner

8. Mitchell Johnson

9. Mitchell Starc

10. Josh Hazlewood

11. Nathan Lyon

12th. Mitchell Marsh

With the loss of the Ashes there's a lot of talk of doom and gloom about Australian Cricket, as there usually is the losing side in the Ashes, but the talent is there in Australia, and the talent is at the right age. Burns, Lynn, Maxwell, Smith, Bancroft, Carters, Whiteman, Nevill and even players like 18 year old Doran. In the bowling stocks Australia could field 2-3 Test level lineups. Johnson, Starc, Hazlewood, Lyon, Faulkner, O'Keefe, Cummins, Pattinson, Agar, McDermott, Bird, Behrendorff and so on. 

Faulkner is arguably one of the best bowlers in the country, and a very good batsmen to boot, and could make a great number 7, allowing the more defensive minded Neville to act as a stabilising influence around 6. How at least one of Burns or Lynn isn't absolutely nailed into the Test lineup at this point is one of those odd questions in Australian Cricket, while even Maxwell should be a genuine shout at some point, should having he and Lynn, Warner and Smith in the same lineup would likely only perpetuate the "attacking not working, how about more attacking?" mindset that seems to be causing issues. 

Personally I don't see what dropping Marsh achieved either, he should be back for 6 for the next Test, or potentially 7 with Nevill in at 6. But once summer comes, and Faulkner has had some time to think I think he would be idea for Australia, giving them that 4th seamer option that was lacking for the last Test. 

[sage]

I'm sure you, as many others did, it's pretty damn obvious. That said I disagree with Root at 3. It's best to keep batsmen where they are most comfortable, and there's no point throwing Root under the bus to try and save the top order. He's been brilliant coming in at 5, though moving him to 4 did no harm, 3 is a specialised position and should have a specialist, not just "the best" in it. 

I still think that Smith at 3 isn't the greatest idea ever, but he's young and can grow into the role. Australia ideally need a genuine number 3. 

Oh well, hopefully Australia's lineup for the summer is a bit closer to:

1. David Warner

2. Joe Burns

3. Steve Smith (C)

4. Chris Lynn

5. Adam Voges

6. Peter Nevill (W)

7. James Faulkner

8. Mitchell Johnson

9. Mitchell Starc

10. Josh Hazlewood

11. Nathan Lyon

12th. Mitchell Marsh

With the loss of the Ashes there's a lot of talk of doom and gloom about Australian Cricket, as there usually is the losing side in the Ashes, but the talent is there in Australia, and the talent is at the right age. Burns, Lynn, Maxwell, Smith, Bancroft, Carters, Whiteman, Nevill and even players like 18 year old Doran. In the bowling stocks Australia could field 2-3 Test level lineups. Johnson, Starc, Hazlewood, Lyon, Faulkner, O'Keefe, Cummins, Pattinson, Agar, McDermott, Bird, Behrendorff and so on. 

Faulkner is arguably one of the best bowlers in the country, and a very good batsmen to boot, and could make a great number 7, allowing the more defensive minded Neville to act as a stabilising influence around 6. How at least one of Burns or Lynn isn't absolutely nailed into the Test lineup at this point is one of those odd questions in Australian Cricket, while even Maxwell should be a genuine shout at some point, should having he and Lynn, Warner and Smith in the same lineup would likely only perpetuate the "attacking not working, how about more attacking?" mindset that seems to be causing issues. 

Personally I don't see what dropping Marsh achieved either, he should be back for 6 for the next Test, or potentially 7 with Nevill in at 6. But once summer comes, and Faulkner has had some time to think I think he would be idea for Australia, giving them that 4th seamer option that was lacking for the last Test. 

I went for Root a) because he can play there, he is our best batsmen and best batsmen bat at 3 in my book and b) I didn't think Bell could cope with 3, he just about has. 

[McRamFan]

Just shows how poor Flowers was.

Neither top order showed up, bar Root.  Cook needs to step down as captain, Bell needs to retire, as much as I like him.

 

 

[sage]

Just shows how poor Flowers was.

Neither top order showed up, bar Root.  Cook needs to step down as captain, Bell needs to retire, as much as I like him.

 

 

Really? After winning The Ashes?

[McRamFan]

Really? After winning The Ashes?

Yes, Australia imploded, wasn't down to just Cook.

 

[Albert]

Just shows how poor Flowers was.

Neither top order showed up, bar Root.  Cook needs to step down as captain, Bell needs to retire, as much as I like him.

 

 

Missed this post. Seriously, what on Earth is this? He just captained an Ashes winning side, and was quite frankly magnificent in doing so.

[eddie]

Just shows how poor Flowers was.

Neither top order showed up, bar Root.  Cook needs to step down as captain, Bell needs to retire, as much as I like him.

 

 

Whereas before the test series questions remained over Cook's captaincy, in my opinion none do so now. His captaincy throughout the series has been innovative, and his decisions, by and large, have been sound.

Regarding Flower, was he not the mastermind of a magnificent 3-1 Ashes victory in Australia a few years ago, or was that all down to Strauss's captaincy and Cook's batting?