You do realise I wasn't being entirely serious. Our performances have been a shit show in every session.

The pandemic has cocked up the series though. Like everything else. But I don't think if the world had been Covid free it would have made any difference to the outcome. Australia have better batters, bowlers and fielders than us. No doubt.

Whilst your last sentence is entirely true, they are not so much better that they should be giving us an absolute reaming like they have.

We are simply not up to the task mentally. Throw in some poor technique and coaching, and you ain’t winning many test series, especially away from England.

If Silverwood survives this, I’ll be gobsmacked

How can it happen, the Aussie's score under 270 and still win by an Innings? it is nothing but shameful and that is putting it mildly.
It is now going to be interesting seeing how/if these gutless players can pick themselves up after THREE abysmal showing in previous Tests, and show they care and still have some pride left in them when facing Auss in the 4th Test.

Biggest mistake cricket made was channel 4 losing it, yeah money has helped etc

Can’t even watch it on Sky.

I would agree , when the third highest scorer in your team is No Ball there is not a lot worth staying out there for

According to the i, there are such increasing protocols re Covid in Oz, there
may be a chance that the tour will be curtailed. The Aussie and English Cricket board are apparently desperate this doesn't happen for financial reasons, but let's hope so, because this is becoming the ultimate humiliation.

You're the lucky ones !

Agnew is another upper class ponce on the gravy train who will blame everything apart from the root of English cricketing non-excellence: the class system.

The pool of available players must be tiny in a country pushing 70m. We’ll never compete long-term until they genuinely open it up to the plebian majority.

3rd highest scorer extras lol

The 5th Test has been moved to Hobart :(

FFS- 5-0 it is then

‘One negative to take from the game today - the defeat - but that’s massively overshadowed by sixty eight positives ; seven from Hameed, five from Crawley, five from Bairstow, five from Buttler….’

Presumably you booed Will Hughes every time he touched the ball today?

Why on earth would he? His point about the domination of public schools in county cricket is entirely valid.

You may have noticed that the beautiful game is open to the plebeian majority … or “chavs” as you would probably call them / us?

It doesn’t mean he wants public schoolboy’s to fail at football or cricket.

The guy can’t avoid a dig at people who went to public school in every post he makes - but good to see chip on shoulder/reverse snobbery alive and well.

it's not the class system imo - its the schools systems, particularly in city state schools where few still teach cricket and/or don't have a pitch.

In Australia it's a club set up from kids through to competetive men's and women's. It then goes to grade in each City , which has 5 levels, then to Sheffield Shield, the state comp. Shield is very competetive played by capped players , aspiring players and those ex players who are still good enough for state but maybe out of National selection. I was involved in organising and playing club cricket for years and must say the organisation is in the main impressive, although recently like all amateur sport lack of volunteers is taking its toll.

You lot are killing English cricket and someone needs to say it. Jonathan Liew made the same point today in the Guardian.

All that money and privilege and you’re crying over a some posts on a bulletin board? No wonder you silver spooners call facing a few fast balls in Australia “a traumatic experience”.

Thanks, ridiculously touchy comment from him/her/it (with a name like ‘chav hater’ complaining about class hatred. My ironymeter has exploded).

Don’t recall football closing ranks on the upper classes though in reverse they did so at the very inception. Which is another reason old our ‘hater of the lower classes’ has made an awful point.

How much was the education? Yikes.

The ECB doesn’t fund inner city state schools - any grassroots funding gets funnelled off to middle and upper class nowhere places like Newdigate.

There is a lot of kit to be bought and we have a government not funding education properly. They’re not going to spunk thousands on a cradle for catching practice when their textbooks are from the 1970’s.

Even your user name is a dig at people who didn’t go to some poncy school where money brings advantage.

If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen.

A ray of sunshine out of all this.
Apparently you have displaced a certain Wuhan Street Market from the top spot, in the worst use of a bat category!
Congratulations!

Sorry couldn't help myself!

lol

Silverwood has tested positive and will miss the 4th test whilst isolating for 10 days.

Perhaps this is one of the positives he was talking about going forward.

I'd like to see James Vince given another opportunity in Sydney. He's playing in the Big Bash so he's acclimatised, and his numbers in the 2017/18 Ashes were Bradmanesque compared to our current openers: 85, 17, 80, 17 & 43 in his five knocks for an average of 48.

His test average is modest (25) but he's a better all-round cricketer than he was the last time he played red ball cricket for England.

It does, however, allow him to spend more time alone with data.

:D

I found the headline 'Need a rapid test ? Play the Poms' very good :p

:supergrin:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...-ashes-debacle

Of course Anderson is right. We could start by scrapping the crap 100. Fat chance.

Yep, spot on from Jimmy. The same comments have been made time & again on this site, too.

I agree and a potential captain if Root calls it a day. One of those players who has been messed around by the selectors.

The concern with Vince is he always looks so beautiful for his 20 before the flourish to gulley that is both a masterpiece of stroke-making and out.

Jimmy went to [cough] state school [/cough] :lux:

Even Burns knows how to score 100 against the Aussies.

I’d have like to be messed around by the selectors as often as he has.

Note “by” not “with.”

Instead the chatter is already that the problem is too many mediocre counties playing too many 4 day matches.

He might find the missing link in the master plan….

Travis Head not playing. Covid contact.

Last year has been a record year for England in cricket, we had the most ducks, collapses and lost 9 tests…..


I wonder if we can start with a win at Sydney……

Happy new year to all those who follow cricket may this year be the one where we see the revival of our teams.

I am sure his replacement even if it is a 50 year old will play well against us

Hope he recovers quick

One report said he actually caught it, not just a contact. If so, will be surprised if others dont get it given i think he’s normally in the slips. Covid sadly our only chance of avoiding 5-0 as i think players have now lost heart as well as capability.

Usman Kawaja replacing him.

Darren Stevens would score a quadruple century and take 20 for 0 against this shower of shit.

He is named as one of the Cricketers of the year in Wisden for 2021.

One of the greatest all rounder never to play for England

Will they shuffle the batting order or will Khawaja bat lower down?

I am sure he is getting on, how old is he now I wonder

This Test is going to be a very telling test of their character for England players, have they regained their belief and pride to perform? or will they still be in a state of shock. With so much talk of players needed to be discarded, talk of Root needing to surrender the captaincy, and Silverwood be sacked and who takes over etc etc, it promises to be a Test match with a lot of questions needing to be answered.
Also will Australia be over confident and take their foot off the pedal? promises to be a fascinating game and hopefully England regain some pride.

Who cares its lost, and if we do well it will be said because the pressure was off.

.

Test cricket hadn't been invented when Stevens was in his prime.

https://www.fulltable.com/vts/l/lab/...es/a_r3_c1.jpg

They could be over confident but take their foot off the pedal? ffs they are playing England :)

FFs, talk about being whooshed

Haha sorry I thought you meant the chap who plays for Kent. Doh!

Absolutely fallen on my feet with this one. My monthly BT subscription falls due on 4th, the day the next tests starts. So I don’t have to watch it now. TFFT.

Lets hope the Aussie's let their guard slip;), and we can start the New Year with a smile on our face and that will be coming after Palace winning against West Ham and we sit comfortably in 8/9th position.:)

Keep it it for one month, you never know we may win this

And no I am not drunk considering it is New Year’s Day

And there's Test World C'Ship points at stake. The Aussies missed out the last Final by a tiny margin, so they will be determined that doesn't happen again.

Probably will now iv’e cancelled :D

But will be very hollow if so

Whilst I fully accept us to lose 0-5, I just think a bit of fight and cojones being shown would redeem some of the current shower.

the general consensus is that the team lack minerals, which is very damning.

A gritty century from somewhere wouldn't go amiss.

Broad must be going mad, surely a must for the last two tests.

You did predict 3-1

Yup agree, I don’t mind losing but for crying out loud show some grit

Must admit, I didn't think that the ECB funded any schools at all? Do they even help fund local clubs - certainly not the case with two I've been involved with

At last, some ‘positive’ news from the England camp

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/59850944

Strange isn't it. Silverwood presiding over the debacle of a loosing test series,and likely getting the chop. Meanwhile Langer could possibly be out of a job when his contract expires. Strong rumblings that it won't be renewed.

Not winning the first two tests by an innings margin is quite damning

:D

I’m sure ‘JL’ can get a job as a bin-man, as long as he doesn’t kick them all over during his round…

It will come down to the captain. Wouldn't surprise me if the rumblings are just Davey not liking being told to pull his head in.

Good to see that England have stuck to the same side that couldn't muster 260 runs in 2 innings at Melbourne, except Broad in for Robinson (shoulder injury) for the test, tonight. A good bowling change maybe but that weakens the weak Batting tail, even more

And all the clamour on here, to drop Burns and yet Hameed retains his place despite a massive 13 runs in his last 4 innings:rolleyes:

I thought the same. It is as if we have accepted a 5-0 and want to come home as soon as. If that’s the case say got covid and come home Indians done that…


Let’s be positive I am sure we will win this test (ahem)

Weather might get us a draw!

Phew, something positive :)

I agree it should have been Hameed dropped for Crawley. Hameed is a long way from looking like an international cricketer

I suppose the difference being Hameed has played 9 tests and is 24 years old, therefore still has time to improve and become a decent opening bat. Whereas Burns is 31 and played 30 odd tests and still doesn’t look like an international opening batsman. If Hameed still looks iffy when he’s had the same amount of chances as Burns has had then fair enough, write him off then.

'Thorpey' seems excited that we have 'a couple of caged tigers coming into this match, Ben Stokes being one of them. Stuart is another'.

Thank **** we haven't left it too late to unleash them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/59863563

Isn't it incredible that caged tiger Broady was left out of 2 of the 3 Tests so far. Representatives of English cricket should really keep quiet until they have something sensible to say :D

GRRRRRRRRRR!! Two caged tigers, one test-class batsmen and 8 partridges in a pear tree for target practice :D. Groundhog Day. Two possible end of Day 1 scores? 325-3 or 166 and 95-1.

Come on England. At least make a fight of it - please!

You may never hear from anyone ever!

I listened to him on the bbc breakfast and looks like Thorpe is in another planet

I'm only surprised that he hasn't asked arranged an inter-squad Hundred game to get our Test batsmen in the right frame of mind for the Sydney Test.

(I know, I've posted it before)

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...g-test-batsmen

Two caged tigers going forward

An angry Ashley Giles unleashing a torrent of data on TMS.

I love these ex players unleashing on current players. Does Giles forget how sub standard and average a cricketer he was. I heard Rob Key the other day having a bit of a crack and **** me if he wasn't a very ordinary test cricketer then suck me off with a yabbie pump.

The King of Spain made the most of his limited ability though. Unlike these wankers.

Just looking at our XI pisses me off again.:D

We are going to utilise the conditions to the max. Will have them 50-4 at lunch.

Can we just play cricket?

Do we really need a ******* stand up act?

And 290-4 at the close.

On second thoughts, where’s Ken Dodd when you need him?

Was I overly optimistic? OK : 50-3 :D. And please let one of them be Mr Warner...

I am going for 200 for 1 at tea…….someone said it may rain….looking at them blue sky I don’t think so for, mind you I have not seen the weather forecast

Rain

Lol two seconds of me posting blue skies hahaha

I don’t really want to watch highlights of previous matches…..

Just got up rain is gone and so is Warner

Aus are still plodding along nicely

Labuscagne and Harris gone.

I think they've already scored too many for us anyway. :D

Not for a innings win :)

Mind you can we score 100 in two innings?

Yup, and Khawajs is on, and this is his big opportunity to shine

Rain again

Is Broad thanking gods for the rain?