We revolve, but we don't evolve. If a bowler doesn't have the prospect of bowling say, 20 overs an innings over all 5 games then they don't get on the plane in the first place. Time to toughen up again.

Silverwood and his band of idiots were so well prepared that we’re now calling up Mahmood who’s currently playing t20. The mind boggles.

In my opinion both he and Parkinson should have been in the original squad. There have already been so many bad decisions made regarding this tour, and there are still three Tests to play. Biggest mistake was deciding to go ahead with the tour in the first place.

It is like ECB are building a ship whilst on sea

:D

I been living in denial….

Or we'd have had less runs to chase.

Though I don't think we bowled too badly, and certainly restricted runs, Anderson, Broad and Woakes are all good enough to have been more threatening than they were.

Facing Australia on their own patch has always been a slippery task for us, but with this current group it's near mission impossible. For the remainder of this series it needs to be damage limitation and with a rebuilding task in the summer as the priority, but with who? as there aint much alternatives to pick from and how oftem have we said that.
We need a pair of Opening Batsmen of International class able to compete at this level, but where/who are they, lets not forget the Middle Order batting, as when you take away the outstanding Root it's a struggle for runs with any consistency. Then we need a Test class Spinner, but again Who? we then face the nightmare of replacing Anderson and Broad who have taken close to 1200 Test wickets between them, currently all we have coming through is no better than average pace bowlers. Oh I forgot the Selectors/Management i.e Silverwood, who really need looking at as it aint working.
So in a nutshell it' back to the drawing board.

I'd have given Liam Livingstone a spot. He certainly has the right attitude and arrogance and can bat and bowl some decent spin

Sometimes getting what you need is a matter of picking someone with potential and then giving them an extended chance.
Lyon wasn't a good spinner at the start of his career, but he was good enough to be given a chance and encouraged to learn and get better.
Smith we did the same to. Used his dodgy legspin as a reason to pick him at 6 or 7, and let him grow. Many people didn't think his technique would get him anywhere. Look at him know.
Its time for a changing of the guard, but don't drop one young player for another young player.
And FFS stop wearing your most talented players into the ground, by keeping them on expecting miracles.

Botham, Flintoff, Stokes, we always need a hero for Ashes :)

That's all very well Jim, but where's all this poxy rain you've been promising us? :sunglasses:

Yet another lie the Australians…..who would have thought :)

(Sarcasm alert, just in case the Aussies don’t it)

I'll let that one go through to Buttlerfingers.:D

Don't know where you guys go from here. I would think the future is far more important than the present in your current situation. You guys wont want to be beat 5-0, thats a given. I'd look to play some of your more inexperienced players and perhaps relieve some tried and tested ones of their duties for now.
You risk getting beaten 5-0 whether you play the younger ones or not. The only issue will be how much damage will it take to scar some of these guys. I'd take the approach that if the younger more inexperienced players get scarred then they probably wont be much use anyway for the long haul. It might be time to find out how bigger job you have in front of you now rather than later.
On the other hand you have a situation where dropped catches and the odd no ball have haunted you. Turn them into wickets and then the question is how close are you to winning these games. Are you in the hunt? Or are you in it up to your eyeballs? Your batting is the main problem obviously, but sometimes you can only go with what you've got. If you hold the catches and reduce the no balls, then it may take some serious pressure off the weakest part of your team, the batting. More questions than answers at the moment, which is never a good sign tbh.

Hehe

Well, we been soundly beaten by a better team, I think credit is where credit is due.

I do think if we do 3-0:down we might, I say might see a change in team and maybe Anderson rested etc. but you are right, a change in team personnel, tactics is desperately needed

The truth is that Australia are a much better side than England.

They have a top class bowling attack, and as this Test showed, decent back up, 3 very good, tough batters in Warner, Labushane and Smith and that's the nucleus of the team.

Whereas England have............Root (and he still hasn't scored a ton in Oz). OK, Malan looks decent and Robinson's a good honest Angus Fraser type bowler but who else ?

Anderson and Broad have been greats but they're approaching the end now, I like Woakes but he can't get wickets abroad, Wood and Archer very quick but also very injury prone and no spinners. Batting is hopeless and has been all year, totally relying on Root - Everyone has been piling into Burns on here, but he is still 2nd highest run scorer after Root in 2021, so that shows how bad the batting is.

And they don't want to pick possibly the best gloveman in World Cricket, presumably because they don't rate his batting, as if it's any worse than Buttler's ?

TBF the preparation, because of Covid and the weather before the Tests, made it even harder for England and it worth pointing out that Head (who looked useless in England in 2019) did play and score runs in Sheffield Shield cricket, which got him into the Test team.

But even with proper warm up matches, we still would have been thrashed IMO.

They're just way better than us, especially in their own conditions.

Should be coming any day now! :p