OK look admittedly I don't know much about cricket but I have been reading a fair bit about root being shit. As far as I'm concerned paine has been fucking awful. So I don't think it is to od with root at all...
Only one man really and that was Smith.
Root is a better player than Paine but Paine is a much better captain than root.
3 things define a captain, tactics, player management and how it effects your performance. Root fails in all 3, Paine fails in 1
OK look admittedly I don't know much about cricket but I have been reading a fair bit about root being shit. As far as I'm concerned paine has been fucking awful. So I don't think it is to od with root at all...
Only one man really and that was Smith.
Not sure I agree on that. I don’t think Paine is a good captain at all. Admittedly he made a good call bringing on Labuschagne, however he has been abused from both sides over his poor captaincy. Particularly when it comes to reviews. He lost Australia the game at Headingley with his wasted reviews.Root is a better player than Paine but Paine is a much better captain than root.
3 things define a captain, tactics, player management and how it effects your performance. Root fails in all 3, Paine fails in 1
I’ve said it all along that England have too many no 6/7 batsmen dasher types Buttler, Bairstow, Roy, Ali, Curran, Pope, Foakes all trying to get 2 spots.
Ed smith the main selector has to take a lot of the blame for this.
He did an interview last summer saying he picks the best players available in County cricket and it’s Root and the coaches job to fit them into the team, which is completely ridiculous and why we have such an unbalanced batting lineup.
Buttler has to go for me as much as I like him as a one day player he is just not cutting it a test level. Bairstow keeps the gloves and bats at 7.
No 6 should be one of our dashers and the rest upwards should be test match style players
Players not currently in the team are clearly looking better and better, but I don't think the result would have been a whole lot different with mass changes.
Root is still our best batsman, but he's not as good as Smith, who has been ridiculous and has an average second only to Bradman.
The likes of Pope & Ballance (mk IV) are not head and shoulders above the incumbents. Curran is not yet the batting all-rounder he's been built up to be in this thread. Foakes is a brilliant keeper, but he isn't anywhere near as good a batter as an in-form Bairstow. We still haven't found an opening pair, though Burns may grow into the role. Denly? Hmm.
Fact is that with Smith in their team and their bowling attack, Australia are better than the best team we can put out. And we have to be thankful that Warner has had a shit series so far!
4 out of 5 played remember, so still one to go, so we can still draw the series, although the Aussies will retain the ashes.Great Series which over 5, 5 day games the Aussies won beause overall and all round
they are the better team.
Two 'do or die' efforts nerarly levelled it up.
Root is our only top-class batsman and needs the burden of captaincy taking off him.
Best in the World, just, at bash crash white ball
but it's the red ball game that really counts.
The difference between Fizzy drinks and Real Ale.
Loved it anyway and some stand out performances on both sides.
My joke about another boring tedious day of Test cricket seemed to have passed one or two by.
Couldn't watch it but followed it all day on the 'steam radio' to the detriment of
one or two essential tasks and commitments. History cannot be ignored.
4 out of 5 played remember, so still one to go, so we can still draw the series, although the Aussies will retain the ashes.
No grumbles over the results to date. They are marginally the better team, and in their own back yard, on hard bouncy pitches would be even further ahead I feel.