Ashes 2013/14

[Villan For Life]

Tactically Clarke is a great captain, certainly better than Cook. Where he lacks is in the building of a united dressing room. Too many Aussie players seem to play for themselves first and not for the team which is never a recipe for success.

[paul_e]

Tactically Clarke is a great captain, certainly better than Cook. Where he lacks is in the building of a united dressing room. Too many Aussie players seem to play for themselves first and not for the team which is never a recipe for success.

This is my point, Cook has better players so he doesn't need to use aggressive tactics to win games.  Clarke has no choice but to go ultra-aggressive at the first hint of weakness because his team is poor, so which is the better captain based on that?

[Villan For Life]

Tactically Clarke is a great captain, certainly better than Cook. Where he lacks is in the building of a united dressing room. Too many Aussie players seem to play for themselves first and not for the team which is never a recipe for success.

This is my point, Cook has better players so he doesn't need to use aggressive tactics to win games.  Clarke has no choice but to go ultra-aggressive at the first hint of weakness because his team is poor, so which is the better captain based on that?

Cook, as it stands Clarke's team doesn't win test matches.

[taylorsworkrate]

I don't think you can compare Cook and Clarke in terms of aggressive captaincy without recognising the coaching style they play under.

Flower is a structured, conventional sort of coach, whilst Lehmann is more of a risk taker. The team ethos will ultimately determine the style of captaincy

[PaulWinch again]

I think it helps to have a really strong side or a fairly weak side to be an aggressive captain. The great Aussie side could do it and just blow teams away, the team Clarke captains now has no real choice but to be aggressive in order to engineer opportunities. England are in between those two sides, we're pretty good so we can't really blow teams away but there's no real need to be wreckless either.

[paul_e]

I think it helps to have a really strong side or a fairly weak side to be an aggressive captain. The great Aussie side could do it and just blow teams away, the team Clarke captains now has no real choice but to be aggressive in order to engineer opportunities. England are in between those two sides, we're pretty good so we can't really blow teams away but there's no real need to be wreckless either.

Exactly how I see it, we're good enough to beat most sides in a series and for the top 2 or 3 it comes down entirely to individual form.  This summer we won the ashes with a conservative approach and 3-4 players well below par, why take risks in that situation?  I think we could be a better side with a few more risks but the incentive to take them is nothing like enough.  It's a shame we don't have a series against SA for another 2 years as they're the side we'd have to take a few risks against.

[Dave Cooper please]

No point in taking Australia on at their own game, that's exactly want they want us to do. All the comments from them from the likes of Warne are there to try to get Cook and England away from their game plans, no need, if we have to grind them into the dirt again with Trott scoring 50's from 200 balls then so be it.
 It'll frustrate them into making the same mistakes they did in the summer, and let's face it, it it weren't for a few freakish lower-order stands from the Aussies the result would have been even more comprehensive.

 Warne's recent comments are just bollocks - "If Cook doesn't change his conservative game plans then I can see them losing The Ashes." Yes Shane, he should abandon the tactics that won them 3-0 in the summer just so it gives the convicts a glimmer of hope, dream on mate.

[PGW]

England won toss and are batting against Australia 'A'.
4-0 3 overs
Team: Cook, Carberry, Trott, Pietersen, Root, Ballance, Prior, Swann, Tremlett, Anderson.
Bell rested which just leaves Bairstow and Panesar who have not featured on tour so far.

[Lsvilla]

England won toss and are batting against Australia 'A'.
4-0 3 overs
Team: Cook, Carberry, Trott, Pietersen, Root, Ballance, Prior, Swann, Tremlett, Anderson.
Bell rested which just leaves Bairstow and Panesar who have not featured on tour so far.

I'm okay with this - Bell for Ballance and poss Rankin or Finn for Tremlett if he doesn't step up in this game looks strong to me.

[PGW]

I've only named 10 above missed Broad out - sorry...so yes 7 certainties (Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Prior, Swann, Broad, Anderson ) playing today plus Bell. The fact that Carberry is opening suggests to me that perhaps Root isn't a certainty. Tremlett needs to do well as yes he could be replaced by Rankin or Finn. Ballance won't play in Test which could let in Stokes.

24-0 Carberry 7, Cook 16 10.2 overs

[PGW]

Cook 37
Carberry 26

66-0 22 overs

[PGW]

Cook 50
Carberry 34
87/0 29 overs

[PGW]

Lunch 31 overs
91/0
Cook 53   (97)
Carberry 35  (91)

Bedtime for me!!!!

[Dave Cooper please]

Cook 154
Carberry 153
Extras 11

England 318-0 at close of play.

Not bad.

[eastie]

Interesting to see root dropping back down the order - splendid days cricket - normal service resumed

I think root looked better at number 6 and this is a better set up than Bairstow in there .