Ashes 2013/14

[Bald Eagle]

K.Ps 100th test. You just know he will do something special. Carberry needs to carry on. He is going great guns.

[DrGonzo]

Carberry's judgement on the leave has been impeccable.

[Bald Eagle]

K.Ps 100th test. You just know he will do something special. Carberry needs to carry on. He is going great guns.

I got that right. Not.

[eastie]

What a fucking shambles - from 82-2 to 91-8 - absolutely awful!
How can we be struggling to avoid a follow on here - totally unacceptable - time for these batsmen to stop living on reputation and deliver!

[Bald Eagle]

What a fucking shambles - from 82-2 to 91-8 - absolutely awful!
How can we be struggling to avoid a follow on here - totally unacceptable - time for these batsmen to stop living on reputation and deliver!

Shocking. Bogged down by low scoring rate again.

[eastie]

39-6 from the afternoon session on a decent pitch - utterly ridiculous - as bumble and Botham just said , totally negative batting on a pitch that has done little - appalling batting .

[eastie]

We fucked up last time in the first innings in Brisbane - i fear this time we won't save ourselves giving the Aussies a major impetus in this series - I feel sorry for our bowlers - this batting line up has lived too long on reputation , time to give them a real rollicking.

[Bald Eagle]

Complete inability to play short pitched bowling and average spin.

[eastie]

Complete inability to play short pitched bowling and average spin.

Time to get the rain mats out - Johnson has bowled well I agree but this is far from a bowlers wicket - we saw haddin and Johnson put on 114 yesterday , more than we are likely to score - now we need to avoid the follow on at least.

[eastie]

110-9 - at least we avoided a follow on - only 5th time in test history England have lost 6 wickets for less than 10 runs - last time was 1990.

[eastie]

Fair play to broad - the Aussies are targeting him he's been hit on the head body and fingers as they go for him with short pitched balls but he's stood up and took it - maybe some of our top order need to find their balls.

The Aussies now will be full of confidence and our backs against the wall- time to stand up and be counted.

[eastie]

@MichaelVaughan: Last 5 away series England have been bowled out for under 200 in the 1st innings of the series..!!!!!!!??? #Ashes.

@MichaelVaughan: Out of the last 48 innings England have only past 400 Eight times!!!!!! And not once in the last 16..!!!! #Ashes.

[PaulWinch again]

Right well Carberry and Broad come out with some credit, the rest were an absolute fucking disgrace. Once again our batting has absolutely killed us, it would take an absolute miracle of last Ashes tour's proportions to save this Test and that doesn't look likely. It's completely unacceptable to fail so often. Ever since Gooch became batting coach our ability to get big runs has vanished, absolutely fucking shocking. The batting unit should be embarrassed.

[aj2k77]

Preperation needs to be looked into seriously now if thats 5 away series in a row begining with sub 200 efforts. Trott keeps getting out the same way......

Tests seem to be won through one persons individual brilliance in a match rather than an all round team effort. Needs to be looked into sharpish.

[Villan For Life]

There are wider issues with our batsmen. We collapse like dominoes far too easily. Time to look at the batting coach, is he doing his job?

You have to give credit to Mitchell Johnson for a hostile spell of fast bowling.

This series will now come down to bowling attack versus bowling attack and whichever creaking batting line up manages to come out on top. We struggled as a batting unit last summer and only Bell emerged with any credit. We need him or hopefully a couple of others to step up.