Ashes 2013/14

[paul_e]

I see Cook and Root have both failed with the bat again in the warm up game.  How they can think it's good for either the players or the team to carry on as is I don't know but we're in danger of ruining Root and Cook's reputation will be in tatters.

[tomd2103]

I see Cook and Root have both failed with the bat again in the warm up game.  How they can think it's good for either the players or the team to carry on as is I don't know but we're in danger of ruining Root and Cook's reputation will be in tatters.

The following team are playing today:

Alastair Cook (C) 
Michael Carberry 
Joe Root 
Gary Ballance 
Eoin Morgan 
Jose Buttler (W) 
Ravi Bopara 
Tim Bresnan 
James Tredwell 
Chris Jordan 
Boyd Rankin 

Replace Cook and Root with Bell and KP and that batting line up looks OK for ODIs.  I can't see why Cook and Root are still being picked as both are woefully out of form (I still don't think Cook should be involved in limited overs cricket at all).  Add Stokes and Broad to the bowling department and that wouldn't be a bad side going forward to the World Cup next year. 

[PaulWinch again]

I think Cook and Root need to go now for the time being and clear their heads, they are not up to it.

[paul_e]

My bigger worry is that Cook and Root are players that we want to be able to call on going forward and both still have a big part to play for England but by keeping them in the team now we're doing them a lot more harm than good.  I don't want them both dropped for good but I don't think they need to be rested and given some time at county level at the start of the summer before we get back into international season.  Having an early summer series is part of the problem, our players just aren't getting enough time in the middle.

[PaulWinch again]

My bigger worry is that Cook and Root are players that we want to be able to call on going forward and both still have a big part to play for England but by keeping them in the team now we're doing them a lot more harm than good.  I don't want them both dropped for good but I don't think they need to be rested and given some time at county level at the start of the summer before we get back into international season.  Having an early summer series is part of the problem, our players just aren't getting enough time in the middle.

I agree, hopefully this summer will be different as the first Test is in June so they should have plenty of opportunity to play county cricket. I really think they need time away from the game now though.

[paul_e]

Still have to be back with England in early May though.

[PaulWinch again]

I see Finn has left the tour to 'work on technical aspects of his game', I hope that means he is just being given time to go away and forget cricket for a while. He is a classic case of too many adjustments to his technique and it's become a mess, he needs a break so he can come back fresh.

[bertlambshank]

What has gone so wrong?
Batting-crap
Bowlers- Finn has been reduced to throwing the ball in the nets as his action has completely gone.

[PaulWinch again]

I think we've blindly going along for a long time not addressing a number of issues apparent in the team, because we were winning and Flower has indicated that. Now those issues have been highlighted by the hammering we've received, batting unit not performing, bowlers out of form, fielding not good enough.

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[tomd2103]

What has gone so wrong?
Batting-crap
Bowlers- Finn has been reduced to throwing the ball in the nets as his action has completely gone.

Heard Dean Wilson (Mirror cricket correspondent) on the radio earlier in the week saying that Finn had completely gone and was struggling to land the ball on the strip in the nets.  Hopefully he can come back from this.

[tomd2103]

My bigger worry is that Cook and Root are players that we want to be able to call on going forward and both still have a big part to play for England but by keeping them in the team now we're doing them a lot more harm than good.  I don't want them both dropped for good but I don't think they need to be rested and given some time at county level at the start of the summer before we get back into international season.  Having an early summer series is part of the problem, our players just aren't getting enough time in the middle.

Agree with all of that Paul.  Cook and Root should be our opening partnership going forward so we need to manage them properly going forward. 

[paul_e]

I feel sorry for Finn:

- Gets called up on the back of his natural pace and angle making him a dangerous young strike bowler with a slightly erratic line that will improve with experience.
- Gets his run up messed with in an attempt to make him stump-to-stump - starts hitting the wickets with his knee.
- Starts working on his run-up to go back to a normal angle but get forced to carry drinks for England and struggles to find a rhythm.
- Plays a few ODIs and looks well down on pace because of the constant fucking with his run up.
- Gets dragged down under when he's struggling so much that he's never getting a game.
- Leaves the tour early having been completely overlooked amid talk that his entire action has fallen apart.


Has a young bowler ever been screwed over so effectively?  They're doing a similar trick with Bairstow with the bat, and I'm not convinced that they haven't been fucking with Root's technique as well, Root in particular looked a composed batsman looking to keep the scoreboard moving and use his pace between the wickets.  Now he's scared to dab into the circle and take a single so he gets bogged down because he's not going to smack fours all the time.  Bouncing him up and down the order has just made things worse.

Don't get me started on the decision to call Woakes and Kerrigan up, give them a game and then pack them off again, if you want a look at a couple of youngsters call them up for a series against someone other than Australia and give them more than 1 test to see how they settle.

[bertlambshank]

Anderson went through the same and he came out the other end ok.
Finn should go round Graham Smith's house and piss through his letterbox.

[PaulWinch again]

Finn has been wrecked by England completely and hopefully time away from that set up will get him back to his best. I don't care if he's a bit expensive he's a strike bowler and England need to learn you don't have to mold every bowler into an economy bowler.

On a wider note England's treatment of players coming into the Test team on the whole has been horrible of late. Bairstow had lost his game by travelling around for a year playing hardly any cricket. Woakes and Kerrigan's confidence must have been shattered by their experience in the summer. Kerrigan in particular was handled appallingly by Cook. Taylor is another one who has been messed about. It really isn't very good at all and changes need to happen.