The Cricket Thread 2016

[Dr Butler]

25/3.....compton straight outta...

[PaulWinch again]

and as I said worst review ever.

[paul_e]

that really is a shocking review, what was he thinking

[PaulWinch again]

See this is my worry with Compton, I think he's a bit single minded. That choice was all about trying to save his skin and being in complete denial. Who knows that decision could cost us tomorrow.

Onto tomorrow the hopes look pretty slim, but I'd really like to see Taylor get some big runs. I rate him as a cricketer and I think he just needs a breakout innings.

[paul_e]

See this is my worry with Compton, I think he's a bit single minded. That choice was all about trying to save his skin and being in complete denial. Who knows that decision could cost us tomorrow.

Onto tomorrow the hopes look pretty slim, but I'd really like to see Taylor get some big runs. I rate him as a cricketer and I think he just needs a breakout innings.

I agree on Compton, a good performance in the first test has masked some pretty ropey batting since.

Taylor I really want to be good but I've always had the worry that he gets out for 20-40 a hell of a lot and he's doing that again, it's a concentration thing and he really needs to fix it if he wants to be an England player.

[Dave Cooper please]

Awful start this morning but it looks like Stokes is determined to have a bit of fun, it probably won't last long but could be good to watch while it does.

[peter w]

May as well go down throwing the bat now. No point batting for another 30 overs and being all out for 115. I'd rather be all out in ten overs for 160.

[PaulWinch again]

I know we've won the series, but we have been utterly pathetic in this Test match. It's really not acceptable to not put any effort in the last Test match even if we have won the series.

[PaulWinch again]

That's the last Ashes Test and this Test now where we've been absolutely battered. It does take quite a lot of gloss off winning the series when you get so badly smashed. Losing is one thing, and I think people could understand that, it's the fact that we've been crushed without any real effort. Look at Amla's application with the bat yesterday compared to our lot.

[Dave Cooper please]

I'm in a forgiving mood. It's the end of yet another long winter with barely a break for those who have been there for the duration and they've just won a series in South Africa which is never easy, and won it well. I'm going to cut them some slack as long as they come back refreshed and ready for the summer.

[Villan For Life]

We do look inept at times.

Our fielding has been poor at best with many catches dropped and the batting has lacked application and guts.
   
Cook aside we don't have any batsmen who can stick around and grind out an innings. We need an Atherton-esque opener who bats with obduracy and stubbornness. The nearest we've has in recent years was Trott at his peak and we badly miss a player of that type. Maybe the Twenty20 generation don't have the required skillset for test cricket when the side is up against it.

101 all out is quite frankly an embarrassment, we lost 7-43 this morning.

Now for a diet of one day stuff before our next test in May.

[PaulWinch again]

Long summer etc or not, and they have done really well to win in South African, but this has been a completely gutless display.

[PaulWinch again]

They need to learn flaking like this in the final Test of a series, regardless of what has gone before, is not acceptable. At the very least it's not fair on the supporters who will have paid for a day's cricket, and with 7 wickets remaining could have expected a bit of fight.

[Villan For Life]

If Bell starts the domestic season with bucket loads of runs then he's in for a shout for the first test against Sri Lanka.

I'm not convinced by Hayles as a test player. He seems to get caught in two minds whether to leave the ball or not. Compton is another who I think should be dropped. His use of a referral yesterday to a ball that he'd clearly nicked illustrated that he's more interested in himself and not the team. He's a pretty average fielder too.

I'd get Lyth back in along with one of either Bell or Balance.

[Chris Jameson]

I can't get upset about us losing a dead rubber having won a series away against the number one ranked Test team in the world. There are still question marks over Hales , Compton, Taylor, Woakes and Bairstow as a wicket keeper (he certainly deserves to play as a batsman) and with Cook and Anderson not contributing much I'd say it was a great series win with Broad, Root, Stokes, Broad, Finn and to a lesser extent Ali all turning in more than decent performances. Look at how many times people have moaned when England have won dead rubbers, accusations of only being able to do it when there is nothing at stake and the opposition have dropped their game because the series is won.