The International Cricket Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Also if Stokes is going to bowl then 4 other medium pacers is madness. Leach had a bad game, but he’s been appallingly managed and he should be playing. Or if he’s not then Wood needs to play as a point of difference.

[LeeB]

It feels like they have a bit of a paradoxical mix overthinking things, but with a lack of foresight.

They’ve clearly got wrapped up in thinking about what the ball might do under lights and that’s dictated their selection. They then forgotten/missed the fact that you need to take wickets at other points of the day. Their tactics were so negative they just allowed Australia to tire us out.

It’s been a bad day, again, in terms of performance. Dropping Labuschagne twice is unforgivable.

I fear and suspect this one paced attack will be battered into the dirt and we’ll come out and be bombed out for less than 200.

I'm not a betting man, but I'm tempted to put money on something like that scenario as it feels like buying money.

[KevinGage]

Should maybe look at England having to qualify for future Ashes tours down under.

Or perhaps rotate it every 12 years, give Scotland and Ireland the chance to enjoy 37 degree heat and all the fun usually associated with these drubbings.

[Steve67]

that's another test lost then! Poor again.

[tomd2103]

It feels like they have a bit of a paradoxical mix overthinking things, but with a lack of foresight.

They’ve clearly got wrapped up in thinking about what the ball might do under lights and that’s dictated their selection. They then forgotten/missed the fact that you need to take wickets at other points of the day. Their tactics were so negative they just allowed Australia to tire us out.

It’s been a bad day, again, in terms of performance. Dropping Labuschagne twice is unforgivable.

I fear and suspect this one paced attack will be battered into the dirt and we’ll come out and be bombed out for less than 200.

Yeah, can see how this is going to play out.   Pummelled for most of tomorrow with Smith grinding us into the dirt and then put in for a couple of hours under the lights and it will be carnage. 

[tomd2103]

Should maybe look at England having to qualify for future Ashes tours down under.

Or perhaps rotate it every 12 years, give Scotland and Ireland the chance to enjoy 37 degree heat and all the fun usually associated with these drubbings.

Or maybe the ECB stop chasing money and put some time and effort into the longer format of the game.  Proper preparation for test series would be a start. 

[tony scott]

212 for 2 similar score to us in our second innings in Brisbane, Blind faith but wouldn’t it be great if there was a similar outcome 🙏

[PaulWinch again]

It’s getting away here.

[PaulWinch again]

England look tired which means easy runs then a clatter of wickets when they shove us in.

[Gareth]

The coaching and selection team haven’t covered themselves in glory but the ultimate responsibility lies 100% with the faceless suits at the ECB whose greed chasing the money with garbage like the hundred and completely trying to dismantle proper county cricket is pathetic - they reap what they sow. 

Particularly with the batsmen there is so little red ball county cricket played in June / July / August you end up picking players like Crawley / Lawrence to tour with no intention to pick them to play….a proper summer of county cricket you might have seen others come to the fore.

[PaulWinch again]

They’ve done ok today, but they let them get too good of a platform yesterday.

[Gareth]

The problem is the inevitable 3/4 wickets we lose tonight once they declare

[PaulWinch again]

Neser getting a nice confidence boost with the bat. Cue multiple wickets.

[Richard E]

90% of the time watching England field in Tests is like pulling teeth.

[PaulWinch again]

At best we’ll be 50-3.