The Ashes - 1st Test- 21/11/2025 - Perth

[Mike_H]

Brainless batting by England. All batting at positions higher than their IQ.

 

[unification]

A massive wasted opportunity.

No great criticism of the bowlers. They did their job in the first innings and were given a small target to defend in the second, so this all falls on the batters.

I hope the media go in hard on them. They deserve nothing but pelters.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I am waiting for someone to say 'it doesn't matter that we lost, it was entertaining'!

 

[unification]

That’s one disappointment out of the way.

Onto Boro this afternoon!

 

[TailsWeWin]

We’ll win in Perth. But that’s it.
Overall a 1-2 series defeat.

Well, that went well!

 

[Northstandboy]

A 2 day Ashes test match, crazy!

 

[Royalstandard74]

That’s one disappointment out of the way.

Onto Boro this afternoon!

Yep, on to the next disappointment.

 

[Mateo Corbo's Tackle]

And there we go. Humid morning - ball moving a lot more earlier in the day. The solution is the team batting in the morning to slow the game, leave everything moving outside the off stump and wait for the poor short ball.
Execution of the solution - bloody awful.

 

[Mike_H]

A pink ball game has been laid on in Canberra for England to practice before the 2nd Test yet Stokes says England aren't going to play in it. Whatever happens in Brisbane, their attitude makes themselves look like a bunch of arrogant twits. They deserve all the criticism they are going to get.

 

[Golden Dr Otto]

I went to bed at lunch and we were 100 ahead with one wicket down. Of course I’m waking up to an eight wicket defeat.


THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GODDAM PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY IN ASHES CRICKET

 

[Mateo Corbo's Tackle]

I went to bed at lunch and we were 100 ahead with one wicket down. Of course I’m waking up to an eight wicket defeat.


THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GODDAM PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY IN ASHES CRICKET

I hear you. Possibly even less than being an Oxford fan, which is really saying something.

 

[Sarge]

oh dear

 

[tomoufc]

Terrible preparation can’t be replaced by vibes.

 

[holdsteady]

If those batsmen are not in the nets for the next 3 days but are off playing golf then that’s a disgrace, no excuses about not wanting to make to big a deal out of it, it’s days they are being paid to play cricket but they are not because of a terrible batting display. Obviously underprepared to bat over there so the next 3 days should be about rectifying that. Unfortunately I have a feeling we will see them wandering round a golf course.

 

[Northstandboy]

I know someone who has flown out for the 1st test, all tha was for 2/5 days of cricket!

 

[chuckbert]

I know someone who has flown out for the 1st test, all tha was for 2/5 days of cricket!

Point them at my tourist suggestions - there’s lots of great stuff to do to make trip to Perth worthwhile.

 

[tonyw]

In the second innings of the 1st Test in 2010/11, Alastair Cook batted for 428 deliveries and the Aussies couldn't get him out.
In two innings of this Test combined, our batsmen between them managed to last for 405 deliveries.

It's (some of) the wrong batsmen playing with the wrong attitude and the wrong tactics, with the wrong preparation.

Going to take a Lazarus-style comeback from Stokes and his boys to get out of this one now and save his captaincy, given that we're now headed to the Australians' mightiest stronghold and two of their three best bowlers should be back........

 

[tonyw]

If those batsmen are not in the nets for the next 3 days but are off playing golf then that’s a disgrace, no excuses about not wanting to make to big a deal out of it, it’s days they are being paid to play cricket but they are not because of a terrible batting display. Obviously underprepared to bat over there so the next 3 days should be about rectifying that. Unfortunately I have a feeling we will see them wandering round a golf course.

Except even that's not going to rectify it on its own - net batting can't prepare you fully for being out there on the square.

They've ****ed their batting preparation for this series in a way that can't easily be remedied. Turns out the "has-beens" like Botham were absolutely right - Stokes' England are arrogant and now it's put them in a 1-0 hole.

 

[yellowbow]

I’m probably going to get pelters for this but I firmly believe that the problem is McCullum. His attitude to his role is all wrong. He has no affinity to England, the team or the nation. This is just a project to him with no consequences attached. It doesn’t really matter to him if we win or lose, there’s no deep seated hurt involved apart from professional pride. So his attitude is ‘let’s have a laugh and try to be the entertainers’ He’s got Stokes to buy in to this attitude which has led England into becoming basically a team of brainless bat swinging maniacs. In the past it was all about protecting your wicket with your life and never sell it cheaply. Now the culture is nothing really matters as long as you are having a laugh.

It’s brought entertainment at times but when the wheels fall off it’s pretty embarrassing

 

[tonyw]

Just taken a look at the "highlights" and, bloody hell, it gets even worse.

Pope, Brook and Root all out within the space of six balls playing expansive drives to deliveries that could easily have been left.

Just leaving it to Justin Langer, born and bred Western Australian, to explain the pros and cons of that one:

"If you do your preparation to come to Perth, one, you've got to take some time to get in, usually 25-30 balls to get in. Be patient, watch the ball.
"Second thing is, driving on the up here in Perth... this has been going on for decades, not just for this Test series.
"Very, very poor batting by England."

This England team has no discipline, no flexibility and no ****ing application.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggh!!!!!!!!

 

[yellowbow]

Just taken a look at the "highlights" and, bloody hell, it gets even worse.

Pope, Brook and Root all out within the space of six balls playing expansive drives to deliveries that could easily have been left.

Just leaving it to Justin Langer, born and bred Western Australian, to explain the pros and cons of that one:

"If you do your preparation to come to Perth, one, you've got to take some time to get in, usually 25-30 balls to get in. Be patient, watch the ball.
"Second thing is, driving on the up here in Perth... this has been going on for decades, not just for this Test series.
"Very, very poor batting by England."

This England team has no discipline, no flexibility and no ****ing application.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggh!!!!!!!!

Brook is a very talented batsmen but if you watched a reel of his recent dismissals, bloody hell… it looks like a school kid who’s never played cricket before.

No application at all. It looks like someone who really doesn’t give a f**k, and I think this is the culture that is being encouraged from the top.

I think it reached its zenith when Duckett said something along the lines of it not really mattering if England win or lose in an interview about 12 months ago. There was a quick backtrack from the England camp along the lines of it being misconstrued but it gave a telling glimpse of the current culture. Not really a good look

 

[holdsteady]

Except even that's not going to rectify it on its own - net batting can't prepare you fully for being out there on the square.

They've ****ed their batting preparation for this series in a way that can't easily be remedied. Turns out the "has-beens" like Botham were absolutely right - Stokes' England are arrogant and now it's put them in a 1-0 hole.

I would still rather they spent 3 days in the nets than playing golf, not going to organise a match on that time but no way should they be wandering around a golf course enjoying themselves when they couldn’t even make the match last 3 days.
Or let the bowlers who played go and let the pissed off bowlers who didn’t loose at the batsmen, bit of punishment might do some good.

But it’s becoming apparent that it’s a jolly as much as a serious job to them, sometimes that pays off and sometimes it doesn’t, an opening batsmen with an average of 30 after 60 tests shows that, we are not going to win big series away (or at home to the big boys) with that mentality though.

 

[Twiggy85]

I don’t think the preparation is to blame. England were going along alright and were in a strong position at lunch. I also don’t mind the attacking approach (travis head proved that). The issue was driving at the ball on 5th stump line, which was being done to tempt them and 3 of englands best players all fell in the trap. Attack the ball but by all means but do it to the right ball and allow yourself to get in first. We had the opportunity to bat all day and bat them out the game but instead through away wickets through sloppy shots.

 

[chuckbert]

I don’t think the preparation is to blame. England were going along alright and were in a strong position at lunch. I also don’t mind the attacking approach (travis head proved that). The issue was driving at the ball on 5th stump line, which was being done to tempt them and 3 of englands best players all fell in the trap. Attack the ball but by all means but do it to the right ball and allow yourself to get in first. We had the opportunity to bat all day and bat them out the game but instead through away wickets through sloppy shots.

This ^

 

[The Mighty Aldo]

Just back to the apartment in Perth after drowning our sorrows
Until England choose when to play Bazball and when to dig in they will never beat the better teams
At lunch we were 100 ahead with one wicket down and playing calmly what happened after that was carnage of our own making.
Australia bowled outside of the off stump inviting the drive and we obliged.
Stupid cricket

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

Truly pathetic batting. We could have weathered the storm, left anything that wasn’t hitting the stumps, tired out Australia and ground out a lead of 300 or so. It was there for the taking.

It’s the hope that kills you

 

[ZeroTheHero]

A couple of things about the preparation. The only warm up game they played was against their own second xi on a pitch with a completely different bounce to the pitch they then had to go and play a test match on next . The next test is a pink ball day/night game. A pink ball day-night game has been set up in the next couple of days - the England set up have said none of the potential first team will play. It is arrogance - and it also seems there is never any comeback to players who are out playing stupid shots because 'that's the way we play'.

 

[unification]

A couple of things about the preparation. The only warm up game they played was against their own second xi on a pitch with a completely different bounce to the pitch they then had to go and play a test match on next . The next test is a pink ball day/night game. A pink ball day-night game has been set up in the next couple of days - the England set up have said none of the potential first team will play. It is arrogance - and it also seems there is never any comeback to players who are out playing stupid shots because 'that's the way we play'.

A note on preparation for what I’ve heard and read - England played an England XI as prep for this one since the Sheffield Shield is on and Cricket Australia would only offer a no mark club side to play (although in retrospect that could be a tricky fixture for England to get through now). The ECB thought it better to play the best quality side available - another England XI.

However, when India toured Australia last they played India ‘A’ and prepared better by using the pitch and facilities at the WACA.

I haven’t met anyone who thought that the preparation has been right. A ODI and T20 series in NZ is not Ashes preparation at all.

What goes on at the ECB is anyone’s guess.

 

[pommy80]

I haven’t met anyone who thought that the preparation has been right. A ODI and T20 series in NZ is not Ashes preparation at all.

What goes on at the ECB is anyone’s guess.

The majority of the batting lineup played those NZ games, and they could hardly bat 30 overs there as well…

 

[Isle of Wight Yellow]

Everyone saying the preparation hasn’t been good enough - will we win the last two tests then, as we’ll have warmed up by playing three at that point?

I don’t think any of today was a lack of preparation. It was mentality.