The Ashes - 2nd - Test- 04/12/2025 - Brisbane - DAY/NIGHT

[Billyox]

Jack's departs

 

[Northstandboy]

Wicket: Jacks 44
224-7

 

[ECYellow]

Showed some balls today, fair play.

It’s going to be too little too late but hopefully it shows our lot that with a little application, we can compete! Shame the light bulb might come on when we’re going to be 2-0 down.

 

[Billyox]

Stokes gone and so has the test

Again Australia have a nack of taking wickets in pairs

 

[holdsteady]

Now Atkinson has gone.

 

[Under The Cuckoo Lane]

Whitewash looks very likely.

 

[ECYellow]

Atkinson has just completely summed up this side.

7 fielders in the leg side and he can’t resist pulling a short ball straight to smith, having top edged the previous two balls! Pathetic.

 

[chuckbert]

come on jofra

 

[yellowbow]

Atkinson has just completely summed up this side.

7 fielders in the leg side and he can’t resist pulling a short ball straight to smith, having top edged the previous two balls! Pathetic.

I have a bit of sympathy for the players. The complete lack of professionalism from the top with the lack of preparation for this tour that they have supposedly been preparing for for over two years...

And when you’ve got that idiot McCullum actively encouraging that type of cricket for the last three years, it’s hard to get out of that mindset.

There’s an interesting interview on BBC TMS, with Jonathan Agnew interviewing three journos at the ‘dinner’ break today. Some good points raised, worth a listen

 

[ECYellow]

I have a bit of sympathy for the players. The complete lack of professionalism from the top with the lack of preparation for this tour that they have supposedly been preparing for for over two years...

And when you’ve got that idiot McCullum actively encouraging that type of cricket for the last three years, it’s hard to get out of that mindset.

There’s an interesting interview on BBC TMS, with Jonathan Agnew interviewing three journos at the ‘dinner’ break today. Some good points raised, worth a listen

Cheers mate, I’ll give it a listen. Aggers and Vaughan summed it all up well yesterday in the review of the day, too.

 

[TheDukeOfBanburyshire]

f**k me. Swansea, and now this s**t show.

 

[Royalstandard74]

Here we go! Nine quick wickets!

 

[Sarge]

Here we go! Nine quick wickets!

need to start skittling them Oz need 24 to win

 

[Royalstandard74]

It’s really happening!

 

[Royalstandard74]

Maybe not!

 

[Sarge]

oh dear- well n truly embarrassed for a 2nd time (out of 2)

 

[Northstandboy]

Do cricket fans boo players for absolute diabolical performances??

 

[Mike_H]

Rowettball BazBall LoadofBalls

 

[ZeroTheHero]

A team who only get on the front foot when the game is almost lost, run by a management team unwilling to change an approach that isn't really working? Deja vu all over again!

 

[McXal]

Cheers mate, I’ll give it a listen. Aggers and Vaughan summed it all up well yesterday in the review of the day, too.

Any idea how I can hunt this out? Would also like a listen to this.

 

[SteMerritt]

Apparently we "trained too much"

287K views · 1.9K reactions | ''If anything we probably trained too much.'' England coach Brendon McCullum reflects on going 2-0 down in the Ashes. | BBC Test Match Special

''If anything we probably trained too much.'' England coach Brendon McCullum reflects on going 2-0 down in the Ashes.

www.facebook.com

 

[unification]

Apparently we "trained too much"

287K views · 1.9K reactions | ''If anything we probably trained too much.'' England coach Brendon McCullum reflects on going 2-0 down in the Ashes. | BBC Test Match Special

''If anything we probably trained too much.'' England coach Brendon McCullum reflects on going 2-0 down in the Ashes.

www.facebook.com

If he means ‘yeah, we played almost no red or pink ball cricket as preparation in these conditions since August and wasted time playing ODIs and T20s in another country before coming to Australia’, then he’d be right.

 

[yellowbow]

Stokes has gone up in my estimations today. His innings shows that he hasn’t been brainwashed by that t**t McCullum. He pretty much stuck his middle finger up at him and showed that, despite the current environment, he has hung on to what test match cricket is all about.

He’s a generational talent and we are lucky to have him. The fact that he has shown today that he can rise above the comical, incompetent environment, and has challenged the rest of the team to either follow him or f**k off shows he has the cajones to carry on as skipper.

For the love of cricket, please let the idiots above him be cleared out so that his talent and guts don’t go to waste.

 

[tonyw]

Stokes has gone up in my estimations today. His innings shows that he hasn’t been brainwashed by that t**t McCullum. He pretty much stuck his middle finger up at him and showed that, despite the current environment, he has hung on to what test match cricket is all about.

He’s a generational talent and we are lucky to have him. The fact that he has shown today that he can rise above the comical, incompetent environment, and has challenged the rest of the team to either follow him or f**k off shows he has the cajones to carry on as skipper.

For the love of cricket, please let the idiots above him be cleared out so that his talent and guts don’t go to waste.

I'd agree insofar as both his innings, and his comments after the game - the combination of which finally seemed to acknowledge that the Bazball culture and ethos might not work in isolation against the best teams - were welcome. And there's a possibility that he could remain as captain post-Ashes as long as there was a clear out above him.

But he is 34 years old now with a history of injury problems. There's not likely a whole lot left in the tank (I very much doubt he's playing in Australia again in four years) so I don't think we should be looking to build around him necessarily.......

At the same time, I don't think we totally wasted his talents - he did win us a World Cup, after all!
(of course that was under a brilliant captain, in Eoin Morgan, who did build a culture of excellence in white ball cricket that Bazball has failed to apply to top class Test cricket)

 

[SteMerritt]

I'd agree insofar as both his innings, and his comments after the game - the combination of which finally seemed to acknowledge that the Bazball culture and ethos might not work in isolation against the best teams - were welcome. And there's a possibility that he could remain as captain post-Ashes as long as there was a clear out above him.

But he is 34 years old now with a history of injury problems. There's not likely a whole lot left in the tank (I very much doubt he's playing in Australia again in four years) so I don't think we should be looking to build around him necessarily.......

At the same time, I don't think we totally wasted his talents - he did win us a World Cup, after all!
(of course that was under a brilliant captain, in Eoin Morgan, who did build a culture of excellence in white ball cricket that Bazball has failed to apply to top class Test cricket)

So.... If he was to stand down, who are the candidates to be the next England Test captain? Brook is the second in command currently, but he's not ready. Root tried and failed. We then have a group of batters who aren't guaranteed their place, and then the bowlers. Jamie Smith is more settled in the side, but his captaincy experience is sporadic at Surrey.

 

[yellowbow]

So.... If he was to stand down, who are the candidates to be the next England Test captain? Brook is the second in command currently, but he's not ready. Root tried and failed. We then have a group of batters who aren't guaranteed their place, and then the bowlers. Jamie Smith is more settled in the side, but his captaincy experience is sporadic at Surrey.

Jamie Smith doesn’t appear to have the cojones. He’s completely wilted under the pressure in this series and looks a bit like a rabbit in the headlights. The same with Pope who also lacks what is needed and shouldn’t really be in the squad. Brook needs to concentrate on his game, his head has completely gone at the moment.

The cupboard does appear bare, and that is down to the little clique that has been encouraged by Key and McCullum. They closed the door on any outsiders getting a look in.

 

[Oufcrealist]

The McCullam era has to end ASAP. He coaxed Stokes into the 'win Test matches as quickly as possible' way of thinking. It works against the weaker teams, even then it hasn't gone that well on occasions. He's a Kiwi, I'm not sure how bothered he is about us.
I also think one day cricket saturation has definitely had a detrimental effect on players coming through. I've seen youngsters being coached and encouraged to hit the ball out of the park at every opportunity!!
Test cricket is a fantastic and unique form of the game. I grew up wishing I could play Test cricket in the 70's. Of course I was never good enough but I have never tired of watching it. I get things change and there's a place for limited overs cricket for sure but gimmicky franchise cricket, ie the Hundred has not helped. Our summer Test fixtures even revolve around it !!
I'm just hoping the powers that be take a more pragmatic approach ASAP and we approach Test cricket more sensibly from now on.

 

[tonyw]

So.... If he was to stand down, who are the candidates to be the next England Test captain? Brook is the second in command currently, but he's not ready. Root tried and failed. We then have a group of batters who aren't guaranteed their place, and then the bowlers. Jamie Smith is more settled in the side, but his captaincy experience is sporadic at Surrey.

So firstly, I will acknowledge that this chat is all premature - we haven't even lost the series yet. If we come back and win the next three, this whole discussion is moot. But because none of us believe that that's going to happen.......

......my suggestion would be find someone from outside the current setup. Someone who hasn't got a look-in recently because Key and Baz have refused to change things up (I know Crawley was one of those who had a better game in Brisbane, but he's still literally the worst long term opener in Test history. He should have been out the door a couple of years ago).

Maybe you ask Stokes to stay on until the next home Ashes, but you start to put a succession plan in place. Get someone into the setup as VC, and as long as they don't look completely out of their depth, look at them to be ready to take over in 2027.

Logical candidate for me would be Haseeb Hameed. Just led Notts to their first County Championship in fifteen years; averaged 66 whilst doing it. Yes, he failed at Test level previously but he was young and was thrown in at the deep end (he's never played a Test match against anyone other than India and Australia - and 7 out of his 10 were away. Not exactly easing him into the setup!!) and he's a proper Test batsman, with a bit of grit and application. Good age too (28).

 

[Northstandboy]

 

[Marked Ox]

Have we lost the 3rd Test yet?