Sport The Ashes - 3rd Test- 26/12/2021 - Melbourne

Who will win?


  • Total voters
    20
  • Poll closed .
That’s it. 68 all out.

All over England beaten by an innings and it has to be said, it’s becoming the norm.

An utterly embarrassing performance, and heads have to roll. It’s simply not good enough, and the fans that have paid so much money to travel and watch the team, have been completely short changed.

Bring back Andy Flower, or get Gary Kirsten in with Graeme Smith. Anybody but this clown Silverwood. The batting coach can go too.
 
That’s it. 68 all out.

All over England beaten by an innings and it has to be said, it’s becoming the norm.

An utterly embarrassing performance, and heads have to roll. It’s simply not good enough, and the fans that have paid so much money to travel and watch the team, have been completely short changed.

Bring back Andy Flower, or get Gary Kirsten in with Graeme Smith. Anybody but this clown Silverwood. The batting coach can go too.

Agree with everything you've said. Also not sure about Root as captain. He's too safe, too slow to react to anything and doesn't appear to be a leader when things get tough. A wonderful batsman, and probably only captain as everyone else is awful. But if we want to progress we need changes top to bottom.
 
When you thought the barrel couldn’t be scraped any lower … All the jeering about Australia being 98 all out at the MCG in 2010 and 60 all out at Trent Bridge in 2015 seem a long way away now. England have set some pathetic records this year.

Sack Silverwood, replace the captain, bring in new personnel. That papers over the cracks. Blame the ECB for their marginalising of the red ball game domestically. Heads should roll and there needs to be a fundamental review of where England go from here.

When the Aussies are showing some sympathy to England you know it’s bad.
 
When you lose by an innings and 14 runs to a team that only scored 267 then you know you are a bad team. Not much point playing tests if you have one player who can bat and the rest are no where near good enough.

Massive rethink/build needed as said above.
 
When you thought the barrel couldn’t be scraped any lower … All the jeering about Australia being 98 all out at the MCG in 2010 and 60 all out at Trent Bridge in 2015 seem a long way away now. England have set some pathetic records this year.

Sack Silverwood, replace the captain, bring in new personnel. That papers over the cracks. Blame the ECB for their marginalising of the red ball game domestically. Heads should roll and there needs to be a fundamental review of where England go from here.

When the Aussies are showing some sympathy to England you know it’s bad.
Another huge problem that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should is the immense churn at the ECB since the start of COVID. Positions of responsibility from regional to county to national have been merged, downsized or just plain got rid of. There is a lot to be said for continuity in terms of organisation of your national board, and when the biggest event in your season is the neon-coloured sh*ts and giggles of the Hundred then you can't be massively surprised.
 
I think most of us believed that we would be battered in this ashes series and It gives me no pleasure in seeing us humiliated, humbled in this way. A total mis-match that has led us to this.
There is no doubt that we will be whitewashed now.
The only way we can avoid it is the weather.
Heads must roll.
 
I think most of us believed that we would be battered in this ashes series and It gives me no pleasure in seeing us humiliated, humbled in this way. A total mis-match that has led us to this.
There is no doubt that we will be whitewashed now.
The only way we can avoid it is the weather.
Heads must roll.
Nah I can easily see England winning one meaningless game after Australia have given up trying to make the powers that be keep the status quo and not change the coaching/management/captain/squad, unfortunately!
 
Nah I can easily see England winning one meaningless game after Australia have given up trying to make the powers that be keep the status quo and not change the coaching/management/captain/squad, unfortunately!
The Aussies could turn up after a night of celebrating and still win ☹️
 
Did I think we'd win this series before it started? Not really. What I did expect (as a very minimum) was for the side to show a bit of fight, maybe win a match or even two and to have a bit of pride. To be beaten by an innings and a few runs when you have bowled the opposition out for under 270 is absolutely unforgivable especially when it follows two other absolute trouncings.

For all of the lip service that is given to Test cricket by the cricketing hierarchy in this country, they obviously don't give a toss.
 
Nah I can easily see England winning one meaningless game after Australia have given up trying to make the powers that be keep the status quo and not change the coaching/management/captain/squad, unfortunately!
I actually disagree with this. This is precisely something we would do if the roles were reversed - take the foot off the gas. But it's not the Australian way, they are ruthless and will want to ram it down our throats. Even when we were some way better than them the series results were just 2-1 (2009), 3-0 (2013) and 3-2 (2015). I would take 4-0 right now, with the faintest of hopes that the weather can save us in one game.
 
If anyone believes that the Criminals will let up now, they are sorely mistaken.
They will truly want to grind us into the dirt. Total whitewash is within their grasp and they will have no intention of letting us slither to any kind of result. Ever!
To us, it’s just cricket - to them, it’s personal!!!
 
I actually disagree with this. This is precisely something we would do if the roles were reversed - take the foot off the gas. But it's not the Australian way, they are ruthless and will want to ram it down our throats. Even when we were some way better than them the series results were just 2-1 (2009), 3-0 (2013) and 3-2 (2015). I would take 4-0 right now, with the faintest of hopes that the weather can save us in one game.

Agree with this.
Reckon if you asked the average Australian, their ideal Ashes would be a hard-fought Aussie victory in a great series between two highly skilled, evenly matched sides.
But when that's not possible, a humiliating 5-0 trouncing would come a close second.

Even in the 90s - when the England team wasn't up to much, and the Aussies had one of the greatest Test teams ever assembled - we still had enough players of Test quality that we could put up a fight, and we usually nicked a Test.....and often when the series was still alive as well. Not any more.....now it's just a ritual humiliation tour.
 
I would take 4-0 right now, with the faintest of hopes that the weather can save us in one game.

Pretty much why I can’t do cricket.

Not sure how any satisfaction can be taken from getting a draw because of the weather.
 
Agree with everything you've said. Also not sure about Root as captain. He's too safe, too slow to react to anything and doesn't appear to be a leader when things get tough. A wonderful batsman, and probably only captain as everyone else is awful. But if we want to progress we need changes top to bottom.
Whilst I agree Root isn’t the best captain unless we add another passenger to an already weak team we have no other option as only him and Stokes( injury and mental health) aside are probably the only players who are guaranteed a place and the bracketed are probably reasons it won’t be Stokes. You could have the greatest captain ever and England would still be 3-0 down and outclassed as the players aren’t good enough.
 
For all of the lip service that is given to Test cricket by the cricketing hierarchy in this country, they obviously don't give a toss.

The ECB sidelining the County Championship to the outer edges of the season for the Hundred sums up their attitude to it. Until there is a complete change in that view then there won't be a way back imo.
 
So, for the last 2 games do England play their 'best team" or play some younger players like Lawrence and accept that they in all likelihood be hammered and sink or swim?
Buttler, Bairstow, Broad, may well not play again for England in the Test team after this tour I assume?
 
So, for the last 2 games do England play their 'best team" or play some younger players like Lawrence and accept that they in all likelihood be hammered and sink or swim?
Buttler, Bairstow, Broad, may well not play again for England in the Test team after this tour I assume?

On the batting side, unless any of them are completely shot mentally and there's risk of doing psychological damage, I would play the youngest group possible. No point playing Bairstow or Burns when we know there's no chance of them being part of England's future. Lawrence should get a shot.

Then does anyone know if James Bracey is still in Australia? Scored a battling century for the Lions, seems to have decent defensive technique and is a better keeper than Buttler. Would like to see him come in for the last two Tests as well, and get some more top level experience.

On the bowling front, we don't actually have any young bowlers in our squad other than Dom Bess. And anyway, the seam bowlers haven't been that bad - Anderson, Robinson & Wood probably deserve to keep their spots.
 
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