The Ashes.......

[hedgehog]

I have, probably stupidly, a little more faith. They should get a draw out of this.

Most definitely stupid. Yeah the Dennis Lillee/Merv Hughes moustache makes all the difference .......

[Sir Velo]

Captain Cook is all at sea, I'm afraid.

[amateur51]

Today's performance confirms what I guess many of us suspected a few years back - the Australian team that was being pushed around by several opponents just wasn't very settled or very good. Johnson's miraculous return to his inital form and his subsequent transformation has given the bowling an edge that it had lacked and a core of four batsmen prepared to support the rejuvenated Clarke means that they are an emerging powerful force.

And I guess we may have suspected secretly that England weren't as good as we'd hoped. The collapse of Cook and Anderson in just a year is remarkable. I dare say they're temporary, and let's hope so.

One of the engaging aspects of Test cricket for me is its tendency to expose and punish modern hubris.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

[aeolium]

The (reburial) service for English cricket will take place on Xth of December 2013.

A Car will deliver the corse for burial. The service will, unusually, be conducted by a Prior who will toll the Bell and place a Pieta centrally on the coffin. The body will be returned to its Roots in the earth, the grave dug near a Broad river where Swanns glide past. Funeral meats will be prepared by the Cook and there will be no Flowers by request. On the headstone will be engraved "It is Fin(n)ished" next to the image of an urn. The body of English cricket is dead And a son is needed to bring it back to life. Until that time we must Bear affliction stoically.

RIP.

[DracoM]

All the above, and I think I will never forget Pietersen's dismissal in the 1st innings. We are on the very teetering most edges of the disintegration that actually followed, and our apparently undisputed world class striker holes out like that in a careless, hapless flick to square leg. Utterly, utterly irresponsible, utterly unable to resist hubris, utterly unable to discipline himself. The fact is that he is rich enough to give not a tupenny cuss what happens. Bell HAS to bat 3. The only one with the patience and technique to play all manner of bowling. Bairstow has to come in for Prior, and do we then discover that Cook is NOT the real nitty gritty captain on the field but Prior, followed by Swann?

They are in disarray, inadequate techniques exposed: Haddin makes Prior look clumsy and ineffective as both keeper and bat, Lyon is bettering Swann, Cook looks completely out of his depth as captain and opening bat, only Broad of the bowlers would make the Oz front line on present showing. Anderson looks bored and out of sorts and totally un-hungry. It's as if collectively, they are saying we have nothing to prove, our reputations are made, what's the problem - cricket lovers, get over it.

So dispiriting.

[Sir Velo]

The (reburial) service for English cricket will take place on Xth of December 2013.

A Car will deliver the corse for burial. The service will, unusually, be conducted by a Prior who will toll the Bell and place a Pieta centrally on the coffin. The body will be returned to its Roots in the earth, the grave dug near a Broad river where Swanns glide past. Funeral meats will be prepared by the Cook and there will be no Flowers by request. On the headstone will be engraved "It is Fin(n)ished" next to the image of an urn. The body of English cricket is dead And a son is needed to bring it back to life. Until that time we must Bear affliction stoically.

RIP.

[muzzer]

Tumbling down like a house of cards. Absolute shire.

[amateur51]

Ever one to look on the bright side ... Root and Pietersen stood their ground and did some heavy-lifting, particularly Root and Pietersen in his own fashion. England have two batsmen who have seen off the first ten overs of the new ball and who have built a useful partnership. Will the Australian bowlers be tired or fired up by the prospect of being able to spend all day if necessary pinging at the England batsmen, knowing that the same shower will be back on Friday for the next testing encounter?

Broad must be fancying his chances to be the next England skipper and a century might seal it for him even if the game is lost ultimately - much will depend not only on himself but also how he helps his remaining colleagues to get the best out of their meagre batting resources.

Similarly Prior might be fancying his chances of lifting poor Cook's crown were it not for his own dismal batting form and his loss of form behind the stumps. All that is left for him is to bat out a solid performance. Swann can hang around and he and Broad & Anderson have shown before that they enjoy a swash-buckling encounter. Monty is Monty but someone should remind him that after the recent off-pitch excesses he owes someone in the management a big favour for his Test party inclusion.

Having said all that I won't be surprised if Johnson,Siddlr, Harris and Lyons are fired up tonight and that the game is over by the first drinks break.

[Nick Armstrong]

Absolute shire.

[eighthobstruction]

Yep the Aussies have gone all Argyll and Bute....

[Serial_Apologist]

Why dooze everybody carry on following this stuff, when everyone knows the Brits will do amazingly well one day, and then throw the whole lot away like spoilt children fed up with their toys? There's nothing you can do about it, unlike politics and music - watching wanton destruction is bad for the soul. Is it to give yourselves yet another thing in this depressing world to feel miserable about?

[teamsaint]

Why dooze everybody carry on following this stuff, when everyone knows the Brits will do amazingly well one day, and then throw the whole lot away like spoilt children fed up with their toys? There's nothing you can do about it, unlike politics and music - watching wanton destruction is bad for the soul. Is it to give yourselves yet another thing in this depressing world to feel miserable about?

Bill Bryson explains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEbtkmDv9K4

Its like Bruckner, It'll get you sooner or later.....

[aeolium]

OK, England having predictably capitulated again, what team would people here pick for Perth - remembering that if they could snatch an improbable victory here they would only need one win from the following two games to retain the Ashes?

Perth as a quick wicket has generally not seen spinners make much impact and in the last Test here between these sides the vast majority of wickets were taken by quick bowlers. So given the unimpressive bowling by England's spinners in this series and Swann's obvious terror at short-pitched bowling, I would be tempted not to play any front-line spinner and use Root as a part-time spinner if needed. I would strengthen the batting with Ballance or Bairstow at 6 and bring Bresnan in, the only remaining decision being whether or not to continue with Stokes who didn't do badly at Adelaide or risk Finn as a strike bowler. I'd probably go with Stokes and although the management has on this tour favoured Ballance I thought Bairstow did well against the South African quicks some time back and he has a fighting temperament suited to this situtation. So my 11 for Perth would be:

Cook, Carberry, Root, Pietersen, Bell, Bairstow, Prior, Stokes, Bresnan, Broad, Anderson.

[amateur51]

OK, England having predictably capitulated again, what team would people here pick for Perth - remembering that if they could snatch an improbable victory here they would only need one win from the following two games to retain the Ashes?

Perth as a quick wicket has generally not seen spinners make much impact and in the last Test here between these sides the vast majority of wickets were taken by quick bowlers. So given the unimpressive bowling by England's spinners in this series and Swann's obvious terror at short-pitched bowling, I would be tempted not to play any front-line spinner and use Root as a part-time spinner if needed. I would strengthen the batting with Ballance or Bairstow at 6 and bring Bresnan in, the only remaining decision being whether or not to continue with Stokes who didn't do badly at Adelaide or risk Finn as a strike bowler. I'd probably go with Stokes and although the management has on this tour favoured Ballance I thought Bairstow did well against the South African quicks some time back and he has a fighting temperament suited to this situtation. So my 11 for Perth would be:

Cook, Carberry, Root, Pietersen, Bell, Bairstow, Prior, Stokes, Bresnan, Broad, Anderson.

The only variation I can offer is Finn, as you mentioned, if he's fired up because of his height & ability to create bounce. Are you playing Prior as keeper or Bairstow, aeolium?

What a depressing capitulation this morning although it is not the bowlers' job to dig us out of the hole created by the batsmen once again. I was pleased that Cook singled out his own performance for criticism in the post-match interview but he's got very little time to change his mind-set before Perth. Has Flowers offered any explanations/solutions?

Oh dear

Still, a resurgent Australia can only be good for the future of Test Cricket





[Was that last positive remark at all convincing?]