The Ashes 21/22

[StanSP]

what an absolutely terrible way for Buttler to get out  

[kingkisnorbo]

Sums pretty much the whole tour up. 

[RowlattsFox]

Nice to see a little bit of staying power today but far too little too late. Feel for Buttler in regards to his batting, far too often he's either coming in under huge pressure (and admittedly he has failed under the pressure too often) or he has to bat with the tail either seeing out balls without trying to score. As a number 7 batsmen it isn't his role to score the big runs, he is there to accelerate after foundations have been built but they never are. 

 

If only we could bat for 113 overs in a first innings, we might get somewhere.

Edited 20 December 2021 by RowlattsFox

[Finnegan]

I know BT like to cut a lot of corners when it comes to sporting coverage, commentators for Bundesliga and Serie A games often aren't actually in the stadium, etc.

 

But for an event as big as the Ashes it is a bit weird that their whole coverage is basically three blokes in a studio occasionally talking over an Aussie TV station. 

 

Is it just because of covid or is this just how they do cricket? Compared to Sky its pretty crap. 

[kingkisnorbo]

1 minute ago, Finnegan said:

I know BT like to cut a lot of corners when it comes to sporting coverage, commentators for Bundesliga and Serie A games often aren't actually in the stadium, etc.

 

But for an event as big as the Ashes it is a bit weird that their whole coverage is basically three blokes in a studio occasionally talking over an Aussie TV station. 

 

Is it just because of covid or is this just how they do cricket? Compared to Sky its pretty crap. 

I was even more down on this series when I found out Sky wouldn’t be covering it. For all there flaws, there cricket coverage is box office. Actual personalities, analysis etc. 
 

Imagine how awkward that studio is when there not talking about the game between innings/breaks. 

[StanSP]

3 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

I know BT like to cut a lot of corners when it comes to sporting coverage, commentators for Bundesliga and Serie A games often aren't actually in the stadium, etc.

 

But for an event as big as the Ashes it is a bit weird that their whole coverage is basically three blokes in a studio occasionally talking over an Aussie TV station. 

 

Is it just because of covid or is this just how they do cricket? Compared to Sky its pretty crap. 

Probably a bit of both - COVID restricting travel but also the actual coverage BT have is from other providers i.e. this is Fox Sports coverage. Maybe that was just part of the deal. It's not great but I'm not moaning considering I have BT Sport and don't have to stream delayed Sky coverage!

Just now, kingkisnorbo said:

I was even more down on this series when I found out Sky wouldn’t be covering it. For all there flaws, there cricket coverage is box office. Actual personalities, analysis etc. 
 

Imagine how awkward that studio is when there not talking about the game between innings/breaks. 

No different to what we all do at home or down the pub - they watch the game as fans and analyse as best as they can.

[RowlattsFox]

I think BT covered the South Africa series and it was a bit better if I remember rightly. I think they shared a lot of the Talksport pundits who also had that series. 

[RowlattsFox]

Interesting that Root has had a bit of a pop at his bowlers for bowling to short, not something he usually does. 

[StanSP]

31 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

Interesting that Root has had a bit of a pop at his bowlers for bowling to short, not something he usually does. 

Reckon he's just generally frustrated. No need to probably state the obvious regarding the batting! 

[CosbehFox]

BT simply couldn’t get people in the country to do the coverage with quarantine etc. And it’s not a lot different from when Sky take the feeds from elsewhere. 
 

TMS had to do the first test from an office in Sydney. Looks like they might be doing a few more than that as well now 

[AKCJ]

4 hours ago, Finnegan said:

I know BT like to cut a lot of corners when it comes to sporting coverage, commentators for Bundesliga and Serie A games often aren't actually in the stadium, etc.

 

But for an event as big as the Ashes it is a bit weird that their whole coverage is basically three blokes in a studio occasionally talking over an Aussie TV station. 

 

Is it just because of covid or is this just how they do cricket? Compared to Sky its pretty crap. 

Was watching a Premier League game the other day on BT and Jake Humphries just walked through to the Ashes studio mid broadcast.

 

Proper weird and a bit tin pot I reckon.

 

Sky, for all their faults, are experts at sports coverage.

[StanSP]

21 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

TMS had to do the first test from an office in Sydney. Looks like they might be doing a few more than that as well now 

They had to cancel one of the day's coverage in this latest test due to a case in their crew.

[Phil Bowman]

Have to say, if I was an England bowler, I’d be a little miffed at my captain’s comments.

In four innings so far England have scored 147, 297, 236 and 192.  That’s an average total of 218.

And it‘s the bowlers’ fault?

[Guest Lako42]

4 minutes ago, Phil Bowman said:

Have to say, if I was an England bowler, I’d be a little miffed at my captain’s comments.

In four innings so far England have scored 147, 297, 236 and 192.  That’s an average total of 218.

And it‘s the bowlers’ fault?

Quite simply the batsmen are not hitting the totals required to allow the bowlers to bowl at the stumps on a longer length. 

 

They cannot attack with such pathetic scores on the board. It can be quite expensive to bowl in a way that takes wickets, we simply don't have the batting to afford us that. 

[Tommy Fresh]

57 minutes ago, Lako42 said:

Quite simply the batsmen are not hitting the totals required to allow the bowlers to bowl at the stumps on a longer length. 

 

They cannot attack with such pathetic scores on the board. It can be quite expensive to bowl in a way that takes wickets, we simply don't have the batting to afford us that. 

Also surely the bowlers bowl where they're instructed pretty much? Doubt Root is standing there wondering what each bowler is going to send down. 

Edited 20 December 2021 by Tommy Fresh

[CosbehFox]

Might help as well if Root (and Silverwood plus selectors) actually took some responsibility for the selection of certain bowlers. 

They went from one extreme to the other in the last two tests. A spinner and our quickest bowler to no spinner and no quick bowler. Kept Woakes in who within Australian conditions is too easy to bat against but they need him in cos our batting is so shite and he will hit the occasional innings 

Edited 20 December 2021 by Cardiff_Fox

[Tommy Fresh]

14 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Might help as well if Root (and Silverwood plus selectors) actually took some responsibility for the selection of certain bowlers. 

They went from one extreme to the other in the last two tests. A spinner and our quickest bowler to no spinner and no quick bowler. Kept Woakes in who within Australian conditions is too easy to bat against but they need him in cos our batting is so shite and he will hit the occasional innings 

Appointing Silverwood looks stranger after every match

[coolhandfox]

Root digging out the bowlers for being bowling to short, maybe give them some runs to play with, Extras have out scored 21 batsman in the series so far.

 

Same issue series after series, crap batting, crap fielding, poor selection. 

 

1st Test

1st inns Extras out scored 6 batsman 

2nd Inns Extras out scored 5 batsman 

 

2nd Test 

1st inns Extras out scored 6 batsman 

2nd Inns Extras out scored 4 batsman 

[coolhandfox]

1 hour ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Might help as well if Root (and Silverwood plus selectors) actually took some responsibility for the selection of certain bowlers. 

They went from one extreme to the other in the last two tests. A spinner and our quickest bowler to no spinner and no quick bowler. Kept Woakes in who within Australian conditions is too easy to bat against but they need him in cos our batting is so shite and he will hit the occasional innings 

Its rinse and repeat, how many time do we pick 3-4 similar bowlers and no bloody spinner.

 

Or if we do pick a spinner we give them 1 test in a year and then drop them when they play poorly. 

 

Just pick the best spinner and give him time, the management give rubbish like Burn forever, but can't invest time in a spinner. 

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, coolhandfox said:

Its rinse and repeat, how many time do we pick 3-4 similar bowlers and no bloody spinner.

 

Or if we do pick a spinner we give them 1 test in a year and then drop them when they play poorly. 

 

Just pick the best spinner and give him time, the management give rubbish like Burn forever, but can't invest time in a spinner. 

We didn’t pick a spinner in Adelaide and Australia’s became their most destructive bowler in that test. Said it all really. 
 

To be fair England have always had a bit of weariness about spinners. It’s a must in Australia though. Ironically the two most successful spinners in recent memory, Giles and Swann, were hardly astounding before their international careers took off. 

[sm1]

We just don't have the batting to compete. Take Root out of that team and we're about as good as the West Indies. Bowling wise its just been a catalogue of poor decision making. No Broad on a green top in the 1st test. No Leech on a dry turner. Omit Woods, our fastest bowler, then get Stokes to break his back trying to bowl short and fast.

[The People's Hero]

6 hours ago, Phil Bowman said:

Have to say, if I was an England bowler, I’d be a little miffed at my captain’s comments.

In four innings so far England have scored 147, 297, 236 and 192.  That’s an average total of 218.

And it‘s the bowlers’ fault?

Not bowled well enough.

Not bowled to plans (poorly captained?)

Not fielded well enough.

Not batted well enough.

 

If the bowlers are miffed about Root's comments then they need to grow a pair. There isn't a single bowler there that is safe from being dropped in my opinion (other than Stokes as the all rounder). 

 

If you think we've bowled well enough so far this series then I genuinely have no words.

[Duquesne Whistle]

9 minutes ago, The People's Hero said:

Not bowled well enough.

Not bowled to plans (poorly captained?)

Not fielded well enough.

Not batted well enough.

 

If the bowlers are miffed about Root's comments then they need to grow a pair. There isn't a single bowler there that is safe from being dropped in my opinion (other than Stokes as the all rounder). 

 

If you think we've bowled well enough so far this series then I genuinely have no words.

We haven't bowled particularly well, but the bowlers have been bailing out the batsmen for a long time now. It goes back years.

I don't think there's anything wrong with Root trying this tactic, particularly if there's too much back chat from Broad and Anderson, but even Root knows where the continual fault lies. We've bowled too short in many a match, so there is a point to be made, but we've also bowled brilliantly at times (not this series), I can't say we've batted brilliantly too often, if at all really.

 

Hard to argue with your contention that we haven't done any discipline nearly well enough in this particular series though.

Edited 20 December 2021 by Duquesne Whistle
missing 'at'

[The People's Hero]

We've bowled shockingly and some of the Australia sides of the past would have been declaring at 600/2 most innings. Its pretty embarrassing how toothless we are. Don't underestimate how poor we've been all round. Australia have beaten us twice in second gear. 

 

Its tough out there so I don't want to be too harsh on them individually; but by no measure have any of them been good enough, bar Root and Malan with the bat and Stokes generally (who clearly isn't fit).

 

 

[Duquesne Whistle]

2 minutes ago, The People's Hero said:

We've bowled shockingly and some of the Australia sides of the past would have been declaring at 600/2 most innings. Its pretty embarrassing how toothless we are. Don't underestimate how poor we've been all round. Australia have beaten us twice in second gear. 

 

Its tough out there so I don't want to be too harsh on them individually; but by no measure have any of them been good enough, bar Root and Malan with the bat and Stokes generally (who clearly isn't fit).

 

 

As I said, I don't disagree. I'd personally say our batting has been worse than our bowling though, though neither has been anywhere near good enough.

Australia haven't just beaten us twice in 2nd gear, they've thrashed us twice in 2nd gear..

For his first tour in Australia, I think Robinson has done alright. It's a harsh learning arena out there. The rest haven't been great, as you say