The Ashes 25/26

[Lionator]

6 minutes ago, Corky said:

Who are these main commentators? The odd crowd noise doesn't help but they sound almost AI generated.

Some are in England and some in Australia. It’s lazy, cheap and stupid. They should just use the Aussie feed. 

[STEVIE B]

8 minutes ago, Chris_OGrady said:

I swear every time we lose it just gets blamed on bazball. I guarantee if we change the coach and style we don’t suddenly win every game, and the batting collapses occur just as regularly as they have done in the last 10 years 

Bazball is great. Bazball with brains would be incredible. 

Edited 22 November 2025 by STEVIE B

[Bobby Hundreds]

We should play Travball instead.

[Ted Maul]

I like the aggressive approach, but it needs to be relatively measured. 

 

That collapse today was absolutely brainless and it happens all too often, unfortunately. 

[Sunbury Fox]

Genuinely astonished we've lost this so meekly in the end. At least expected a tense run chase for them. Imagine how many overs we'd have survived in the match if Cummins and Hazelwood had been playing - scary. 

[Vacamion]

 

Whilst this innings has been a bit of a shellacking, the India series showed us that this group has some fight and resilience.

 

It's a whole lot more uphill than it was, but I wouldn't go writing England off for a whitewash just yet.

 

 

[Muzzy_no7]

Nah this will be 5-0 with Hazlewood still to come 

[Leicester_Loyal]

1 minute ago, Vacamion said:

 

Whilst this innings has been a bit of a shellacking, the India series showed us that this group has some fight and resilience.

 

It's a whole lot more uphill than it was, but I wouldn't go writing England off for a whitewash just yet.

 

 

Oh for sure.

 

 

 

We'll definitely draw one of the five tests due to rain.

[ealingfox]

46 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Well, score only 330 odd across 2 innings in a Test in Oz and you'll find that difficult to defend no matter how well you bowl. 

 

One thing that has become obvious is that this one has been decided on one good performance in one innings, so the rest of the series is far from a foregone conclusion. 

 

May I ask why? Speaking personally, I'm OK with them actually having a bit of ego rather than the team that won one Test in 17 before them.

 

You like to bring this up a lot, but given most of those Tests were against India and Australia, against whom this team also cannot win series, I don't think there's as much difference between the teams as you think. Depends whether one thinks a drawn series is really any better than a loss - when you aren't the holders of a series trophy I'm not sure it is.

 

They're both shit to middling England teams, one just has fantastic PR.

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, Vacamion said:

 

Whilst this innings has been a bit of a shellacking, the India series showed us that this group has some fight and resilience.

 

It's a whole lot more uphill than it was, but I wouldn't go writing England off for a whitewash just yet.

 

 

It would be foolish, yes. The only difference between these two teams in this Test has been one batting innings in 30-odd that actually managed to mature. 

 

England have shown they can compete, they haven't been outclassed, now they need to... well, stop being shit at the crease long enough to make that count. 

[dmayne7]

1 minute ago, ealingfox said:

 

You like to bring this up a lot, but given most of those Tests were against India and Australia, against whom this team also cannot win series, I don't think there's as much difference between the teams as you think. Depends whether one thinks a drawn series is really any better than a loss - when you aren't the holders of a series trophy I'm not sure it is.

 

They're both shit to middling England teams, one just has fantastic PR.

This team has better players for sure so that highlights the failings of thks team

[Bobby Hundreds]

I don’t see any of our top order scoring many runs in Brisbane. Their batting unit is better than ours and less prone to complete collapse. Starc is lethal with the pink ball and if Cummins is back, then they are massive favourites for 2-0. Slim to nil chance we win 3 away tests on the spin.

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, ealingfox said:

 

You like to bring this up a lot, but given most of those Tests were against India and Australia, against whom this team also cannot win series, I don't think there's as much difference between the teams as you think. Depends whether one thinks a drawn series is really any better than a loss - when you aren't the holders of a series trophy I'm not sure it is.

 

They're both shit to middling England teams, one just has fantastic PR.

Yes, I do, because the previous England team was losing to everyone, India and Oz included. The change in results against other teams than those two is obvious.

 

I guess it depends whether one thinks those are the only opposition that matters. And, of course, when this team play India or Oz (both of whom are powerhouses at home) then this question is going to keep coming up. 

 

That England haven't won a home series against India or Oz for a while now is a point of concern, that's true. 

 

Don't get me wrong - this team frustrates the hell out of me sometimes with the missed opportunities, like today. But I'll take the confidence they have every day over the timid, nice lot that came before them who were actually worse in terms of results anyway. 

[RowlattsFox]

All they had to do was see through until tea and then cash in and bat them out the game. Maybe not quite as simple as that but the Root and Brook dismissals were poor. 

Effectively 100-1 to almost a 9 wicket defeat in the space of a few hours is some going.

 

Head has played very well but Starc would've got him out because he'd have tried to hit the stumps once or twice. 

[Wsl]

As some else here has already said, it's the execution not the concept. Head is playing the most Baz like of Bazball - he is taking on some very risky shots. But it's coming off. And we're also reverting to the short ball too often - that's something that needs addressing, though our bowlers did so well yesterday, I don't want to put them in the firing line. 

[Super_horns]

Been beaten at our own game by Head basically.

[CL Fox]

Don't know who I dislike more the smug Australian fans or the England fans that appear in the BBC Sport comments section as soon as things dont go our way.

[David Hankey]

From Test Match one day to local parks cricket the next. England have been pulverised.

[StanSP]

Can't remember the last time an Ashes test was done in 2 days. 

[Ted Maul]

One of those nightmarish days which will go down in Ashes folklore. 

 

I don't know where we go from here. Really felt like we needed to win this test to stand any chance and the flaws in our batting line up have been exposed very early in the tour. 

[leicsmac]

1 minute ago, CL Fox said:

Don't know who I dislike more the smug Australian fans or the England fans that appear in the BBC Sport comments section as soon as things dont go our way.

Either way, it's reactionary. 

 

But then you get that with a lot of sport. Nature of the beast. 

[RowlattsFox]

Will test the patience of them England fans, having the aussies celebrating in front of them  

 

At least I haven't wasted my Saturday watching it. Now on to the football to ruin it instead. 

[RonnieTodger]

4 minutes ago, Ted Maul said:

One of those nightmarish days which will go down in Ashes folklore. 

 

I don't know where we go from here. Really felt like we needed to win this test to stand any chance and the flaws in our batting line up have been exposed very early in the tour. 

Incredibly damaging. Can’t see anything other than 5-0 now unless there’s rain.

[Vacamion]

 

Great knock by Head.   

 

Looking forward to some suggestive headlines 

 

 

[UniFox21]

A test being over in 2 days is not good whichever way you look at it