The Ashes 25/26

[Lionator]

There’s something hilarious about us insisting on having 90mph quicks to play against Australia then us getting rolled by somebody who barely gets it above 80. 

[Wsl]

At least they've put forward McCullum for an interview. That's the good news. The bad news is that he seems to think that it's largely a case of just needing to "iron out a couple of kinks". Bit of a harsh way to describe a couple of the batsmen I'm thinking of....Still maintaining that the prep has been faultless and if anything they've overtrained, obviously forgetting that three extra days training became available because they missed three hard days of actual test match playing. Acknowledged that they'd scrapped well at the end, but again fails to see that that was appropriate game management that was lacking through the over three days.

 

In his interview, Stokes has come closer to grasping that it is getting those moments and reacting in the right way, the mentality in the pressure moments, so may be there is a sliver of hope after all. I think the dressing room conversation would be well worth hearing, but Stokes has rightly said he's not saying that other than in the dressing room and to players, and I've no problem with that.

[ealingfox]

Thank god we didn't have rent-a-gobs calling them the worst Australia team ever and stuff before the series started.

[trabuch]

Has that twat McCullum blamed the bowlers again?

[CL Fox]

Good interview by Stokes. Sounds like he may have had it with a few players.

Bat Stokes at 3 with Jack's at 6/7 and play an extra bowler next test. Probably Potts and Tongue in.

 

[StanSP]

No point changing the captain when the strategy from the top is failing. 

 

And that goes beyond test cricket. You need to have the right structure and foundation for your test players to excel. Right now, and for a fairly significant amount of time, that isn't there. 

 

There's only so long you can dine out on strong home performances or iconic players thrashing out quality innings (Root and Stokes, maybe Brook). 

 

Gotta be wholesale changes beyond just the playing squad. 

[Tommy Fresh]

12 minutes ago, StanSP said:

No point changing the captain when the strategy from the top is failing. 

 

And that goes beyond test cricket. You need to have the right structure and foundation for your test players to excel. Right now, and for a fairly significant amount of time, that isn't there. 

 

There's only so long you can dine out on strong home performances or iconic players thrashing out quality innings (Root and Stokes, maybe Brook). 

 

Gotta be wholesale changes beyond just the playing squad. 

Yeah hopefully starts by ****ing off Rob Key and perhaps picking lads actually doing well in first class cricket

[Voll Blau]

17 minutes ago, Tommy Fresh said:

Yeah hopefully starts by ****ing off Rob Key and perhaps picking lads actually doing well in first class cricket

Yep. Surely nobody can now argue having Sibley, Hameed, or both, opening up would have given us less of a chance in the first two Tests.

[Wsl]

16 minutes ago, Tommy Fresh said:

Yeah hopefully starts by ****ing off Rob Key and perhaps picking lads actually doing well in first class cricket

Highest paid director at the ECB has a salary of over £700K according to the limited details provided in the accounts. May not be Key, but as Managing Director, he'll be there or thereabouts. He's had his 4 years to plan, his coach and captain of choice and this is what's he delivered. If this ends without us winning a single test he should resign, but he won't as keeping this kind of well remunerated job despite failing to deliver one of your main objectives as what men like him ensure they get and ensure that they keep hold of. That becomes their main objective and on that they deliver for themselves time and time again. 

[STEVIE B]

4 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

Yep. Surely nobody can now argue having Sibley, Hameed, or both, opening up would have given us less of a chance in the first two Tests.

I don't really follow much county cricket, but l guess The Lions side currently in Oz have the best of the rest ? They don't seem to be doing that well. The pool of quality player's maybe is more of a puddle. Are the selectors too blinkered & not willing to give 2nd chances to batmen like Sibley & Hameed ? 

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

16 minutes ago, Wsl said:

Highest paid director at the ECB has a salary of over £700K according to the limited details provided in the accounts. May not be Key, but as Managing Director, he'll be there or thereabouts. He's had his 4 years to plan, his coach and captain of choice and this is what's he delivered. If this ends without us winning a single test he should resign, but he won't as keeping this kind of well remunerated job despite failing to deliver one of your main objectives as what men like him ensure they get and ensure that they keep hold of. That becomes their main objective and on that they deliver for themselves time and time again. 

Forgive me if I’m wrong but isn’t he also behind the woeful experiment with the Kookaburra ball in county cricket? To help us adapt when we’re overseas. 

[STEVIE B]

1 hour ago, Lionator said:

There’s something hilarious about us insisting on having 90mph quicks to play against Australia then us getting rolled by somebody who barely gets it above 80. 

I think that says more about our batting than their bowling. 

We also bowled way too short throughout.

We never seem to learn, or see what brings success to our opponents. Starc has been MoM in both games so far. Surely our many analysts can't fail to notice that & pass it on ? Maybe we're too pig headed to try plan B or C.

Our batting side is also under no pressure from within, nobody is pushing to take anyone's place. I'm not for wholesale changes, but it's become too safe for Crawley, Pope etc. 

[Tommy Fresh]

18 minutes ago, STEVIE B said:

I don't really follow much county cricket, but l guess The Lions side currently in Oz have the best of the rest ? They don't seem to be doing that well. The pool of quality player's maybe is more of a puddle. Are the selectors too blinkered & not willing to give 2nd chances to batmen like Sibley & Hameed ? 

A few of them with the Lions have done alright, and there will be lads on the county scene that won't get a look in for whatever reason.

[Tommy Fresh]

11 minutes ago, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

Forgive me if I’m wrong but isn’t he also behind the woeful experiment with the Kookaburra ball in county cricket? To help us adapt when we’re overseas. 

That was wild wasn't it 

[Voll Blau]

40 minutes ago, STEVIE B said:

I don't really follow much county cricket, but l guess The Lions side currently in Oz have the best of the rest ? They don't seem to be doing that well. The pool of quality player's maybe is more of a puddle. Are the selectors too blinkered & not willing to give 2nd chances to batmen like Sibley & Hameed ? 

Lions aren't really an England A side like it uses to be. More to give lads with potential the chance to get a feel for that environment.

[Super_horns]

 Not sure many will agree with this assessment!

 

https://x.com/7Cricket/status/1997606728754422001

 

[Wsl]

34 minutes ago, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

Forgive me if I’m wrong but isn’t he also behind the woeful experiment with the Kookaburra ball in county cricket? To help us adapt when we’re overseas. 

And in another stroke of genius leadership, in circumstances where most of the England Test players were not playing county cricket, so did not get the benefit of familiarising themselves with the Kookaburra ball because the Duke's ball was used in all the home Test series this year.

[ealingfox]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c9qeyn3x4elo

 

You couldn't write it  

 

Five training sessions wow, must have been awful.

[surrifox]

3 hours ago, Super_horns said:

 Not sure many will agree with this assessment!

 

https://x.com/7Cricket/status/1997606728754422001

 

McCullum strikes me as such a contrarian that he would take a 5-0 defeat in  15 playing days rather than admit that either he made a mistake or someone else had a better idea of setting the team up . 
His style has produced good days and results over the past couple of seasons but we were unravelling against India in the summer and good players are looking increasingly unsure of their game in this series 

[RonnieTodger]

Forget the series, I just want to see us win a game. 

 

The only positive you can take is that whether they’re close games or a battering, it’s still only 2-0  

Edited 7 December 2025 by RonnieTodger

[David Hankey]

Is there a reason for having 5 day Test matches? The pubic are getting short changed.

[sm1]

8 hours ago, Lionator said:

There’s something hilarious about us insisting on having 90mph quicks to play against Australia then us getting rolled by somebody who barely gets it above 80. 

We even forced our greatest bowler to retire, so that we can play these "quicks". Great job guys. 

[surrifox]

37 minutes ago, David Hankey said:

Is there a reason for having 5 day Test matches? The pubic are getting short changed.

Short changed pubic 

[RonnieTodger]

As bad as the top seven have been, our tail is winding me up even more.

 

Atkinson, Carse and Archer would all be batting at 8 (9 at worst) for Australia but they cannot be arsed to do anything other than swing. 
 

Boland can’t hold a bat and he pissed it. Even Doggett got 13!

Edited 7 December 2025 by RonnieTodger

[STEVIE B]

4 hours ago, David Hankey said:

Is there a reason for having 5 day Test matches? The pubic are getting short changed.

I'm all for 4 days with a guaranteed 90 overs per day. 

Too many days rarely have 80.

Start earlier, cut out the ridiculous water breaks & glove changes & bowlers constantly tossing the ball to the umpire to change it.... .the thing gets hit & will go out of shape ! 

Edited 7 December 2025 by STEVIE B