Cricket - The Ashes

[Paul6754]

Slightly off topic but I thought it worth mentioning that on the day our Rob Fielding came into the world was the same day lnternational One Day Cricket was born

 

There was a time I could be called a devotee of cricket, but not any more. Just fell out of love with it all.

 

A person named Fielding has to love cricket.......best I can do.

[Jacko51]

How appropriate that the final act of the series should be yet another umpiring mistake. The officials have been truly awful in this series - and no, I'm not saying that's why we lost the Ashes.

 

Incidentally, if those calling for four day Tests had their way, we would still have the Ashes!!

[cheshirevaliant]

Yet another days hard toil in the field for our beleaguered cricketers. I realise that cricket has its supporters on these pages, but I do sometimes wonder why. A match can potentially last for 30 hours spread over 5 days and yet the outcome is known from the onset. Hardly riveting viewing. Then we do the same thing for a further 4 matches. Whoever came up with the timescale for Test Cricket must have been mentally unstable. Test Attendances hold up in England, as a day at the Test is seen as a social occasion and to a lesser degree in Australia due to tradition. But elsewhere in the world, the matches are played out in empty stadia. The Ashes series apart, Test Cricket is dead and resounding defeats like the one currently being experienced in Australia do little to change that view.

 

Couple of points from that RailwayRowdy. A lot enjoy watching Manchester City, Barcelona or Real Madrid, even though the outcome is often known from the outset. A great battle between two evenly matched sides is only part of the enjoyment I get from a day out at the Test match. As you say, it is a social occasion first and foremost, and Test cricket in particular is so far weighted in favour of home advantage that evenly matched games are becoming more and more infrequent.

I also think that Test cricket played in the traditional venues in places like India and parts of South Africa still retains support. Indian grounds often look sparsely populated because of their sheer size but I suspect most days have gates of 20-25000.

[valiant_593]

Overall pretty awful from us.

 

Root has batted well without making a huge score, malan has been excellent and bairstow not bad either. With the ball i think Anderson has bowled brilliantly at times but nobody else has come close to being good enough.

For me next test series we should be looking elsewhere when regarding the likes of stoneman, Vince, moeen and possibly even broad.

 

What worries me is that when we play back in England we will look like world beaters. We need to prepare for the next ashes In Australia and no get carried away with beating sides easily at home.

 

We're desperate for a fast bowler and a spinner.

[valiant_593]

Yep, liked how much spin he got on a batsman's paradise of a wicket. Really unlucky to have the "Wicket" chalked off for the no ball.

 

For me England's plight in the last two Tests just further emphasizes the lack of a quality strike bowler. Steve Smith is a quality batsman with incredible hand eye co-ordination but his technique of taking a huge step back and across his wicket would be exploited by a bowler of genuine pace. Sadly when your fast bowlers can barely manage 135km/h and there's little lateral movement he has time to adjust.

 

I agree. Anderson for me showed his class becoming really tough to score off but nobody else has performed well at all. Hope crane gets a decent run in the side as I thought he bowled really nicely.

[Sandyford_Lion]

Yet another days hard toil in the field for our beleaguered cricketers. I realise that cricket has its supporters on these pages, but I do sometimes wonder why. A match can potentially last for 30 hours spread over 5 days and yet the outcome is known from the onset. Hardly riveting viewing. Then we do the same thing for a further 4 matches. Whoever came up with the timescale for Test Cricket must have been mentally unstable. Test Attendances hold up in England, as a day at the Test is seen as a social occasion and to a lesser degree in Australia due to tradition. But elsewhere in the world, the matches are played out in empty stadia. The Ashes series apart, Test Cricket is dead and resounding defeats like the one currently being experienced in Australia do little to change that view.

 

Describes reading some topics on OVF too

yet many still go to the end

[Sandyford_Lion]

Overall pretty awful from us.

 

Root has batted well without making a huge score, malan has been excellent and bairstow not bad either. With the ball i think Anderson has bowled brilliantly at times but nobody else has come close to being good enough.

For me next test series we should be looking elsewhere when regarding the likes of stoneman, Vince, moeen and possibly even broad.

 

What worries me is that when we play back in England we will look like world beaters. We need to prepare for the next ashes In Australia and no get carried away with beating sides easily at home.

 

We're desperate for a fast bowler and a spinner.

 

That is world cricket

 

Recently we have beaten the Aussies in the UK but it is totally different over there.

 

The best bet we have, if we can ever produce a 'quick' bowler is to then send him to Australia for a season or two. That would help him develop.

 

In the UK with all the one day cricket played and with very little 4 day cricket we will struggle to produce and 'good' bowlers with real pace

 

Not sure how much one day is played in Australia but again i think they play more 3 or 4 day cricket.

 

You also know what you will get for a wicket over there. It is virtually guaranteed.

 

We need to ensure we are ready and able to win the ashes back next time here in the UK. It would be more embarrassing to lose over here than the 4 0 thrashing just happened over there

[Aussie Rules]

That is world cricket

 

Recently we have beaten the Aussies in the UK but it is totally different over there.

 

The best bet we have, if we can ever produce a 'quick' bowler is to then send him to Australia for a season or two. That would help him develop.

 

In the UK with all the one day cricket played and with very little 4 day cricket we will struggle to produce and 'good' bowlers with real pace

 

Not sure how much one day is played in Australia but again i think they play more 3 or 4 day cricket.You also know what you will get for a wicket over there. It is virtually guaranteed.

 

We need to ensure we are ready and able to win the ashes back next time here in the UK. It would be more embarrassing to lose over here than the 4 0 thrashing just happened over there

 

SL, we're awash with 1 day cricket in Oz - thankfully I switched off cricket in the mid 1980s.

[Paul6754]

SL, we're awash with 1 day cricket in Oz - thankfully I switched off cricket in the mid 1980s.

 

Oh AR, AR, how can you do that to probably the greatest game there is on the planet, certainly the most strategic, beautiful and engaging.

[For Us All]

Oh AR, AR, how can you do that to probably the greatest game there is on the planet, certainly the most strategic, beautiful and engaging.

 

I'm afraid T20 cricket is taking over the game and countries are replicating the IPL.The ECB are in the process of inventing a new T20 tournament to rival the IPL starting in 2020.It'll eventually turn into something comparible to the PL.

[TheSage]

Tend to agree with valiant_593 in that we are currently going through a period of transition that might well get worse before it gets better as Anderson can't go on for much longer, nor perhaps Broad and maybe Cook.

 

We've been struggling to put together a world class XI for a while and on paper appear to lack a number 2,3,8, 9 & 10. The batting is fragile and we don't bat deep enough without Stokes. We have no spinner of any real quality. And, worst of all, the fast bowling cupboard is bare. I was sorry both Finn and Wood were unfit because, at their best, they can take wickets and bowl fast but we continually get injuries and seldom are able to field our very best XI.

 

It was an embarrassment to be frank. We were well beaten by one of the poorer Aussie teams, Smith apart and a couple of very good fast bowlers. But they deservedly won by a country mile. I don't think too many English lads came out of it with their reputations enhanced. Malan certainly. Anderson. Root to a small degree. Anyone else?

 

Test match cricket for those who follow the game is a joy to watch. And it isn't just down under and in England where crowds are big. India pack them in. Eden Gardens is huge. You can get some big attendances in SA too. And heaven help us if Bangladesh get going as millions there love their cricket.

[Jacko51]

I don't think too many English lads came out of it with their reputations enhanced.

 

How about Ben Stokes?! He was a huge miss.

[Paul6754]

I'm afraid T20 cricket is taking over the game and countries are replicating the IPL.The ECB are in the process of inventing a new T20 tournament to rival the IPL starting in 2020.It'll eventually turn into something comparible to the PL.

 

I agree FUA, I guess I'm a "purist" when it comes to cricket.

 

However, I did watch the last T20 World Cup and the action and games were immense and exciting, players were hitting the ball in ways I didn't know existed. Times change and things move on.

[RailwayRowdy]

Tend to agree with valiant_593 in that we are currently going through a period of transition that might well get worse before it gets better as Anderson can't go on for much longer, nor perhaps Broad and maybe Cook.

 

We've been struggling to put together a world class XI for a while and on paper appear to lack a number 2,3,8, 9 & 10. The batting is fragile and we don't bat deep enough without Stokes. We have no spinner of any real quality. And, worst of all, the fast bowling cupboard is bare. I was sorry both Finn and Wood were unfit because, at their best, they can take wickets and bowl fast but we continually get injuries and seldom are able to field our very best XI.

 

It was an embarrassment to be frank. We were well beaten by one of the poorer Aussie teams, Smith apart and a couple of very good fast bowlers. But they deservedly won by a country mile. I don't think too many English lads came out of it with their reputations enhanced. Malan certainly. Anderson. Root to a small degree. Anyone else?

 

Test match cricket for those who follow the game is a joy to watch. And it isn't just down under and in England where crowds are big. India pack them in. Eden Gardens is huge. You can get some big attendances in SA too. And heaven help us if Bangladesh get going as millions there love their cricket.

 

It isn’t often I have to take you to task Sage, but I have to disagree with you’re comments about huge crowds in India for Test matches. The stadia may well be packed to the rafters when they entertain Pakistan, but for every other Teat series the crowds are sparse to say the least. The only reason the Pakistan series is so well supported is down to the sheer historical hatred between the two factions. It becomes less a sporting event, but more a political comment.

[jimbo57]

now he's going to be taken to court stokes is allowed to play, when we didn't know if the CPR was going to proceed he wasn't allowed to play.

Is there any sense in this or have I just not understood it?