England Fans - how is this series shaping up compared to 06/07 and 13/14?

[S.Kennedy]

2005 England seized more of the key moments in an epic struggle which represents test cricket at its best. 2009 was a weird series. There was a lot of appalling cricket in that series from both sides, who sort of cancelled themselves out in their awfulness and we got a very entertaining close series. The best test was the first one, the draw, Anderson and Panesar's blockathon. That was as nervous as I've ever been I believe watching test cricket.

2009 both teams were in limbo. England were sort of at mid-point between the 2005 era, and the Strauss era with players like Anderson and Broad coming in - and Trott at the end - but Flintoff and Harmison still around. Australia were a complete mess really, Ponting trying to carry on beyond the retirements of your Warnes etc.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Warne and McGrath aside, Australia played a lot of poor cricket and were outclassed for 3 Tests in a row.

McGrath stepped on a ball and didn't even play in either of the 2 Tests Australia lost.

 

[stephen]

And how many times was Martyn dismissed lbw from an edge onto the pads. He was ridiculously hard done by from the umpires in that series.

 

[Top_Cat]

He was but the way he was playing, he'd have been nailed by the reverse soon after anyway. Had all sorts of trouble with it.

 

[Bijed]

And how many times was Martyn dismissed lbw from an edge onto the pads. He was ridiculously hard done by from the umpires in that series.

I think twice. Not saying he wasn't unlucky (as he most certainly was), but I sometimes feel that the incorrect LBWs mean that the fact that he wasn't actually playing that well and got himself out quite badly a few times gets glossed over.

 

[Furball]

McGrath stepped on a ball and didn't even play in either of the 2 Tests Australia lost.

What's your point?

 

[TheJediBrah]

What's your point?

What part didn't you understand?

I wasn't disagreeing with you, just making a statement.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Nowhere near as bad in the end not just the scoreline but we may have found a couple of players for the future in Malan and Overton. We were stuffed out of sight before with no decent prospects coming in and doing anything of note.

 

[fredfertang]

I still think it's odd there were no series between 86/87 and 05

 

[S.Kennedy]

I do not think the ECB will learn any lessons from this, or even care enough to implement them. Come May against Pakistan and Jimmy swinging the ball around corners and it'll be ''business as usual''. Nothing much happened after last winter's drubbing, the India 4-0, either except Cook quitting.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Course it won't. Broad was terrible and I would have been tempted after a poor summer to have dropped him for NZ and bring him back if he got wickets and rhythm for Notts. Vince is allowed to carry on stinking the place out and gifting his wicket when others with better records were dumped from the side in years gone by. It all stinks.

 

[Pothas]

I think we probably will see changes after New Zealand, assuming that we continue to struggle. Obviously Vince and Stoneman have a chance to save themselves in these next two Tests but I don't think either of them will start next summer.

 

[S.Kennedy]

It is the reversal of the 1989/Goochy period, where you were rather unlucky (as a county cricketer) to not get into the international team - what was it, 29 cricketers in one series? We have gone too far in the other direction whereby places are completely fixed and selection is very conservative.

 

[Pothas]

I don't think this is really true. We have tried a whole load of batsmen in the last few years and plenty of people have made their debut in the last year or so, just not many of them have been any good.

 

[Daemon]

It is the reversal of the 1989/Goochy period, where you were rather unlucky (as a county cricketer) to not get into the international team - what was it, 29 cricketers in one series? We have gone too far in the other direction whereby places are completely fixed and selection is very conservative.

3 bowlers made their debut in 5 games

You've tried roughly a thousand batsmen to partner cook and bat 3. Tried a bunch of spinners in India.

 

[TheJediBrah]

3 bowlers made their debut in 5 games

You've tried roughly a thousand batsmen to partner cook and bat 3. Tried a bunch of spinners in India.

It's like this with Australia too lately, what with so many series these days (even some running concurrently . . .)

You look around the Big Bash and most players in the tournament have played for Australia at one point or another. Very different to the old days where you had the same 13-14 players who played every international game, with just minor personnel changes between Test and ODI teams.

 

[Furball]

It is the reversal of the 1989/Goochy period, where you were rather unlucky (as a county cricketer) to not get into the international team - what was it, 29 cricketers in one series? We have gone too far in the other direction whereby places are completely fixed and selection is very conservative.

That just isn't true at all. Off the top of my head:

Cook
Hameed
Jennings
Root
Moeen
Stokes
Bairstow
Woakes
Rashid
Broad
Anderson
Stoneman
Vince
Malan
Ball
Curran
Crane
Dawson

have all played Tests for England in the last 12 months or so.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Yes but it is the Broads and Alis and Cooks. It is actually impossible for any of those to be dropped.

 

[Furball]

Broad - with 399 Test wickets he has a bit of credit in the bank, particularly as none of the seam bowlers picked, bar 2016 Woakes, have looked particularly convincing when they've played.

Cook - similar to Broad, given England have had 5 years and failed to replace Strauss, quite why you'd drop a veteran opener with 12,000 runs under his belt is beyond me.

Ali - was the outstanding player of the summer. Was never going to be a factor with the ball, I agree his batting has been weak this series but there's not exactly a load of replacements banging down the door demanding selection.

 

[Daemon]

That just isn't true at all. Off the top of my head:

Cook
Hameed
Jennings
Root
Moeen
Stokes
Bairstow
Woakes
Rashid
Broad
Anderson
Stoneman
Vince
Malan
Ball
Curran
Crane
Dawson

have all played Tests for England in the last 12 months or so.

Man the tour of India was over a year ago.. was about to suggest possibly the worst of them all - Ansari.