The Ashes,where do England go from here ?

[vegster]

Mo, Can't argue with anything there you posted, some of us saw the cracks opening in the last series but were soundly roasted for pointing them out. I for one took huge pelters for seeing the vulnerability of KP and the gamble of pushing Root into the firing line at the top of the order.Lots to be put right, not sure it can be done with the players we have now.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Argubably the worst display ever Down Under, taking all previous series in context ( in living memory ).
The unforgiveable crime for any sportsman is to lose without a fight and this has been abject surrender of the highest order. It baffles me how so many posters on here seem happy to write this off as a blip..." oh well, it'll be alright when we get back to England " There also seems to be a view that this is a very good Australian side and we have been outplayed. Wrong. This is a pretty ordinary team that were well beaten in England only a few months ago. The difference between the two sides is that Australia went away, regrouped and planned this series meticulously. They worked out what had been going wrong in England. Too many left-handers for Swann to wreak havoc with. They moved the lefties to the top of the order and stacked the middle order with right handers to counter-balance the England off-spinner. They knew in their heart of hearts that some of the England players don't like quick bouncy wickets. Flat-track bullies in England, on slower wickets, faint-hearted down under.
They knew Trott was in trouble in England. He couldn't settle at the wicket. He was taking his stance all over the place. He couldn't play short-pitched bowling at his body. They knew that if he played in Brisbane, they would go after him. England played into their hands. It was a gift from the gods. A ' shot-away batsman ripe for destroying. They knew Cook was struggling in England. They knew, mentally, he's not that strong. His ( very good and effective ) game falls apart every two to three years. They sensed he was heading for another crash. They knew Pietersen's heart wasn't in Test cricket anymore. A show pony, looking to earn big bucks in the crudity of twenty20. Living on past glories and not that bothered anymore. The England management had fallen over backwards to embrace him back into the fold, so he could do no wrong. He has surrendered his wicket meekly more and more as he has got older and the Aussies knew he wouldn't fancy this series. Too much like hard work.
They knew Prior was a gimme wicket on quick Aussie tracks. They knew he wouldn't fancy it ( like KP ) and would give it away rather than try and battle it out.
They knew Swann and Anderson would be much less effective this series and have targetted them. They saw the England management were undecided about both bowling and batting line-ups. They worked out a game plan and stuck to it, whilst England fell into the twin traps of complacency and indecision. Weak leadership from management and captain helped the Aussies more than they could have imagined.
There was only one other factor that the Aussies needed in their favour. The toss. Lo and behold, Mr.Clarke must have trodden in some lucky dust. The final nail in England's coffin.
Where do England go from here. Well, sadly they have to go through the motions of two more Tests. The damage has been done. The Ashes given away, with barely a whimper. There now has to be changes. The selfish and ego-centric Pietersen has to be discarded, along with the overrated and gutless Prior. Trott is finished and I'm afraid Cook needs to be rested for his own sake. He has been another gimme wicket this series and it can't go on. He'll be back, though. Swann is nearing the end and its obvious that Anderson is only effective when conditions suit him. I would persevere with Carberry and Root, Bell and Stokes are definites but they have to decide where suits Root best. A major overhaul is needed. This isn't knee-jerk. This display has been so pitiful that you have to dig out the malaise and change the whole mindset.
As for the management, well, you can leave them all down under as far as I'm concerned. They did nothing to prepare properly for this series. They didn't acknowledge the failings in the summer and learn from them. They sent a player out to bat at no.3 in the first Test who was a mental and physical wreck and in doing so, handed the initiative to the Aussies, which they never surrendered. Criminal.
No England cricket performance has ever angered me so much as this one and I apologise for this diatribe but I've just got to vent my spleen. To see precious wickets tossed away, over and over again. To watch unacceptable sub-standard cricket from a supposedly top nation. To see a series gifted to our fiercest rivals. To watch our players crumble mentally against an Australian side that hardly rates as one of their all-time greats.
I've played ( at a decent level ) and watched a lot of cricket over the last 50 years and felt disappointed and pissed off in the past at England performances. This is the first time I can honestly say that I have been ashamed of an England side.

Can't disagree with much of that. I was vilified on here a bit in the summer along with a few others criticising the side even though they were winning. However it was clear back in NZ last winter, and the Ashes this summer that something wasn't right with this England side, and no one has had the guts to do anything about it.

There are still too many people making excuses about conditions, and types of pitches, and this and that, but ultimately, England haven't been able to make the tough choices. I feel for Joe Root, opening in the summer, bumped back down to 6, then back up to 3. His head must be spinning.

We never really got our heads round our pace attack and expected to decide between Finn, Tremlett and Rankin after a couple of warm up games. It all appeared to be inconsistent and desperate.

I can excuse Root as I doubt even Clarke could be consistent being moved about like Root has in the order. Stokes has been excellent, as has Broad. Struggling to find any other positives though. A complete mental disintegration and breakdown of any kind of 'team' - they've played like individuals with bat and ball. I agree, I've never seen us give up without a fight before. I thought it would be a long time before we revisited the humiliation of 2006 again, not just 7 years.

We have 18 months to sort this out. The next 2 tests, and the visits of Sri Lanka and India next summer have to be used to identify who can now step up into this England side. Stokes has staked his claim, and I don't buy into this 'don't subject the young players to defeat in the next 2 tests' - I think they will be like Stokes hopefully, and desperate to show that England can be brave and drop/rest the likes of KP, Swann, Jimmy, Prior, and still be a good side.

Cook has to stay for me. He needs a steady partner which maybe Carberry who has actually batted well, and perhaps been the most unlucky batsmen out there this series. Cook WILL get over his mental frailty, just as he did in 2009, and we have to stick with him for now - there seems little other choice, and he'll come out stronger for this.

It needs decisive action though. We've pussy footed around our top player's form for too long. As Mitchell Johnson has shown, you can have some time away from the side and still come back hungry and in form.

 

[goldstone]

Prior, sadly, has to go. He is not scoring runs and he's missing stumpings and catches. Time to give whoever is our second wicketkeeper on tour the gloves for the remaining tests. Nothing to lose.

The other point ... we have far far too much bloody test cricket and far far too many ashes series. Used to be the case that the ashes came around every two or three years and were something all cricket fans looked forward to with great anticipation. Now it's overkill. Back to back ashes series? Too much!

 

[vegster]

I think we created the monster who is Mitchell Johnson ourselves. He was an absolute laughing stock and was a the focus of huge derision but, he went away and worked hard on his game and has come back in best movie tradition to triumph. You have to salute him for that but, having been so low he will never let an England batsman off lightly again.. Expect more pain for the remaining Tests.

 

[Bedsex]

Apologies folks for the double post....it will be hard enough reading it once!!!

I thought your post was so good Mo that I actually read both of them. I think you've got it spot on. It's very hard to not let complacency set in, but these are professional sports people with a huge team if advisors, including sports psychologists. It should not have happened. The Aussies did their homework whilst we all went out to play.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Haven't read all the posts, but I must agree with what I have read. We have let the team drift, the thinking seeming to be that we just have to turn up to win. After all, we were World's best team two years ago. Time for a rebuild, isn't it ? Don't mind losing games, or series, but there has to be progression, not stagnation.

Other Test countries have done it. WE have done it.

Time to start again.

 

[Silk]

Too many players past their sell by date, and a management change desperately needed. Awful performances.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Haven't read all the posts, but I must agree with what I have read. We have let the team drift, the thinking seeming to be that we just have to turn up to win. After all, we were World's best team two years ago. Time for a rebuild, isn't it ? Don't mind losing games, or series, but there has to be progression, not stagnation.

Other Test countries have done it. WE have done it.

Time to start again.

The team has been left to drift.

The management has failed as much as the team. This has been no more so highlighted than with the treatment of Joe Root. He has gone from 6, to opening, back to 6, then to 3. Incredible to do that to a young player. It is nothing short of disgraceful to be honest. An experienced test player would struggle with that, Clarke's figures show massive dips in form when he moved in the order, and yet we do it to a young player through back to back Ashes.

It highlights an absolute failure behind the scenes to prepare with clarity and decisiveness.

The juggling of Tremlett, Finn and Rankin also highlights a complete lack of preparation in that we expect a couple of tour matches to decide who to pick, then pick an unfit Bresnan on a pitch rewarding high bounce. The whole series has exposed some flaws throughout the England set up.