England (Internationals)

You watch all of the dismissals and they're all legitimately village, just poking at nothing balls wide of off, meat and drink for the slip cordon

I would still stick with Burns and Sibley, but I think the likes of Crawley, Lawrence and Pope have a hell of a battle on their hands when Buttler and Stokes return

They all looked like chickens caught in the headlights. Indeed all the ECB crap policies of just concentrating on the hit and giggle are now biting them right on the backside. Aka the CC consigned to the bookends of the season and the icing on the cake:yes the 100 abomination.

Do feel a little bit sorry for Root, sent onto the pitch with inadequate bowling resources by Silverwood, who is proving a poor manager/coach. I think he got the job because of the success of Essex in previous years, but he obviously was credited with that success, as Essex have continued to flourish after he left, then he should have not been given the credit. Now that Ed Smith has gone the responsibility for England’s continuing failure must be his! Can’t see any signs of his improvement under his management!

dougieginn wrote:Do feel a little bit sorry for Root, sent onto the pitch with inadequate bowling resources by Silverwood, who is proving a poor manager/coach

Bowlers aren't the issue, and even though I think the team selection was wrong with no Leach, the bowling unit is still capable; thought they did a stellar job in restricting New Zealand in that first innings when it could have been a lot, lot worse. That being said the likes of Archer, Woakes (at home) and even Curran make us look like a better side.

The problem is the batting and first innings runs on the board: it's not like we've learned anything new.

Well done New Zealand…payback with interest for the World Cup Final two years ago, which they did not deserve to lose and by any fair assessment did not.  

Go well in the inaugural World Test Championship Final against the formidable India team next week.

And for the ECB and those who either support or attempt to justify central contracts/marginalised championship/The Hundred....your agenda is not only destroying county cricket, but is slowly but surely contributing to the existential decline of the England test team.

Alex! wrote:

dougieginn wrote:Do feel a little bit sorry for Root, sent onto the pitch with inadequate bowling resources by Silverwood, who is proving a poor manager/coach

Bowlers aren't the issue, and even though I think the team selection was wrong with no Leach, the bowling unit is still capable; thought they did a stellar job in restricting New Zealand in that first innings when it could have been a lot, lot worse. That being said the likes of Archer, Woakes (at home) and even Curran make us look like a better side.

The problem is the batting and first innings runs on the board: it's not like we've learned anything new.

I think in this match it is both batting and bowling. It is worth mentioning that the spinner Took 4 cheap wickets and he is inexperienced !!
Leach I’m sure would have given another option, instead we played the quick but very erratic Stone. Someone who could bowl 20 odd overs inexpensively would have been an asset. I’m not sure why we played a novice Wicket keeper when Billings was in the squad.I thought Broad was excellent and took 5 cheap wickets in the match,but Anderson looks past his best,especially in conditions like this match!

I’m just waiting for the usual blame county cricket rubbish to come after England get hammered in a test,the ECB have a lot to answer for having counties play 4 day cricket in April and May on seamer friendly wickets is no way to find good players and as for scheduling that bloody horrible tournament in the best month of the cricket season is an absolute disgrace

Why are some blaming Rory Burns, who is England's player of the series??

I think probably because he was the best of the worst in this game. In the first innings anyway. God knows what he was doing second time around. But then you wouldn't pick any of the top 7 again based on that inept performance.

And in a competitive category, we have a home-grown winner of the ECB Spouting Absolute Garbage award.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/14/graham-thorpe-the-hundred-can-help-england-struggling-test-batsmen

Jackers wrote:And in a competitive category, we have a home-grown winner of the ECB Spouting Absolute Garbage award.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/14/graham-thorpe-the-hundred-can-help-england-struggling-test-batsmen

I thought 'Thorpey' was a batsman, not a Spinner.......

Blimey. No wonder England batting is in a mess. He must be in an ECB induced coma.

The best analogy I can think of is that Thorpe is English cricket's equivalent of Donald Trump recommending that drinking or injecting bleach would be highly effective in dealing with coronavirus.

I think that Thorpe thinks he had to toe the ECB line, as they are his employers after all. Can’t believe he really believes this rubbish for a moment!! After the batsmen’s performance in the Tests ,as batting coach ,perhaps he fears for his job,

You know I switched on that awful T20 series vs SL and saw Roy get out before I switched off again. Even with the reduced 25% crowd, it didn't look to me as if they'd sold out. Not sure what they charge for this stuff but if it's more than a tenner it's too much.
With all the T20 Leagues around the world I don't really see the point of International T20s.

Looks like the pitch that is in use for todays ODI game can be used again soon, as its not going to get much use today

Tom is in the XI, but not sure he will be doing much

Blimey. I know you can only play against what's in front you, but this is just awful. Surrey Seconds would do better. Sanga must have nightmares! Really it should be compulsory England to bat first against such poor teams. You'd have to pay me £45 to watch this, and there are still people outside trying to get their 10 page attendance risk assessment approved before they'll let them in!

15 years ago Sri Lanka whitewashed England in an ODI series (in England). How times have changed.

It has been pointed out that given England's semi-precarious position in the World Cup pre-Qualifying, Morgan may have just gone "sod the spectacle, we need the points"...

At the game yes pretty poor batting. Also poor ticketing arrangements. People who have tickets in the bedser stand in front of the changing rooms found out they couldn't sit there so had to be found alternative seats that is why it is so packed there at the moment they have now let people sit across the isle as it's so busy also when entering the ground wasn't asked for any Covid evidence ie showing you had had both injections very poor organisation

I've put Countdown on. This match is like watching a lion rape a sheep.

Countdown will be similar when Anne Robinson takes over!

And a lot more exciting than the cricket.

Do we know how many people are their. Not a Sky subscriber.

paultpm wrote:Countdown will be similar when Anne Robinson takes over!

she already has hasnt she!!!!

Chinaman wrote:Sanga must have nightmares!

Sanga is on commentary for Sky today and, as I type, is in the middle of a full-blown rant.

And we think the state of our domestic structure is bad...

(And yes, Anne's first episode was on Monday. Nick's last episode was the series grand final, last Friday.)

Very pleased for Sammy