There may be troubles ahead: England selection issues.

[hopeforthebest]

Can any batting coach stop a player making bad decisions out in the middle which many if not most of Englands dismissal have been due to.

[sussexpob]

Is Colly Durham's batting coach by the way?

Has Root been lost technically? Criticisms were made of his front foot play in England, but he's principally got out chasing wide balls in this series. I don't think he's been technically hapless. Though it is said Thorpe won't tour, so that's that.

Doesnt look like a guy that is comfortable coming forward at all. If Bowlers put it in an area where he can stay on the backfoot even at higher risk levels, then they trouble him.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Everyone is good and bad. It's easy to point out mistakes and take the good things for granted. We need to make sure the people we appoint are better or different enough to make a change worthwhile. And that the people in charge are still motivated and interested. It's difficult for us to judge that. Possibly those who want Flower to make way, feel that Giles will do a better job. Because that is the choice.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Doesnt look like a guy that is comfortable coming forward at all. If Bowlers put it in an area where he can stay on the backfoot even at higher risk levels, then they trouble him.

He played on the front foot almost exclusively in India. So is it something he just can't do against extreme pace?

If the England players play CC next spring, the championship bowlers will operate on the weaknesses that have been apparent this winter. It could be useful for the batters to take that Test.

[sussexpob]

Can any batting coach stop a player making bad decisions out in the middle which many if not most of Englands dismissal have been due to.

No, a coach cant stop ultimate brainfade, but I am of the belief that most of England's players have resulted to trying to fight back erroneously because they didnt have the technique to stand up to the test. Carberry and Root are the noticeable players who have tried to bat generally for time a lot in this series, but have not found ways to stay there over long times due to the pressure mounting on their technique, and the resultant ways they have combatted it. KP has always been a player that had to attack because his hard handed prods in defence are not a strong point of his game, Cook is falling over his own legs and his head is back to 2008 positions vs Pakistan (thankfully he hit a 100 in the 4th test and then became the worlds best batter seemingly very quickly again), Ben Stokes is not a finish article(see I am being nice) and Ian Bell is sick of propping up everyone else....Matt Prior also totally lost his off stump and tried to compensate by blasting his way to scores

[sussexpob]

I would also say that Tailenders are being encouraged less to contribute to the team also, which is a major problem.

In 2009 Swann scored 4 x 50.... he scored once since.....

Broad scored key runs in 2009 vs Australia (something like 65, 55, 40 in the last three test innings) but has been on a slow decline, halted slightly with the odd quickfire 50 usually when England havent needed it... the exception being the Trent Bridge test.

Bresnan has no fifties in about 15 tests, and averages 17 over that period....

Even Jimmy Anderson looked to hang around for a few overs, but in recent times has been bunny central...

Flower when he first came to the job had "batting buddies", ie senior players teaching the tail how to bat in the nets and taking time to do this, but that seems to have gone now with a marked slump following it.

[SaintPowelly]

Carberry and Root are the noticeable players who have tried to bat generally for time a lot in this series, but have not found ways to stay there over long times due to the pressure mounting on their technique, and the resultant ways they have combatted it.

Carberry is generally an aggressive player, no Sehwag, but will often score his runs with a SR of 65-70, why on earth this series he has been so defensive escapes me, I can only imagine thats what he has been told to do, he was 5* at lunch the other day and played no different after the break, so presumably the coaches have instructed him to do so.

[alfie]

I thought they were still doing the "batting buddies" thing...could be wrong.

True the tailenders have apparently declined ...though I think you missed a Broad hundred somewhere in there , Sussex.

Anderson's batting seems to have slipped since he stopped doing night watchman duties...

Have noticed over the years a few England bowlers who seemed to bat better when they first entered the team , so am not sure it is a new phenomenon ...Darren Gough one example that comes to mind. In the same way batsmen seem to start out bowling a bit , but rarely tend to develop that part of their game...too much specialization ?

[SaintPowelly]

though I think you missed a Broad hundred somewhere in there , Sussex.

Everything from that Pakistan series should be forgotten, if not removed from the record books, removed from our minds.

[backfootpunch]

though I think you missed a Broad hundred somewhere in there , Sussex.

Everything from that Pakistan series should be forgotten, if not removed from the record books, removed from our minds.

how does bowling a few no balls equate to fixing the result of the match

broads batting has got worse and worse, he used to bat like a proper batsmen but now he just slogs, he seems to be terrified of johnson, he has got out twice trying to play a yorker off the back foot

his bowling has got better and better though which is the most important thing, of the two i would rather he continued improving his bowling

[SaintPowelly]

though I think you missed a Broad hundred somewhere in there , Sussex.

Everything from that Pakistan series should be forgotten, if not removed from the record books, removed from our minds.

how does bowling a few no balls equate to fixing the result of the match

broads batting has got worse and worse, he used to bat like a proper batsmen but now he just slogs, he seems to be terrified of johnson, he has got out twice trying to play a yorker off the back foot

his bowling has got better and better though which is the most important thing, of the two i would rather he continued improving his bowling

A few no-balls is what they were caught doing, and considering the captain was involved, I don't want to know what might of been.

[sussexpob]

though I think you missed a Broad hundred somewhere in there , Sussex.

Everything from that Pakistan series should be forgotten, if not removed from the record books, removed from our minds.

how does bowling a few no balls equate to fixing the result of the match

broads batting has got worse and worse, he used to bat like a proper batsmen but now he just slogs, he seems to be terrified of johnson, he has got out twice trying to play a yorker off the back foot

his bowling has got better and better though which is the most important thing, of the two i would rather he continued improving his bowling

He scored a huge hundred in a test that was proved to have been fixed... before that Amir had taken something stupid like 6-15 then the no balls started and Broad came in a 100-7 and blasted a record score for a number 9 for England in a record partnership.... that to me was too close to being suspect to truly proclaim it!

His bowling has improved yes, but in 2009 he looked like a proper batting prospect, now he skirts the definition of tailender/low order player.

[sussexpob]

though I think you missed a Broad hundred somewhere in there , Sussex.

Everything from that Pakistan series should be forgotten, if not removed from the record books, removed from our minds.

how does bowling a few no balls equate to fixing the result of the match

broads batting has got worse and worse, he used to bat like a proper batsmen but now he just slogs, he seems to be terrified of johnson, he has got out twice trying to play a yorker off the back foot

his bowling has got better and better though which is the most important thing, of the two i would rather he continued improving his bowling

He scored a huge hundred in a test that was proved to have been fixed... before that Amir had taken something stupid like 6-15 then the no balls started and Broad came in a 100-7 and blasted a record score for a number 9 for England in a record partnership.... that to me was too close to being suspect to truly proclaim it!

His bowling has improved yes, but in 2009 he looked like a proper batting prospect, now he skirts the definition of tailender/low order player.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Hmm, Broad/Trott got those tons against one of the best pace attacks to visit uk post West Indies, with the special swinging balls that England used until they ran out, so helpful they were, in a summer of low grey clouds. Cook struggled all summer. I can't imagine why those runs should be so casually disregarded.

Of course Stokes isn't the finished article, he's a 21 year old debutant...

Bell carried the batting in one series, after two years where Cook led. Is that so tiring?

Why would England drop Compton for batting slowly and not imposing himself and then ask Carberry to bat like Compton?

Etc.

[Arthur Crabtree]

My obvious questionable decisions:

Bairstow as Wk and batter.

Tremlett

Dropping Compton for Carberry

Borderline:

Not picking Onions.

Taking an injured Tim Bresnan.

But as is often said, if the senior players had turned up, these wouldn't matter. Swann was injured, so I exempt him. Arguably Broad played ok, but he needed more support, and he's been expensive at times.