Ashes 2025-26.

[alfie]

Have to wonder if they won't reconsider and have some batsmen drafted into this Lions pink ball game ? Can't see it would do them any harm ...

I don't pay too much attention to public comments about continuing to go hard , etc : they aren't going to renounce the general philosophy like that. Also don't think it is actually a team instruction to go chasing balls wide of off stump before you have even had a sighter ; so bemused by Pope (who surely ought to have reined it in for a while immediately after losing partner Duckett) and even more so Brook wafting at Boland in a total absence of footwork. Distinct lack of common sense there. And Root probably caught in two minds after his first innings failure and the pressure of the situation. The annoying thing is that this team has on occasion* been able to pause its ( commendable in my view) attacking instinct in light of the situation : so why can they not do so more often ? Especially when they had a genuine chance to inflict a first up defeat on an Australian side with plenty of problems after the first four sessions. Talk about missed opportunity.

* Examples : 1/ Right at the Birth of Bazball , after chasing big targets spectacularly against NZ and India , England were blown away by SA in the first match. So in the second , after dismissing SA for 150 or so , and then losing three cheap wickets ; we saw arch-aggressors Crawley and Bairstow throttling back to survive the last hour of the day under the pressure of the SA pacemen. Neither went on to a big score (partnership a modest 80 or 90) ; but by the time they were out the next morning the ball was softened and the bowlers' teeth drawn...and Stokes and Foakes then cashed in with hundreds...game over.
2/ More recently : India at Lords this year. Tied on first innings , four down for 80 odd second knock : Root and Stokes eke out a vital 70 stand at barely three per over...leading to a target of 190 which they (just) managed to defend.
3/ The one game they won in India : remembered for Pope's extraordinary 196 ; but he wouldn't have been able to do it had not Foakes Rehan and Hartley all dug in to support him at very modest run rates - while the overall rate came down from nearly six to just over four per over...

So they are capable of playing the situation. Question is why the devil can't they do so more often ? And - I suppose - will they apply a bit more judgement in Brisbane ; especially if they get into a decent position ?

[meninblue]

Zak averages 30.96 and he has got to play 60 matches Ollie with batting avg. of 35.44 in 62 matches.

Ben Duckett is doing okay averaging 42.

These low averaging batsman put too much pressure on Joe Root and Harry Brook. The battign woes will be well exposed if one of these two has a long bad patch.

[andy]

Zak averages 30.96 and he has got to play 60 matches Ollie with batting avg. of 35.44 in 62 matches.

Ben Duckett is doing okay averaging 42.

These low averaging batsman put too much pressure on Joe Root and Harry Brook. The battign woes will be well exposed if one of these two has a long bad patch.

Pope looked good in that first innings to be fair was a real shame he got out when he did....how Crawley is still in the side baffles everyone he can't have long left batting like this

[sussexpob]

So they are capable of playing the situation. Question is why the devil can't they do so more often ? And - I suppose - will they apply a bit more judgement in Brisbane ; especially if they get into a decent position ?

The turning point for me was last years Edgbaston test. The stage at which you have 90 odd overs to save a test with a totally academic target, and you lose 3 wickets in the last 30 odd minutes of day 4 trying to hit the ball into orbit..... at that point it became clear; this team will not change, there is no plan B, they rather lose than admit even for the sake of saving a game that their blueprint for success is anything but infallible genius.

In many ways its makes sense. Most of what England have done in the Bazball era dispenses with all established wisdom, its counter-factual. In order to believe and invest in it fully, it requires you to ignore truth, statistics, historical occurrences...... and England have just pushed themselves deeper into the rabbit hole.

We are now at the point where the Captain is mocking the public for thinking practicing is a good idea... we are right, you idiots just don't understand.

[sussexpob]

I mean, I did predict this in the lead up to the series. The castle built on the sand when faced with Ashes defeat will tumble, but I have to confess I thought it would take more than one loss for this to start - not 2 days, and not when you consider England out played Australia for the first innings, which if anything might have attracted some more encouragement.

I can't really fathom it tbh. Michael Vaughan in the space of 2 weeks has gone from gaslighting us that the Bazball era is generationally special, to clashing with the Captain in public and delivering an end of days monologue about how England don't have "brains". And he's the most vocal of a general English media reaction that has outpoured in outrage over what happened.

[sussexpob]

Have to wonder if they won't reconsider and have some batsmen drafted into this Lions pink ball game ? Can't see it would do them any harm ...

The team management find themselves in an awful position on this, because putting any of the first team players into that match will be a frank omission that playing warm up games benefits people.... only 1 week after the Captain of the team insulted everyone who suggested this was the case by telling us that we were "has-beens" who don't understand the modern game.

At this point they either have to admit that they made a big error in not scheduling warm up games, which will only amplify the noise around it to maximum levels..... or choose to dig themselves in on the issue, which will only amplify it if they lose.

Basically, only winning in Brisbane at this point will shut people up.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Looks like Lions v AusXI turned into another training session. But Lions lose, for what it's worth.

[andy]

Unbelievable the frontline batsmen aren't taking part in the 2 day game....shambles!

[backfootpunch]

Unbelievable the frontline batsmen aren't taking part in the 2 day game....shambles!

Youd think the likes of crawley and root would want to play to get more time in the middle

Guess theyd rather play golf

[andy]

It's mind blowing it really is no one to blame but themselves when it all blows up which it will do

[sussexpob]

It's mind blowing it really is no one to blame but themselves when it all blows up which it will do

Its 2025 Andy, times have changed remember.

[Arthur Crabtree]

It's mind blowing it really is no one to blame but themselves when it all blows up which it will do

Fake news.

[andy]

It's mind blowing it really is no one to blame but themselves when it all blows up which it will do

Its 2025 Andy, times have changed remember.

They have yes but a 2 day game when they now have extended time off wouldn't take up much time would it.... especially when they were utterly horrendous

[sussexpob]

They have yes but a 2 day game when they now have extended time off wouldn't take up much time would it.... especially when they were utterly horrendous

Has-been talk mate...

[Durhamfootman]

McC said he didn't want the batters confidence being undermined ahead of the second test. He seemingly did something similar against NZ a couple of years back, according to the cricketer, and England won the pink ball test. Although I'm not sure how much confidence the batters have to be undermined after the first test