Ashes 2025-26.

[Arthur Crabtree]

A bit unrealistic to expect England to turn it around in the last innings, but at least that was something of a contest, even though still a comfortable win for Australia. Well done to them. Especially Mitch2 for a landmark series.

[GarlicJam]

What. A. Plonker.

this encapsulates everything that is bad about bazball. Moments, tempo, not getting carried away - they are all things that don't seem to matter.

[mikesiva]

I wouldn't be surprised if England suddenly become more competitive when there's nothing on the line.

Very, very disappointed this series. The BBC is saying it's the worst tour of modern times. I think it'll take a lot to beat the Mitchaggedon for me, when England were legitimate favourites when they arrived and were absolutely demolished ending so many careers of the best England team in my lifetime.

Is that the 5-0 suffered by the Flintoff led team a decade ago?

[Arthur Crabtree]

No such thing as a good 5-0 obviously. But the Mitchwash was the most humiliating.

Maybe losing 5-0 to WI at home in the 80s was worse. Getting beaten 5-0 at home is another level.

[bigfluffylemon]

I wouldn't be surprised if England suddenly become more competitive when there's nothing on the line.

Very, very disappointed this series. The BBC is saying it's the worst tour of modern times. I think it'll take a lot to beat the Mitchaggedon for me, when England were legitimate favourites when they arrived and were absolutely demolished ending so many careers of the best England team in my lifetime.

Is that the 5-0 suffered by the Flintoff led team a decade ago?

Not Flintoff - the 5-0 hammering in 2013 when Mitchell Johnson (and Ryan Harris) demolished a batting line-up of Cook, Root, Trott, KP, Bell, Stokes, Prior...

[backfootpunch]

What. A. Plonker.

this encapsulates everything that is bad about bazball. Moments, tempo, not getting carried away - they are all things that don't seem to matter.

You know full well every australian on the field had a little thought of hang on how many do they need here, we need to get this guy out. when he hit those 4 boundaries with proper cricket shots. (Even the lofted shot was a low risk straight bat down the ground to a half volley)

Then next ball he plays a t20 slog over midwicket and gets out.

Absolutely brain dead.

No problem if archer or tongue were at the other end. But with jacks at the other end and carse still to come, who is more than caoable of making 30+, its just dumb cricket.

[backfootpunch]

They still have a lot to play for in the last 2 games. 4 or 5 of them likely playing for there careers.

Surely bethell comes in for pope. At the least he needs to be pulled out of the firing line.

At 27 pope is still young enough to spend a couple of seasons in county cricket and improve his game to earn back his spot.

[Durhamfootman]

Then next ball he plays a t20 slog over midwicket and gets out.

Absolutely brain dead.

I presume this is Smith

What did he do? premeditated flamingo reverse ramp helicopter switch hit?

[backfootpunch]

Then next ball he plays a t20 slog over midwicket and gets out.

Absolutely brain dead.

I presume this is Smith

What did he do? premeditated flamingo reverse ramp helicopter switch hit?

He hit four 4s in a row with quality shots. Then tried to mow a length ball over midwicket like we had 20 overs to get the remaining 150 not 70 overs

I just turned the tv off and went to bed

My team for the next game

Duckett
Crawley
Bethell
Root
Brook
Stokes
Smith
Rehan ahmed
Atkinson
Archer/potts (depending on how archer recovers)
Tongue


Rehan is playing big bash i believe and atm looks the only realistic long term replacement for stokes. Id chuck him in to see how his batting looks as much as anything. Has he really improved a lot or is it just how poor div 2 bowling attacks are.

[andy]

The famous line 'its the hope that kills you' Jamie smith and will jack's had it they had worked so hard I can't believe smith literally hit one up in the air like that! I've run out of words to describe what's happened and once dust has settled will probably have more to say but right now this series stings all the build up all the talking and a huge pile of *modded*

[sussexpob]

Let's be real, Australia were always favourites against Stokes' side, but there was genuine optimism that England had the ability to compete

Imagine having a crystal ball 6-8 weeks ago that told you that after 3 tests, the Aussies would:

- Have played 4 different openers. The two specialist openers scored 2 in his only innings, and the other averages 24 for the series.
- Have a number 3 that hadn't scored a 100 in 20 tests
- Steve Smith's impact would be limited to under 100 runs after 3 tests
- The specialist bats at 5 to 7 had averaged 10, 17 and 21 respectively in 7 innings with a best of 42
- The keeper playing had scored only 1 x 100 in 39 tests
- Australia's tail starting at 8 averages only 9 runs per innings in real terms since the last Ashes series with 1 x 50 (13 if you count the huge proportion of not outs), with no other batting of note in the 4 slots at the end
- Lyon, Cummins and Hazlewood would combine for 0 wickets in the first 2 tests.

Would you have classed Australia as favourites?

[sussexpob]

The press before the series told us this was a terrible Australia side, and we are now being told its a brilliant one. I tend to agree that its a poor quality team for Australia, arguably the worst in my lifetime considering the context of key players being unavailable or not fully fit. The key fact everyone missed in these assessments is, this is Australia playing at home - they might be relatively poor, but you still have to be a good side to beat them because they will find a way to elevate.

And that's really it, isn't it. This result really does show how poor England are as a team. A good team would not be 3-0 down given all the huge slices of luck they have been handed. Not against this side. I mean no disrespect to the Aussies. This is why Aussie cricket is always top.... irrespective of how comparatively poor they are, they are always tough to beat. You need a 10/11 level side against a lean period Aussie team to beat them at home. The Aussies are worse now than then, but England are nowhere near the WC unit they were in 10/11.

At the end of the day, what has won them the series?

- A makeshift opener with no previous hundred in 10 odd tests in the role and in dire form, switching to beast mode and winning two tests for his side.
- A tailender in dire batting form for nearly a decade suddenly making key back to back 50s.
- A keeper with a middling career making the best part of 300 runs in 3 innings, which he's never done in 50 odd tests.
- A 36 year old paceman having the best year of his career when his key bowling mates got unfit

This is the difference. People stepping up under pressure when the stakes are highest.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Probably going to rotate either Carse or Archer out anyway with Atkinson coming in. Then have to make another decsion on Bashir/Jacks. Doubt we'll see Potts (or Fisher) at the MCG. Maybe at the SCG.

Cummins may be out the next game. So Neser or Doggatt to return. Remember Abbott? Smith for Inglis. Lyon doesn't seem to be ruled out yet and he's not been replaced.

[Durhamfootman]

Surely bethell comes in for pope.

does he?

matches are getting closer game by game, so I don't think they'll just 'blood all the youngsters'. Pope has made a career out of 'being Bell' waiting until speculation about his future hits fever pitch and then hitting a meaningless double ton when there is nothing on the line.... he might do it again and I'm not remotely convinced by the Bethell hype anyway

For me, there's an old fashioned element of 'you helped get us in this mess, so you help get us out of it

[Arthur Crabtree]

Media seems to be digging in to save Stokes and BMac.