Ashes 2025-26.

[Durhamfootman]

despite having just won a test match by bowling a bit fuller, in the first 6 overs today, only one of the balls that England bowled would have hit the stumps. 1/36. Not all, but a high percentage of the other 35 were going over the top

the 37th was dropped

sums up England in the field, if you ask me

[Arthur Crabtree]

England burn an early review on Neser.

[Arthur Crabtree]

In a series with the bowlers on top, maybe a case Head has been the POTS, rather than Starc. Close to a third ton, which will be as many as everyone else added together.

And he's there. Great effort.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Pozzo should get a good runout for Durham next season.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Everyone's jumping all over Jacks' drop.

Press have had enough.

[GarlicJam]

One thing that England seem to have worked out this series, is to bowl at Carey's leg stump with a leg slip in place.

He WILL get out to it - just how many runs will he score first?

[Durhamfootman]

it's going well, then

[Durhamfootman]

probably better this way, in truth. No-one will be able to try and claim that England were only a little way behind Australia in this series

[meninblue]

Significant lead of 134 for Australia to win the series 4-1. England can still draw it if they bat many sessions in second innings, but that is not their strategy since last few years. Too much to cope and adjust to traditional test match style batting.

[Arthur Crabtree]

England have shown an inability to bat much more than 30 overs during the series. First innings is an outlier.

Wonder if they gave Smith a slow clap for turning up when the series was already over!

Hard to sledge when you're 3-1 down and about to lose by an innings though.

[bigfluffylemon]

Same pattern as the Brisbane test, minus batting under lights.

I expect it to be all over tomorrow.

[sussexpob]

Press have had enough.

The press can't make their minds up. Aggers for instance on Day 1 was saying that Stokes had done nothing wrong as Captain, by the end of Day 3 he was ranting like a madman about why Stokes had Brydon Carse at extra cover in the blazing sun and not on the boundary after bowling loads of overs, and then him pulling up with cramp in his calf chasing a drive that went past him.

He then went onto say Stokes had mysteriously lost his ability to set inventive fields.

I think the conclusion is England's press don't want to be honest with themselves, but it creeps out eventually....

[alfie]

Pretty grim watching for an England supporter today. Not unexpected after the previous evening session ; and once the night watchman had seen off the two best bowlers' opening spells this morning it was only ever going one way...

I'm not a betting man but if I were I'd have put money on a Smith Century. Strangely enough no one else really excelled with the bat - lots of starts but none going on. But they all hung around long enough with the skipper to make sure there was never a rush of wickets - and this latest stand with Webster doing a fine job has really taken the game away from any serious England hopes. Stokes and Tongue bowled pretty well (and weren't savaged the way the other two pace bowlers were) but it needs more than two to exert any control in this sort of situation so the end position sees Australia looking at a lead north of 180 and plenty of time left. Perfect day for them , only Green being generous enough to throw away his wicket - though Head did try once or twice

Jacks was getting a bit of turn so might be a bit there for spinners over the next couple of days. But Australia haven't picked any so will have to rely on England bats to self-destruct against solid line and length bowling. They will probably oblige.

[sussexpob]

Jacks was getting a bit of turn so might be a bit there for spinners over the next couple of days. But Australia haven't picked any ...

Neither did England.

[sussexpob]

Everyone knows my position on the management, but I do ask those people who remain supportive to them.... how do you rationalise things like Will Jacks playing in this test? Again, I made my position on this selection very clear pre-series, and I don't claim to be any great genius with the point - he is a semi-retired first class cricketer who bowls spin at county level rarely as a part-time option, quite how the selectors and team management thought a player of this calibre could play in 4 Ashes away tests in a country that has been a graveyard for finger spin throughout test history, is beyond me.....

Nevertheless, they were convinced they saw something in him and picked him. And then he went 2 tests wicketless, put up 3/232 at Adelaide, and here we are in Sydney and after Australia pass 500 he has sent down 8 overs all innings, with another part-time spinner bowling 15 overs.

Let's see this for what this is. Even the Captain of the side does not believe Will Jacks is a better bowler than Bethell.... so why on God's Green Earth have we picked him? What is the thinkning behind it? ?The answer is there is none. Its just stubbornness. Dropping Jacks and picking Bashir would have been admitting you were wrong, so instead of admitting you are wrong you pick a guy averaging 23 with the bat to make a start at number 8 and only bowl one spell when the opposition have passed your score already.

Once again, these are decisions that somewhat prove this management team have no capacity to learn from their errors. We are wasting a whole spot in the side on someone who has no function in the side, and the captain damn well knows that because he won't hand the frigging ball to the guy. Jacks should have bowled 30 overs today, he didn't come close to that. And once the whole tactical blueprint for a match is settled, you have to run with it. You can't just then flog your paceman to come in and keep grinding themselves down in hot conditions.... that never works.

I guess Bashir isn't playing over Jacks because the team management were sh*t scared he would actually have done something. We are now at the stage where the team is a save face exercise for its leaders