Ashes 2025/6
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Can't argue with any of that.
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It must be tough being an England fan. This was all completely avoidable. I don't even think we are really that good.
Yep our bowling has been accurate but half the wickets have been gifted to us. And they have bowled too short all tour and not played a genuine spinner. And dropping catches! A couple that were just regulation.
There's enough talent there, they just had to not play like complete morons and the series would still be alive.
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Three terrible decisions destroyed England's chances in these Ashes.
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The ECB pulling their players from long-form cricket in mid July and having them play The Hundred, T20 and some 50 overs since then. Guys like Ben Duckett and Harry Brook have forgotten how to bat mid length to long innings.
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Playing no meaningful warm up games in Australia. Who knew playing conditions in Australia were different?
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Sticking with Bazball come what may. It makes sense to play aggressive cricket when you are the better side, but not when your back is against the wall and ruthless winners are coming at you. Some of England's shot selection in these three Tests has been appalling.
Add dropping some absolute stinkers in the field and you have an Ashes drubbing
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I think this brings home that it's not about "strong" and weak players visiting Australia. It's more about smart and dumb approaches.
And in all the quotes I've read out of McCullum, Stokes, Patel, Crawley, and co over the series to date, there's not many brains for England on or off the field.
The full tweet:
It’s an absolute disaster when you look at it.
If you told England after 3 tests…
Hazlewood wouldn’t play the series
Smith would miss the 3rd test
Lyon would miss 1.5 tests.
Cummins misses the first 2 tests.
Root would score his first 100 in Australia.
A debutant for Aus is opening the batting who is averaging 26.
Cam Green averaging 19 with the bat.
You’d be 1 wicket down with a lead of 100 in the 1st test.
And the score is 3-0, they’d be celebrating a regaining of the Ashes.
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When I think about England's preparation, the lack of work (proudly at times) and the lack of adaptation to conditions, it reminds me of a story about Matt Hayden preparing to go to India.
He hadn't had success in India, so he requested the groundsman in Brisbane prepare him a dusty pitch to mirror Indian conditions. He went out on the hottest days and had spinners bowling at him in a real match simulation and he'd bat all day with a break for lunch and a break for tea. Averaged over 100 for the series.
I don't know how you can be Brendan McCullum and look at that and think 'nah'. Because really that's exactly what his players should be doing if they actually want to take this seriously. But that's the truth of Bazball - freeing the arms and playing fast is more fun and it's less work. Who cares if you win or lose?
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The chat coming out of the England camp has been fucking stupid when you compare it to what has been produced on the field.
They're 0-3 down in the series, and they've barely won a session. Lots of tough talk, some weird revisionism as well. Regardless of what happens in Melbourne and Sydney this has been really bad.
Every time England looked to be getting themselves in to a position to apply real pressure to Australia invariably someone would play a stupid shot and get themselves out. I've hit 3 fours in an over? lets try and moon a 4th over cow. The defense of Brooke's reverse sweep has been hilarious, and has early selfish McCullum written all over it "oh that's how he plays". Getting clean bowled trying to reverse sweep a spinner doing absolutely nothing until that point? Hilarious.
The bowling plans were either so flawed they were laughable, or the bowlers didn't stick to the plan. Either way serving up short shit to get carted in every innings was pretty average.
They are just seemingly unwilling to do the tedious boring shit that makes up a lot of successful test cricket. Bat time. Hit the top of off over after aver. A completely ADHD cricket team.
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