Ashes 2025/6
-
4-1
Pretty accurate reflection of the difference between the teams. -
Congratulations to Australia!
They were much better side with bat, ball and in the field, and at winning the big moments too. Fully deserving of a 4-1 win victory. They seem to have a lock on the urn these days. Starc, Head and Carey were huge and their fantastic performances were the highlights of this series.
England will take a little solace in winning a Test in Australia. Bethell, Carse and Tongue all emerged from a tough series with their reputations enhanced. Joe Root got, not one Test century in Australia, but two.
But the preparations and attitude were never remotely right from England. They only adapted their game to Australian conditions in the final two tests once Australia had retained the Ashes.
Rob Key, England's managing director, needs to carry the responsibility for not preparing his team well enough for the ultimate challenge. He should resign.
-
@KiwiMurph said in Ashes 2025/6:

Being punched and then fined 70k ?
That's a tough night out. Perhaps the bouncer didn't know who he was ?
Ricky Ponting came out of his issues ok though, maybe Brook will do the same......
-
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green. -
In fact, you look at that post, realise half the Australian batting line up struggled, and add in:
Hazlewwod didn't play a game
Cummins played 1, not fully fit.
Lyon was an absolute non-entity.
Smith missed a test and was not the dominant force
Root scored two hundreds in Australia.These are all things that, in early October, should have signified a massive England win (especially given the "best English team" chat) and yet they series was over in a matter of days. This is the type of result that should result in a rethink and a rebuild.
-
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green.Skull is having none of this nonsense……

But seriously, you make a good point. Root and Stokes get in ( on bowling, not batting ), Brook deserves a shout and even Crawley despite a pair first test had his moments. Archer, Tongue and Carse all had fine spells too.
-
that's fake news from Skull, no way he's not picking a spinner.
-
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green.It also shows the difference between the sides was coaching / gameplan rather than individual performances. McCullum has to wear this Ashes loss, it was his attack at all costs gameplan that cost them the first three matches.
Oh, and dropped catches. So many easy catches shelled that would have completed changed the course of every test.
-
@No-Quarter said in Ashes 2025/6:
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

Good effort to get six poms in there despite losing 4-1
on first glance it looks fucking stupid, but...
Head far and away the best bat, and best opener.
Crawley was actually the 2nd best opener.
The best 3 was actually Bethel, as Loosbuschange and especially Pope were average.
Root was the best 4
Brook the best 5.
Carey in to 6
Of the all rounders both Stokes and Green were average with the bat, but Stokes was good with the ball.
Starc walks in
The other 3 best bowlers in terms of output and actual game impact would be Boland, Neser and Tongue. Archer was actually pretty average, and i saw another team that included Carse who took a few wickets but bought most of them.So you could very easily make a case that, based on performance in their spot alone, that the team should be 6-5 in favour of English players. Which is insane given a 4-1 result. It just shows how much the Aussies leaned on Head runs, Carey runs and keeping, and Starc wickets, ably backed up by spells from Boland and Neser.
Because they carried Weatherald, Labuschagne, Khawaja, and Green.It also shows the difference between the sides was coaching / gameplan rather than individual performances. McCullum has to wear this Ashes loss, it was his attack at all costs gameplan that cost them the first three matches.
Oh, and dropped catches. So many easy catches shelled that would have completed changed the course of every test.
When you're as bits and pieces at test level as Will Jacks is you need to be a shit hot fielder. That dropped catch was one of the biggest clangers I've ever seen.
-
I get he's the main guy, and therefore buck stops etc. And Bazball is a fun thing to say. But i would be looking at some other areas before i just chucked Baz in teh bin.
Who is the batting coach? Some of the technique shown on this tour was disgraceful.
Did i read correctly that they don't even have a fielding coach? Considering the shelled chances that is telling.
Some of the bowling plans, especially early on, were absolutely retarded. Bowling short at Boland when he's doing nothing by buying time in Brisbane? The short shit in Perth allowing Head to just hit freely? Some of the pitch maps were telling.While this go fast at all times mantra definitely cost them, my personal opinion is it had less to do with the result than the details and plans that make up a test or a tour. Basics fluffybunnies, they matter!
-
Stokes - times his bowling entry - most heavy lifting is done by others.
-
@Old-Alleynians said in Ashes 2025/6:
Stokes - times his bowling entry - most heavy lifting is done by others.
well, that's their job. Stokes still bowled almost 20% of all their overs, as the 4th seamer, and that's without being fit enough to bowl in the final innings of the tour.
In this last test took the first two wickets of the Aus first innings.
First test ripped the entire middle order out to take 5
Bowled his fair share the rest of the time.
15 wickets at 25, the vast majority of those numbers 1-7.Weird take to get in to him about his bowling efforts on this tour. Batting? absolutely, but he busted his ass with the ball.
-
@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@Old-Alleynians said in Ashes 2025/6:
Stokes - times his bowling entry - most heavy lifting is done by others.
well, that's their job. Stokes still bowled almost 20% of all their overs, as the 4th seamer, and that's without being fit enough to bowl in the final innings of the tour.
In this last test took the first two wickets of the Aus first innings.
First test ripped the entire middle order out to take 5
Bowled his fair share the rest of the time.
15 wickets at 25, the vast majority of those numbers 1-7.Weird take to get in to him about his bowling efforts on this tour. Batting? absolutely, but he busted his ass with the ball.
Stokes looked to have pretty much given up bowling a couple of years back but has definitely picked things up of late.
His numbers in both disciplines don't stack up to the truly great all rounders, ( probably better than Flintoff, not a patch on Beefy, particularly early Beefy ) but he is a big moment player. Bowled well this tour, a real let down with the bat ( although his top order sure didn't help in this department )
Most definitely worth his place in a combined team over Green.
-
From my English mates - Baz etc fired the fielding coach as he sent through too many plans etc. Here is my mate's message below - like me a fan who follows his team so take it as you will -
No fielding coach. No wicket keeping practice. No reserve keeper. No pink ball practice. No alternative opener. Bryson Carse doesn’t open for his county. We’ve lost to their second string bowling attack. He should be resigning.
-
@Old-Alleynians said in Ashes 2025/6:
From my English mates - Baz etc fired the fielding coach as he sent through too many plans etc. Here is my mate's message below - like me a fan who follows his team so take it as you will -
No fielding coach. No wicket keeping practice. No reserve keeper. No pink ball practice. No alternative opener. Bryson Carse doesn’t open for his county. We’ve lost to their second string bowling attack. He should be resigning.
can't argue with it TBH. It's a collective failure, and a bad one at that.
-
At my quick glance Stokes bowled less balls per innings than Archer/Carse (I may be wrong). He was better equipped to open than Potts/Carse/Tongue etc but opted out.
No one denies Stokes' effort but as said I think he left the heavy lifting to others and picked his moments.
-
he's the 4th seamer, and you want him to open?
The guy who is captain and batting 6 should not also be bowling the most overs. If it was going according to plan he would be bowling short spells while his 3 main seamers and the spinner they refused to pick did most of the bowling.
But he was too often called upon to bowl earlier and for longer as the others struggled. The eye test says he also bowled a good heavy ball and looked threatening for a lot of his spells.
-
@Old-Alleynians said in Ashes 2025/6:
No fielding coach. No wicket keeping practice. No reserve keeper. No pink ball practice. No alternative opener. Bryson Carse doesn’t open for his county. We’ve lost to their second string bowling attack. He should be resigning.
The Aussies were there for the taking this series, old and injured.
Thought the Poms had the raw material to get it done (and the do).
But they were a complete shambles.