bearded_red

They’re not going home, they’re going straight to UAE to play the IPL.

Again you’re wrong. They won in 2007.

They won in 2007 champ.

Bought tickets in September 2019 for the test at Old Trafford last year, had them rolled over to this year, now still not watching it as India’s players have decided that actually they don’t fancy it an IPL is round the corner. Class. The ECB will just do absolutely nothing as it’s India, whereas other countries get treated with utter contempt and we may play them occasionally and they should feel themselves lucky. Broken sport. In fact the ECB will probably ask India to allow their players to play in the Crisps Invitational next season, and see that as agreeable compensation. Still, guess it means I can now see Nige and the lads tomorrow instead..

I can’t be too critical of these players or this team as they’ve competed much better than I thought they would and have been beaten by a vastly superior team. The elephant in the room, and the point that I’m confused some people seem to keep missing, is that this is a crap team. One test quality batsman, no frontline spinner, have only played in one test out of four with a pace bowler in the team, still utterly reliant on a (brilliant) 39 year old who is actually finally beginning to show his age in second innings of games. Without our talismanic superhero of an all rounder the cracks in this team cannot be papered over. This is the first year since 2001 that England will fail to win either home series in a summer. Now fair enough, they’ve played the best two teams in the world, but my issue is that I’d advise people to get used to it. The England test team is in terminal decline thanks to the utter charlatans running the game in this country. As for the Ashes, look at what’s happened in the second half of this game when the pitch has flattened out. We have absolutely no idea how to win on those pitches. If they win a game in Australia I’d be stunned. Developing test match players just isn’t something that concerns the ECB anymore I’m afraid.

They are genuinely horrendous aren’t they.

All good stuff init. *****

Burns captained Surrey to the Championship in 2018.

Eoin Morgan who’s made his disdain for county cricket obvious throughout his entire career? I’ll pass.

I think Root on the field is a poor captain and no doubt his decisions this morning are a big factor in the defeat, but he’s so far away from being the biggest issue. This is a team that is being given absolutely no chance of being successful due to the complete managed decline of first class cricket in this country. The last batsmen to come into the team and prove to be a success at test level was Root himself, he made his debut in 2012! So we can all say who’d we’d drop, and no doubt I’d drop some people, but there is no evidence that the players coming in have any better chance of proving successful. I also have to say that while I’ll reiterate that I think Root on the field is poor, I think he does deserve some real credit for this team never actually completely breaking up (let’s see if this is true in six months). For all the massive issues they have, they have actually remained competitive over the last five years and I think the commendable way Root leads what is a completely dysfunctional team is a large reason for this.

People can criticise the way Kohli goes on all the want, but if anybody employed by the ECB had half his passion for test cricket we might not be such a shambles.

Robinson carries on like an absolute chop, can hardly be surprised he’s getting some back.

He just ‘makes things happen’.. things like the first ever king pair at Lords.

The bloke with the dumbest name I’ve ever seen writing the dumbest paragraph I’ve ever seen.

Bangladesh in 2016, last time at home was against West Indies in 2012, last time at home for a test in a series still alive was 2007.

I for one can’t believe that both Broad and Anderson have been injured after playing a test match with literally no cricket in preparation. The ECB. Bringing cricket into disrepute.

He doesn’t live by ‘the rules’, and if there’s someone who’s influenced him in that way of thinking, someone who is a ‘maverick’, someone who does ‘that’ to the system, then it’s Ian Botham.

.. probably an entertainer third.

Oh look it’s all of the ECB’s chickens coming home to roost. This is exactly what those ******* idiots deserve for their managed of decline of first class cricket in this country. Part of me would love to see us absolutely annihilated by India and Australia over the next six months as it’s exactly what those clowns deserve.

Ten missing players. No overseas. What a win.

It’s a rarity, but I don’t think the ECB should be criticised for this. As someone that has tickets to two of the games, thanks to rollovers from last summer, I would much prefer watching an England B team, that still has some very good players in it, play Pakistan than to have another thing cancelled. Selfishly though of course I’d rather Craig and Lewis were left to play the much more important games for Somerset!

Set his career back by having him in endless bubbles not playing any cricket.. Wait for him to find form.. Get him back in that bubble not playing cricket. Genius as ever from those ******* idiots.