[Baggievicar]

Errr... that was a bit messy. Eight wickets for a bloke bowling pies.
Can we cancel the Ashes now?

[themaclad]

They were good pies though

[jjamez]

Shocking performance all round. Wrong team selection to begin with. How to solve a problem like moeen? In my opinion its to be ruthless and tell him he isn't good enough because frankly he isn't, not as a batter nor as a bowler. His bessie rash should be dropped too, probably should be the last time he plays in the whites, both are good limited overs players but dont have the mentality for the longer form.

As for Jennings, does good fielding in the sri lanka series warrant selection as an opener despite his poor average? Not for me. Next cab off the rank?

[themaclad]

Think we've run out of cabs and ranks

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Unless we give Stoneman another chance (which he's done nothing to warrant), it's basically between Hameed and Nick Gubbins, isn't it? Hameed did nothing wrong in his brief Test cameo and was unlucky with the injury, but his nosedive in county form ever since doesn't inspire confidence. Gubbins had a poor 2018 playing in Division Two; is he really going to get his mojo back by getting dropped in at the deep end against Oz?

[jjamez]

I think we are quite lucky that the ashes come late on in the summer next year so it gives everyone chance to score runs in the championship. I hope the selectors pick on weight of runs over character like they have been doing, because lets be fair, you can have all the character in the world, but if you haven't got the technique or ability, you're going nowhere.

Its a big summer for the likes of duckett at notts, gubbins and even robson at middlesex and stoneman at surrey. There is no problem with going back to someone already tried, if they are in form

[Lord Snooty]

Lack of preparation? Two miniscule warm up games before the first test. Nobody has played since before Christmas. Do the ECB need to start preparing properly and stop under estimating teams, just because we won in Sri Lanka last time out?

[Maddix]

At least we've got a stand in if the wicket keeper gets injured during a game

Too many 'Jack of all trades, master of none' IMO

Not that I'm a Luddite, but what happened to five batsmen, one batsman/bowler, a wicket keeper and four bowlers We do appear to be stuffing the squad with players who can do a bit of both without being very good at either How many Stokes/Woakes/Currans/Alis/Rashids or Bairstows/Foakes/Buttlers do we actually need in the same team ? Especially when our 'specialist' batsmen invariably leave us 39 for 3

I dread to think how shit we will be when Anderson and Broad finally run out of steam

[themaclad]

Jennings and Rashid out Denly plays

[Whitapers]

Third reply to this post, I was hoping Holder would strike form. Man, did he do just that or what...

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At least we've got a stand in if the wicket keeper gets injured during a game  

Too many 'Jack of all trades, master of none' IMO  

Not that I'm a Luddite, but what happened to five batsmen, one batsman/bowler, a wicket keeper and four bowlers   We do appear to be stuffing the squad with players who can do a bit of both without being very good at either   How many Stokes/Woakes/Currans/Alis/Rashids or Bairstows/Foakes/Buttlers do we actually need in the same team ? Especially when our 'specialist' batsmen invariably leave us 39 for 3  

I dread to think how shit we will be when Anderson and Broad finally run out of steam

That's what has become of English test team post CWC 15. Used to play ODIs like tests (figuratively) and it's the other way around hence all the all rounders in the test side.