creeeeeeeekeeeeeet

[jimbo]

I’m always reluctant to follow the ‘professional sportsmen being lazy or mentally weak’ narrative. They’ve got where they are through dedication so no reason they’d just stop trying now. The problem I think at the moment is we’ve a collection of batsmen who just aren’t good enough, possibly trying too hard to overcome deficiencies and confusing themselves even more. Butler’s showed his whole career, and as recently as last week he’s got fight and character. Today was an appalling shot but one that just reeked of being confused by the approach he should take. The most worrying thing is how no batsmen have progressed into solid test cricketers for the last 6 years. That suggests something wrong culturally - whether it’s now a bigger step between county and test cricket, poor coaching internationally, or the international program of fixtures and training camps not being conducive to building form.

We’re currently being battered by Australia who have devoted their home domestic summer to white ball cricket and have barely played a test in 2 years, which runs against some of the other common criticisms of the English set up.

I don’t know what the solution is here, and I think the problems are manifold. Hopefully there’s a thorough, thorough review at the end of the series and some serious changes made throughout the game.

[jimbo]

I’m always reluctant to follow the ‘professional sportsmen being lazy or mentally weak’ narrative. They’ve got where they are through dedication so no reason they’d just stop trying now. The problem I think at the moment is we’ve a collection of batsmen who just aren’t good enough, possibly trying too hard to overcome deficiencies and confusing themselves even more. Butler’s showed his whole career, and as recently as last week he’s got fight and character. Today was an appalling shot but one that just reeked of being confused by the approach he should take. The most worrying thing is how no batsmen have progressed into solid test cricketers for the last 6 years. That suggests something wrong culturally - whether it’s now a bigger step between county and test cricket, poor coaching internationally, or the international program of fixtures and training camps not being conducive to building form. We’re picking the elite of county cricket, and there aren’t many more we’ve not tried yet all have had critical shortcomings.

We’re currently being battered by Australia who have devoted their home domestic summer to white ball cricket and have barely played a test in 2 years, which runs against some of the other common criticisms of the English set up.

I don’t know what the solution is here, and I think the problems are manifold. Hopefully there’s a thorough, thorough review at the end of the series and some serious changes made throughout the game.

[Worthy4England]

No doubt mate, it takes dedication, time and skill etc. I think where the mentally weak bit comes in, is around the "bat all day" mentality and get in line to play the shot they're attempting. How many of our batsmen didn't move their feet in this innings? Struggling to see any who got in the right position to play the ball they were facing. The other side of it, is how many overs they actually bat in a test match...sure in 4 overs, Buttler might be mid-20's on a good day, but they've gotta be able to play time in a test match too. Finally, a bloke who has 4 ducks in 10 innings probably isn't a test opener...

Ian Chappel said a couple of corkers...How can England have their best side out with Buttler keeping and when asked about "bowling plans" that Root commented on, his response was "what a load of bollocks!:

[TANGODANCER]

It's a depressing start to the day to find we're getting tonked by the Oz again. I never give up hope, but it's difficult , it's really difficult. Going off the highlights alone, it seems that wafting at balls that should be just left alone is the new suicide tactic from our batsmen. Ah welll, we're not quite dead yet....almost, but not quite.

[BWFC_Insane]

I’m always reluctant to follow the ‘professional sportsmen being lazy or mentally weak’ narrative. They’ve got where they are through dedication so no reason they’d just stop trying now. The problem I think at the moment is we’ve a collection of batsmen who just aren’t good enough, possibly trying too hard to overcome deficiencies and confusing themselves even more. Butler’s showed his whole career, and as recently as last week he’s got fight and character. Today was an appalling shot but one that just reeked of being confused by the approach he should take. The most worrying thing is how no batsmen have progressed into solid test cricketers for the last 6 years. That suggests something wrong culturally - whether it’s now a bigger step between county and test cricket, poor coaching internationally, or the international program of fixtures and training camps not being conducive to building form.

We’re currently being battered by Australia who have devoted their home domestic summer to white ball cricket and have barely played a test in 2 years, which runs against some of the other common criticisms of the English set up.

I don’t know what the solution is here, and I think the problems are manifold. Hopefully there’s a thorough, thorough review at the end of the series and some serious changes made throughout the game.

We’ve players who have the technique. They have the hand eye stuff. What they don’t have is the mentality or desire to be test batsmen. How many go away and really work out a game that can get them scores at this level and how many just keep doing the same things over and over and over with the same result?

Where is the Trott? Might technically not be good but never gives a cheap wicket away. That just takes mental strength and desire. We’ve none of that.

Jimmy couldn’t bowl that well at the start of his career, re-worked his action completely after injury and now is the leading quick test match bowler in history. But it wasn’t like he was born doing it. Or even entered test arenas doing it. He spent time and worked hard to do it.

Lazy is absolutely on the money.

[nicholaldo]

It won't offer much those in this thread don't already know (or have already posted about) but I thought THIS ARTICLE was a good summation of England's batting woes.

[Worthy4England]

It won't offer much those in this thread don't already know (or have already posted about) but I thought THIS ARTICLE was a good summation of England's batting woes.

I think that's echoing what we're saying...folks can give me as many stats as they want about the risk/reward of the reverse sweep (read most of the book Jimbo, great recco, but with some very flawed thinking imo), but if the fundamentals aren't there, yer fcuked.

[Prufrock]

Jimmy deserves that. Bowled beautifully.

[Worthy4England]

Teasing us.

[jimbo]

Good effort to get us back into this. Feels they squeezed a few too many out at the end but hopefully we put up a good fight with the bat and set them a target.

[jimbo]

Jeeeeeez I’m honestly not sure how Anderson has kept running in over the years when our batsmen continually undo all our good work.

[BWFC_Insane]

Jeeeeeez I’m honestly not sure how Anderson has kept running in over the years when our batsmen continually undo all our good work.

I come back to our batsmen are lazy and don’t deserve any excuse.

I’d make them bowl next match. 30 overs each. Good for a laugh and they honestly deserve the humiliation.

[Worthy4England]

Well at least Joe won't be able to point at the bowling being off, unless he seriously believes this is a 150 wicket...

We could get beat by "an innings and", with the oppo having scored less than 300...

[Dujon]

I come back to our batsmen are lazy and don’t deserve any excuse.

I’d make them bowl next match. 30 overs each. Good for a laugh and they honestly deserve the humiliation.

I come back to the insane one (aka the perennial pessimist)

Who, with Australia pretty much struggling, failed to deliver the final blows? Was there another reason other than the bowlers? It was surely as I am alive that it was not batsmen. Note, please, that I think that England has a good array of bowlers. Did they turn suddenly into 'lazy'?

There is plenty of batting and bowling to come; I am looking forward to a cricketing fight.

[nicholaldo]

I get a sense we might be in for a big session or two for England here.

I don't quite know why I think that. Perhaps it's just a belief that our big name players will show a bit of pride.

[nicholaldo]

I get a sense we might be in for a big session or two for England here.

I don't quite know why I think that. Perhaps it's just a belief that our big name players will show a bit of pride.

I knew posting this was a mistake.

[nicholaldo]

Why is Bairstow even thinking about playing that shot to that delivery?

[nicholaldo]

Bairstow now out for just five. In truth, he could've been out two or three times before that.

The gap in quality between Root and the rest of our batsmen is gigantic.

[nicholaldo]

We bowl them out for 267 and they don't even have to bat again to win.

Absolutely inexcusable.

[Prufrock]

Historically, record breakingly abject.