creeeeeeeekeeeeeet

[jimbo]

I thought it was hilarious yesterday that Australia had managed to lose 17 wickets in a day playing against themselves yesterday. feck me.

80minutes into the test match and we’re 7 down.

[Bruce Rioja]

Absolute shambles. I had a strong feeling that Roy was going to make a bollocks of his debut.

[TANGODANCER]

Absolute shambles. I had a strong feeling that Roy was going to make a bollocks of his debut.

Wife has a hospital appointment so I wasn't going to look till we came home. Wish I hadn't now...

[TANGODANCER]

Something very "Home Internationals" about this, where beating England is high priority to everybody...except England.

[jimbo]

There is that. It’s irelands big day out, but you’ve also got a batting line up fighting for places for an upcoming Ashes series facing average county bowlers. Murtagh is 37 and bowls in the mid 70s FFS!

The slightest bit of movement and pressure, we just collapse. It’s bloody embarrassing.

[BWFC_Insane]

Well we are the best ODI side in the world and have been for the past few years. And we proved it, this summer spectacularly. We've also been a poor test side for a while. Nothing has changed that fact. But I'd not swap that world cup for anything. I'm a test man but that world cup win was everything.

The Aussies can and likely will have this. I do not see any English top order that can bat well enough to give us much chance.

But frankly the WC for me was everything this year.

[Bruce Rioja]

As a slight aside, when the Dickens did 'well held' and 'good catch' give way to 'What a grab'? A fecking grab?!?!

That's what Pikeys do to females!

Stop it. Stop all of it.

[Enoch]

As a slight aside, when the Dickens did 'well held' and 'good catch' give way to 'What a grab'? A fecking grab?!?!

That's what Pikeys do to females!

Stop it. Stop all of it.

I too have a penchant for swimming upstream.

[nicholaldo]

Well we are the best ODI side in the world and have been for the past few years. And we proved it, this summer spectacularly. We've also been a poor test side for a while. Nothing has changed that fact. But I'd not swap that world cup for anything. I'm a test man but that world cup win was everything.

The Aussies can and likely will have this. I do not see any English top order that can bat well enough to give us much chance.

But frankly the WC for me was everything this year.

Apparently, we didn’t lose all ten wickets in a session once between 1938 to 2016 but it’s happened four times in our last 34 tests.

[BWFC_Insane]

Well we are the best ODI side in the world and have been for the past few years. And we proved it, this summer spectacularly. We've also been a poor test side for a while. Nothing has changed that fact. But I'd not swap that world cup for anything. I'm a test man but that world cup win was everything.

The Aussies can and likely will have this. I do not see any English top order that can bat well enough to give us much chance.

But frankly the WC for me was everything this year.

Apparently, we didn’t lose all ten wickets in a session once between 1938 to 2016 but it’s happened four times in our last 34 tests.

Yep. And I don't buy the notion that we haven't paid enough attention to the test side. We have lost some great test players in the last few years. Our batting especially has weakened and weakened to the point where our test side that beat everyone at the start of this century had 7 batsman with test averages over 40. The current test side has 1. There is only so much you can do to coach that. The simple fact (and its been the case for the past few years) is we don't currently have good enough test batsmen. And that stat highlights it perfectly.

[Worthy4England]

There is that. It’s irelands big day out, but you’ve also got a batting line up fighting for places for an upcoming Ashes series facing average county bowlers. Murtagh is 37 and bowls in the mid 70s FFS!

The slightest bit of movement and pressure, we just collapse. It’s bloody embarrassing.

It might be Ireland's big day out, but they're no Aussie bowling attack - big day out or not. This is embarrassing.

[jimbo]

There is that. It’s irelands big day out, but you’ve also got a batting line up fighting for places for an upcoming Ashes series facing average county bowlers. Murtagh is 37 and bowls in the mid 70s FFS!

The slightest bit of movement and pressure, we just collapse. It’s bloody embarrassing.

It might be Ireland's big day out, but they're no Aussie bowling attack - big day out or not. This is embarrassing.

As I said, their attack is made up of county trundling medium pacers! It’s utterly dreadful.

[Worthy4England]

At 127-2 at tea, Ireland will be thinking they'll only offer us a 1 match Test Series next time around, too! Proper pi$$ poor.

[BWFC_Insane]

At 127-2 at tea, Ireland will be thinking they'll only offer us a 1 match Test Series next time around, too! Proper pi$$ poor.

Agreed. But I'm not sure there is a solution. Our batting is dismal as the stats clearly show. Even Stokes/Buttler only average low mid 30's at test level.

We have one batsman in Root who is a proper test player. Rest are either not good enough or at heart 50 over specialists.

If we had three proper top order batsmen then likes of Stokes/Buttler/Roy/Bairstow would be immense as a middle order. But without them its a massive problem.

[TANGODANCER]

I'm gibbering, but I'll bet my County Mayo dad will be killing himself laughing somewhere.

[TANGODANCER]

At 147-6 (as I go for my tea), at least there's a fight back.

[Enoch]

It's a test, not a pyjama party.

I'll have a look Monday.

[Worthy4England]

It's a test, not a pyjama party.

I'll have a look Monday.

At the rate they're losing wickets, no bugger will still be talking about it on Monday...

[Enoch]

It's a test, not a pyjama party.

I'll have a look Monday.

At the rate they're losing wickets, no bugger will still be talking about it on Monday...

Of course. I'd forgotten folk now have gnat like attention spans.

[Worthy4England]

It's a test, not a pyjama party.

I'll have a look Monday.

At the rate they're losing wickets, no bugger will still be talking about it on Monday...

Of course. I'd forgotten folk now have gnat like attention spans.

Sorry, what were you on about?