Yep that's a fair enough summary. Scandalous that Onions wasn't taken. He couldn't have performed any worse that the ****e that went out.
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Well there's Swann the Plastic Mag retired half way through a series. Interesting move. A bit sad really, because he was the best English spinner I've ever seen, and there's no-one else near him on the county circuit.
I suppose Monty will get the nod for the fourth test and rightly so - he's a good spinner. However, long term the selectors have to weigh up his ability with the ball compared to his ineptitude in all other areas of the game. You can only play a rabbit these days if the rest of the team are competent batters (they're not) or he's a match winner like McGrath (he isn't).
Bearing that in mind, it's interesting to see Scott Borthwick get a call up to the squad. As a spin bowler it's difficult to assess his qualities - he plays half his games on seam pitches in the North East. I don't think he's got much in his armoury - he's better than part timers like Root but nowhere near MagSwann. But the largest anomaly is that he hasn't been used much as a bowler recently. Last season, he played a very unorthodox role. Durham couldn't afford an overseas player and they had huge issues with the number three position. So the coaches promoted him to number 3 - a total punt, which paid off. He amassed over 1,000 runs in the County Championship.
The lad can certainly bat, but his focus recently has been just that, and not developing his bowling, so it'll be very interesting to see how England perceive his role.Comment
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Oh no, they're playing Borthwick as a bowler. He's not good enough. This is two years too early for the lad. He could be an international top order batsman, but he's a very expensive bowler and hasn't played as one for a while.Comment
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Surely the end for Monty then? They obviously have no faith in him.
dropping root makes no sense if you have an eye on the future.Comment
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England's senior batsmen showing themselves up to be utter kernts -again!!!!!!Comment
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I don't know why you are punishing yourself. Leave it well alone and pretend it never happened.Comment
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Yes I was following this at 12.30 this morning, 25-5, we could have all been out for 50, surprised we made it past the hundred mark really. Another white wash series total and utter waste of space, they make Sunderland FC look good
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The teams I follow could barely be ****ter at the moment. These are dark times.Comment
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Thank God that's over with.
Nice to hear that Captain Cook, when asked by Aggers if it was worth seeking the advice of those outside of the England camp (old pros and veteran observers) to identify problems and possible solutions to the current malaise, said "no". It's exactly this type of sneering superiority and refusal to open the doors that's the issue. I don't mind central contracts, set-ups with defined roles and whatnot, but it's got to be balanced with seeking the best input from every available source, because if those in the set up aren't up to the task then there are no answers when issues arise. The current set-up has had it's turn. It's screwed up. The batting plan sucked, the bowling plan was piss-poor, senior players have mentally collapsed, it's been a monumental knackerfest. The menu dossier is a trifle, but it stands as a symbol for over-confidence and ill focus. The fools must learn, and creating another closed shop isn't the answer.Comment
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Not one of our players scored over 300 runs across all ten innings I see. Says it all really. Never going to win matches with stats like that.Comment
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