The England 'Other Sports' thread

My big fear is that we just become to cricket what Italy are in rugby. A nation who should be big enough to challenge and compete at the top level, but have a permanently structurally flawed setup which fails to deliver the talent required to ever do so.

 

I'm afraid today was just pathetic.

Yes, we had a poor day yesterday and that is what has cost us. But this morning once we got the early wickets we should've restricted them to 400 and then we would be at parity once Pope was out 2 down. A chase of 160-200 could be challenging on day 4 under the lights but now I doubt they'll even have to bat again. Once one or two wickets fall it seems to result in a collapse, and from poor shots rather than good balls.

I'm fine with the whole being aggressive approach, but you have to pick and choose the time to do it. From 80-1 to 135-6 is just shambolic

 

How Harry Brook has become a casualty of the growing public disillusion with Bazball https://t.co/iePfWA3Pkm

— Oliver Holt (@OllieHolt22) December 6, 2025

 

The only positive so far from the Ashes is that TNT makes you appreciate how good the commentary team on Sky is. You pretty much take it for granted during the summer.

 

Going back to the mental fragility of this team, it's what makes it even more baffling that the media turn on people like Bellingham for being cocky. Give me a cocky bastard who'll score an overhead kick in the last second of a knockout game when the chips are down over a humble, down-to-earth lad who struggles to perform in hostile conditions any day of the week. Cricket in this country could do with some characters like Bellingham.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/ckgkj4098z5o

Pope and Smith both in an ideal world would be replaced.
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I think Brook should announce he won’t be going to the T20 World Cup to have a rest.Salt could fill in as captain there. Duckett as captain if Stokes quits?

 

It does have at least one in Stokes. Through he has fallen out with similar types over the years.

 

I honestly wouldn’t listen to a word this man says, great player, poor analyst, and can not be lecturing people about pre match preparation.

 

You have some poor football takes, but your Cricket ones are even worse!

Smith is extremely unlikely to get dropped, the bloke average 43+ as a wicket keeper, do you know how many English wicket keepers have that kind of record in history?

 

The likes of Crawley, Duckett, Brook and Stokes are very much Bellingham type characters in there style and temperament, whereas someone like Root is more akin to Kane. If you play a good (and what most people think a better) team away you are going to lose a lot.

 

That might the case but he looks a long way from that form at the moment.

 

Right so you think England's policy should be to drop talented young players with very good Test records when they hit a bit of bad form? Unless you have superstars waiting in the wings to replace them this type of thinking is idiotic.

 

This was more of a garden variety Ashes loss where neither the bowling or batting were of the standard to be competitive, in contrast to the first match where really pure arrogance in the batting approach threw away England's best position to win a match in Australia in the last 15 years.

The batting line up is the best we've had in a long term in terms of talent and averages, I don't think there's really much wrong with the make up (other than Pope not really being a 3), as much as a mentality and tactics issue. They've spent the last couple of years in a one size fits all approach and it seems a crisis of confidence has developed.

The bowling on the other hand just isn't very good to win series against the top nations. The bowling line up is capable of high-high's, if they're fit and firing they can be genuinely fearsome - but those innings are relatively rare, and there's a lot of bad days, alongside a real lack of appreciation for the need for bowlers who can build up pressure. It's all well and good having a line up of strapping fast bowling powerhouses - but the team lacks workhorses who can toil away and be economical, building up pressure and putting less strain on the fast bowlers. As it is if England don't take early wickets then its a very easy attack to get on top of.

 

"Leading into this Test match, I actually think we over prepared to be honest."

- Brendon McCullum talks about England's approach heading into Brisbane and whether it'll change for Adelaide #Ashes pic.twitter.com/YII0f9slli

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 7, 2025

Nothing worse than arrogance that isn’t backed up, this guy epitomises it.

Carries himself with so much swagger for someone who has achieved nothing in his career other than hitting a few big sixes.

 

Delighted for Norris.

 

Ben Stokes has warned his team that the England dressing room is no place for "weak men" and accused them of wilting under the intense mental pressure of Ashes cricket - The Telegraph.

 

Interesting read on the cricket team

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...don-mccullum-ben-stokes-england-cricket-ashes

 

One thing that makes me both laugh but also roll my eyes, is the Aussies moaning about the way our media were promoting the England side in the build up to the series and playing up our chances.

When will people engage their brain, and realise that it’s in the media’s interest to promote big sporting contests and give the illusion that it will be very competitive and compelling, even if that’s not the case in reality, because they want to sell the event.

If there is a big fight, and one boxer is superior talent wise to the other, they are not just going to say “a is miles better than b, so you may as well not bother tuning in”. I also don’t understand why seemingly so many non-English people let the English media govern their emotions and have them foaming at the mouth. If you don’t like what they have to say, just don’t view or listen to them.

 

Mark Wood and Josh Hazlewood both ruled out of the rest of the series.

 

I do agree with your overall premise, but there was some rationale behind the build up - Australia are an old team and their batters have been struggling. Both openers had been poor, and Khawaja's injury may be a blessing for them. Labuschagne and Head had barely had a decent knock between them in a while, and Green had been out for some time.
Their bowling attack has been their rock, but with Cummins and Hazlewood going down, you can see why people might jump on it.

 

You've got to think that's the end of Wood's test career. He's 36 next month and can't string multiple red ball matches together. Better off he focuses on white ball for his last few years.

Matthew Fisher replaces him. He's 28 with a first class average to match. Solid county bowler, but if it's worked for the Aussies maybe fielding him and Potts will help the side.

 

There was absolutely a reason for people to talk up our chances in this series, there are weaknesses in this Aussie team, but he haven't been able to get on top to exploit them. I think the vast majority of people thought it was our best opportunity, and that it would realistically still be tremendously tough.

The first Test was absolutely the chance with our bowlers fresh, but the batters let us down. The Brisbane Test was about as typical an England defeat in Australia as you can get (poor in most departments).