The Ashes

[Josh1873]

I don't think it'd be as petty as 'you didn't play golf with us on the weekend so now you're out of the team' - that seems unlikely. 

However, I could easily envisage a scenario where players don't get selected as they don't fit in with the clique, generally, and don't have the perceived correct attitude of arrogance and a laissez-faire approach to cricket.

I.e 'I don't think I'm gonna go on the piss today, lads, I'm gonna go and work on my batting and iron out my technical flaws'.

Whatever the truth, the set up and atmosphere created by McCullum stinks, and he needs removing from his post. As does Rob Key.

[HawkingsHalfpint]

It’s bad enough that the Bazball regime seems more than a little light on grey matter. That such favouritism might also be a factor truly does explain why we really do suck balls in a lot of games.

[Cheshire East Baggie]

Ladies and gentleman.

3 years in the planning and now we can show you the fruits of these labours ... we announce that Bashir will NOT be playing in the spin friendly 3rd test.

The management and skipper should hang their heads in shame. No one I can recall had the lad down as a frontline spinner. Now, instead of nurturing him and propelling him into the test arena, they have seriously set his career back, maybe permanently. I hope he can resurrect it and go on to be a decent bowler, but mentally this must leave him distraught and discouraged.

Stokes' comments don't really help. "No, it's nothing against Bash, it's just that we really need to win".

[UCEbaggie]

They’ve take. The right decision on Bash three years too late. Made the
Selves look ridiculous in the process.

[Beachboysbaggie]

The management get slaughtered for only picking players from a select few. Then they don’t pick one of them, Bashir, preferring a new addition, Jacks, and they get slaughtered for wrongly preserving with Bashir in the first place. Bashir is the youngest ever English bowler to take 50 wickets. I’d say he’s been worth his place. His form has dipped and he’s coming back from breaking a hand but he’s only 22 he’ll come again. In the meantime Jacks performed well at the Gabba. I see nothing wrong with preferring him over Bashir this week. 
England have performed abysmally so far but the criticism is OTT imo. Stokes/McCullum remain the second most successful partnership running the national side in the past 50 years. And we have such a great recent track record in Aus don’t we? 15 defeats in the last 17 matches

[AnelkasBeard]

The management get slaughtered for only picking players from a select few. Then they don’t pick one of them, Bashir, preferring a new addition, Jacks, and they get slaughtered for wrongly preserving with Bashir in the first place. Bashir is the youngest ever English bowler to take 50 wickets. I’d say he’s been worth his place. His form has dipped and he’s coming back from breaking a hand but he’s only 22 he’ll come again. In the meantime Jacks performed well at the Gabba. I see nothing wrong with preferring him over Bashir this week. 
England have performed abysmally so far but the criticism is OTT imo. Stokes/McCullum remain the second most successful partnership running the national side in the past 50 years. And we have such a great recent track record in Aus don’t we? 15 defeats in the last 17 matches

It's quite impressive to be this wrong in so few sentences.

[Tom Joad 25]

The management get slaughtered for only picking players from a select few. Then they don’t pick one of them, Bashir, preferring a new addition, Jacks, and they get slaughtered for wrongly preserving with Bashir in the first place. Bashir is the youngest ever English bowler to take 50 wickets. I’d say he’s been worth his place. His form has dipped and he’s coming back from breaking a hand but he’s only 22 he’ll come again. In the meantime Jacks performed well at the Gabba. I see nothing wrong with preferring him over Bashir this week. 
England have performed abysmally so far but the criticism is OTT imo. Stokes/McCullum remain the second most successful partnership running the national side in the past 50 years. And we have such a great recent track record in Aus don’t we? 15 defeats in the last 17 matches

I don't think it's OTT to criticise a side that lost a test match in 2 days, nor the 3 day loss. In fact quite the opposite. People are absolutely within their rights to want blood after losing to the weakest Australian side in many years and decimated by injury.

[Beachboysbaggie]

The management get slaughtered for only picking players from a select few. Then they don’t pick one of them, Bashir, preferring a new addition, Jacks, and they get slaughtered for wrongly preserving with Bashir in the first place. Bashir is the youngest ever English bowler to take 50 wickets. I’d say he’s been worth his place. His form has dipped and he’s coming back from breaking a hand but he’s only 22 he’ll come again. In the meantime Jacks performed well at the Gabba. I see nothing wrong with preferring him over Bashir this week. 
England have performed abysmally so far but the criticism is OTT imo. Stokes/McCullum remain the second most successful partnership running the national side in the past 50 years. And we have such a great recent track record in Aus don’t we? 15 defeats in the last 17 matches

I don't think it's OTT to criticise a side that lost a test match in 2 days, nor the 3 day loss. In fact quite the opposite. People are absolutely within their rights to want blood after losing to the weakest Australian side in many years and decimated by injury.

Of course it’s not, criticism is fully justified. But it’s OTT to say they don’t have a clue what they’re doing, that’s patently untrue. They’ve won more than any England team since Brearley. So easy to be negative but they ain’t the first to struggle in Australia. The Aussies have their 2 premier fast bowlers out injured, one for just two matches. We’ve had exactly the same with Archer and Wood for over a year but I don’t recall anyone saying we were decimated

[pindgill]

The management get slaughtered for only picking players from a select few. Then they don’t pick one of them, Bashir, preferring a new addition, Jacks, and they get slaughtered for wrongly preserving with Bashir in the first place. Bashir is the youngest ever English bowler to take 50 wickets. I’d say he’s been worth his place. His form has dipped and he’s coming back from breaking a hand but he’s only 22 he’ll come again. In the meantime Jacks performed well at the Gabba. I see nothing wrong with preferring him over Bashir this week. 
England have performed abysmally so far but the criticism is OTT imo. Stokes/McCullum remain the second most successful partnership running the national side in the past 50 years. And we have such a great recent track record in Aus don’t we? 15 defeats in the last 17 matches

I don't think it's OTT to criticise a side that lost a test match in 2 days, nor the 3 day loss. In fact quite the opposite. People are absolutely within their rights to want blood after losing to the weakest Australian side in many years and decimated by injury.

Of course it’s not, criticism is fully justified. But it’s OTT to say they don’t have a clue what they’re doing, that’s patently untrue. They’ve won more than any England team since Brearley. So easy to be negative but they ain’t the first to struggle in Australia. The Aussies have their 2 premier fast bowlers out injured, one for just two matches. We’ve had exactly the same with Archer and Wood for over a year but I don’t recall anyone saying we were decimated

Criticism fully justified this team flat bed bullies hammer poor test teams at home but could NOT beat Australia or India here they were hammered by India in India last winter & will be hammered in Australia in a tour they have been preparing for since both captain & coach appointed.

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I see Mark Woods has put himself up for the IPL auction!!…
Marvellous.

[rsbaggy2]

The management get slaughtered for only picking players from a select few. Then they don’t pick one of them, Bashir, preferring a new addition, Jacks, and they get slaughtered for wrongly preserving with Bashir in the first place. Bashir is the youngest ever English bowler to take 50 wickets. I’d say he’s been worth his place. His form has dipped and he’s coming back from breaking a hand but he’s only 22 he’ll come again. In the meantime Jacks performed well at the Gabba. I see nothing wrong with preferring him over Bashir this week. 
England have performed abysmally so far but the criticism is OTT imo. Stokes/McCullum remain the second most successful partnership running the national side in the past 50 years. And we have such a great recent track record in Aus don’t we? 15 defeats in the last 17 matches

I don't think it's OTT to criticise a side that lost a test match in 2 days, nor the 3 day loss. In fact quite the opposite. People are absolutely within their rights to want blood after losing to the weakest Australian side in many years and decimated by injury.

Of course it’s not, criticism is fully justified. But it’s OTT to say they don’t have a clue what they’re doing, that’s patently untrue. They’ve won more than any England team since Brearley. So easy to be negative but they ain’t the first to struggle in Australia. The Aussies have their 2 premier fast bowlers out injured, one for just two matches. We’ve had exactly the same with Archer and Wood for over a year but I don’t recall anyone saying we were decimated

Criticism fully justified this team flat bed bullies hammer poor test teams at home but could NOT beat Australia or India here they were hammered by India in India last winter & will be hammered in Australia in a tour they have been preparing for since both captain & coach appointed.

---

I see Mark Woods has put himself up for the IPL auction!!…
Marvellous.

The IPL?
Injured Perpetually League?