Australian Hospitality - Welcome to the 'Gabba Mr Burns

[crewearpley40]

Agree with both sides of the perspective from mike and george. Tame, awful batting, just no ruthlessness and lack of preparation. The arguments, discussions will go on no doubt

[Bealman]

England have had some covid problems, which is a sort of weak defence, I suppose

[crewearpley40]

A weak one. Just do not have the quality of the players except joe root. Anderson and broad had moments. Look at aussie and ask your daughters .... warner, labuschagne, head , smith top batsmen. Starc the spearhead bowler with cummins bowled well and captained well. Plus boland amazing spell

[Platy767]

I walked up to the course this morning for 18 holes and as it was a sloooww round, I decided to have look how the cricket was going on the 11th tee.

All finished! I thought we may have been in trouble having to bat the 4th innings, but, apparently not.

[Bealman]

I got a video from my daughter today showing her 4 month old daughter in front of the TV while the cricket was on, blowing raspberries. My daughter said here's your granddaughter summing up England's performance! 

[Newportnobby]

England have had some covid problems, which is a sort of weak defence, I suppose

There is no defence, George. England were (again) pathetic, summed up admirably by.......

I got a video from my daughter today showing her 4 month old daughter in front of the TV while the cricket was on, blowing raspberries. My daughter said here's your granddaughter summing up England's performance! 

I despair for 'the long game' and, in fact, feel sorry for cricket fans who paid money to see a competition where none existed. Out and out Aussie fans will be delighted the Ashes have been retained but it wasn't cricket really but a slaughter. Expect the Aussies to be really gunning for a whitewash now.

[Nbodger]

England will never have good first class international test players until the ECB provide the environment to develop test match talent. Far to much emphasis by the ECB on developing the short format of the game.

If the changes intimated above were put into practice today, then we are looking at ten years to develop test quality players, in other words the next generation coming through.

I said on Christmas Day to our youngest son"If we bat first in this test it will be all over in two days", unfortunately I wasn't too far off the mark.

Mike H (a dedicated cricket fan)

[port perran]

I largely agree with Mike @Nbodger .
The ECB need to look at a long term plan (maybe 10-15 years).
They need to take a long, hard look at what they want to achieve.
As part of that, the County game needs, in my opinion, a complete revamp.
It seems to me that over the last 20years the county game has become a total mess with 20 and 50 over competitions and the new "hundred" all muddled in amongst the traditional 4 day games.
So we have players involved  in all 4 competitions in the course of only a very few weeks. No wonder they have difficulty in adapting to the very different challenges of various forms of the game.

[Nbodger]

Martin @port perran

If I was to formulate a plan for the county game, the first thing I would do is scrap "the hundred", many professional cricketers don't see the point of it other than it was a laugh to play in it. The money would have been better spent on the T20 Blast.

The county four day game needs playing all through the season, not just at the beginning and end of season, so that it can be played in all conditions, possibly even a few day/night games. County games to be played mid week.

As England play in both the T20 and 50 over world cups, these formats still need to be retained, but should be played on the weekends, to get the crowds in. In T20 have three teams playing a round robin at 5he same ground as they do for the finals day.

But the most important thing is the four day game through the full season.

Mike H

[crewearpley40]

Structure wise is important. The test team need to be playing on the 18 county circuit. I would have the t20 for that team and 1 x 50 over cup for those players solely in that format. And its a pity that tte structure of the 90s and before those old enough to remember County championship, nat west trophy, bh trophy, before that the sunday league, gilette cup

[port perran]

Martin @port perran

If I was to formulate a plan for the county game, the first thing I would do is scrap "the hundred", many professional cricketers don't see the point of it other than it was a laugh to play in it. The money would have been better spent on the T20 Blast.

The county four day game needs playing all through the season, not just at the beginning and end of season, so that it can be played in all conditions, possibly even a few day/night games. County games to be played mid week.

As England play in both the T20 and 50 over world cups, these formats still need to be retained, but should be played on the weekends, to get the crowds in. In T20 have three teams playing a round robin at 5he same ground as they do for the finals day.

But the most important thing is the four day game through the full season.

Mike H

I agree completely.
I fail to see what the hundred brings to cricket in Britain. It is an attempt to dnvourage youngsters to watch but I'm sure that enhancing the T20 would work equally well.
County Championship Cricket needs continuity. In its current format cricket fans lose interest.
Change certainly needs to happen.

[Calnefoxile]

The nature of Cricket changed with the IPL!!

Long gone are the days of Boycott and Tavare batting for 3 days for 100 runs (ok an exageration, but you know what I mean) I used to get bored watching them play when I was a kid, but as I got older and started playing the game I realised just how skilful they were, just standing there waiting for some one to chuck a very hard ball at you at 80 mph+ (90+ if you include the West Indians) and knowing which ball to leave and which one to defend or swat away for runs.

Cricket has got a bad reputation as a 'boring' sport with the long version of the game, a lot of newcomers bought up on the IPL and 20-20 don't understand or enjoy the mastery of eeking our runs, they just want to see the crash & smash of belting the ball out of the ground every ball bowled. Just look at the viewing figures for the World Cup in 2019 going down to the Super Over.

The 100 was a success in bringing people to watch cricket, but will it spurn them to then follow England into Test Matches?? If they throw the bat like they do now, trying to score 300 runs on the first day, then yes they will but it's not for those of us who love the game in it's purest form.

The County Championship will die a death, I'm afraid, in preference for the T20, 50-over and the 100, so where will we get our Test side from?? Where will the long game specialists come from?? Test Matches will go down to 4 days, + 1 for a bad weather day.

Just my tuppnce on the death of a game I loved and played for 20 odd years, until my knees gave in..

Cheers

Neal.

[Nbodger]

The 100 was a success in bringing people to watch cricket, but will it spurn them to then follow England into Test Matches?? If they throw the bat like they do now, trying to score 300 runs on the first day, then yes they will but it's not for those of us who love the game in it's purest form.

Neil @Calnefoxile

There was a big change in attendance at Junior cricket coaching sessions at local clubs during and after the 2005 Ashes series which was live on Terrestrial TV. Cricket needs to be on Terrestrial TV.

The 100 as you say was to encourage new supporters to cricket, but has it worked, many free tickets were given out by the ECB which clouds the attendance issues. They changed the terminology of the game, no longer for example overs, this could lead to confusion for new attendees of other cricket games and start questioning what's going on.

On the many occasions I have been to watch Yorkshire play at Scarborough it is quite amazing how many families attend all formats of the game. The difference at Scarborough is you are allowed on the outfield during the official breaks which leads to hundreds of games of cricket going on, it's absolutely brilliant, when I took the kids we always took a bat and ball. Great atmosphere easy to get players autographs etc unlike Headingley

[Platy767]

Ouch. England, needing 271 runs in their 2nd innings, had 60 odd runs without loss, and then get bowled out for 124.

The pink ball on the Hobart pitched really ruled, and with the exception of a ton by Travis Head in the 1st innings, the bowlers had the best of it in the 5th and final test.

A really good, fighting, exciting draw for England in the 4th test was great, even in a dead rubber.

Thanks to the English team for, actually, some really exciting, entertaining and sometimes very close cricket across the 5 tests.

Anyway, it's bye bye from Blundstone Arena, Mr Burns.

[Newportnobby]

Can you do a Novax Djokovic and quarantine them...................................for a long time.
Not sure we want them back