Wood definately should play, England have nobody as quick as he is. Another option if Jonny doesn't improve behind the stumps is keep him in as a batsman and give Pope the gloves. Thought Bairstow looked a very average wicketkeeper but maybe he's just rusty.
The only problem with Bazball is that we are always going to leave sides with quality batting line ups enough time to run us down. It's ok scoring 600 / 700 in quick time over 2 innings but then you leave teams like Australia 3 days or more to grind it out and I'm not that confident we can bowl them out twice often enough.
The England team may prefer style over substance, and that's fine while they are competitive, but when they get skittled out cheaply, and it will happen at some point, and probably more than once, then I think the public will begin to turn.
I can imagine Wisden's statement now The 2023 Ashes proved to be one of the most entertaining in history culminating in a 3 -1 victory for the Tourists.
I'm not against the new way England want to play but let's understand the division between daring, entertaining and compelling and reckless.
Are you crazy? Give Pope gloves???? Literally 0% chance
Why ? He's kept before at International level.
Umpires are great characters. We used to have 1 in the Stone League called "5 O'clock Finger". If he rocked up to officiate you always batted first if possible, field 2nd and then appeal for everything after 5pm when the pub had opened, honestly you never lost.
There was another "Molasses Michael" I swear it took a full minute to get any reaction to an appeal. The only man to make Umpire Buckner look rushed.
Pope has. Badly. Fine as a desperation substitute. But no more than that.
There has to be a tipping point where the better batsman supplants the better wicketkeeper. But, for me at least, Bairstow should be opening the batting. And Foakes should be keeping wicket.
Do England realise that they're 1-0 down in the series and we can't afford to go 2-0 down even a draw would be a good result given our history at Lords in The Ashes, as they're giving away their wickets today when nearly getting into a half decent position. There's a time and place for 'Bazball' and this ain't one of them, get back to Test Match basics and quickly.
Tough one for me as I grew up being enthralled by test cricket. Watching the likes of Atherton, Brearley, Ramprakash, and even Tavare grind out runs.
I am now enjoying watching England play test cricket in a totally different way.
It reminds me of a Brighton game I went to this season at Forest.
Brighton were trying to play out from the back in their usual scary way. Forest pressed and caught Brighton out many times that night and deservedly won.
Cue moans from a guy behind me saying that Brighton needed to learn how to lump it, completely missing how Brighton had played all season to get into the top six.
Frustrating as it is at times, I think I am ok with attacking declarations, going after the bowling, and unusual field settings if, what I am watching, is going to be the norm for England Tests under McCullum and Stokes.
I agree. I really don't care if they lose if they carry on playing like this. Accidents are bound to happen when they play so aggressively, but you can't have one without the other. Losing is not the end of the world, playing negatively is. Win well, lose well will do for me.
But it's The Ashes not a run of the mill Test Match and if we go 2-0 down it's a long way back to get anything out of the series. I'd grind this match out, take the draw regroup and go into the next match in a more positive frame of mind instead of going in 2-0 down and under the cosh. Lose a battle to win the war.
Before I could even type my thoughts we're 1 down already, surely it's time for the players to adopt their inner Geoffrey Boycott spirit and protect their wicket at all costs or am I stuck in the past.
Before I could even type my thoughts we're 1 down already, surely it's time for the players to adopt their inner Geoffrey Boycott spirit and protect their wicket at all costs or am I stuck in the past.
Did I say inner Geoffrey Boycott it looks like they're adopting their inner Geoffrey from Rainbow...
It always disappoints me when English fans, and particularly English cricket commentators, make it all about England.
This is an exceptional Australian cricket side. It's not England playing badly-it is Australia playing well.
England play exciting cricket. But, regardless of that, for various reasons this is not a particularly talented English cricket team.
The batting? Root is our 1 World class player. Brook looked great against lesser opposition, but his technique against the short ball is awful. Aside from those 2, only Duckett averages 40 in Test Cricket.
All-rounders/wicket-keepers? Stokes is inspirational. But his knee is shot. He can no longer bowl meaningfully. Bairstow? 33 years old. Not fully fit, but shoehorned back anyway.
Bowling? Anderson is 40. Broad 37. Tongue is raw, Robinson mediocre. Moeen Ali shows we have no spinners. While Wood, Stone, 2 Currans are rarely fit. And Archer looks like he may never play again.
2 years ago we had probably 5 World class players. We now have 1. Root. Age has caught up with Broad and Anderson. Injuries have done for Stokes and Archer.
Whereas Australia have Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith Cummins and Lyon.
It always disappoints me when English fans, and particularly English cricket commentators, make it all about England.
This is an exceptional Australian cricket side. It's not England playing badly-it is Australia playing well.
England play exciting cricket. But, regardless of that, for various reasons this is not a particularly talented English cricket team.
The batting? Root is our 1 World class player. Brook looked great against lesser opposition, but his technique against the short ball is awful. Aside from those 2, only Duckett averages 40 in Test Cricket.
All-rounders/wicket-keepers? Stokes is inspirational. But his knee is shot. He can no longer bowl meaningfully. Bairstow? 33 years old. Not fully fit, but shoehorned back anyway.
Bowling? Anderson is 40. Broad 37. Tongue is raw, Robinson mediocre. Moeen Ali shows we have no spinners. While Wood, Stone, 2 Currans are rarely fit. And Archer looks like he may never play again.
2 years ago we had probably 5 World class players. We now have 1. Root. Age has caught up with Broad and Anderson. Injuries have done for Stokes and Archer.
Whereas Australia have Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith Cummins and Lyon.
Gotta disagree with you there Phil, as I've said earlier there's a time and place for 'Exciting' cricket and this was not one of them being already 1-0 down in the series. They tried it in the first test and got found out by some of their decisions, fair play they tried and lost, to now go in to the second test with the same 'Exciting' attitude smacks of bad management/decisions, it's all fair and well saying 'But we're playing exciting cricket' that won't matter when The Aussies raise that little trophy after 3 matches. It's like saying Arsenal played great football last season but we didn't win fick all, I'd rather play boring if it meant winning but perhaps I'm influenced by 1-0 to the Arsenal. This is not a dig about our rivalries but I'd rather win ugly than lose beautifully.
In Test Match Cricket I want to see Test Match Cricket, If I wanted to see 'Bash & Crash' Cricket then I'd watch 20/20 or 1 day Cricket but when it's a Test Match I want to see Test Match Cricket, Bowlers v Batsmen over 5 days with plenty of sledging it's all part of the arena.
It always disappoints me when English fans, and particularly English cricket commentators, make it all about England.
This is an exceptional Australian cricket side. It's not England playing badly-it is Australia playing well.
England play exciting cricket. But, regardless of that, for various reasons this is not a particularly talented English cricket team.
The batting? Root is our 1 World class player. Brook looked great against lesser opposition, but his technique against the short ball is awful. Aside from those 2, only Duckett averages 40 in Test Cricket.
All-rounders/wicket-keepers? Stokes is inspirational. But his knee is shot. He can no longer bowl meaningfully. Bairstow? 33 years old. Not fully fit, but shoehorned back anyway.
Bowling? Anderson is 40. Broad 37. Tongue is raw, Robinson mediocre. Moeen Ali shows we have no spinners. While Wood, Stone, 2 Currans are rarely fit. And Archer looks like he may never play again.
2 years ago we had probably 5 World class players. We now have 1. Root. Age has caught up with Broad and Anderson. Injuries have done for Stokes and Archer.
Whereas Australia have Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith Cummins and Lyon.
Gotta disagree with you there Phil, as I've said earlier there's a time and place for 'Exciting' cricket and this was not one of them being already 1-0 down in the series. They tried it in the first test and got found out by some of their decisions, fair play they tried and lost, to now go in to the second test with the same 'Exciting' attitude smacks of bad management/decisions, it's all fair and well saying 'But we're playing exciting cricket' that won't matter when The Aussies raise that little trophy after 3 matches. It's like saying Arsenal played great football last season but we didn't win fick all, I'd rather play boring if it meant winning but perhaps I'm influenced by 1-0 to the Arsenal. This is not a dig about our rivalries but I'd rather win ugly than lose beautifully.
Appreciate it's not a dig about our rivalries. But, perhaps in the past Spurs fans have always concentrated on playing entertaining football at least in part to mask the fact we were not quite good enough.
Same applies to this England Cricket team. There is a simple reason why we want to score quickly. Because, with the exception of Root, there is no English Batsman capable of batting all day.
The 1 bright spot is that this Australian team, very good though they are, are all ageing together. In all likelihood, in 3 years time there will be no Khawaja, no Smith, no Warner, as well as no Boland, Hazlewood, Starc or Lyon. Whereas England will not be significantly weaker (unless Root goes) as our ageing cricketers are already no better than likely replacements.
I was listening to TMS earlier in the day and Alastair Cook nailed it about this England team/attitude. I know I keep saying it but The Ashes Test Cricket is totally different to any other Test Matches. I'd rather lose every test match in 2 years if it meant winning The Ashes and I'd think The Aussies would think the same but the difference is that they take it more seriously than us,but as long as we entertain it's o.k. right.
Comments
There has to be a tipping point where the better batsman supplants the better wicketkeeper. But, for me at least, Bairstow should be opening the batting. And Foakes should be keeping wicket.
I am now enjoying watching England play test cricket in a totally different way.
It reminds me of a Brighton game I went to this season at Forest.
Brighton were trying to play out from the back in their usual scary way. Forest pressed and caught Brighton out many times that night and deservedly won.
Cue moans from a guy behind me saying that Brighton needed to learn how to lump it, completely missing how Brighton had played all season to get into the top six.
Frustrating as it is at times, I think I am ok with attacking declarations, going after the bowling, and unusual field settings if, what I am watching, is going to be the norm for England Tests under McCullum and Stokes.
@edrich
I agree. I really don't care if they lose if they carry on playing like this. Accidents are bound to happen when they play so aggressively, but you can't have one without the other. Losing is not the end of the world, playing negatively is. Win well, lose well will do for me.
Hmm, that was a nasty one to Stokes. All down to Bairstow & Brook now, after which comes the long tail.
Oops, Brooks given his wicket away, we are in deep trouble now. And Broady is next, who really struggles with short ball bowling...
This is an exceptional Australian cricket side. It's not England playing badly-it is Australia playing well.
England play exciting cricket. But, regardless of that, for various reasons this is not a particularly talented English cricket team.
The batting? Root is our 1 World class player. Brook looked great against lesser opposition, but his technique against the short ball is awful. Aside from those 2, only Duckett averages 40 in Test Cricket.
All-rounders/wicket-keepers? Stokes is inspirational. But his knee is shot. He can no longer bowl meaningfully. Bairstow? 33 years old. Not fully fit, but shoehorned back anyway.
Bowling? Anderson is 40. Broad 37. Tongue is raw, Robinson mediocre. Moeen Ali shows we have no spinners. While Wood, Stone, 2 Currans are rarely fit. And Archer looks like he may never play again.
2 years ago we had probably 5 World class players. We now have 1. Root. Age has caught up with Broad and Anderson. Injuries have done for Stokes and Archer.
Whereas Australia have Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith Cummins and Lyon.
Same applies to this England Cricket team. There is a simple reason why we want to score quickly. Because, with the exception of Root, there is no English Batsman capable of batting all day.
The 1 bright spot is that this Australian team, very good though they are, are all ageing together. In all likelihood, in 3 years time there will be no Khawaja, no Smith, no Warner, as well as no Boland, Hazlewood, Starc or Lyon. Whereas England will not be significantly weaker (unless Root goes) as our ageing cricketers are already no better than likely replacements.