3rd Ashes Test

[LeedsExile]

Staggering to lose by an innings from the position they were in during the Malan/Bairstow stand. Time to get rid of Bayliss. I wonder if Mr Silverwood is having second thoughts?

[nat]

... I wonder if Mr Silverwood is having second thoughts?

No chance. The ECB pay too well. This debacle can be fairly and squarely laid at the door of Strauss who has publicly prioritised 1-day/bish bash cricket.

[Oldhasbeen]

Staggering to lose by an innings from the position they were in during the Malan/Bairstow stand. Time to get rid of Bayliss. I wonder if Mr Silverwood is having second thoughts?

More likely he's thinking of applying for the top job when Bayliss goes. Which may be very soon.

Whether another coach will do any better with the same platyers to choose from is a moot point.

[Slogger]

Agree with Nat. The test team has declined since white ball cricket was elevated in status by Strauss.  I'm starting to think that white and red ball are different codes like rugby union and league. Different players and different teams.

[JasonP]

Staggering to lose by an innings from the position they were in during the Malan/Bairstow stand. Time to get rid of Bayliss. I wonder if Mr Silverwood is having second thoughts?

More likely he's thinking of applying for the top job when Bayliss goes. Which may be very soon.

Whether another coach will do any better with the same platyers to choose from is a moot point.

I think that's the thing.  It's all very well blaming Strauss or Bayliss but the fact is in was generally aknowledged before the tour that it was a very weak squad and it's proved to be the case.  The best players were picked but they're mostly either a little past their best or not good enough in these conditions.  We have no decent bowlers of any pace or any spinner who would take wickets over there.  We also have a bunch of average batsmen who are picked after not doing particularly well in county cricket.

[Andy]

JasonP, Bayliss admitted he never watched county cricket, our media stars never watch it, our selectors do (apparently) but I wonder whether Strauss does. When we appointed Duncan Fletcher, he'd had 3 seasons with Glamorgan, so at least he was familiar with most of the players. I'd say someone like Gillespie would be an excellent acquisition as he has been around the county set up over the years. Maybe spoons could provide that missing intelligence. Certainly it's a good time to come in as none of the top players look safe now, so any changes would be less likely to face player opposition...

[Oldhasbeen]

Jason/Andy,

Maybe Spoons can provide some better input on county players, and help develop some of the younger bowlers. Maybe he would warned against Ballance & Crane and we'd have had some viable alternatives to Chef and Mo. But whether we'd have done much better,  I doubt.
The 2 who could have made a difference
were Stokes and Wood.

[Oldhasbeen]

Tocontinue: if Spoons can make a  positive difference to the management / training of fragile bowlers like Wood, and can help bring a cultural change so we're no longer reading about the team's off the field antics, and losing key players as a result, he'll be making a BIG contribution. 

[Pembury47]

Excellent article by George Dobell on Cricket Info implying a decade of errors by the ECB

[nat]

Excellent article by George Dobell on Cricket Info implying a decade of errors by the ECB

We already know that. Shame that there isn't a UK cricket democracy.

[IlfordEagle]

Few players emerged from Perth with any credit, Malan was exceptional & could maybe should be moved to no 3 as he shows a lot of bottle & character, Bairstow also batted well although he got a terrific ball from Hazlewood yesterday, Stoneman & Vince battled hard although Vince still doesn't convince me, Overton has a lot of guts & is a wholehearted trier which I like, Broad, Mooen & Ally were simply dreadful, of the bowlers only Jimmy largely & Overton who bowled with much heart justified their places, trouble is who do you bring in?
As was mentioned a while back Tom & Jamie were lucky to miss this one!

[Oldhasbeen]

Excellent article by George Dobell on Cricket Info implying a decade of errors by the ECB

Just read it. A very thoughtful and illuminating article. I hope Struas & Graves have read it.

[Andy]

Excellent article by George Dobell on Cricket Info implying a decade of errors by the ECB

Just read it. A very thoughtful and illuminating article. I hope Struas & Graves have read it.

Yep. Very good. Although perhaps we should acknowledge that, back in 2007, the IPL and clones were only twinkles rather than the behemoths that swamp the English season (another reason why the standard of county game has been hit) but I would say that the comment out knee jerk reactions is apposite. 

There is a tendency to 'fiddle around' with various changes - scheduling being an obvious area, which needs time to bed in - whilst when changes are introduced the world has moved on.  For instance, are Kolpacs such an issue nowadays when so many non-English players can head off to play non-stop 20/20 tournaments? In this, Simon Harmer seems to be a throw back to another era: a genuine Test player prepared to roll up for 4 day cricket, often on unsympathetic pitches.

This might seem a bit of post-hoc rationalisation - but the need to look ahead and really think through the knock-on effects of 'worthy' changes is important.  As Dobell's criticism of Bayliss bears out there's an undervaluing of the potentials of the county game that has embraced divisional CC, central contracts and youth policies. Maybe Spoons does have this different view - whether he will bend the ears of Strauss and Co...