Ashes 2013-14

[tony]

Deadly serious. If I was Cook I'd have told STFU and keep his head down. There's nothing for anyone English to be gloating about down here.

Once again you show your ignorance of the game - and the circumstances

 

[TheFasterBlade]

I think Ryan knows his stuff to some extent, but he fucking loves the taste of Aussie cock, doesn't he. I don't think I could get behind a side with the sort of players who nickname themself 'the big show'

 

[TheFasterBlade]

Ah well, another loss but to get to 200 chasing 213 is no humiliation. Probably felt like a loss for the Aussies who were imagining a 150 run caning after having us 4/50 odd. Great knock from Ravi, 65 off 27

 

[Portly]

I wasn't impressed by the vinyl-clad guys on the trampolines.

When you have seen them do their stuff once, that's enough! 🙂

 

[tony]

I think Ryan knows his stuff to some extent, but he fucking loves the taste of Aussie cock, doesn't he. I don't think I could get behind a side with the sort of players who nickname themself 'the big show'

Ha ha agreed. Rewind back to November and remember the shit talk chutpah coming from the Aussies off the back of a 7 -0 losing record in the previous two series and you realise how stoopid his comments were, that and the fact that Faulkner was giving Stokes gip all through his innings as well as a nice send off.

 

[Mersey86]

Great effort from Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor to comfortably chase down 150 in 20/20 and get the win that means that the ladies at least retained the Ashes. That has been a well-played series and seen some excellent performances.

 

[gkmacca]

Andy Flower leaves post as coach.

Andy Flower has stepped down as England team boss after five years and a horrific tour of Australia.

In an admission that the two coach structure operated by England has failed over the past 14 months, Flower will now clear the way for one man to take charge across all three formats.
The England team director is set to continue with the ECB in a sideways move that will have him working out of Loughborough but he will not be in charge of the senior team's affairs.

Flower is understood to have told new managing director Paul Downton in a meeting at Lord's on Thursday that he was no longer the right man to lead the Test team forward.

The former Zimbabwe wicket-keeper batsman was not pushed by Downton, who was still in the process of conducting his review into the disastrous tour.

Rather Flower came to the conclusion that England are in such dire straits across the board following defeat in both the one day and T20 series' that followed the Ashes, that a single voice is required to lift them out of the doldrums.

Having given up a portion of his job during the tour to India in late 2012, Flower was not in a position to return to the full time role of touring year in year out with all three teams.

Ashley Giles took over the one day and T20 coaching role as Flower stepped aside and will be one of the favourites for the role, but Downton will not simply hand the job to the next cab off the rank.

 

[Portly]

Although Andy Flower has served England well, I think it is probably time for a change.

Flower has a reputation as a bit of a Roundhead who keeps a close eye on everything the players do. It might be time for someone who brings a bit more fun to the team - as Darren Lehmann has done with Australia.

 

[gkmacca]

Yes, it makes sense. The Micky Stewart era put me off cricket for a few years because there was absolutely no room for flair or individuals. Flower certainly brought some much-needed professionalism and attention to detail, and was successful, but as you say it looks as if he's lost sight of the proper aims of the game. There's still such a suspicion of distinctive talent in the England set-up, it's quite exasperating.

 

[Judge Jules]

I wonder if it's really a case of Flower losing sight of the aims of the game though. Without him I doubt England would have got anywhere near as close to realising those aims as they have in the past few years, so maybe it's more a case of people just needing a change from one another.

 

[gkmacca]

Yes. I don't know if his obsession with details, which certainly helped England improve for so long, made him eventually lose sight of the big picture, but as you say there seems a fatigue there. All of this 'KP or me' stuff hasn't helped - you don't start being picky after a shambles like this tour has been.

 

[Fox]

Please not Giles as test boss

 

[Judge Jules]

I know what you mean, but the current England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster came across in a very similar way to Giles and has actually done an excellent job.

 

[tony]

I don't think things have been the same since the Pietersen incident during the South Africans tour. The whole selection committee deserve a kick up the arse for not selecting Onions, the form bowler last season, who knows what a difference he may of made, maybe not enough but its almost inconceivable he would have made less of an impact than Tremlett, Breslin or Rankin.

 

[Judge Jules]

It might have mattered less if they hadn't fecked Finn up good and proper.