I agree that Prior needs a rest. He had a terrible summer and the winter is looking the same. Let Bairstow keep wicket I say.

On the stress front I feel for Trott and do think the ECB need to look at Englands scheduling. I moan if I am away on business more than a few days but 5-6 months year on year is just getting silly. Also, unbelievably I am a little tired of Ashes cricket, it is a tough series and if played every 3 years it is excellent. However we have played so many times that I struggle to remember playing anyone else.

Moving to Sky and Annual ashes events is not a long term recipe for the good of the game, which is what the ECB should be protecting rather than grabbing short term cash.

[/rant]

I think it is noteworthy that England have lost 3 top players to stress-related illness in recent years. I seem to remember there was a South African who may have had similar problems, but other than that I can't think of anyone from other countries. Do England have a more punishing schedule? Are we putting our players under more pressure (through the media), is there something in the England set-up that recognises the issue and allows players to be open about it rather than carry on until they are ruined or are we just a bunch of big girls' blouses?

It doesn't look like a coincidence to me that two of the victims are opening test batsmen.

I wonder whether it will ever be possibly to achieve the intensity required to be a repeat winner in international cricket and yet be able to be relaxed enough to enjoy the game - if you are that kind of person.

I hope that in a bizarre way, this galvanises the team and brings them closer together. Undoubtedly they are a group of very fine cricketers, with the talent to match the Aussies. You don't become bad players overnight, though as Trott proves, you can become incapable of giving your best.

Prior is an interesting case; if he is suffering in the same way as Trott, the pressure on him now to be "strong" will have doubled. If we are to believe the psychologists, Prior is one of the 3 players that thrives positively on conflict (according to Broad, he and Pietersen are the other 2), but that may not tally with the relentless pressure put on you by yourself.
Prior has doubtless been on a bad run with the bat, but his keeping has been ok. In a way, it would have been better if he'd missed the Brisbane débacle and Bairstow could have had a chance, although of course he would have been dropped like a hot brick now! I don't think England will want to lose any other of their old guard, so my feeling is they won't drop Prior.

I may well eat my words, but I'm looking to England to come back hard from this defeat; Mitchell Johnson has found his mojo (in truth England have just been very lucky he's been so inconsistent against us in the past - ask other nations how good he is), but England know they are now in a battle. I got the feeling that once the Gabba test was beyond the tourists, they just wanted to get it over with without expending too much energy and draw a line under it.

As long as the series contains good, hard, close cricket, I'll be happy. If England win, I'll be delighted. Isn't that how the Ashes should be?

Yes, but aren't we having just too much Ashes cricket at the moment? It is arguably the most intense series and rivalry in English sport, especially when each games is played over 5 days. The closest Football gets is the World cup and that is 2 months away every 4 years, even then it is in Europe quite frequently.

I completely agree, bockers, that the Ashes should be every 2 years at most. As far as I know, this year is very unusual in that the scheduling of the World Cup has led to 2 series "back-to-back". If this were to become the norm, I'd be joining you in being horrified.

Opponent-fatigue happens in a normal summer with tests, ODIs and T20, when you seem to have been playing West Indies or South Africa or India forever, so this has just been magnified to a saturation point.

The only thing saving this series from being overly dull is that it might be close.

Looks like Bresnan may be back in time for the second test. Cometh the hour...?

Could do with a bit of unglamorous grit in the side and it seems his bowling is not bad for someone with a fractured lower back!

Would you drop Prior, play Bairstow and Brezza or keep Prior?

I'm not sure about moving Bell up to 3 either, although I wouldn't shift KP if possible; he has enough trouble at the moment without forcing him to play where he doesn't want to. So that leaves Root as the opener again...

I may eat my words, but I'm definitely looking forward to the second test - this is where England have to show why they are considered a good side. Perhaps Trott's inability to play to his best has been affecting the team, possibly subconsciously realising they were shielding a wounded comrade.

I'll be interested to see how well Johnson plays throughout the rest of the series; if one or two of the England batsmen (I'm looking at you, KP) climbs into him a bit, I think his confidence is quite brittle and it could see him revert to inconsistent type; he may do that anyway, regardless.

I also think the sledging "controversy" is rubbish; Warner said some things off the field that pros regard as out of order and he apologised for that - nothing to do with Trott going home. Everything on-field is (as Stuart Broad, recipient of the worst abuse, says) part and parcel of Ashes cricket. I don't think Jimmy Anderson would have gone crying to the umpires about Clark's "broken arm" comment. I imagine he will just be trying to dish it out next time with the ball and with words.

Come on England, make a series of it!

Seconds out, round two!

Massively hoping for a much-Improved England display. Even Wednesday managed a win this week...

Michael Clarke is feeling bold - he's not only picked the same winning team but England's team as well!

Interesting to read players' views on sledging this week, also the borderline which is understood (in theory) and not to be crossed. We'll see....

The first test was payback time for the infamous Bodyline series all those years ago - come on Poms, show us your mettle!*

*originally a request given to stone-grinders who picked up metal shards in the backs of their hands during years of cutting grooves in mill-stones - if you were experienced it showed upon inspection.

By the way.

Well, I've woken up to better news, but it's not too bad. For a placid pitch, getting them 5 down for under 300 on the first day is not a disaster.

Eurgh...

Sleepless...

Hopeless...

Anyone want a ticket for day 2 of the 5th Test in Sydney??

Full circle

Mouth, open, big, why.....

After last night's antics it's difficult to choose which was more uncomfortable to listen to, England's batting debacle itself or Geoffrey Boycott's characteristically uncompromising summary.

A big dilemma for captains and coaches -

1. "go out there and express yourself/be bold and confident" or

2. "use your brain/play according to the conditions/follow your technique"


Bell should have batted no. 3 but that wouldn't make up for the abject display against this one-man hurricane Johnson whose extra 4/5 mph is enough to make the difference between seeing the ball or being battered with it.

After the inevitable capitulation against the Aussies in the next two days England could really do with recovery time.

Ah but it's back-to-back tests...

worried that this could be a whitewash for the Aussies!

I best start severing my ties with our friends from Queensland to avoid the inevitable abuse!

In my mind I had come up with what I thought would the score when I woke up. I thought I was being pessimistic, but I was still 100 runs too generous to England.
Just goes to show, England have been very lucky with Mitchell Johnson!

You have to conjecture at times - is there some fixing going on? Alasdair Cook doesn't normally do this sort of thing.

Lost for words over these two performances.

For me the main man, love him or hate him, is Boycott. He's the one that would get the mindset right, or as he's clearly not going to be engaged as part of team England, someone's needing to borrow his doggedness, cussedness, whatever you call it and drill it into the batsmen.

Our bowlers - Anderson's ability to swing in English conditions isn't effective, Swann is looking ineffective and being out bowled by Monty Panesar who's a second-in-line.

New green shoots are going to have to ripen, in Joe Root there is potential after his showing the 2nd innings, a steeliness absent in most of the others.

And another thing, let's get a few of our mods over there to replace the umpires who don't do the decent thing and put a halt to the peppering of tailenders like Monty with bouncers.
I didn't see it but apparently he took a barrage of hits, on body and head.

Team for Perth...?

Cook
Carberry
Root
Pieterson
Bell
Stokes
Prior
Bresnan
Broad
Anderson
Finn

I can't see any alternatives to the batting order, and Stokes showed enough with bat and ball to keep him in. Tempted with Bairstow/Ballance to keep wicket as with this team the keeper won't be standing up much! Finn needs to play to rough the Aussies up at bit alongside Broad; he's the only one with any real pace. I don't see us needing a spinner at the WACA, and Root/Pieterson can provide a little fiddle if required. Swann seems shot, and Monty will be a liability in the field. I'm worried that without Trott and Swann the slip fielders look a bit light, but Root and Bresnan are both capable catchers alongside Cook and Anderson is brilliant everywhere.

Comments??

Undoubtedly changes have to be made, but it is a shame they have been ignominiously forced on England after such shocking displays. Swann just looks incapable of penetrating the Australians' mental defences, which was for so long where he prospered so I'd be inclined to let him sit this out. As you say, Tim, no point in a spinner in Perth really anyway.
Prior may just have recovered a little bit of form, you'd always want Brezza in for a fight like this and if Finn can lose Mr Nice Guy, it might at least give the Aussies something to chew on.
I really just hope that England make a game of it. It is time to shake things up and maybe it will be the making of some players (Root, I'm especially looking at you!)

Here we go again. Added spice that both captains start their 100th test tomorrow.

I absolutely don't believe that England will play as badly in this game. I don't believe they will win it in spectacular style, either, but if they do manage not to lose or to sneak a win, it will make for a much more interesting final 2 tests.

I want to see evidence of some pride and fight.

Just wanted to capture that before the calamity occurs

I just can't see us pulling up our socks. One of the reasons is i do not see Cook as a man to drive us out of the ditch. I hope i am wrong (I often am) but he is so bland in interviews i can't see him crushing a grape even.

I often disagree with Boycs but in his latest diatribe about the players in the team being too confident of their places bore some truth. Small things like not playing Onions last summer when it was a no brainer, sticking with Prior when his form is terrible.... and more.

I hoep we win this game, if we don't then some senior heads need to role and we give the rest of the touring party a chance to show their metal.

It's tough - in team selection you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. I agree that playing Onions last summer seemed like an absolutely obvious choice, but in other circumstances, sticking with a player in a bad run of form can revive them faster.

I don't agree about Cook; I think he can lack imagination in his captaincy, but that will mostly be because he (and Flowers) will have a plan that they will want to stick to. Generally, it has been a successful recipe. However, inside, I think Cook is as steely and determined as any of the side. He may seem very bland, but I think he can still be inspirational.

England's collective head has been scrambled - principally by an outstanding burst of form from Mitchell Johnson - and it needs strong, calm leadership (preferably from the front) and for the rest of the team, both experienced and youngsters, to show grit and fight when batting and fire and discipline in their bowling.

Oh dear, toss lost again, two toiling days in the field beckoning

Swanny still in, Monty out, probably because of his fielding, Brezzer in, ok.

Boycs is now not happy that Finn isn't considered, because he knocks the stumps over. Omg, we have to listen to an already-grumpy Boycott over the period..

I was led to believe changes were going to made?

Well, that's only the second morning of this series when I haven't groaned on checking the score. Although of course, England threw away what looked a promising position then.
The Australians look hell-bent on taking on everything England throw at them and for once this series it hasn't quite worked so far...
A couple more wickets today and England will be happier, but at least they seem to be a bit more confident. Mind you, they haven't got bats in their hands...

Oh dear, Australia off the hook again. We just don't have a bowler who can rough them up. Bresnan was steady, but although Swann picked up a couple of wickets Clarke and Warner gave them to him and he never looked like either getting anyone out or exerting any control.

At 143-5 after the first five batsmen had got themselves out we needed an X-factor bowler to press home the advantage. Finn at 6 foot plenty and 90mph would have had a chance..... I wouldn't buy a ticket for day 5!

Trouble is, Finn is not exploiting his evident ability. You'd have been taking a massive risk playing him at the WACA with this fast outfield.

True though, England don't have a scary bowler to rival Johnson.

Rather like England in recent series, the Australian middle order has stepped up to bail out the top. Hard to see England winning from here, but stranger things have happened.

I can't understand the Root dismissal.

DRS is all very well but not at the expense of common sense.

The guidelines are that there needs to be clear evidence for the umpire's decision to be overturned.

Well if there is no hotspot mark or snicko indication apart from a wobble that might show someone has coughed, to me that's sufficient evidence the original decision was wrong.

Oh dear, the KP/Siddle combination has reared again, only the 10th time

I am waiting for a final burst from Johnson. It's like waiting for a dam to burst......