*Official* Fifth Test at The Oval

[Langeveldt]

Somehow black ppl need to start liking cricket again & the Asians (the majority at least) need to want to play for ENG more. The talent pool is really limited in this country.

Why play the un-necessary race card? You might have a point about the talent pool if England didn't have 3x as many people as Australia, and 3x as many FC cricketers..

 

[TT Boy]

Black people and British born people of Bangladeshi origin can love cricket all they want but as long as they grow up in the inner cities, they are not going to play cricket anyhow. So it doesn't matter.

 

[aussie]

Why play the un-necessary race card? You might have a point about the talent pool if England didn't have 3x as many people as Australia, and 3x as many FC cricketers..

Well i didn't say "Eng need to get black ppl playing for them, or else they are doomed". Its fact that English born blacks don't have time with cricket. Look at the county circuit, just Carberry & Tudor are English born, while Jordan & Robbie Joseph are WI recruits.

While the Asians thanks the the politics of the world since 9/11 towards them, they dont want to play for ENG generally. Although you would see them playing club cricket etc. They support their native PAK, IND & WI.

The talent pool is basically Whites & the hope a catching a talented foreigner. Which means the game is not appealing to everyone like football. Thats not good for ENG in the long run.

 

[Uppercut]

I cannot imagine that anyone would answer the question "Is Ramps more likely to win back the Ashes than either Bell or Bopara?" with no......

I think plenty would have more faith in Joyce or Trott to do the business, though. Not only are they yet to fail, they're not English, and a trend I've picked up on in cricket is that non-English players are generally much better than English ones.

 

[aussie]

Black people and British born people of Bangladeshi origin can love cricket all they want but as long as they grow up in the inner cities, they are not going to play cricket anyhow. So it doesn't matter.

No. That clearly wasn't the case in the 80s & 90s. The decline of WI as force is the main reason black birts dont have time with cricket. I am a odd one, given my unsual upbringing & exposure to cricket as youth.

 

[TT Boy]

Don't worry, just keep raiding the former colonies or the former Kingdoms (Ireland).

 

[Uppercut]

Common sense and his previous record against half-decent teams suggested otherwise. I think rather than give him another test England would be wise to realise that his efforts against the WI have now been put in blinding perspective.

Blinding perspective my arse. The West Indian bowling at Lord's when Bopara hit a ton was infinitely better than a lot of the utter filth the Australians have come up with this series.

Bopara's problems are 90% in his head I reckon.

 

[TT Boy]

No. That clearly wasn't the case in the 80s & 90s. The decline of WI as force is the main reason black birts dont have time with cricket. I am a odd one, given my unsual upbringing & exposure to cricket as youth.

I agree with that point. That is particularly pertinent but you could also play cricket in schools during those eras and in East London you had the space to go and play.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Blinding perspective my arse. The West Indian bowling at Lord's when Bopara hit a ton was infinitely better than a lot of the utter filth the Australians have come up with this series.

Bopara's problems are 90% in his head I reckon.

Disagree. He weathered the storm early, but the bowling deteriorated. Whereas Australia have built pressure, and then let the gas go in 15 minute periods. The fact that pretty much all the Australian bowlers get the ball down the other end as quickly at 5pm as they do at noon has had a fair bit to do with that.

 

[Uppercut]

Disagree. He weathered the storm early, but the bowling deteriorated. Whereas Australia have built pressure, and then let the gas go in 15 minute periods. The fact that pretty much all the Australian bowlers get the ball down the other end as quickly at 5pm as they do at noon has had a fair bit to do with that.

That's possibly fair, Edwards kept going all day but the others did ease off a bit. But the conditions were heavily bowler-friendly at Lord's too. He hit 143 out of a team total of 377, and it wasn't like the rest of the team just batted horrendously. Those runs were tougher than any he had the opportunity to score in the Ashes up until Headingley IMO.

Of course, anyone can do it once. It doesn't prove he's good enough to play test cricket. It just suggests to me that he's got stage fright rather than been outclassed.

He should still be dropped. Why he's not scoring any runs isn't particularly relevant, he's not scoring them so shouldn't be in the team. And he'd better hope you and Coco are right and he's just been outclassed, because mental issues are much harder to overcome than technical ones.

 

[alw1971]

Strauss, Cook, Key, Ramprakash, Trott, Collingwood, Prior, Flintoff, Harmison, Onions, Sidebottom

 

[popepouri]

I reckon Ramps will get the call.

 

[alw1971]

Why should age make a difference? If he's good enough give him a shot!

Not as though he's got worse is it?

Prefer him to Bell!

 

[alw1971]

Don't rate Anderson either, he was and always will be at best a change 3rd or 4th seamer unfortunately.

 

[howardj]

I'd counsel everyone against thinking that the 5th Test will be merely be a continuum of the 4th. I don't think either side necessarily has the calibre of player to get on top of the other for a really sustained period such as two Tests in a row. Not saying that Australia won't win, just that there's not a chasm of any sort between the respective abilities of the teams. If England get Flintoff back and drop Bopara, I think there in with at least a 40% chance.

 

[zaremba]

I'd counsel everyone against thinking that the 5th Test will be merely be a continuum of the 4th. I don't think either side necessarily has the calibre of player to get on top of the other for a really sustained period such as two Tests in a row. Not saying that Australia won't win, just that there's not a chasm of any sort between the respective abilities of the teams. If England get Flintoff back and drop Bopara, I think there in with at least a 40% chance.

Interesting and I would tend, hesitantly, to agree.

The 10-day gap between the games should allow the dust to settle, which will assist England. And the pussies came back well at Lord's and then Birmingham after getting a whipping at Cardiff. And finally the return of Flintoff for a last hurrah cannot help but lift them.

So there is a chance. Yes it's less than evens, but it's a chance.

 

[frey]

If recent form and confidence are major factors, England has little chance of success in the final test. They have certainly improved since the last Ashes series loss of 5-0. However, if you look at the series to date, it realistically should have been Australia 2-1 at this stage (the First Test was a moral victory to the Aussies). At the end of the day, it will end up 2-1 in Australia's favour, but it should have been 3-1, and as I stated, that is a real improvement on the previous 5-0 drubbing.

The concern for England and the selectors should not just be the final test, but ensuring that their nation remains as competitive in the next 12- 24 months. Otherwise, it will be back to another 5-0 loss in Australia. Only time will tell.

 

[zaremba]

If recent form and confidence are major factors, England has little chance of success in the final test. They have certainly improved since the last Ashes series loss of 5-0. However, if you look at the series to date, it realistically should have been Australia 2-1 at this stage (the First Test was a moral victory to the Aussies). At the end of the day, it will end up 2-1 in Australia's favour, but it should have been 3-1, and as I stated, that is a real improvement on the previous 5-0 drubbing.

Yep, once that last egg has hatched there'll be 2 chickens for Australia

 

[Burgey]

I think plenty would have more faith in Joyce or Trott to do the business, though. Not only are they yet to fail, they're not English, and a trend I've picked up on in cricket is that non-English players are generally much better than English ones.

Genuine lol at that.

 

[GIMH]

If recent form and confidence are major factors, England has little chance of success in the final test. They have certainly improved since the last Ashes series loss of 5-0. However, if you look at the series to date, it realistically should have been Australia 2-1 at this stage (the First Test was a moral victory to the Aussies). At the end of the day, it will end up 2-1 in Australia's favour, but it should have been 3-1, and as I stated, that is a real improvement on the previous 5-0 drubbing.

The concern for England and the selectors should not just be the final test, but ensuring that their nation remains as competitive in the next 12- 24 months. Otherwise, it will be back to another 5-0 loss in Australia. Only time will tell.

What a bunch of patronising crap