4th Test (Old Trafford, Manchester) - 23rd to 27th of July

[halba]

Your players look broken physically (literally in the case of Pant, that was a horrendous piece of luck even if it was a poor shot choice), Bumrah and Siraj are not as effective as they have been, and there have been some very questionable selection calls

Bumrah not the same post injury from BGT. Siraj has declined as he progresses thru his career.

 

[honestbharani]

Your players look broken physically (literally in the case of Pant, that was a horrendous piece of luck even if it was a poor shot choice), Bumrah and Siraj are not as effective as they have been, and there have been some very questionable selection calls

I think a lot would have gone better but for me, a couple of non-negotiables is the fitness of our bowlers - Akash breaking down every other game does not look good. Bumrah is a known issue given the action but even that is really down to how badly Rohit used him in his stint as captain. Shami is not on the park either. Umesh, Ishant and Bhuvi have been discarded coz of age which is fine, I guess but when the replacements are this bad, it kinda makes you question why they did not have them around the system a bit longer as they were all basically one format players anyways.

Obviously, the second is the catching. I feel if these two things are addressed, even with our current talent pool and transition period, we would still be among the top teams in the world, definitely top 3 and maybe even higher. So that is where I would start. It is a rebuilding phase but this might be the right time to start identifying players who are fit and can stay on the park and can catch and can contribute in their secondary disciplines a little bit as well and go from there.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

I think a lot would have gone better but for me, a couple of non-negotiables is the fitness of our bowlers - Akash breaking down every other game does not look good. Bumrah is a known issue given the action but even that is really down to how badly Rohit used him in his stint as captain. Shami is not on the park either. Umesh, Ishant and Bhuvi have been discarded coz of age which is fine, I guess but when the replacements are this bad, it kinda makes you question why they did not have them around the system a bit longer as they were all basically one format players anyways.

Obviously, the second is the catching. I feel if these two things are addressed, even with our current talent pool and transition period, we would still be among the top teams in the world, definitely top 3 and maybe even higher. So that is where I would start. It is a rebuilding phase but this might be the right time to start identifying players who are fit and can stay on the park and can catch and can contribute in their secondary disciplines a little bit as well and go from there.

Don’t get us started on this!

 

[Shady Slim]

What about NZ, WI, SL, Pak or India. All counties Warner failed in in top of England. To try and compare Warner to Root, is laughable. Warner is not an Australian great as he is simply a slightly above good opener. I don't think it is hyperbole to suggest there are *at least* 10-15 better Australian bats across history (both Waughs, Punter, Border, Smith, Bradman, Langer, Hayden, Chappell, Clarke, Boon, Taylor, Trumper, MHusser, etc). Whereas to suggest Root isn't a top 10 in history, from any country, is seriously deluded. He is far (far far) better than the hack Kohli; outside of matches vs Bangladesh/ZImbabwe, has an unequivocally better record than flat track bully Tendulkar, etc. He has better longevity/injury record than Kane (who I rate as the best bat this century).

i am not trying to compare warner to root and if you know my posting history (thankfully for you, you don't, and it's not as if it's required reading) you'd know i've been heinously critical of warner for a long time in all conditions that aren't pancake flat

The levels of delusion are frankly reassuring. It won’t matter anyway come the New Year, but I look forwards to the gymnastics at that point.

hey look if he can get it done in australia this time around all power to him and i'll happily let him into the club. but unless and until he does he's just missing that on his resume and i don't see how that's controversial

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Bumrah not the same post injury from BGT. Siraj has declined as he progresses thru his career.

Siraj was good at Edgbaston and Lord’s tbf, Bumrah maybe not at his very best at Headingley and Lord’s, but considering the conditions aren’t friendly for bowlers at all, he was fine, but they both look tired (everyone looks tired, Stokes wasn’t looking tired but then I went and jinxed him and gave him cramp lol)

 

[Shady Slim]

hey look if he can get it done in australia this time around all power to him and i'll happily let him into the club. but unless and until he does he's just missing that on his resume and i don't see how that's controversial

"the pinnacle of cricket for australian and english cricketers is the ashes, and not getting it done in the ashes in hostile territory despite several attempts at so doing is a black mark on a player's record" is not a particularly controversial take i'd have thought, whether applied to an australian or english player

 

[Molehill]

"the pinnacle of cricket for australian and english cricketers is the ashes, and not getting it done in the ashes in hostile territory despite several attempts at so doing is a black mark on a player's record" is not a particularly controversial take i'd have thought, whether applied to an australian or english player

Funny how not getting a ton in Australia taints a career but being a known cheat doesn’t….

 

[Thala_0710]

Funny how not getting a ton in Australia taints a career but being a known cheat doesn’t….

One taints Root's batting career, other taints Smith as a captain and a human.... Different things get tainted

 

[Shady Slim]

Funny how not getting a ton in Australia taints a career but being a known cheat doesn’t….

i'm actually quite outspoken amongst australian posters here that the punishment smith and warner received was deserved and that it's abhorrent that we have let smith captain the national side again so respectfully that line of posting ought be directed towards someone else

 

[SkyBlue]

So the problem with this India team is the two best players?

What nonsense lol

Ridiculous if you think that's what you got out of that post

 

[Uppercut]

"the pinnacle of cricket for australian and english cricketers is the ashes, and not getting it done in the ashes in hostile territory despite several attempts at so doing is a black mark on a player's record" is not a particularly controversial take i'd have thought, whether applied to an australian or english player

It’s like saying Shane Warne isn’t going ‘into the Parthenon’ because he was crap in India. Just a lame ass take.

 

[Shady Slim]

It’s like saying Shane Warne isn’t going ‘into the Parthenon’ because he was crap in India. Just a lame ass take.

but it's not like that at all, it's like saying an australian cricketer who couldn't get it done in ashes series in england isn't going in to the parthenon because he couldn't get it done in the ashes series in england. which is a perfectly cromulent take imho

 

[massey]

Probably hurts shady alot having an Englishman being praised : ))

 

[Shady Slim]

Probably hurts shady alot having an Englishman being praised : ))

yes, which is exactly why i heaped praise on him in my original post:

root's unequivocally an excellent batsman and has been a great and dependable servant of english cricket both home and abroad in every country except for one. he's excelled in poor england teams and england teams that can win.

 

[Daemon]

https://x.com/kp24/status/1949015009184403471?s=46&t=ifWzsC-dv1Qpks23xK0zlw

KP trolling

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

The levels of delusion are frankly reassuring. It won’t matter anyway come the New Year

Isn't that tomorrow?

 

[ImpatientLime]

"the pinnacle of cricket for australian and english cricketers is the ashes, and not getting it done in the ashes in hostile territory despite several attempts at so doing is a black mark on a player's record" is not a particularly controversial take i'd have thought, whether applied to an australian or english player

It's an understandable take but not without fault. So Steve Waugh makes this 'pantheon' for succeeding by playing lots versus Malcolm, Emburey, Defreitas, Caddick, Tufnell etc but Root is disregarded as he didn't make the best of it v Starc, Boland, Cumdog, Haze and Lyon?

 

[honestbharani]

Isn't that tomorrow?

We should wish him

 

[Thala_0710]

yes, which is exactly why i heaped praise on him in my original post:

Guy put Klusener, Harbhajan, Vettori with elite bowlers. At least troll properly

 

[Shady Slim]

It's an understandable take but not without fault. So Steve Waugh makes this 'pantheon' for succeeding by playing lots versus Malcolm, Emburey, Defreitas, Caddick, Tufnell etc but Root is disregarded as he didn't make the best of it v Starc, Boland, Cumdog, Haze and Lyon?

i think this is an entirely fair critique, the bowlers which root has had to face in his career australia haven't been easybeats that's for sure