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

[Ju7]

A better comparison to Root is Ponting. Both have one major hole in their record but still easily greats of the game. ATGs don’t need to be perfect lol otherwise we’d have a grand total of 3

I think you need to have got 100's in every country to be an ATG but you can still qualify as world class if you don't.

 

[SkyBlue]

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?

Root just can't hack it on a breezy afternoon in Melbourne. Just deal with it.

 

[Line and Length]

I think you need to have got 100's in every country to be an ATG but you can still qualify as world class if you don't.

I think we put too much store in centuries. According to @Ju7 's logic, if Root scores 101 in Australia next Ashes he's an ATG. If his best effort is 99 then he only qualifies as world class.

 

[Son Of Coco]

No one believes Warner had the brains to instigate Sandpapergate. That came from higher and clearly involved far more than were penalised for it.

Did it look like it was planned by a genius?

 

[Ali TT]

Root shouldn't even be compared to Punter. While his efforts in Australia have been moderate, averaging 36 is far from terrible and far better than Ponting's 26 in India. Root has faced stronger bowling attacks in Australia than Ponting did in India. Root also averages a lot more in India against sides containing their two greatest spinners as well.

 

[SkyBlue]

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

Nothing lame about it. England considers an Ashes series as their pinnacle and they play Australia more often than any other team. It's only recently that India started playing 5 tests against Aus and England.

In that sense, having nothing to show against your greatest rival in their own backyard is a perfectly fair criticism.

 

[Ali TT]

I think we put too much store in centuries. According to @Ju7 's logic, if Root scores 101 in Australia next Ashes he's an ATG. If his best effort is 99 then he only qualifies as world class.

Yes, even if he scores that 101 in the first innings of the series then records 4 ducks in the consecutive innings victories England achieve in the remaining test matches

 

[ImpatientLime]

Root just can't hack it on a breezy afternoon in Melbourne. Just deal with it.

Fair. He just saves up all his greatness for demolishing your boys.

 

[SkyBlue]

Fair. He just saves up all his greatness for demolishing your boys.

Fair. Against a very inexperienced team nonetheless managed by in all likelihood, the worst red ball coach in history.

Actually, you should be doing much better. You almost choked the Lord's test against this team of mental midgets.

 

[ImpatientLime]

Fair. Against a very inexperienced team nonetheless managed by in all likelihood, the worst red ball coach in history.

Actually, you should be doing much better. You almost choked the Lord's test against this team of mental midgets.

38.5% of ICC revenue
Biggest sponsorship and TV deals in cricket
Biggest T20 money churning tournament
Can put out 3-4 competitive teams (apparently)
Greatest fast bowler of all time™

Losing to cost of living crisis England where more people play badminton, rowing and basketball

 

[Son Of Coco]

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.

You're not alone there.

I think most English fans travelling for The Ashes out here will be trying to sell their New Year's test tickets and will be looking at heading off to the Australian Gymnastics Championships at Homebush instead by the time Jan 2026 rolls around.

At 4-0 down and with Joe Root reprising his previous failed tours here, why would you punish yourself any further?

 

[Molehill]

Did it look like it was planned by a genius?

Depends how long you think they’d been getting away with it for…

 

[silentstriker]

Well India will basically have to bat for a day and a session to be safe. Can they do it? No. But let’s see how much backbone this team has.

 

[the big bambino]

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

Not only that but he named bowlers who debuted in 1985 (Akram) and another who played his last test in 2015 (Harby). So he's comparing bowlers at this point in time with another list roaming over 30 years! Hardly a fair comparison.

 

[Johan]

Root just can't hack it on a breezy afternoon in Melbourne. Just deal with it.

Dravid can't score against good Hit-The-Deck even at Nagpur tbf, doesn't stop people from rating his ass.

 

[SkyBlue]

38.5% of ICC revenue
Biggest sponsorship and TV deals in cricket
Biggest T20 money churning tournament
Can put out 3-4 competitive teams (apparently)
Greatest fast bowler of all time™

Losing to cost of living crisis England where more people play badminton, rowing and basketball

Being the richest doesn't equate to being the best. Look at United. Look at your men's football team that have won jackshit in 60 years and here you are talking about cost of living crisis when bums like Rashford and Sancho get paid 300K a week.

Beating this horribly coached/mismanaged Indian team on Bazball doctored pitches is nothing to be proud of.

 

[Johan]

Beating this horribly coached/mismanaged Indian team on Bazball doctored pitches is nothing to be proud of.

glad to know all of India's wins at home between 2012 and 2024 were nothing to be proud of

 

[Johan]

That kept low, good signs.

 

[RightArmMystery]

Sucks for Dawson but I like the look of that. One before jumped off the surface, followed by one that keeps a little low. Perfect for England

 

[Kirkut]

Siraj tries hard but success doesn't come easy to him.