Decisions, decisions

It’s the hope that kills you.  Yesterday morning I’d pressed the cricinfo button score expecting the worst but had to do a wide eyed, smiling double take when I saw England had reached 220-2.  This morning I delayed switching on the radio as ‘not knowing’ would mean my delusions would stay real for a while longer.  When I did tune in the news was no less sickening for being expected.  At least we’d taken it into the fourth day and made them bat again, briefly.  That’s it then, the Ashes are as good as over for another couple of years.  Unless we can win in Adelaide, then it’s game on again…  It’s the hope that kills you.

Decisions, decisions.  Even before hindsight the choices made for England’s bowling attack were just stupid.  Tall, experienced fast bowler with 500+ test wickets left out?  This is the kind of decision that should see people sacked.  Quirky team selections have become a feature of the Silverwood tenure, none of them have worked as far as I can remember.  And why are Bairstow and Overton even there?  If either ends up playing then we really are in the shit.  Looking at the squad almost half could be playing for their test futures.  Now is the time for Burns and Buttler in particular to step up and show us they are match winning test players, up until now they’ve done just enough to keep their places.

You can almost forgive Root for electing to bat, given the grief Nasser gets to this day for his decision in 2002.  It really was a good toss to lose but having won it, given the team selection he was only ever going to bat.  Despite the evidence of the green strip in front of him.  England’s strategy was obviously wrong, decisions made before a ball was bowled or a coin was even tossed.

Most frustrating of all is the lack of preparation.  England have started every recent test series under prepared and have to play catch up.  The management need to stand up for the players and insist on proper preparation, we need to play tough cricket before the start of a test series.  This is fucking obvious and has been so for some time.  If England are to win consistently then they have to give themselves a chance or at least stop handicapping themselves.  Starting at Adelaide on Thursday...