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[Kaz092]

Great speech Kaz.. Problem is no-one stayed at the crease at all and it certainly wasn't a high run rate... a day and a half to chase 146?... no pressure at all... Poor cricket I'd say.. Yes Pakistan bowled well but as Nasser said the pitch wasn't a mine field. Problem with Test cricket these days is everyone wants to go out and play 20/20 style... 20/20 has ruined test cricket. Sometimes you just need to hang around and push ones and two's to win a game... Every game can't be played in the same style.

A forward defensive shot would have saved Broad from being clean bowled. Sometimes the best form of attack is defense.

Ever heard of waiting for the bad balls

Lol I have mate but the honest truth is the Pak bowlers really didn't bowl many and when the scoreboard isnt moving it creates pressure hence the batsman has to do something different to create scoring opportunities hence that's when mistakes happen and people loose their wickets

Agree that a game can be won with ones and twos no doubt but that wasn't happening, it did in the first innings with cook and trott annd look at the difference it made to Englands total the fact remains that everyone said Broad changed the match and were raving about what a great all rounder he is all of a sudden didnt hear much from Harmison Willis Botham of Nasser after that second innings though ??

If KP smashed a quick 30/40 they would be raving about what a great player he is

Cricket is a team sport you WIN as a team and you LOOSE as a team

England haven't become a bad team overnight, being number one creates pressure because everyone wants to beat you and that creates mental pressure which can makes or breaks players !!!!!

[Number4]

Lol I have mate but the honest truth is the Pak bowlers really didn't bowl many and when the scoreboard isnt moving it creates pressure hence the batsman has to do something different to create scoring opportunities hence that's when mistakes happen and people loose their wickets

Agree that a game can be won with ones and twos no doubt but that wasn't happening, it did in the first innings with cook and trott annd look at the difference it made to Englands total the fact remains that everyone said Broad changed the match and were raving about what a great all rounder he is all of a sudden didnt hear much from Harmison Willis Botham of Nasser after that second innings though ??

If KP smashed a quick 30/40 they would be raving about what a great player he is

Cricket is a team sport you WIN as a team and you LOOSE as a team

England haven't become a bad team overnight, being number one creates pressure because everyone wants to beat you and that creates mental pressure which can makes or breaks players !!!!!

Well if Pakistan weren't bowling any bad balls then ones and twos were the only way England were going to win the game wasn't it.

I don't think anyone has accused England of becoming a bad team... They are an excellent team... They just played bad cricket. I seriously think going out and trying to smash the balls to the boundary wasn't the way to go. Staying at the crease was the way to go which as I pointed out previously the English batsmen just didn't do.

Bell - 3 balls
Pietersen - 8 balls
Morgan - 2 balls
Trott - 11 balls
Broad - 2 balls
Swann - 4 ball

[Sykesy51]

Correct Number4....however I do love the irony of your quote at the bottom of your post...

[Number4]

Correct Number4....however I do love the irony of your quote at the bottom of your post...

Thats my motto lol

[Buzz]

interesting suggestion in the paper today, Gower thought swann should have gone out as a pinch hitter... I think he is right. in a chase like that getting to 70 or 80 quickly can kill the game.

[Johnny]

I think it's frustrating that the England management seem to be so inflexible with the team. Agree that a pinch hitter could have taken the game away from Pakistan very quickly, but England seem to lack the imagination to do such a thing.

Monty only got a game because Tremlett was injured, again because the management lack imagination.

Ultimately though, it probably wouldn't have affected the outcome. Bell or Pieterson should have the ability to take that kind of initiative.

[golders]

The England management team have helped us get to number 1, though I doubt we will stay there for too long! The players have to take the blame, went into their shells and didn't back themselves. Ajmal was in their heads before the series started, and a poor first test match just made things worse, escalating into yesterday's shocker...

[Number4]

I have to say one bad series and you guys are quick to give up on your team. They got to number one for a reason - They are a good team. I wouldn't be looking at chopping heads, I'd be keeping this team as long as possible

[golders]

I have to say one bad series and you guys are quick to give up on your team. They got to number one for a reason - They are a good team. I wouldn't be looking at chopping heads, I'd be keeping this team as long as possible

We won't be giving up, will just be quick to criticise, like every other nation (though we like to do it more than most)

[A-Swing-And-A-Miss]

Well if Pakistan weren't bowling any bad balls then ones and twos were the only way England were going to win the game wasn't it.

I don't think anyone has accused England of becoming a bad team... They are an excellent team... They just played bad cricket. I seriously think going out and trying to smash the balls to the boundary wasn't the way to go. Staying at the crease was the way to go which as I pointed out previously the English batsmen just didn't do.

Bell - 3 balls
Pietersen - 8 balls
Morgan - 2 balls
Trott - 11 balls
Broad - 2 balls
Swann - 4 ball

Think it is slightly harsh to include Trott on that list. He performed very well in the 2nd innings of the 1st test and the 1st innings of this test. Trott wasn't feeling particularly well(Thats why he batted so far down) on the day and it would be very difficult for him to make an innings when not feeling well and wickets falling all around him..

Our problem is we have too much of a bandwagon middle order. If Trott and Cook score big runs then usually Bell, Pietersen and Morgan will follow suit(Thats why they have abnormally high averages when most of the time they get low scores..), however, if the top order doesn't score many runs then the middle order also seems to collapse which is very annoying. Personally I don't think Pietersen and Morgan are right for Test cricket, we need Trott style batsmen who can hold the line and make an innings when everybody else is falling around them.

[pacman75cricket]

Gutsy batsman like collingwood @ 6 ?(Similar to role Steve Waugh did for the Ausies)

[alba caerulea]

Our problem is we have too much of a bandwagon middle order. If Trott and Cook score big runs then usually Bell, Pietersen and Morgan will follow suit(Thats why they have abnormally high averages when most of the time they get low scores..), however, if the top order doesn't score many runs then the middle order also seems to collapse which is very annoying. Personally I don't think Pietersen and Morgan are right for Test cricket, we need Trott style batsmen who can hold the line and make an innings when everybody else is falling around them.

Pietersen does average around 50 so I don't think you can say he is not right for Test cricket. I simply believe that his confidence is low and for a player such as KP this is a big loss.  Morgan on the other hand averages low 30s I believe and the ways he has got out in the last year makes me think he is far from ready for tight test cricket. Oh what we would do for Collingwood now! Gritty, stubborn and also had the courage to back himself and would've no doubt have looked to hit these spinners over the top a couple of times to release some pressure and remove some close fielders. Add a few overs of handy medium pace and the best fielding i've ever seen in an England shirt and you have a pretty good cricketer. Sometimes you don't realise what you've got till its gone!

[Vic Nicholas]

Are you for real? You are a bigger troll than JonPinson and Lekka put together!

Troll?

No.

Australia played Pakistan in those same neutral venues as England has, and Australia won 3-0.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/64002.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/64001.html

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/64003.html

[Vic Nicholas]

Australia were clueless to Afridi and Ajmal but they came back quickly and read there art.

So they did a good comeback but didn't lose the series.

Australia beat Pakistan 3-0 in the series held in the Middle East. See above.

[Buzz]

the 2003 Aussie team is a very different quality to the current Aussie team or to this English team.
a poor comparison really.