Update: Ok, so I feel a bit daft. But as heroic as Collingwood, Swann and Anderson were in particular (well done, Monty) it just highlights the ineptitude of the team performance. Why did Anderson face more balls in in match than Cook or Bopara?
I’m angry at the England cricket team.
I can accept, however disappointing it may be, losing to Australia. I don’t mind England losing if they aren’t good enough. I can understand that some individuals may not do their best. Rarely do all members of a team perform to their potential (it didn’t even happen in 2005. I can understand that in cricket you can have bad sessions or even whole days in which you under-perform and that those days are demoralising – even to professional sportsmen. I understand that batting after being in the field for so long is really difficult – and on a fifth day pitch
I don’t believe that the Australians are this much better than England. I don’t believe that Nathan Hauritz is better than the combined talents of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. I don’t believe that North is better than Pietersen or Siddle a better bowler than Flintoff.
I did believe Kevin Pietersen on Thursday night when he said he was unlucky to be dismissed in the way he was. I did believe Graeme Swann when he suggested on Friday evening that England hasn’t got the swing they expected but could put it right. I did believe James Anderson when he said on Saturday evening that England would need to dig deep.
I do believe that England aren’t very good. That they’re not as good as they think they are. That they’re not as good as the public would like to think they could be.
I’m angry because they didn’t do their best. I’m angry because they didn’t try hard enough
I’m angry because most of the England batsmen gave away their wickets. In the first innings it was a loss of concentration. In the second innings it was a loss of nerve.
I’m most angry about Saturday morning. The poor throw from Pietersen in the field. The poor backing up generally. About Broad criticisng Monty (who usually was trying his best, even if it isn’t good enough). The misfiled from Collingwood ‘the best fielder in the team’. But most of all at James Anderson ‘the second best fielder in the team’ for failing to stand behind the stumps to collect a throw from Cook in the deep which would have earned a lucky runout and transformed the balance of the morning.
Not doing your best in the morning session, of a first Ashes Test is not good enough – regardless of the ticket price. That hard-up people had spent £40+ on a ticket just makes it worse.
We’ve got another four Tests of this. Things can only get better. Surely.
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England looked arrogant from day 1 and I hope that this scare has given them a kick up the arse (though the signs aren’t good – Strauss preferred to smirk than admonish the team after the match).
What I find astonishing is that prior to the First Test England had not played a five day match since May and the longest form of the game played by most England players has been one-day cricket. It’s perhaps not suprising then that their batsmen weren’t mentally prepared for batting at test match level, where concentration is required for hours and the challenge is as much about which balls to leave as to play. Australia warmed up with two tough four day games whilst England had one glorified three day net at Warwickshire.
Why on earth were the team so undercooked?