Australia v England, 3rd Test, Perth, 13-17 December, 2013

Well, no way in a million years did I expect Aus to be 2-0 up going into this Test. Vorn just predicted 5-0 given how low England are at this moment. I'll take 2-1!!

Hopefully Boof slaps any complacency out of his men for Perth.

So maybe Fork for Elmer??

No change for balance required

A good offie into the Doctor will be successful

plus Fork is a fifth bowler at Test level

maybe...elmer always seems a better bowler in the first dig than the second...lost his ability to get drift and too many 4 balls...if they do rest him I hope that the selectors go for Fork or Upper-Class-Twit and not the bogan

embee wrote:No change for balance required

A good offie into the Doctor will be successful

plus Fork is a fifth bowler at Test level

Fair call.

I think it's time for England to bite the bullet. No knee-jerking. This mediocrity has been tolerated for too long. Kevin Pietersen should be dropped. It's the batting that is letting us down again and again, yet why is it the bowlers who are always getting replaced?

For the last five years, Pietersen has produced one barn-storming innings per series, surrounded by a lot of low scores and poor shots. Now the big innings isn't even coming once a series. It's time to dump him. It shouldn't be the end for him, but I'm still not convinced that A) his knee is 100% (and it probably never will be) and B) he is really 100% determined to succeed anymore. The fire may have gone out.

If he wasn't captain, Cook's spot would also be under severe scrutiny. Swann will struggle to hold on as well. But Monty isn't bowling that well either. Technically, Swann is a useful batsman, but he has shown a distinct lack of fight in this series. I guess he survives because there is no other alternative.

Not sure it is the bowlers that keep getting replaced. Jimmy, Broad and Swann have been pretty much ever present.

Chinn has been good in the field, but has been poor with the ball and has shown no preparedness to get behind the ball, thereby setting a very poor example for others...he should go but won't...monty outbowled him amd showed guts with the bat - he will be sacked in yet another go figure performance from the pom brainstrust...wonder of bernie inverarity is moonlighting as a selection consultant to the poms..

can't believe the criticism of Cook from Trev...have no doubt he will come good...thought kp batted well yesterday, but showed again he is vulnerable to Sids

I wish Lyon wouldn't bowl round the wicket so much.

But, same XI for Perth. Perth is a danger test for us because our batting there has been crap for the last few seasons. It will only take a Sturat special on a favourable to have us in trouble and possibly turn the series.

horace wrote:Chinn has been good in the field, but has been poor with the ball and has shown no preparedness to get behind the ball, thereby setting a very poor example for others...he should go but won't...monty outbowled him amd showed guts with the bat - he will be sacked in yet another go figure performance from the pom brainstrust...wonder of bernie inverarity is moonlighting as a selection consultant to the poms..

can't believe the criticism of Cook from Trev...have no doubt he will come good...thought kp batted well yesterday, but showed again he is vulnerable to Sids

It's like he doesn't rate Sids and therefore doesn't treat him with the respect a guy with nearly 200 Test wickets at 28 deserves.

aye...and sids just bowls a nagging line that kp cannot score freely against

and agree with your concerns about Perth...our batting is brittle...buck fights hard but is ageing and pretty ltd...the gcs is all duck or no dinner...schoolgirl is incapable of playing long innings, except when it does not matter..clarke is in great nick...but then there is the sf and beetle

Henry wrote:I think it's time for England to bite the bullet. No knee-jerking. This mediocrity has been tolerated for too long. Kevin Pietersen should be dropped. It's the batting that is letting us down again and again, yet why is it the bowlers who are always getting replaced?

For the last five years, Pietersen has produced one barn-storming innings per series, surrounded by a lot of low scores and poor shots. Now the big innings isn't even coming once a series. It's time to dump him. It shouldn't be the end for him, but I'm still not convinced that A) his knee is 100% (and it probably never will be) and B) he is really 100% determined to succeed anymore. The fire may have gone out.

If he wasn't captain, Cook's spot would also be under severe scrutiny. Swann will struggle to hold on as well. But Monty isn't bowling that well either. Technically, Swann is a useful batsman, but he has shown a distinct lack of fight in this series. I guess he survives because there is no other alternative.

More jaw-dropping bollocks - so you'd drop one of the few batsmen to show any sort of form thus far?

Back when Ambrose and co were terrorising world cricket, Windies pitches actually weren't that bad - they prob figured why let the other mob's three-classes-below pace 'attack' into the game by providing the help which they needed (but their own bowlers didn't).

A WACA minefield might close the gap between their fast bowlers and ours.

I see.... I see the Ashes going to Australia early on the 4th day. At least it means our brave boys can relax on Christmas day.

Brass Monkey wrote:I see.... I see the Ashes going to Australia early on the 4th day. At least it means our brave boys can relax on Christmas day.

Might as well cancel the Boxing Day Test.

JGK wrote:Perth is a danger test for us because our batting there has been crap for the last few seasons.   It will only take a Sturat special on a favourable to have us in trouble and possibly turn the series.

Agreed. If ever there was a Test for Boof to get a complete top 7 performance out of the batsmen, it's Perth. We are so transparently "Pup fails and we're farked" that it'll only require Sturat to rough him up twice to see us in deep shit.

Twatson owes us big time. At the moment his half-rat-power bowling is keeping him in the side, as is Smith's.

Maybe Clotson will do a Marto....

Aussies on a roll now.
England shot to shreds over 8.25 days of test cricket.
Nothing to suggest an English miracle will occur in Perth.

Concerns are for just about everyone in the team bar Carbs, Dinga, KP, Rootball and now,
after a gallant 60ish, Prior.

The England  bowling is - in a word - dross.

Otherwise the rest have to pull out all the stops (and their fingers outta their arses)
before they take to the Waca.

Or else, just f**k off back to Blighty.

So far, there's only ONE team playing cricket (albeit hardball sh*t) - and to avoid a 5 nil whitewash, England had better shuffle the pack, take on Mad Mitch and hit back with abusive sledging of their own - time to show some f**king mettle rather than just lay down and roll over.

England are being bullied - worse still, being ALLOWED to be bullied - and Australia are relishing it.

Dramatic I acknowledge, but remove Cook from the captaincy and just let him bat. Right now he has 10 additional crosses to bear . . . and frankly, the guy is NOT up to it.

Well, what do you expect from a farm boy hailing from Essex!!

Seriously  . . . no miracle at the WACA and England will go 3 nil down.

I don't think some shitty 50s after the horse had bolted really counts as the concerns being allayed.

Brass Monkey wrote:I don't think some shitty 50s after the horse had bolted really counts as the concerns being allayed.

If you're referring to Prior - well, all I can say is that he has, finally, shown some grit.
Sure, the horse may have bolted . . . but 60+ is a lot better than another failure.

It's all a mediocre load of shite, IMO. Wishy washy. I'd allow this team to lose the Ashes in Perth, then it's time for someone else.

The Poms doom monger better than anyone else.

Paul Keating wrote:The Poms doom monger better than anyone else.

In your face, Australia.

Paul Keating wrote:The Poms doom monger better than anyone else.

Horrie has already changed nationality?

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:The Poms doom monger better than anyone else.

Horrie has already changed nationality?

Skully too . . . ?

Merlin wrote:

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:The Poms doom monger better than anyone else.

Horrie has already changed nationality?

Skully too . . . ?

No comment.