The Ashes 2013

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Quite a few positives for both sides in the end. Australia finally have a convincing pair of openers, and why the hell they didn't start the series with Harris and Lyon remains utterly baffling. Meanwhile Bell continues his purple patch, and Broad is back to the kind of form he showed in the 2009 Ashes. I still want to see Bairstow and Root dropped, and Compton/Onions brought in though.

Has any Australian number 3 had a lower average in the Ashes than Khawaja?

[MikeH]

We're winning 3-0, Root and Bairstow are young and learning. Root's 178 shows what he can do, and doesn't he need the top level experience to continue to improve?

Bairstow hasn't had a great innings yet this series (neither has Cook or Trott... ), but his 95 vs SA showed great promise good last year.

I mean, I was totally agreeing with people bashing Cook when he was younger but I think he went on to prove us wrong, isn't it a similar thing here?

Plus Onions isn't really fit.

[The Mad Monk]

How fit is Onions?

[Alexander's Horse]

can we ban the Australian team from these forums?

The 1948 team was called the invincibles, this one is the insufferables. Alan Border called them an embarrassment.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

We're winning 3-0, Root and Bairstow are young and learning. Root's 178 shows what he can do, and doesn't he need the top level experience to continue to improve?

Bairstow's technique is very suspect. He'll be great for bashes in ODI and 20/20, but not in Tests. I really can't see him racking up much of an average.

Root is completely different. He's got technique galore, but he's not ready for Tests yet. And certainly not as an opener. And certainly not in the Ashes. Sure, he might limp along fitfully for a couple of years before finding his feet like Cook and Bell did. Then again, he could be another Ravi Bopara. Remember when he was the future of Test cricket?

[MikeH]

Why not in the Ashes? Better than blooding him against a decent side. We can thrash these guys easily whilst carrying a few trainee players.

[MikeH]

Giving young players a chance is definitely a risk. I totally agree that Bairstow is more of a risk than Root, but Root has the second highest average in the series for England, 4th highest average across both teams. Is he really not ready? He's not performing any worse than seasoned veterans like Cook and Trott.

And his part time bowling stats are pretty tasty too.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013/engine/records/averages/batting_bowling_by_team.html?id=7362;team=1;type=series

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013/engine/records/averages/batting_bowling_by_team.html?id=7362;team=2;type=series

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Root got 180 in one innings. His next highest innings was 30. That's the complete antithesis of what you want from an opening batsman. He's not ready.

And I don't agree with using the Ashes as a "It doesn't matter" training exercise, even if the series is won. It's disrespectful to the Ashes, to the crowds and to Australia. We should be fielding our strongest side in every match.

[Alexander's Horse]

I found a copy of Ashes Glory: the Alan Border story at work today, about the 1989 series. I reverently returned it to the bookcase, moist with a tear.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

The 1989 series was a great one. A real leveller for England fans, but Border was just touched by the gods. It was a real education in cricket.

[Alexander's Horse]

Looks like we are going to make the same mistakes England made in that era, chopping and changing the team, no stability.

Steve Waugh came out today and said the selectors need to back the players. He reminded people he didn't have a test win until his 13th test, didn't make a century until his 26th test.

[The Mad Monk]

Root got 180 in one innings. His next highest innings was 30. That's the complete antithesis of what you want from an opening batsman. He's not ready.

And I don't agree with using the Ashes as a "It doesn't matter" training exercise, even if the series is won. It's disrespectful to the Ashes, to the crowds and to Australia. We should be fielding our strongest side in every match.

Does that apply if your strongest side is crushing the opposition every time?

Not just in reference to the Ashes.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

It doesn't matter if it applies to other sports or not. This is the Ashes, and it's special. It's the most important thing in cricket.

[MikeH]

The Ashes as a training exercise was just a bit of 'banter' for the Aussies.

[The Mad Monk]

It's also apparently a rout.