So did England really had a chance anyway?

[Craig]

After being thumped thus far and all the talk of Ashley Giles, Geriant Jones, Monty Panesar, Chris Read, Steve Harmison and James Anderson, Flintoff's captaincy, Adelaide, and the lack of a proper preparation, really in hindsight even if they got it right do you think they would still have been in the contest with a chance of winning the Ashes, or in your view it doesn't matter what they did they would still have lost?

Thoughts please.

 

[Anil]

england are decidedly the inferior team and would've lost anyway(in fact i disagree with people who say that the series would've been different had it been played in england), had the selections been done better, england might have put up a better fight, they would still have lost the ashes comprehensively...it's not that they are a bad team, the aussies are just that good, simple as that....

 

[Craig]

But in saying that IMO your opposition is only as good as you allow them to be. In that I mean you bat, bowl, field very well, you take your half chances etc.

 

[Anil]

But in saying that IMO your opposition is only as good as you allow them to be. In that I mean you bat, bowl, field very well, you take your half chances etc.

right...in saying that aren't you saying that england didn't bat, bowl, field and catch nearly as well as australia though? that's exactly that makes them inferior....

 

[James90]

It could have happened with a lot of variables so realistically I don't think they could have. Voted no accordingly.

 

[The Baconator]

Bit more optimistic than I usually am when it came to this series. Most of my reasons were more the chance of Australia being crap than us being good though.

 

[steds]

There were a number of things happened before this series to suggest it would be a much harder task this time round. Throw in the location of the series, and it was nigh on impossible I fear.

 

[Prince EWS]

The selection issues weren't a great concern. Panesar should have played ahead of Giles, yes, but we haven't seen anything from Read or Mahmood to suggest they would have been a difference in the earlier tests. In fact, I'd still have Anderson and Jones given the choice.

 

[Matteh]

Craig, you say Regaing in the poll...

But until about a week ago, England were looking to retain the Ashes.

 

[Nate]

Haha, the grammar in this thread is atrocious.

 

[James90]

After being thumped thus far and all the talk of Ashley Giles, Geriant Jones, Monty Panesar, Chris Read, Steve Harmison and James Anderson, Flintoff's captaincy, Adelaide, and the lack of a proper preparation, really in hindsight even if they got it right do you think they would still have been in the contest with a chance of winning the Ashes, or in your view it doesn't matter what they did they would still have lost?

Longest sentence in history?

 

[ripper868]

I feel england did have a relaistic chance, its just they havnt been allowed to by the aussies. they showed they can play cricket in adelaide and had it not been for australia being simply awesome, they had a chance.

oh look...relaistic...the bad grammar continues...

 

[James90]

Longest sentence in history?

Not even close.

 

[Craig]

Craig, you say Regaing in the poll...

But until about a week ago, England were looking to retain the Ashes.

That wouldn't just be me If a mod is online and see can they please fix it?

 

[Craig]

right...in saying that aren't you saying that england didn't bat, bowl, field and catch nearly as well as australia though? that's exactly that makes them inferior....

Well I suppose yes then. But Australia has played well because England allowed them to.

 

[Anil]

Well I suppose yes then. But Australia has played well because England allowed them to.

we seem to be going around in circles on this one.... for me, you don't go up 4-0 unless you are significantly better and not just because your opponents loosened their grip on you....

 

[Slow Love™]

england are decidedly the inferior team and would've lost anyway(in fact i disagree with people who say that the series would've been different had it been played in england), had the selections been done better, england might have put up a better fight, they would still have lost the ashes comprehensively...it's not that they are a bad team, the aussies are just that good, simple as that....

England man for man weren't Australia's equals, that's true. But they weren't necssarily last time either, and they managed to beat us. I do think they'd have fared better at home (though I wouldn't have expected them to win), and some of what affected their performances was their poor preparation (and obviously their away "selection group") for the tour. But mainly, I think the English - and particularly their bowlers - were just substantially below their best. And Australia were a lot closer to theirs.

Anyhow, in answer to the poll question, no.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I've been disappointed not so much for the defeat, which I realistically expected anyway, but for the lack of a real contest. We've been involved in some exciting series over the past couple of years, regardless of results, and this has been a non-starter. Obviously one must give massive respect to Australia for the quality of the cricket they've played and for the way they've turned potentially difficult situations into winning ones (Adelaide is the obvious one, but they could've been in trouble after the first innings at Perth too), but we've really shrank from the challenge.

 

[GIMH]

Obviously I was expecting to walk it, tbh I thought there was an outside chance of us sneaking 6-0 and winning some games without even batting. Nonetheless, having viewed fair chunks of the first three Tests, and bits of this fourth one, it's clear that the Ashes have been lost because Australia are an above average side.

Having said that, I do believe that it needn't have been 4-0; whatever decisions we made incorrectly, the Ashes would still be lost, and had we played a lot better, Aus would still have beaten us, but we could have taken a lot more pride out of this series than we have done.

We have failed to put together three out of four good innings in any Test, but I don't want to take anying away from Australia, because they have been magnificent.

 

[Jono]

Its easy to say no when the scoreline says 4-0 in Australia's favour...

so I'll say no.