Loss matches that you can’t get over or don’t have fond memories!!

[Howe_zat]

I was too bewildered by that loss in 2012 to get mad about it. That was a very good England side.

I'm sad that it ended Eoin Morgan's test career when we've had far less capable batsmen than him in the side since. Maybe he wouldn't have been such a brilliant limited overs player if he'd been in the test side too, but it feels like a lot of missed potential.

 

[wpdavid]

I was too bewildered by that loss in 2012 to get mad about it. That was a very good England side.

I'm sad that it ended Eoin Morgan's test career when we've had far less capable batsmen than him in the side since. Maybe he wouldn't have been such a brilliant limited overs player if he'd been in the test side too, but it feels like a lot of missed potential.

I suppose your first point is why is pissed me off. It was a very good England side, but the batsmen just didn't show up. It felt like classic case of switching off as soon as they'd reached the top; an even more extreme case than the decline after the 2005 series. I must admit that I'd completely forgotten that Morgan played in that series. Sounds like he was scapegoated somewhat; he certainly wasn't the only one to have a miserable series, but obviously he didn't have the track record to fall back on. Maybe if he had established himself in the side he would have replaced Cook as captain and we'd have had a few more years of Root batting without being burdened with the job.

 

[trundler]

That and the 2016 draw were oh so sweet. Ajmal was unstoppable back then

 

[Bijed]

I wouldn't say Morgan was scapegoated really. I know no-one made runs on that tour and he did actually outscore KP and Bell, but he averaged 14 whereas Cook, Strauss and Trott at least managed to average mid-20s (not trying to give them much credit for their performances, but there's a difference between a fairly rubbish series and a totally shite one). He'd spent the India series previous to that one mostly being quite unconvincing too (which his one big score being quite a lucky knock) so I really don't think he was hard done by at all to be dropped at that point.

Feel like I'm ragging on him a bit here which wasn't really my intention and he was young enough at the time that there was every chance for him to come back a better player, so yeah, it's a shame that never happened.

 

[wpdavid]

I wouldn't say Morgan was scapegoated really. I know no-one made runs on that tour and he did actually outscore KP and Bell, but he averaged 14 whereas Cook, Strauss and Trott at least managed to average mid-20s (not trying to give them much credit for their performances, but there's a difference between a fairly rubbish series and a totally shite one). He'd spent the India series previous to that one mostly being quite unconvincing too (which his one big score being quite a lucky knock) so I really don't think he was hard done by at all to be dropped at that point.

Feel like I'm ragging on him a bit here which wasn't really my intention and he was young enough at the time that there was every chance for him to come back a better player, so yeah, it's a shame that never happened.

Fair enough. I was just pondering without bothering to check the facts tbh.

 

[vcs]

Other nightmares from an English pov:

Christchurch in 1984. We'd dominated much of the previous test until NZ batted really well to save it. Bowled first at Christchurch in obviously helpful conditions but decided to bounce NZ out instead of pitching it somewhere near the batsmen's end. NZ finished about 150 over par at 300odd and twice bowled us out for about 100. The Kiwi view was there was something odd about the English attitude. No kidding mate.

The whole of the 1989 ashes. Do I really need to go into detail? Aus were on the up, but 0-4 was a joke. Our selectors thought that picking 29 players in the series was the way to build a side. And yes I know that we lost a few when the SA 'rebel' tour was announced mid-series, but the tone had been set by then.

India in 1992-93. Keith Fletcher was in charge and opined that Kumble posed no threat at all after watching him struggle in South Africa. Because no spinner has ever struggled there, of course. Then he compounded that by picking a mostly seam attack in the first test when the hosts thought that three spinners might be the better bet. Still, what did the locals know, eh? For a while we even made Vinod Kambli look a class act in this series. India won all three tests by a mile of course.

That '92-'93 series was the first Test series I properly followed, with the time-zone being good and all the matches being telecast live. England were pretty awful, but I enjoyed it thoroughly as a 10 year old. Azhar's ton at Eden Gardens was dazzling.

 

[SteveNZ]

Do series losses count? MCG 1987, Dick French invokes the "no lbws against the home team in the last 1/2 hour of day 5" rule.

Yeah, the non lbw at the MCG in 87 is a definite 'wouldn't get over'.

This year's Test series in Aus will be hard to get over, in terms of lack of respect from that side of the ditch. And the fact our guys will continue to carry the mental burden.

The 2001 series in Australia hurts too. Should have won in Brisbane (yes I know Steve Waugh gift wrapped it but our chase was on track) and Perth, we likely would have won if Ian Robinson wasn't an incompetent boob of an umpire.

 

[Moss]

Yeah, the non lbw at the MCG in 87 is a definite 'wouldn't get over'.

This year's Test series in Aus will be hard to get over, in terms of lack of respect from that side of the ditch. And the fact our guys will continue to carry the mental burden.

The 2001 series in Australia hurts too. Should have won in Brisbane (yes I know Steve Waugh gift wrapped it but our chase was on track) and Perth, we likely would have won if Ian Robinson wasn't an incompetent boob of an umpire.

Adelaide 2015 for mine. NZ have Australia on the mat 8 down and some 100 runs behind in the first innings, with Starc ruled out (bowling-wise) for the rest of the game. Then Nigel Llong rules Lyon not out in that review and after that NZ proceed to fritter it away. McCullum bizarrely (over)bowls Mark Craig who proceeds to get tonked by everyone including Starc on one leg. Talk about tossing away a hard-earned advantage.

The 2015 WC final too, while NZ were clearly second best on the day I don't believe that team with the sort of cricket they'd been playing all season should have lost by 7 wickets (and with Brad Haddin having to rub it in). Would've liked them to end on a better note even if it were still a loss.

 

[Arachnodouche]

That '92-'93 series was the first Test series I properly followed, with the time-zone being good and all the matches being telecast live. England were pretty awful, but I enjoyed it thoroughly as a 10 year old. Azhar's ton at Eden Gardens was dazzling.

Star (or was it still Prime back then?) had a great video promo package for this tour full of exotic India cliches: snake charmers, tea stalls, demure Rajasthani women behind veils, non-descript Indian fusion music. Henry Blofeld's wet dream basically.

 

[Moss]

From an Indian perspective, Chepauk 1999 vs Pakistan has been mentioned already. Happened to see some highlights of it on YT yesterday and man, Steve Dunne ruling Ganguly out in the 4th innings when the ball could quite possibly have bounced not once but twice was just crap. And how predictable of the lower order to give it away after Tendulkar had brought them that close. I'd also probably want to forget pretty much all of the England-India and Australia-India clean sweeps in 2011-12 - how things went downhill after competing so well in South Africa just before the World Cup in 2011. In terms of collateral damage each of the big guns was either done, on their way out, or never the same player again - Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Harbhajan, Zaheer - along with lesser regulars like Raina, Yuvraj and Sreesanth.

Anyone here old enough to have lived through that Sharjah final in 1986 and its aftermath, when Miandad hit Chetan Sharma for six off the last ball to win it? Though I started following cricket a good 5-6 years after that, the legacy of it was well and truly alive. Scarred a generation of Indian fans and had the opposite effect across the border. Helped breed quite a bit of hatred among the fans too apparently.

 

[Moss]

Star (or was it still Prime back then?) had a great video promo package for this tour full of exotic India cliches: snake charmers, tea stalls, demure Rajasthani women behind veils, non-descript Indian fusion music. Henry Blofeld's wet dream basically.

It was Prime then, and yes Blofeld couldn't stop talking about earrings right through that series.

Hilarious account of the series from Rob Smyth:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/b...lanes-englands-nightmarish-1993-tour-of-india

 

[Kirkut]

2011 Trent Bridge test.

 

[Kirkut]

It was the greatest world cup of all time. At least from a skills on display perspective. I don't think you'll ever see a better ODI side.

2003 side was more gun. Probably the greatest ODI team of all time.

 

[Kirkut]

I would have thought that Pakistani and Indian fans would have been appalled at their 2007 WC exits.

Not really, don't know about Pakistan but we didn't deserve to progress ahead. Sri Lanka had lot more vitality and energy to win the tournament than any Asian side.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Oh yes. Our recent overseas hammerings in India and Australia would be regarded as a low point by other countries, but they barely registered. What was your take on the 0-3 to Pakistan that I mentioned in the previous post? tbh I can't believe it was eight years ago. How did THAT happen?

Think we showed very little batting-wise in the whole series. We were in winning positions in the second and third tests and the batters threw them away with performances that, as an observer, looked to lack a plan, any serious application and, frankly, testicular fortitude.

That series was pretty much peak Ajmal too and he's a player whose MO I never really warmed to, to be polite.

I might have a browse through the series thread, actually. Sure I'd have tilted at that particular windmill at the time...

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Pretty sure I’m going to have PTSD about the 2019 final for the rest of my life.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

The 2001 series in Australia hurts too. Should have won in Brisbane (yes I know Steve Waugh gift wrapped it but our chase was on track) and Perth, we likely would have won if Ian Robinson wasn't an incompetent boob of an umpire.

Did you see the Perth highlights on Sky recently? Robertson was even worse than I remembered! There’s the high profile Steve Waugh and Gillespie non-outs in the second innings which everyone knows about, but about half the NZ team in the first innings was incorrectly given their marching orders as well! God knows what we’d have scored if that hadn’t happened, 1000 would’ve been on the cards.

For balance I will add a couple of Australian first innings wickets were off whopping big front foot no balls.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

That Adelaide test.
The Danny Morrison blockout. Wasn't a loss but felt like one.

 

[Flem274*]

geez im glad we have drs now. reading through the umpiring in this thread lowers my opinion of the anti-tech luddites even further.

i know some of these umpiring calls were after drs but still, ganguly given out off two bounces? ridiculous.

 

[Pothas]

Think we showed very little batting-wise in the whole series. We were in winning positions in the second and third tests and the batters threw them away with performances that, as an observer, looked to lack a plan, any serious application and, frankly, testicular fortitude.

That series was pretty much peak Ajmal too and he's a player whose MO I never really warmed to, to be polite.
I might have a browse through the series thread, actually. Sure I'd have tilted at that particular windmill at the time...

This inspired me to have a look, I had almost managed to forget about the 'teesra.' England were so bad, it really is up there with the worst ever.

17/18 ashes was deeply depressing, not as humiliating as the previous one but at least there was some theatre with Johnson, 17/18 was just crushing in the dullest way possible.