Even though Australia won the last test and made it a respectable 3-2 loss to England i can't help but feel that Australia threw the fight so to speak.
The first test it was a though Australia were not properly prepared and lost convincingly.
The second test Australia played very well, everyone performing at their very best.
But then in test 3 even though all the talk was on how England were rattled, they ended up winning convincingly.
And then there was that terrible, terrible innings by Australia where they only made 60 runs and pretty much handed the Ashes back to England.
Here are my thoughts on why the Ashes of 2015 was such a disaster.
1) The squad was picked months before the series even began. They chose a lot of older players one of whom retired in Chris Rogers. Why would you pick someone that was going to retire after the series?? With all due respect he doesnt have much on the line if he played poorly. On top of that they initially chose Watson as the all rounder. He only playes one match then is dropped for the rest of the series??? On top of that Brad Haddin who i think is a great keeper/batsmen was dropped after missing a test for personal reasons and was not allowed to play out the rest of the series and potentially his last tour of England. How utterly disrespectful to someone who has done do much.
2) In terms of batting, i dont understand why Warner is the opener, for every hundred he scored he has 5 other innings where he gets out cheaply for few runs. Why not put him down the order and let him attack the bowlers and play the same role Gilchrist did.
3) Why not have both Marsh brothers in the team? its no like it hasnt been done before, there was the Chappele brothers and the Waugh twins. Plus they are both great batsmen with runs on the board, and one of them being a proper all rounder.
4) If they chose Siddle for the last test why didnt they pick him for the last test???
Yes, Clarke has to pay the price for Australia's poor showing, but what about others. Surely the selectors need to be seriously looked at. And the coach too. Why should Leahmen be let off the hook for such a dismal performance in the 4th test. Back to Clarke why couldnt he have given the reigns to Smith when he took over as Captain against India.
I think one good idea would be to have a separate captain for each form of the game. Idea number two, if a player is chosen to play at the start of a series then they should be allowed / given the opportunity to play the whole series. If they fail miserably, then let them go afterwards, but dont humiliate them, like what they did with Watson and Haddin.
Idea three the captain should get a big say in who is in their side or set it up so that the captains choice for a player is worth 2 votes or something. Idea four, with all due respect to the county sides, they are not good preperation for the Australia side. They should be allowed to have a four day match against another nation, even Ireland before beginning the Ashes.
That is just a few of my thoughts. Does anyone agree, disagree, or have other thoughts.
The first test it was a though Australia were not properly prepared and lost convincingly.
The second test Australia played very well, everyone performing at their very best.
But then in test 3 even though all the talk was on how England were rattled, they ended up winning convincingly.
And then there was that terrible, terrible innings by Australia where they only made 60 runs and pretty much handed the Ashes back to England.
Here are my thoughts on why the Ashes of 2015 was such a disaster.
1) The squad was picked months before the series even began. They chose a lot of older players one of whom retired in Chris Rogers. Why would you pick someone that was going to retire after the series?? With all due respect he doesnt have much on the line if he played poorly. On top of that they initially chose Watson as the all rounder. He only playes one match then is dropped for the rest of the series??? On top of that Brad Haddin who i think is a great keeper/batsmen was dropped after missing a test for personal reasons and was not allowed to play out the rest of the series and potentially his last tour of England. How utterly disrespectful to someone who has done do much.
2) In terms of batting, i dont understand why Warner is the opener, for every hundred he scored he has 5 other innings where he gets out cheaply for few runs. Why not put him down the order and let him attack the bowlers and play the same role Gilchrist did.
3) Why not have both Marsh brothers in the team? its no like it hasnt been done before, there was the Chappele brothers and the Waugh twins. Plus they are both great batsmen with runs on the board, and one of them being a proper all rounder.
4) If they chose Siddle for the last test why didnt they pick him for the last test???
Yes, Clarke has to pay the price for Australia's poor showing, but what about others. Surely the selectors need to be seriously looked at. And the coach too. Why should Leahmen be let off the hook for such a dismal performance in the 4th test. Back to Clarke why couldnt he have given the reigns to Smith when he took over as Captain against India.
I think one good idea would be to have a separate captain for each form of the game. Idea number two, if a player is chosen to play at the start of a series then they should be allowed / given the opportunity to play the whole series. If they fail miserably, then let them go afterwards, but dont humiliate them, like what they did with Watson and Haddin.
Idea three the captain should get a big say in who is in their side or set it up so that the captains choice for a player is worth 2 votes or something. Idea four, with all due respect to the county sides, they are not good preperation for the Australia side. They should be allowed to have a four day match against another nation, even Ireland before beginning the Ashes.
That is just a few of my thoughts. Does anyone agree, disagree, or have other thoughts.
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