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England Cricket 2025
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I've seen a bit of chat that people are suggesting that Cook should be added as assistant coach. Just to provide a bit of a foil for Baz and Stokes, an alternative voice to rein things in a little when they get carried away with the groupthink and also allowing the players a different person to go to who may have a different perspective.
I think thats a pretty good idea assuming Ben and Baz are staying.2 -
Would Cook even want to, for a start? Pretty happy how he is, I think.
I'd worry about chucking in an assistant to basically be the opposite voice to the coach, doesn't sound productive.
Rather just get a new coach to freshen it up tbh.2 -
Having Cook as an assistant to McCullum does sound like mixed messages. Like Big Ange bringing in Tony Pulis as an assistant...North Lower Neil said:Would Cook even want to, for a start? Pretty happy how he is, I think.
I'd worry about chucking in an assistant to basically be the opposite voice to the coach, doesn't sound productive.
Rather just get a new coach to freshen it up tbh.1 -
Cook was the sort of captain that even with a lead of 450 on day four he would still keep batting rather than declare.
His approach to the game is in total contrast to our recent approach.
No way would it work.0 -
Slightly unfair to tarnish Crawley with brain-fade cricket, as he has at least tried to knuckle down and play "proper" cricket. Whether he's good enough is a relevant question, but none of his dismissals will make the "comedy/horror show wtf" video reel, unlike the likes of Brook, Smith and Jacks.Zulu said:RIP Bazball - or it should be. Enjoyable while it lasted.
At least 2 huge positives out of series are Bethell and Tongue, but Smith and Crawley, my word, with Brook not far behind them for brain-fade cricket . If we had played 'pwopa' cricket then we might not have so far behind them, after all, they had Head and Starc, but not a lot contributed consistently outside those 2(not that they really needed to, i suppose!).
At least in 4 years time, we will still have Bethell and Tongue, but Oz will be without Starc,Boland,Hazlewood,Lyon,Khawaja,Smith at least. A major rebuild needed for them.
I wonder if Asa Tribe will continue his development?
The latest revelations about Brook aren't great either. You expect players to be hit by bouncers bowled by fast bowlers, not nightclub bouncers, the night before a day/night ODI in Wellington. Especially when he was the Captain. Incredibly unprofessional.6 -
Rob Key. The buck stops there I think. He's supposed to be the head honcho and yet has failed entirely to get a grip of the situation.
Now, how or why he was appointed to that role in the first place is another question. The job needs someone with serious gravitas, not someone who projects a laissez faire attitude, likes a laughand has been the butt of endless jokes from his fellow commentators.4 -
Wish Johnathan Agnew was involved in the England set up. Not gonna happen obviously it's just I very rarely disagree with anything he says.2
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Love the bloke. Tells it line it is and isn't afraid who here's itKarim_myBagheri said:Wish Johnathan Agnew was involved in the England set up. Not gonna happen obviously it's just I very rarely disagree with anything he says.1 -
Like Agnew as a commentator but his opinions aren’t consistent at all and that’s not helpful when you’re in charge of something1
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The Sky Sports podcast interview Nass has done with Mccullum is very interesting. Nass asks the really hard questions and Mccullum sounds like a football manager that knows he's properly under pressure with some of the answers....
Not convinced at all anything will change if Baz is still in charge.3 -
I don't think he's prepared to change. And tbh it would be going against everything he believes in when it comes to the game. Be very hard for him to make a radical change in how he used to play and how he coaches.MarcusH26 said:The Sky Sports podcast interview Nass has done with Mccullum is very interesting. Nass asks the really hard questions and Mccullum sounds like a football manager that knows he's properly under pressure with some of the answers....
Not convinced at all anything will change if Baz is still in charge.0 -
Exactly that. Why would he change when it's completely against his nature..Karim_myBagheri said:
I don't think he's prepared to change. And tbh it would be going against everything he believes in when it comes to the game. Be very hard for him to make a radical change in how he used to play and how he coaches.MarcusH26 said:The Sky Sports podcast interview Nass has done with Mccullum is very interesting. Nass asks the really hard questions and Mccullum sounds like a football manager that knows he's properly under pressure with some of the answers....
Not convinced at all anything will change if Baz is still in charge.
He's only going to work under Key because Key allowed him to orchestrate this mess without checks and balance. And imo Key will be booted pretty soon leaving McCullum with little choice but to follow him out the door.
Who next? Who knows. Preferably someone who has knowledge of winning Ashes series...so ideally an Aussie! ;-)1 -
What he tells the media and what he does behind closed doors may be two different things, as he hilighted during the interview.Karim_myBagheri said:
I don't think he's prepared to change. And tbh it would be going against everything he believes in when it comes to the game. Be very hard for him to make a radical change in how he used to play and how he coaches.MarcusH26 said:The Sky Sports podcast interview Nass has done with Mccullum is very interesting. Nass asks the really hard questions and Mccullum sounds like a football manager that knows he's properly under pressure with some of the answers....
Not convinced at all anything will change if Baz is still in charge.He’s mucked this up , but by the same token will want to save some face in front of the media.Only time will tell if he is given the chance0 -
For those interested here are the results of the prediction questions I asked. 4/5 correct for me and @cantersaddick
Edit: Leuth got given an extra green box there, shame on me
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I'll take that. Just glad you didn't include score predictions as I'd be embarrassed right now!fenaddick said:For those interested here are the results of the prediction questions I asked. 4/5 correct for me and @cantersaddick2 -
This is a fantastic bit of writing
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/ashes-2025-26-karma-for-culture-club-as-ill-disciplined-england-get-the-ashes-they-deserve-15186226 -
Did not know Jacob Bethells background. Just listened to his father on TMS podcast. Didn't know his Barbados routes. His grandad playing for them and Jacob being born there. Brian Lara saying he was a better player than he was when he was a kid.
Jacob went out and batted with Lara against Bravos etc in a charity match when aged 11.
His family wanted him to play for the west indies. However going back to his charity routes he chose England. Na, it's cos England pay better than west indies. Not stupid.0 -
Great Tailenders this week, Sir Jimmy and Matt Prior going to absoulte town on how England played, Jamie Smith getting torn to pieces by Prior is a hell of a listen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mt2g8v3 -
Have thought for a while that Justin Langer would be a great coach for England. Intense, driven and knows the game inside and out, whilst also taking no shit from anyone. He would also love to put one over CA, whom dumped him so sharply driven by player power.
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Never felt so distant from the England team - just looked like a group of public school boys out on tour for beers and golf. Whether they were drinking large quantities or not is irrelevant. Surely someone with a modicum of common sense at the ECB should have advised how this was looking to the cricket fanbase? Supporters paid thousands to go out and watch them in Australia and deserved better.0
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I believe, from what I've read and heard, that this has been the culture since McCullum became coach. The drinking isn't the problem in isolation and neither is the golf since a tour can be a really lonely place especially when things aren't going well.FremlinsFellow said:Never felt so distant from the England team - just looked like a group of public school boys out on tour for beers and golf. Whether they were drinking large quantities or not is irrelevant. Surely someone with a modicum of common sense at the ECB should have advised how this was looking to the cricket fanbase? Supporters paid thousands to go out and watch them in Australia and deserved better.
It does become an issue, however, when the cricket is seen as something that can get in the way, when there is so little actual days playing and a minimal amount of time of purposeful practice reserved, then it does. The management or others saying that "people wouldn't say anything if we were winning" isn't the solution because acting so unprofessionally will catch up with you at some point. The Brook episode with the bouncer was kept quiet by the ECB so it will be interesting if they come clean about the excesses if and when the review comes out.5 -
Crazy that we can have a complete rookie as our keeper for an away 5 match Ashes tour, but have no keeping coach. As Prior said, working with Bruce French really improved him, as he was pretty poor at the start of his career.Rothko said:Great Tailenders this week, Sir Jimmy and Matt Prior going to absoulte town on how England played, Jamie Smith getting torn to pieces by Prior is a hell of a listen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mt2g8v
There was a real lack of energy on the field, when you contrast England to the Aussies. Marnus might be a bit of an oddball, but you do need someone out there to keep energy up. Prior was great at that, and I remember Alec Stewart being very vocal when he kept for England.1 -
fenaddick said:For those interested here are the results of the prediction questions I asked. 4/5 correct for me and @cantersaddick
Edit: Leuth got given an extra green box there, shame on me
👏🏻to Fen and Canters with getting 5/6 not 4/5!
Great shout on Travis Head as his form had been patchy leading up to this series. Serendipitous that he was moved to open and Head was the 1st player since Bradman to be top scorer in 4 out of 5 tests in the Ashes!
I would've got 4 out of 6 as I went Steve Smith and Starc, Root ton, 2nd test for Cummings. Archer 3 and Aus combo 3.
I went 3-2 Australia with England winning the First and last test.
I found the knowledge that AA and others have of the bigger problems in the set up of red ball cricket in England very interesting and the 100's in August and no 4 day cricket is just ridiculous.
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Smith was never picked because of his keeping. Foakes is the number one at Surrey and that isn't just because he is technically more accomplished but also because he gives them more energy in the field. It is Smith's failings with the bat and Carey's accomplishment with the gloves and being that big voice when things are going quiet for the side that has shown what we might have had with Foakes. I don't believe, however, that McCullum will be going back to Foakes because that would totally undermine the reasons why they dropped him.killerandflash said:
Crazy that we can have a complete rookie as our keeper for an away 5 match Ashes tour, but have no keeping coach. As Prior said, working with Bruce French really improved him, as he was pretty poor at the start of his career.Rothko said:Great Tailenders this week, Sir Jimmy and Matt Prior going to absoulte town on how England played, Jamie Smith getting torn to pieces by Prior is a hell of a listen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mt2g8v
There was a real lack of energy on the field, when you contrast England to the Aussies. Marnus might be a bit of an oddball, but you do need someone out there to keep energy up. Prior was great at that, and I remember Alec Stewart being very vocal when he kept for England.
The lack of a keeping and fielding coach on tour goes hand in hand with not having a permanent bowling coach and with getting rid of analysts. We don't know that Smith was that bothered about that but he is probably not someone who is going to rock the boat by questioning it. Anyone who knows and has seen the way Foakes works knows that he would be. Perhaps that's another reason why he didn't fit in. Who's he going to practice with when everyone else is on the golf course.1 -
Key and McCullum have to go. It's that simple.
The ECB have to send a message that no part of the debacle we've all witnessed was in any way acceptable.
Why bother asking a coach to change his cricket philosophy and behaviour when it goes against every part of his personality.
Just find a coach with the behaviours and qualities you think you need and end this nonsense3 -
Seems to me they’re waiting for the inevitable T20 world cup failure so they have two reasons to sack McCullum at least. Key I think is a bit of a yes man and might be better with a different coach1
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There is a school of thought that the coach of the senior national team should be the figurehead of what the wider game in England and Wales is trying to achieve. From what I can see that appears to be prioritising the most lucrative forms of cricket possible so I think Mcullum is the perfect fit for that.
I like Rob Key as a person but he is the wrong person for the job he is in. Test cricket should take priority over all else, its the pinnacle of the game to the people who actually support it, the other stuff is distraction. Fun distraction in terms of T20 but the obsession with wringing more and more money out of shirt form cricket was always going to hurt test cricket for England.
If we want to lose test cricket for what it is then continue as we are, if not the central contracts need to be looked at, competition for places is essential and you only get that by taking county cricket seriously.1 -
Who would you replace Key and Baz with ?Bearing in mind the best coaches are on an absolute packet from the Franchises.0
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This is part of the problem. From memory Key was basically appointed because no one else really applied right?billysboots said:Who would you replace Key and Baz with ?Bearing in mind the best coaches are on an absolute packet from the Franchises.0
