Liventia wrote:This is becoming a familiar script – England top order collapse.
[rant]OK, Root is virtually a walking wicket. The only time he has not failed (along with a handful of 30s), was when the Australians were totally downhearted that I could have scored a century against him. You always know that Root will be out, it's a given. Cook appears to have lost his legendary patience and concentration, as well as Trott. They've both reacted to repeated calls that they're too slow etc. and yes they get starts, but I'd say that you get to 20, 30 quickly, then you knuckle down and grind out a hard 50. You play a nice hook or drive for 4 one ball, the. You fucking defend the next one. Play the bad ones, block the good ones. I use that tactic and we play 30 over games. They have 5 bloody days. Pietersen has never been patient, and I don't expect him to do well, whereas Bell is still supposedly in his good patch, but his 6 last innings might signal the start of normality. Jonny Bairstow is shit. I'm sorry, get him out of there. You've had time to prove yourself, and you haven't. Bring Compton back in, or Carberry. I don't know what's happened to Prior, but he just gets himself out, there's no more free-flowing run-scoring Prior, he just gets in a hole and gets himself out.
Argh.
[/rant]
