Quote Originally Posted by the other bob wilson View Post
England play as if losing doesn’t matter. They lost their previous game (I don’t count the Ireland match) after enforcing the follow on and lost this one because their Bazball keeper missed some chances Foakes would have taken - we can now say that the declaration definitely didn’t work and they wouldn’t have lost if they’d batted on and scored the fifty more they could have managed with Root going the way he was.

I’m not saying England’s approach is wrong, but questions are going to start being asked if they keep on losing games they shouldn’t have (especially Ashes ones).

One last thing, another reason why England lost was that their number one spinner was largely incapacitated through the decisive part of the game on a turning wicket - that was just bad luck (although it was a gamble to pick Moeen when he’d not bowled in red ball cricket for a couple of years) and had nothing to do with Bazball.
Haven't England won 10 of their last 14?

The declaration meant a result was possible. There were 6 overs left, with the tail and then it is a new day, Root has to get in again. The big mistakes are Anderson is so undercooked, Bairstow too. There isn't a front line spinner to step in for Leach, and not taking the new ball was mental.

Also, on Bairstow. He is a world class batter and I'm pretty sure that's the worst he's ever kept.