Havet seen or listened to any of it today.

Is this normal service being resumed then? Or is just a batters paradise?

They are producing flat slow dead pitches on purpose which produces awful cricket. Cardiff managed to be a good game somehow. I can't see this being the same.

Pitch is way worse than Cardiff. Toss was very crucial. After 5 overs I text my brother in law (Aussie) and said 500 bare minimum on this pitch. Warner just gave his wicket away but there has been very few chances. Draw is all we can hope for and that was the case from around 11.15 this morning

Perfect batting wicket winning the toss was imperative to get an advantage and oh what an advantage the Aussies are getting

The Aussies will rattle up a big score and we'll probably buckle under scoreboard pressure.

Winning the toss was going to be crucial at the start.

I think winning the toss will prove massively important.

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Both pitches have been poor in the series for different reasons.

Cardiff was sub standard for Test cricket with variable bounce from the first over and genuine edges not carrying to slip. At least I suppose it still offered the opportunity for bowlers to take wickets. Even though we won it was not a Teat quality pitch.

This is so flat the toss shouldn't be crucial at all. England will have to bat appallingly to get bowled out twice on it. One wicket in a day and we didn't even bowl badly, Broad was superb. Wickets like this produce dull cricket that nobody wants to watch, potentially damaging to the game in the most high profile series. I fail to see any logic in producing shit like this.

Apart from the first hour the pitch at Cardiff was decent, no room for arguments from either side.

We need a big innings from someone here. 500+ otherwise we'll be up against it

Pitch not looking so benign at moment.....scoreboard pressure for a few overs probably

Solid effort from England here. Throwing away wickets, and probably the game inside 20 minutes.

36-4.....GOOD *UCKING GRIEF !!!!

The cricket was good the pitch was sub standard full blooded drives off blokes bowling 85 mph+ should not be carrying half way to the slips, they were at times in Cardiff.

I texted a mate of mine around the same time. It simply read 1-1.

Our top order is embarrasing, surely Ballance won't get another chance after yet another piss poor return, Bell needs a massive innings to save his test career and Lythe looks out of his depth.

Do we have anyone capable of standing up to the Aussies and getting in their faces apart from Joe Root and Ben Stokes?

Playing like a bunch of shitty arsed cowards!

Compton, Hales and Rashid have got to be in with a chance of replacing any of Lyth, Bell and Ballance

It's a concern but I can't really see them panicking to that extent, it was only a week ago when we were going 1-0 up.

The Stokes run out sums up England's performance in this match.

We need to buck our ideas up here or we are in serious danger of losing this match.

Also if anyone comes into the team it will be Jonny Bairstow he's scored another 100 today he's on absolute fire.

Do Bairstow gets 100 and he's on fire yet a England get 103 and we've got problems.

Where's your consistency? !

Have we really just got bowled out in 37 overs on that wicket or was I imaging it?

They might as well have just lobbed a white towel out of the pavilion and not bothered with the second innings. That is as shit as England have played for a very long time.

Two words...

Kevin Pietersen.

More chance of Kevin Keegan getting a call up.

We won a Test just over a week ago and the series is 1-1. People going on about wholesale changes are wasting their time.

Top order has been shite for a very long time. 3 down every single innings for months on end. Disgraceful.

Lyth is way out of his depth, Iv never rated ballance, bell is out of form and if it wasn't edgbaston hed be away also.

If bairstow and hales don't come in then I'll be very shocked. Bairstow is in the form of his life.

The ausies made 2 changes and hey presto.

As for kp he should never have been overlooked for the series. Everyone knows it but cook and Strauss won't admit it.

Lyth is not good enough to open an ashes series this is an absolute fact. It pains to me to watch our top order collapse every single innings hoping root and the Middle order will save us. Losing 10 wickets in 37 overs in a test match on a pitch the ausies proved was batters paradise is a complete farce. Lyth and ballance have to be at the top of the chopping board with bell not far behind. 2 changes is a bare minimum

I think Ballance might move down to five, Root up to three.

I'm not sure Lyth has had enough of a run in the side to say he's not good ebough. He's played s couple of loose shots but he scored a Test hundred two games ago.

Bell is probably the most vulnerable as his bad run has lasted a while. He looks a bit mentally shot. If anyone is dropped I have a feeling it could be him. It's a tough one because he's a proven class player, I'd stick with him.

If I was picking the team I'd move Root to 3 as he's our best player and we can't keep being 30 for 3, Bell to to four and bring Bairstow in at 5 for Ballance.

People need to stop banging on about KP that ship has long since sailed even the press have stopped talking about him.

It wont be long before they start talking about him again if we have another test like this.

Lyth had 1 good match on his home pitch and all other innings have been shit. It's fairly obvious he's out of his depth. His dismissal in the 1st innings in those circumstances was horrific

I would say he's looked out his depth, like say Sam Robson did last year, he just needs to start leaving the ball better a lot of his dismissals have been similar pushing at balls on the back foot that doesn't need to play.

He is a good player he just needs a score.

As I said it's not as if we are 2-0 down, they aren't going to make wholesale changes and they aren't going to drop someone who scored a ton two years ago.

At the risk of sounding patronising (many think I am, and they're probably right) it's good to see you two guys have a good discussion on this without resorting to insults.

If you ask me, Bell is the one likely to go, although Balance isn't far behind. Lyth hasn't been given enough of a chance to drop him yet, but he wouldn't be the first (nor last) to get his chance in a tough Ashes series never to be seen again!

The best team won the first test, and it was widely acknowledged that one team had played very poorly. Exactly the same has happened at Lords only with the teams swapped round!

For that reason there won't be any knee jerk reactions but I think Ballance will be lucky to hold on to his spot. Even in the 60 odd he compiled at Cardiff he never really looked comfortable and looks horribly out of nick.

I agree with Root being moved to number 3.

Looks like I was picking the team!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricke ... uling.html

Bell is 3 and root 4

Huge mistake for me leaving lyth in. Time will tell but he looks average at best against an attack who we're ruthless at lords. He plays at balls that he should leave and just looks out of his depth. Hope im wrong but I see us losing yet another early wicket. Bell at edgbaston has a chance of regaining form as its his home ground. Pretty much last chance saloon for him, if we lose and he under performs I can't see him playing the 4th test.

Out of interest which opener would you bring in from county cricket who'd have immediate success against this attack?

If you've watched someone for a while and gave him chance to play for England you've got to give him more of a chance than four games especially when in those four games he's already scored a hundred.

Also he really hasn't looked out of his depth, he's payed for the first mistake he's made. It happens to openers against good bowling early on. He's just needs to tighten up around his off stump, something he needs to be given the opportunity to work out at that level.

Wouldn't move Root, he's batting well at 5 so leave him there. Happy with Bairstow though.

I would he's our best player, Bell has batted at 3 in 22 tests for England and only scored 2 hundreds. Strange move if you ask me. Root grew up as an opener and bats 3 in already in the ODI team.

Just out of interest and for my benefit.

I have no idea who is better than any of the failing players.

But I want to know this. I have seen a few posters on here and a few experts mention the same thing.

Basically saying that the players need time to develop. Develop for what?

Surely the ashes is the pinnacle and all that matters?

What's the point in bloodied players here so they can develop in time for Sri Lanka or someone?

In test cricket it's only the ashes that matters isn't it?