Test Matches v India.....This Summer.

England v India 2014 Test series

First Test
9-13 July
Trent Bridge
Drawn

Second Test
17-21 July
Lord's
-

Third Test
27-31 July
Southampton
-

Fourth Test
7-11 August
Old Trafford
-

Fifth Test
15-19 August
The Oval
-

2nd Test Lords

1st Innings
India 295 all out
England 319 all out

2nd Innings
India 169-4...lead by 145

Disgraceful cricket, looks like the dark days pre ashes 2005 are starting to return. Piss poor coach, clueless captain and team lacking any bowler and batsmen with flair and aggression.

Totally agree, the target was there for the taking, we just had to nick a few runs here and there every over and not the big boundaries that our mindless batters went for after lunch.

I also agree that it would be worth a go bringing KP back, he must be laughing his head off as it was our capt that had a big say in him going.

A few changes need to be made before the 3rd test on sunday at southampton. 

Well that last session was certainly embarrassing.  In general this was an excellent test match that swung one way and then the other with neither team quite supplying the knockout blow - which suits 2 very evenly matched but quite flawed sides.  Just when it seemed one team was getting on top the other one pulled or more often the team on top let it slip.  I enjoyed it as a contest.  But England subsiding at the end left a nasty taste in the mouth - that was very, very poor and showed a total lack of discipline.

However, I think a lot of people are wanting a team back that has gone.  The problem all summer has been that this new England team, while playing well in patches, has lot the key sessions and the key moments and doesn't seem to have found out it's best strategy for winning game yet.  The previous England team was built around Swann, Anderson, Broad, Cook, Trott and Pieterson all of whom offered something different in different situations and could produce match winning performances.  Of that lot Pieterson was clearly an epic pain in the bum who I always thought was slightly overrated because of his ability to get people to their feet with breathtaking shots.  As a match winner he was hit and miss really.  A very good player but the auror of Pieterson and the PR of Pieterson was always a step ahead of the reality of Pieterson which was far more inconsistent.  He was pretty damn average in the Ashes series and looked to me like a guy who's eye has gone.  His whole game is based on that lightning quick hand eye co-ordination; that's not the kind of technique you can teach or adjust it's just something you have.  He just wasn't catching up to the ball like he has been in the past and he hasn't done very much since either.  He's not the answer anyway - the team has moved on and needs to welcome a new generation now.

We can forget finding a replacement for Swann too - in the history of English Cricket he was a near total one off.  We don't produce match winning spinner really.  Even Laker (he of 19 wickets at Old Trafford fame) wasn't really that type of bowler and was above by the standards of his day rather than a superstar.  Underwood could be a match winner on the right track but his great talent was tying an end down and that is what English cricket produces - negative, boring spinners who keep you in the game.  No one saw Swann coming so it's hard to know how you get another one.  18 months before he was picked for England he'd been dropped by Notts for not taking enough wickets and he'd always been an up and down county performer who had a reputation as an underachiever.  Suddenly he's picked for England (slightly desperately because we needed a second spinner and there was no obvious candidate and he could bat and the others couldn't) and withing 6 months he's one of the best in the World and the type of player we've been after since Test Cricket began.  I don't know how you replicate that and I think we'd be foolish to sit around expecting another Swann.  So therefore we need to find another way to win.

I think it's becoming pretty obvious that Swann made Anderson and Broad more of a threat because of the extra pressure and also the greater workload he took off them.  Broad is apparently carrying an injury - we should rest him and pick Jordan who was unlucky to be dropped.  I don't know if Cook's the right man to Captain the side but then we take the Captaincy far too seriously in this country anyway - most countries pick the team and then pick the Captain unless they have an absolute standout candidate like Dhoni is or Graene Smith.  Cook needs to go back to County cricket and get some runs because England need the reliable match winning opener not the confidence vacuum captain.  Anyone could captain in the meantime - give it to Anderson or something.

Having said all that this is not a return to the dark days because the new players are in general the ones showing promising signs.  Ali needs to push on more regularly but is an exciting player who seems to have a good attitude.  For all Root gave it away today it's hard to criticise him too much based on performances this summer.  Ballance has been very consistent. Plunkett's come back has been a good story.  There's plenty of positive things out there - there's plenty of talent out there.  The problem is we've played two tight series against two sides we're evenly matches against and we've competed pretty well but we've never managed to put them away at any point and they have won the key situations when it really matters.  India are a good team but I still think we can win this series - I think when we start winning it won't take much for it to turn around but right now it seems we're losing our heads when it really matters.

Oh god no - please not Bell as Captain think of the press conferences! I think he may possibly be the most boring man in the World!

Other than that maybe you could go down that route.  I think you're right that there's a leadership vacuum and it probably is because senior players aren't delivering.  I felt that the Andy Flower team started believing it's own hype about how good they all were - the truth is they were good but not amazing and they did well when they worked their backsides off and ground teams down.  It wasn't pure talent that won game for them and they weren't flawless - they struggled SA and they struggled against Pakistan; arguably both better teams than the 3 Aussie sides that that were beaten.  Anderson is a very fine bowler who is probably slightly over the hill now and Broad has never quite been the consistent match winner you'd like him to be.  Swann was the real superstar and we miss him clearly.  There is no spinner out there I agree.  Ali actually did a decent job at Lords having changed his line of attack - I'd stick with him and give Root a few more overs; I don't really understand why we're so reluctant bowl him, he always does OK.

Carberry for Robson might possibly be the one given that the game is at the Rose Bowl - would go down well with the natives.  I don't think Lyth is really an attacking opener is he? Only really Hales fits that bill that I can think of.  Lyth seems to be one of these players who goes from feast to famine and back again.  Good player though - not the worst option.  My worry with Robson is how often he's been out to over-aggressive shots because he's not that sort of player; suggest too many nerves really.  I'd probably stick with him though I suppose.  It is a problem when the openers keep failing though especially against fairly average bowlers.  Although to be fair Kumar's bowled better English swing than any English bowler this summer - he's doing what Anderson should be really.  Sharma has led the line and tested us with short stuff which has found us wanting.

I certainly want Jordan back in the side.  Not sure I'm too bothered with Stokes right now - again looks like someone who's head isn't quite right.  Cook will probably stay as Captain - for no other reason than it's sign of chaos and desperation to sack a captain halfway through a series and we are only 1 down.  He needs England and his form to turn around sharply though.  Can't see them bringing Read or Foster in - if Prior goes (and I think he should - apart from anything else his keeping's been poor) then I'm sure they'll go with Buttler this time, he's in reasonable form right now too.  I really enjoyed this Test Match though for the most part - out of 4 Tests this summer 2 have been excellent, a third had thrilling finish and it was only Trent Bridge that was a stinker. So something is being done right.

People are saying Morgan as Captain, and drop Cook, give him a break, and come back fresh for the West indies tour and then Ashes, I can see the logic in it, he's gone from our best batsmen in the last few years, to worse than Anderson!

Also, the bring back KP brigade clearly know nothing about cricket, the guy's been a joke for at least 2 years for England, and his name alone kept him in the side, if England wanted quick 30's, great...But in test cricket, he's come up short time and again!

Why did Jordan get dropped? I thought he did alright and showed great promise in his last test!

England squad: Alastair Cook (Essex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Sam Robson (Middlesex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

Matt Prior stood down from England duty in the aftermath of the second Test defeat at Lord's because of injury.

National selector James Whitaker said: "Matt Prior has contributed a huge amount to the England side over the years and should be proud of his record throughout his 79 Tests.

"He has decided to take time out of the game to work on his fitness and we will continue to follow his progress over the coming months. "

Thought exactly the same when I heard he had "stood down" Swann left when we went 3-0 down, now Prior has "stood down" when 1 down with 3 to play.
One thing I would say is though, Trott is a different case all together.