The Ashes: Brisbane.

[andy]

He struggles to get starts these days let alone hundreds

[meninblue]

He struggles to get starts these days let alone hundreds

Scored a 200 in last series. After everyone was saying he is finished. Many England players will not even score a single 200 in career and this guy is scoring even in bad form.

[andy]

Im not saying he's finished...far from it, just that he isn't as reliable as he used to be

[meninblue]

Im not saying he's finished...far from it, just that he isn't as reliable as he used to be

I agree on reliability point; consistency is being missed. However, it is high time some other England players also need to give consistent performances. But then he needs to be in team because on his day he will score a big 100 or 200 and take the score to 500+. Getting 500+ will be tough without big innings contributors like him. That is why he needs to be in team for the exceptional ability which he has.

[andy]

I hope he scores big again too, good player, key player and a cook that is firing, is an england that fires and is successful

[The Professor]

Weird that the two areas I felt most confident in (Root and Cook) have been the most fragile whilst those that I was most worried about (Stoneman, Vince and Malan) have been good.

[Gingerfinch]

Weird that the two areas I felt most confident in (Root and Cook) have been the most fragile whilst those that I was most worried about (Stoneman, Vince and Malan) have been good.

We've only had one innings so far.

[GarlicJam]

I don't know how Marsh's innings went - except for his score - but the man is under pressure from so many angles.

Besides the press and fans ridiculing his selection, then almost taking out Aus' top fast bowler, and dropping a catch on the boundary, Marsh has his main rival for the number six batting spot, Glenn Maxwell, sitting on an unbeaten 200+ overnight in the Sheffield Shield (his highest ever score).

[Arthur Crabtree]

Are we starting early again?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Two minutes early!

[sussexpob]

Im not saying he's finished...far from it, just that he isn't as reliable as he used to be

I agree on reliability point; consistency is being missed. However, it is high time some other England players also need to give consistent performances. But then he needs to be in team because on his day he will score a big 100 or 200 and take the score to 500+. Getting 500+ will be tough without big innings contributors like him. That is why he needs to be in team for the exceptional ability which he has.

Since the Kolkata test in 2012, when he scored the series winning 190 to take England 2-1 up, how many contributions against top teams has he made?

This is his 17th test vs Australia in that time period, no hundred.
Hes played 8 tests vs South Africa, no hundred.
He played 11 tests vs India, 1 hundred.

That hundred in Rajkot took him to virtually the second new ball to get to, in a game where England had a lead of over 200 for no wickets down at one point, and desperately needed him to start being aggressive to open up enough time for the win. He instead took 250 balls out of the game, and England didnt have enough time to rattle past India's tail because they ran out of overs. Very self centred innings that one, the Indians were happy to keep him scratching around for his hundred because he was guaranteeing them the draw.

In fact, against all opposition, his best innings he took so long England ended up 25 runs short in winning the game because he wanted a treble century on a dead pitch (he wasnt the only person to get a 250, by memory one of the Pakistani lads did too)....

There isnt many scores to look back on. A couple of hundreds vs Windies, a couple vs New Zealand.

[backfootpunch]

Smith looks like he could bat for 5 days

Big session this

England badly need a couple of wickets

[Arthur Crabtree]

I have Cook's ton in UAE over three days as maybe his best knock. I'm a Cook agnostic, but he's been immense in Asia. That 263 in Abu Dhabi was in 2015.

[backfootpunch]

Can't have helped cook how hopeless his partners have been

[sussexpob]

I have Cook's ton in UAE over three days as maybe his best knock. I'm a Cook agnostic, but he's been immense in Asia. That 263 in Abu Dhabi was in 2015.

He batted past Pakistans score hoping to score a treble, refusing to declare, and England ended up 25 runs short of a victory. It sours the effort somewhat because he put himself and his personal milestone above the teams interest.