[Ian J]

The team that have the job of reviewing our dismal performance in the recent Ashes tour and making recommendations for the future has been announced.

Three recently retired cricketers in Nasser Hussain, Angus Fraser and Nick Knight are on the commitee plus Mickey Stewart who was the England coach when we last won an Ashes series in Australia 20 years ago. Brian Rose the chairman of Somerset CC, Hugh Morris ex cricketer and now ECB deputy chief executive make up the rest of the committee with an ex golf administrator as Chairman.

I'm not sure about Nick Knight as he did a lot of fence sitting when in the studio as an analyst during the Ashes series and I wonder whether he would be strong enough as he is in the middle of a career change and may not want to upset anyone.

I would like to have seen Mike Artherton involved as he is a recently retired cricketer, ex England captain but still from the era when cricketers weren't mollycoddled and wrapped in nappies but I think that Angus Fraser will make an admirable deputy for Atherton in my eyes.

Let's hope that they don't mince their words and give the ECB a hardhitting but accurate assessment of what went wrong plus proposals to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

[Badger0-0]

It's a shame Beefy's not involved, I reckon.
He's got a few opinions

[KevD]

A bit dissapointed to see Hussain involved, in fact dissapointed that ECB feel they need a commitee to decide to review.
The reason Beefy isnt involved is because I'm pretty sure he would see it as a waste of time.

We went into a test series away to the best team in the world with no warm up matches to speak of -
Next time play some tough State sides who would love nothing more than than giving us poms a going over which will get us in much better shape.

Squad Selection, picked (& started with) 2 players who hadnt played in a single game in a year and I guy who state of mind had to be in question -
Pick the fittest, sharpest players in form.

We didnt pick the best side until the third test -
No coincedence that when we won them in 05 the same team played throughout, so make your decisions in the warm up games as to who is first choice and not half way throught the series, and stick with them

Originally Posted by Ian J

I think that Angus Fraser will make an admirable deputy for Atherton in my eyes.

If they are going to do it, I am glad he is involved, seems to talk alot of sense on TV and his column.

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by KevD

We went into a test series away to the best team in the world with no warm up matches to speak of -
Next time play some tough State sides who would love nothing more than than giving us poms a going over which will get us in much better shape.

Apart from the fact that Nasser may be a bit too close to Duncan Fletcher I think that he's a good man to have on the committee as he's a tough nut and won't appreciate the namby pambying that has crept into the game since he retired.

It would seem that the lack of warm up games was bowing to the wishes of the cricketers who wanted to be at home with their families. This wouldn't have happened if Nasser Hussain had been in charge and would have been laughed at in Mickey Stewart's day. The key to beating the best team in the world is preparation and that includes acclimatising to the conditions properly. If it needs a review commitee to tell the ECB that the coach should decide on the necessary preparations and not the cricketers then so be it.