Ashes debacle

Who should stay and who should go?

This has been bollocks from day one and it isn't over yet.

You can't make wholesale changes but so many players haven't performed that it is scary.

Cook has been poor as captain and opener averaging just 25 but you can't drop him in all honesty.

Carberry has done ok, he just needs to consolidate and push on to bigger scores.

Pietersen doesn't play for the team. No matter how good he is, he has let us down badly.

Root hasn't done enough but he's the way forwards so he stays

Bell hasn't done well enough for someone touted as one of the best in the world, but he has managed to top the averages so far.

Stokes has done well with bat and ball and has shown some fight.

Prior has been a major let down with bat and behind the stumps.

Broad started off bowling well but without much real support. Batting not up to much really.

Swann has been another major letdown getting battered.

Anderson has been poor and he's been battered too.

The two spots that I think should be up for grabs are Pietersen's and Prior's if they don't improve significantly. Even if they do well in the last two tests, when they were needed, they were missing.

To change things now, imo would be wrong.

Any new player coming in is on a hiding to nothing.....let these 11 players who've lost it get slapped 5-0 (which will happen) and maybe make huge changes next year.

Despite the dreadful batting, we have to remember the bowlers haven't covered themselves in glory either. Apart from Broad getting 7 wkts in the 1st test, the rest have done absolutely nothing. The batting, bowling and fielding in all 3 tests has been poor overall, we cannot complain one iota about getting beat big time.

On current form, Cook, Carberry, Pietersen, Prior and Swann could quite easily be left out......but i guess the real question is, does 1 bad series constitute wholesale changes?

I agree that we shouldn't be making wholesale changes but we should let players know that if they don't perform when needed then someone else is waiting to step up and replace them.

I bet Compton is laughing his head off.

I disagree. Making changes now is the right thing to do. We've already lost the series and the pressure is off. If we leave things as they are, we risk getting a 5-0 hammering which would demoralise those who've not been half bad and let those who slacked off know that they're not in any danger of losing their places.

If we make wholesale changes and get caned, we make the statement now that underperforming is not an option. But on the other hand, we might actually find a gem or two and some grit and determination from players willing to prove themselves. And it would be better to find them now, when there's nothing left but pride to play for, than to wait for the next series and run the risk of them not being good enough.