This was my first England test match, and I had a great day thanks - well apart from Smiths double century and an insipid display by England in the field data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
As a 52 year old England supporting bloke with a Scottish accent (I was born in England though), and being a cricket fan since I was 10 years old, it was fantastic to finally get to a test match, and it has definitely given me the taste to go to more - although not easy thing to do when you live near Glasgow.
Anyway, up and at 'em in the last test, the Ashes may be gone, but we can at least still draw the series data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
I reckon English test cricket is as dead as dead can be.
Joe Root aside, I don't see any batsmen with the mentality, obduracy and application needed for this level.
Our game has diminished because of the county structure and the shortened versions of cricket impairing the minds of batsmen.
We no longer have anyone like Chris Tavare, Derek Randall, Geoff Boycott; guys who would hardly ever give their wicket up on the cheap.
When I watch an England innings now, I'm expecting two early wickets and the team to be out for 250; the team is incapable of batting for three sessions.
Other nations like Australia and India have shorter versions of the game too but know the difference between the codes and are adaptable.
Steve Smith is a good case in point, a shining example though it is fair to say that in this Ashes series, their (Australia's) batsmen haven't been that impressive.
For me, it's all about mindset and application.
England players have a variety of talents but they don't necessarily fit the test arena.
So our youngsters being coached may well be taught the skills needed to survive at the crease for a day but their heads are continually turned by t20 cricket which, as I said, impairs their game and any hope of succeeding at test level.