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English quicks the 'snowflake generation'

Pitches and workloads in county cricket a hot topic as past and current players discuss England's Ashes woes

Former Test quick Martin Bicknell has laughed off claims that England's modern-day fast bowlers are being worked too hard, labelling them the 'snowflake generation'.

The harsh post-mortem into England's Magellan Ashes campaign has begun even before Australia has re-captured the urn, with the focus on England's bowling attack after they picked up just one wicket on the third day of the third Test.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said conditions in county cricket need to change to produce more bowlers with express pace who can thrive in places like Australia, where the ball doesn't swing with the consistency it does in the UK.

Day Wrap: Smith, Marsh put the hurt on England

Paceman Steve Finn, who returned home from the Ashes tour before the series began due to injury, agreed with Vaughan's assessment, saying "the slowness of the wickets discourages people from bowling fast" on the English domestic circuit.

But Finn's belief that the amount of cricket modern bowlers play can "suck the pace out of you" was swiftly dismissed by Bicknell, who played four Tests for England during a 20-year first-class career with Surrey.

Finn, one of England's faster bowlers who took 14 wickets in three Tests during their 2010-11 Ashes triumph in Australia, said pitches tailored for either swing or spin in county cricket are having a detrimental effect when England's Test side goes abroad.

"We are trying to develop spinners in this country with the toss rules and not making pitches biased towards fast bowlers, but I do think the slowness of the wickets discourages people from bowling fast" he said at an event for charity Chance to Shine.

"Whether it's a seaming wicket or a spinning wicket in this country, we struggle to produce quick wickets, which is a shame.

We haven't got anything else to offer: England

"(Pitches have) the feeling of being a bit of a pancake because people are scared of losing games of cricket. If we don't address that issue at some stage, it's going to get worse.

"And there's the amount of cricket we play. I know personally I can bowl 90mph, I've done it in international cricket, especially when I was younger, but when you play 12 months a year, if you're not selective and careful about the way you go about things, it can suck the pace out of you.

"And that's when you get knee problems and other degenerative conditions that stop you bowling fast."

Day wrap: Aussies six wickets from Ashes win

England's five-man attack picked up an unwanted record in Perth on Sunday, becoming just the eighth quintet in Test history to each concede 100 or more runs in the same innings.

James Anderson (4-116), Stuart Broad (0-142), Chris Woakes (1-128), Craig Overton (2-110) and Moeen Ali (1-120) were all hammered by Australia's batsmen as the hosts totalled 9-662, the highest score in Ashes Tests in Australia.

It's the third time five England bowlers have conceded 100-plus runs in an innings, with Anderson and Broad the only pair to feature on the list twice having also done so in Cardiff in 2009.

Broad's figures of 0-142 from 35 overs are the worst in his 112-Test career.

However, thanks to Anderson's four wickets on Sunday, the experienced new-ball pair did move past the West Indies legends Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose as the most prolific fast-bowling duo in Test history.

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21