There is a large part of me just wondering if this bunch are all a bit light in between the ears. So far the most effective English batsman this series has been the guy who went away to his mentor and worked on a few fundamentals. This suggests firstly that the coaches in the England camp basically do bugger all and secondly that none of the senior batsmen have a clue about the weaknesses in their game.
There was a CricViz piece about Joe Root's backlift last year and nothing has changed since.
Cook kept going back to a non-ECB coach when he got in ruts, too.
I just don't think this England side have had a coach for four years if you listen to what the players say Bayliss does. He's a sounding board, and a nice bloke to have a chat to, but not a coach. In fact, I'm sure he's on record saying he doesn't think it is his responsibility to work on the technical side of players games at this level.
I think Dobell has suggested that he could be replaced by a potted plant, but that might be a bit harsh on the plant.
In fairness to Thorpe, I doubt that's what he actually thinks. He was trying to be diplomatic about his charges and fecked up, I think, but it's another in a line of people saying downright daft things in the England set up.