The Ashes.

[only1billybonds]

Just been announced that Josh Hazlewood will miss the first test due to start in Perth next Friday. This is a big blow to the Australians as they will already be without their captain and no.1 pace bowler Pat Cummins.

Englands preparations for the tour has been questioned by many as they have opted to play no warm up games aside from a one off against the English lions. 

Many are saying that its crucial that we get of to a good start in Perth which basically means we cant afford to lose seeing as the 2nd test in Brisbane is a day/night game ( fucking ridiculous) where the Aussies are strongly fancied.

Looking forward to this now but really unsure of how it will play out, I guess I'd still make them slight favourites due to home advantage. Going to be a few all nighters in the coming weeks for me, let's hope it'll be worth it.

[violator]

I doubt Bashir will get in as he is coming off the back of 0-115 at five an over against Australia A but you never know with this England set-up.


 

Shoaib is one of the chosen men kept in the squad and team, like Crawley, for this Ashes. Jacks has a better average than Shoaib for bowling 38 and 39, respectively, and can bat, whereas Shoaib is a rabbit. Root is also an off-spinner and has an average of 47, but brings the experience of a former England captain to the table. 

Vauhan suggests Stokes coming in at one down, and I agree
The openers pick themselves

3. Stokes
4 Root
5 Brooks
6 Bethell 
7 Smith (I feel sorry for him, his confidence is shot)
8  Jacks
9  Atkinson
10. Archer ( For his 38)
11, Tongue 

I'd take Rew out of the Lions squad and play him as a specialist batsman way before considering Bethell

[Fauxstralian]

Given Jacks was one of the few to show some grit with the bat in the second innings at Brisbane think it’s VERY unlikely they will sacrifice him for the doubtful advantage of his bowling being more effective 

I see Jhye Richardson has been added to the Australian group to be a net bowler at Adelaide after taking 5 wickets against the Lions in Brisbane
Hopefully he has finally recovered from his endless injuries. Has a Test bowling average of 22 and think by the time they go to England in 2027 when Starc Hazlewood & Lyon will be gone the pace attack could be Cummins Richardson & Fergus O’Neill with the perennially injured Lance Morris also available 

[Eerie Decent]

Bashir has never been in form when they've picked him, in fact, he has never been in form in his life, so that is certainly not going to be the deciding factor on whether he plays or not.

I'm hoping not, but he is a Stokes favourite, got a horrible feeling he'll stick him in.

[Fauxstralian]

They put 2 years into Bashir and he got that broken finger v India so hasn’t played a serious game for a long time
Obviously his form on the tour has been abysmal so the selection of Jacks as a batsman who bowls a bit to become the spinner became the strategy. 
Does that mean they are going to start again next summer trying to find a PROPER Test standard spinner? Who knows especially as there is a fair chance the Kiwi coach will get the sack soon

Think it’s almost certain Pope will get the elbow for Adelaide
Him and one of the fast bowlers maybe might be the only changes 
Australia will bring back Cummins & Lyon for Doggett & Neser and most likely bring back Khawaja (a backward step in my eyes) with Head dropping back to 5 on his home ground & Inglis missing out.

[Westham67]

I doubt Bashir will get in as he is coming off the back of 0-115 at five an over against Australia A but you never know with this England set-up.

 

Shoaib is one of the chosen men kept in the squad and team, like Crawley, for this Ashes. Jacks has a better average than Shoaib for bowling 38 and 39, respectively, and can bat, whereas Shoaib is a rabbit. Root is also an off-spinner and has an average of 47, but brings the experience of a former England captain to the table. 

Vauhan suggests Stokes coming in at one down, and I agree
The openers pick themselves

3. Stokes
4 Root
5 Brooks
6 Bethell 
7 Smith (I feel sorry for him, his confidence is shot)
8  Jacks
9  Atkinson
10. Archer ( For his 38)
11, Tongue 

[only1billybonds]

ED.

Yea can see that. Crawley's two knocks in Brisbane may have bought him some whereas Pope begging to get given out every time he goes out to bat.

[zebthecat]

I doubt Bashir will get in as he is coming off the back of 0-115 at five an over against Australia A but you never know with this England set-up.

[Eerie Decent]

I think Pope is more under threat than Crawley. Neither should be in the team, but it's too late to make any big changes now, and throwing someone in at the top of the order could ruin them. I'd fly out Hameed or Sibley, but that's not gonna happen.

Bethell is clearly talented, but he hasn't yet made a first class century, but he at least has something about him. As I said previously, would move Stokes up the 3, and have bethell come in at 7 with Jacks at 8, those two could really do some damage there.

I've got a funny feeling that they will go with Bethell at 3 replacing Pope, and stupidly bring Bashir in to replace Jacks. Stokes absolutely loves him, for some strange reason, just think he'll gamble with it. Hope not.

[only1billybonds]

MA

Should we lose in Adelaide, i'd play Bethell at Melbourne and Sydney. No point holding him back once the series has gone. Crawley has had ample opportunities to make himsef undropable but he clearly lacks something.  Think throwing Bethell in at Adelaide while there is still the slenderest of chances to win would be heaping a mile of pressure on him. Of course, he could walk to the crease and still be there 5 hours later with a big ton behind him.

[Fauxstralian]

Stokes says he doesn’t want any WEAK men
Given his Bristol gay bar adventures I suspect he has a craving for HARD men

[Fauxstralian]

Crawley made 76 & 44
If he gets going he has the potential to be dangerous but often struggles to get past over 1.
Every opening batsman is vulnerable early against the best bowlers who are fresh with a brand new ball
The Krazy Kiwi needs to tell him to play his first 20 balls conservatively & then look to branch out ie like every other opening batsman since the 19th century

The opener in danger should be the garden gnome DUCKett who seems to pride himself and not letting any balls go. Think he had a ludicrously low % of leaves at one time & this was thought of as a GREAT thing

[Takashi Miike]

[Massive Attack]

I hope Blowers is right and they chuck Bethell in now. Would be the kind of introduction that makes him and maybe ignites us in to giving it a proper go in the 3rd Test. 

[onsideman]

I keep hearing that Crawley has been persevered with because his style of batting suits Australian conditions. 

If this is the case, then surely if the 3rd test is lost, it'll be time to say,' the experiment failed, off ya trot Zak go earn a shilling in franchise cricket' No point keeping him on if he fails in the one place he's been groomed to succeed. Hope I'm wrong and he goes out and smashes 150 plus but if he was going to look like a genuine test opener,he would have done so by now?

Before the series started I said that Crawley would probably get a double hundred... but that if he did it would be an irrelevant innings in a dead rubber test

[only1billybonds]

I keep hearing that Crawley has been persevered with because his style of batting suits Australian conditions. 

If this is the case, then surely if the 3rd test is lost, it'll be time to say,' the experiment failed, off ya trot Zak go earn a shilling in franchise cricket' No point keeping him on if he fails in the one place he's been groomed to succeed. Hope I'm wrong and he goes out and smashes 150 plus but if he was going to look like a genuine test opener,he would have done so by now?

[Takashi Miike]

[Eerie Decent]

As we've seen so far, all out pace hasn't really been what's needed on current Aussie pitches. The irony of us in the past going there with Broad & Anderson, neither of whom were naturally suited to their pitches of old, they'd have a field day now.

The only chance we've got of salvaging some pride is sticking Potts in for some control, and Tongue with the hope that he is on point, along with Archer he's the most talented bowler we have.

Those digging into Smith, have to realise that he has never played a pink ball game in his life, and he's up against a team who are the best with it. He looked good in the 1st Test first innings, and got a peach of a delivery in the second, he will be a top batsman but he shouldn't have the gloves, I said that before the series started, but it's too late to change that.

Duckett I also said would probably struggle down there, but he has plenty of credit in the bank. Brook needs to have a proper rethink about what he's doing, ignore the pillock about RUNNING TOWARDS THE DANGER and just bat naturally, aggressive but when the time is right. Stokes probably has the best defensive technique in the side, and will really have the bit between the teeth now, so I'd move him to 3, Pope is absolutely shot to bits. They aren't going to change Crawley after he made some sort of score, but they need to change something, so I'd go with..

Crawley
Duckett
Stokes
Root
Brook
Smith (wk)
Bethell
Jacks
Potts
Archer
Tongue

Bethell & Jacks at 7&8 could be a bit game changing. Desperate times, so we need to do something a bit different. Expect the same team though, with maybe Tongue replacing the Saffa the only change.

Makes sense. I do worry about Potts from consistency perspective but he does tend to pick up wickets. I’d probably leave Atkinson in and drop Carse for Potts. 

Yeah, but he's the best bet in the current conditions down there i reckon. Not necessarily against Atkinson staying in instead of him, but I'd definitely change Carse for Tongue. He gets good batsmen out, and he's also the best bowler we have against the tail, by a distance.

It's all very much slim pickings, though.

[southbankbornnbred]

Yeah, Atkinson and Carse must feel under threat. Atkinson has not bowled that well at all by his standards. But with all of the bowlers, it's hard to tell if it's a case of stupid Baazball tactics (mindlessly asking all your bowlers to bang it in short of a length) and whether they'd do better when freed from the tyranny of that stupidity.

Archer, Atkinson, Tongue, Carse, Potts - they're all decent bowlers. But, as with the batsmen, the leadership have to give them their best chance of succeeding. Can't say I've seen much of Fisher.

It's a case of "make do and mend" for the rest of this tour. They have massively over-invested in the tactical cult. But the tour is full of players who can't really play a more disciplined way (not right now, anyway). Just try to drill home that being back in the dressing room within 30 overs isn't a sign of success - however many runs you've scored.

[Django]

As we've seen so far, all out pace hasn't really been what's needed on current Aussie pitches. The irony of us in the past going there with Broad & Anderson, neither of whom were naturally suited to their pitches of old, they'd have a field day now.

The only chance we've got of salvaging some pride is sticking Potts in for some control, and Tongue with the hope that he is on point, along with Archer he's the most talented bowler we have.

Those digging into Smith, have to realise that he has never played a pink ball game in his life, and he's up against a team who are the best with it. He looked good in the 1st Test first innings, and got a peach of a delivery in the second, he will be a top batsman but he shouldn't have the gloves, I said that before the series started, but it's too late to change that.

Duckett I also said would probably struggle down there, but he has plenty of credit in the bank. Brook needs to have a proper rethink about what he's doing, ignore the pillock about RUNNING TOWARDS THE DANGER and just bat naturally, aggressive but when the time is right. Stokes probably has the best defensive technique in the side, and will really have the bit between the teeth now, so I'd move him to 3, Pope is absolutely shot to bits. They aren't going to change Crawley after he made some sort of score, but they need to change something, so I'd go with..

Crawley
Duckett
Stokes
Root
Brook
Smith (wk)
Bethell
Jacks
Potts
Archer
Tongue

Bethell & Jacks at 7&8 could be a bit game changing. Desperate times, so we need to do something a bit different. Expect the same team though, with maybe Tongue replacing the Saffa the only change.

Makes sense. I do worry about Potts from consistency perspective but he does tend to pick up wickets. I’d probably leave Atkinson in and drop Carse for Potts. 

[Eerie Decent]

As we've seen so far, all out pace hasn't really been what's needed on current Aussie pitches. The irony of us in the past going there with Broad & Anderson, neither of whom were naturally suited to their pitches of old, they'd have a field day now.

The only chance we've got of salvaging some pride is sticking Potts in for some control, and Tongue with the hope that he is on point, along with Archer he's the most talented bowler we have.

Those digging into Smith, have to realise that he has never played a pink ball game in his life, and he's up against a team who are the best with it. He looked good in the 1st Test first innings, and got a peach of a delivery in the second, he will be a top batsman but he shouldn't have the gloves, I said that before the series started, but it's too late to change that.

Duckett I also said would probably struggle down there, but he has plenty of credit in the bank. Brook needs to have a proper rethink about what he's doing, ignore the pillock about RUNNING TOWARDS THE DANGER and just bat naturally, aggressive but when the time is right. Stokes probably has the best defensive technique in the side, and will really have the bit between the teeth now, so I'd move him to 3, Pope is absolutely shot to bits. They aren't going to change Crawley after he made some sort of score, but they need to change something, so I'd go with..

Crawley
Duckett
Stokes
Root
Brook
Smith (wk)
Bethell
Jacks
Potts
Archer
Tongue

Bethell & Jacks at 7&8 could be a bit game changing. Desperate times, so we need to do something a bit different. Expect the same team though, with maybe Tongue replacing the Saffa the only change.

[Westside]

"It's about giving yourself your best chance of beating them."

Even when they do, they stuff up. Remember Adelaide 2006? England got 551 - 6 (declared) batting first. And lost.

 

[southbankbornnbred]

Wood going home would be a big blow if we had been in the series - but we're not.

When fully fit (which is rare) he bowls well down under. One of the few bowlers who rattled the Aussies on a previous tour. Another England quick whose test career has been ruined by injuries.

[Takashi Miike]

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Mark Wood will miss the rest of the Ashes & fly home
End of his Test career at his age I’d expect

Josh Hazlewood also won’t play in this Ashes
Reckon that’s him done in Test cricket with his ongoing injuries 
Imagine he will play 2 or 3 years of white ball & rack up a few million from the IPL

In the wise words of Cilla 
Suprise susprise

[Fauxstralian]

Mark Wood will miss the rest of the Ashes & fly home
End of his Test career at his age I’d expect

Josh Hazlewood also won’t play in this Ashes
Reckon that’s him done in Test cricket with his ongoing injuries 
Imagine he will play 2 or 3 years of white ball & rack up a few million from the IPL