"Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late." Bejamin Franklin. If your Ben Franklin quote is anything to go by, then - GET OFF MY LAWN YOU YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPER!
Another fantastic Ashes series with 2-2 being just about a fair outcome. Ninesy asked yesterday what our combined eleven would be, but we never found time to discuss it. Here's mine anyway.... Crawley Khawaja Smith Root Stokes (Capt) Bairstow Carey (Wk) Woakes Wood Starc Broad What do you think?
I'd have to have Lyon in it, 9 wickets in only 2 tests. Hate to think how many he'd of got if he played all 5 matches. Aussies missed him big time. I'd have him in instead of Carey to balance the side and give the gloves to Jonny !
Not sure about what would happen if Jonny and Carey ended up batting together lol, think Jonny might deliberately run him out ! Would be a long night aswell trying to talk Smith or Root into moving up to number 3, and even more fun telling the Aussie players that they are gonna play Bazball or they'll be dropped ! Otherwise we could have Crawley on 100 off 70 balls and Khawaja 20 off 60 !
Well done to both sides for a very entertaining series. Especially well done to S. Broad. Until we meet again, Australia retains the Ashes.
Pretty much the same Strolls, I think I would have Lyon in for one of Bairstow or Carey. ( Assuming we're picking players that remained fit theoretically. ) If it was earlier in the series I would've had Cummins in there somewhere.
An absolutely blinding series. Massive well done to both sides bring their own game to the series and us all getting to see them both pitting their wits and skills against one another. I completely enjoyed listening to Test Match Special for all 5 Tests. Great commentary for an amazing series Hard to imagine another series as good to come along again.
Fantastic series & deserved 2-2, in fact with bit of luck we could’ve won all 5 & if Wood & Woakes played first 2
Well done both sides on a great series. Job done - ashes retained. With a bit of luck and a fit Lyon we might have won all 5 as well.
5 pitches prepared as requested by the home side. 4 tosses won. Easily the best of conditions. Had a ball replaced in the last innings that was clearly not in the same condition as the one being replaced when Australia were on top. Yes you need more luck. Again - ashes retained - job done.
Shame to think that that's it now for the summer Test series and it's not even August..... Just got to suffer the R's now for the next 10 months.....
Tough one to answer.... Top 4 are shoo ins Stokes at 5 and captain- no brainer This is where it gets difficult.... try to fit in 2 from Brooks, Bairstow, Carey, Marsh, Head. All of them have a case for inclusion and all would relish playing bazball style..... Then I'd have cummings over woods on fitness grounds and he's a superb bowler... Then 2 of Woakes, Starc, Broad as need a spinner in there somewhere and left field choice I'd pick Murphy It's an almost impossible question but it would be one hell of a side to watch....
The Australian camp have been left with a sour taste in their mouth following the Ashes, after being snubbed by England for the traditional post-series drinks in a move they've labelled 'pathetic'. Australian players were spotted looking into the hosts' dressing rooms after play to see if they could share a beer, before eventually giving up and leaving The Oval at around 10.45pm. England's team were then spotted coming out of the ground shortly after the Aussies had left. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/c...c-snub-fifth-Ashes-Test-beer-drinks-Oval.html __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Disappointing way to end the series for the host nation.
Crawley Khawaja Stokes Root Marsh Bairstow Woakes Wood Murphy Starc Broad Based (just about) on best averages. Carey undoubtedly the better keeper but he added little with the bat. Smith has an aura but his average was way down the list, plus Marsh can bowl. Stokes has to bat at 3. I have no doubt Lyon would have been in had he not been injured. Long tail but some quick runs in it. I think the compressed format of this series, apparently to make way for the Hundred, really harmed the Aussies. They had no time to see if their squad players had any form, surely Warner would have been dropped if they had a semi functioning replacement, and their second line bowlers/sort of all rounders Green and Boland were really not worth the trip, though Green might come good with time. At the end the Aussies did really well to draw the series. For me Bazball only works with a team which is 100% committed to it and has the capability to implement, and England are there at the moment - they play this way because they like it. The way they bat, especially, takes the initiative from the opponents, to the extent that Cummins put us in to bat at the Oval because he knows we like a chase - he was playing our tactics, not the conditions, and was immediately on the back foot. Stokes and McCullum were well into Cummins’ head by the end and it showed. It will be interesting to see what happens in India….
Yeah, I was going to have Stokes at 3 but it meant pushing Root or Smith down to 5. I'd love to see Stokes bat there going forward.
