Ashes News 🏏 The Ashes 25/26

Who will win the Ashes?

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    46
  • Poll closed .
BrockBuster said:
Yeah I've never really had a country side. Grew up being a big Jack Russell fan and Gloucestershire was the only team that featured on the local news. But never really drew me in.

When I eventually moved to London Surrey was the most local club, but felt like supporting Man Utd in the 90s to me given how successful they always were.

Will stick to the international stuff and a passing interest in the county game. Was lucky enough to travel around New Zealand a couple of years back and follow the England side for that Test tour.
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A New Zealand tour is on my bucket list, but it'll have to wait until I'm retired I think.
 
tomoufc said:
These stories are crazy. Seeing some of the greatest ever of the sport play in a local park!

I’m a bit younger but I did manage to see Ambrose and Walsh play in their last ever test at the Oval in 2000. Was 16 but kids got in for free so I pretended to be 15. Went on my own on the train from Oxford. There was a pitch invasion at the end as England hadn’t beat them for more than 30 years.
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Years ago my mates mum used to do the teas in the pavilion at The Parks. Apparently Geoff Boycott always had a spoon of honey in his cup of tea.
 
tonyw said:
This first Test just feels like a 'Must Win' to me.

Get ahead of them, and suddenly a moderately talented Aussie team is under severe pressure from their fans.
Fall behind, and you're touring round with an entire country on your back, and things can spiral unless you've a team of extremely tough characters (and I'm not sure that we do)

So I would play Wood as part of a five man pace attack, and get at them. Yes, there is some evidence that the pitch may be receptive to spin later on......but I honestly don't really rate Bashir as an attacking bowler anyway (he's fine in the Ashley Giles role of hold up an end, and winkle someone out once in a while).

Given that there's a bit of time off between matches, if everyone's fit, I would try and do the same for the second Test as well because the Gabba is also typically a place for pace. Then rotate for the 3rd Test in Adelaide, which will likely be a slower batting wicket.......
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Agree with this.

Looking ahead to the Adelaide test, I think there could be an argument to get Jacks in to bat at 8 and offer a bit of spin on the slower deck.

I doubt England will do that though, Bashir is their boy it would seem, and it’s conceivable that Jacks will carry the drinks for 2 months.
 
ECYellow said:
Agree with this.

Looking ahead to the Adelaide test, I think there could be an argument to get Jacks in to bat at 8 and offer a bit of spin on the slower deck.

I doubt England will do that though, Bashir is their boy it would seem, and it’s conceivable that Jacks will carry the drinks for 2 months.
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The only reason that you would play Jacks is really for his batting but as you say 'offer a bit of spin". They could also do this with Bethall. If they want a specialist spinner to play then it has to be Bashir.

Agree that this Test almost seems a must win game. Archer, Wood, Stokes seemingly fit, Cumming and Hazelwood out for the Aussis and the chance to get ahead and put pressure on them
 
If there is a bit of green on the pitch, do we try and bowl first? Let Wood, Archer, Atkinson, Carse, Stokes have a good at their potentially brittle top order and get Smith/ Head in early?
 
Foley said:
If there is a bit of green on the pitch, do we try and bowl first? Let Wood, Archer, Atkinson, Carse, Stokes have a good at their potentially brittle top order and get Smith/ Head in early?
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If we manage to win the toss then you would think we would bowl first as Stokes likes chasing, would be a huge first session or two then if we do that, we would really need to come out on top as we don’t want those opening batsmen building up confidence.
 
Left Wing Cross said:
What is going on in Steve Smith's head?

www.bbc.co.uk

The Ashes: Australia captain Steve Smith aims bizarre Mastermind jibe at Monty Panesar

Stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith takes a bizarre swipe at former England spinner Monty Panesar on the eve of the first Ashes Test.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
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It's a deflective answer and a premeditated one. He is right that Monty's Mastermind appearance is comical though.

As for the Ashes, I think England will win a Test but lose the series. Baby steps and all that though. We've been the pits down in Aus for 15 years now. Even in the '90s when Australia were really good, England could pick up a win here and there and not always in completely dead rubbers. 3-1 to the Aussies.

Still, they're an ageing side and who knows what a positive mindset could do ...
 
ZeroTheHero said:
Smith was complicit in a premeditated cheating scandal. I have absolutely no respect for anything he says.
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Him and Warner. I’ve never been able to support straya at cricket despite living here 20 years, but I know Aussies who couldn’t wholeheartedly support them while Smith or Warner were in the frame.
(Edit: I’d made it sound like Warner is in the current squad ….)
 
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unification said:
It's a deflective answer and a premeditated one. He is right that Monty's Mastermind appearance is comical though.

As for the Ashes, I think England will win a Test but lose the series. Baby steps and all that though. We've been the pits down in Aus for 15 years now. Even in the '90s when Australia were really good, England could pick up a win here and there and not always in completely dead rubbers. 3-1 to the Aussies.

Still, they're an ageing side and who knows what a positive mindset could do ...
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I suppose, as a deflection, it appears to have worked. If only for the bizarreness rather than the quality of the attack.

I agree that I foresee England losing the series but they might pick up a win. Both sides have their weaknesses but the Aussies are at home.
 
BrockBuster said:
Hilarious how rattled it's got him. And turns out being what he'd label as 'uneducated' wouldn't be an excuse for knowing the difference between right and wrong.
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Indeed, Panesar must be laughing at Smith for responding like that. As if being a cheat over a sustained period of time is the same as doing poorly on a TV quiz.

The beauty of it is Monty's comments will have now reached a far greater number of people with Smith responding. The stupid one here is Smith as he isn't getting ahead of it but rather bringing it up and inflaming the situation at the same time.
 
Didn’t realise he was captain for this one.

Can see songs like
Ohhhh
Monty’s torn Smith apart again

Or
Na na na na na na na na na na na
Monty’s in your head
In your head
Monty’s in your head

Sad cheating Aussie
He’s just a sad cheating Aussie
Sad cheating Aussie
He’s just a sad cheating Aussie
 
unification said:
As for the Ashes, I think England will win a Test but lose the series. Baby steps and all that though. We've been the pits down in Aus for 15 years now. Even in the '90s when Australia were really good, England could pick up a win here and there and not always in completely dead rubbers. 3-1 to the Aussies.

Still, they're an ageing side and who knows what a positive mindset could do ...
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I don't think we've won a Test in Australia (other than 2010-11) since 87 at any time when we could still win the Ashes (only draw them when the Aussies were already the holders).

In 94/95 and 98/99, we won the 4th Test when we were already 2-0 down. In 02/03, we won the 5th Test when we were already 4-0 down.
All the other series, we've been whitewashed (with the occasional draw thrown in).

We have to do better than that this year, for me, if Stokes and McCullum want to keep their jobs.
After four years in charge without any series wins against India or Australia, we need to at least be competitive in this series or it should be someone else's turn.
 
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tonyw said:
I don't think we've won a Test in Australia (other than 2010-11) since 87 at any time when we could still win the Ashes (only draw them when the Aussies were already the holders).

In 94/95 and 98/99, we won the 4th Test when we were already 2-0 down. In 02/03, we won the 5th Test when we were already 4-0 down.
All the other series, we've been whitewashed (with the occasional draw thrown in).

We have to do better than that this year, for me, if Stokes and McCullum want to keep their jobs.
After four years in charge without any series wins against India or Australia, we need to at least be competitive in this series or it should be someone else's turn.
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Thanks for that cheery thought!
 
SteMerritt said:
Thanks for that cheery thought!
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OK, putting my positive hat on - the reason I think we must do better this year is that this is one of the weakest Aussie teams we've faced in the past forty years, especially in Perth where they are going to be down their two best bowlers. Two 31 year old debutants - one opening the batting alongside a guy who has only reached 50 twice in his last 26 innings - and a proper England 90s allrounder at #6 (i.e. bats well, bowls well but not outstanding at either).

I have some reservations about our top three, and we don't have a spin bowler of note, but I still think we're the more talented side. If our heads are right and we get our tactics right, we should win this one.
 
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