The Ashes 2023

[JimmyJeffers]

Is Johnny Bairstow out then?

 

[steven]

Anti Climatic ending to the series as a competition - nevertheless really has been a great watch:

I think Australia have no doubt been lucky this weekend as the tide had turned and don’t think they had an answer to it. Their series altered dramatically when Lyon got injured, shows how absolutely crucial he is to the Aussies and they’ll miss a spinner of that quality when he calls it a day. Smith past his best as well and nowhere near the bradman like force he was in 2019. Think it’s the first time that Cummins has really struggled too, he was dreadful in this last test and being your teams premier bowler, needing to contribute with the bat and having to captain in a crisis seemed to overwhelm him.

As for England. I genuinely think there was a clean sweep win of those ashes in there somewhere. Wood and Woakes have proved to be incredible choices and if they were fit earlier could have been interesting. Baristow been good this test but I still stand by that adding Foakes to this side would do wonders for it, been really impressed by duckett and brook.

Ultimate test of bazball will be Australia away…should be a good un.

 

[woomy]

I think you want as many fresh bowlers as possible in the last test, without picking bowlers below test standard. Could see Tongue and Robinson come in, for the first time Broad looked a bit leggy and though I actually think Jimmy bowled far better than his wickets column suggested I would rather see Tongue get another go.

I think we will see the same team.
Could easily be Anderson and Broads last home Ashes test match.
I know this team says it doesn't do sentiment. I would be shocked if they change it up.
Feasibly it could be Andersons last test match as well. They won't let him go out on a rained off match.

 

[Rita_Poon]

Extra weather days. It's not rocket science.

Can't agree, the five days is sacrosanct. How many test's did the rain save for England for the 30 years prior to becoming an actual competent side just after the turn of the century? Now it suits the die-hard, always been there fans* that expect to see a victory. The real question is...
...who decided to schedule such a short window to squeeze 5 tests into and manage to pick the end of the heatwave and endless days with no rain (June) and book em into the wettest July on record? whoever it is needs a word with my bookie...

 

[Hinchcliffe's Corner]

As I've said earlier, the rain didn't give Australia the Ashes, England did with poor performances when the game was there to be won in the first 2 tests. Nothing wrong with what Australia did throughout the series and they had some great individual.pwrormances too from Khawaja and Cummins and Head in particular

 

[PITA]

I'm not 1 to gloat normally but reading this from you ad nauseum over the last few weeks makes me glad we retained the ashes in this manner. Congratulations on your moral victory though mate and saving test cricket.

Exactly. No wonder you lot call us whinging poms.

 

[chrismpw]

Can't agree, the five days is sacrosanct. How many test's did the rain save for England for the 30 years prior to becoming an actual competent side just after the turn of the century? Now it suits the die-hard, always been there fans* that expect to see a victory. The real question is...
...who decided to schedule such a short window to squeeze 5 tests into and manage to pick the end of the heatwave and endless days with no rain (June) and book em into the wettest July on record? whoever it is needs a word with my bookie...

Every July and especially August in the last 25 years have been drab and rainy, yet nobody else seem to have noticed. I predicted it in the 90s that global warming would mean nice early summers evaporating the atlantic and then late summer it drops on us. I've noticed few exceptions since.

Of course thexyanks still deny any climate changes as they quite literally burn.

 

[rochdaleblue]

As I've said earlier, the rain didn't give Australia the Ashes, England did with poor performances when the game was there to be won in the first 2 tests. Nothing wrong with what Australia did throughout the series and they had some great individual.pwrormances too from Khawaja and Cummins and Head in particular

Couldn’t agree more. We should have been 2-0 up not 2 down after the opening tests. Dropped catches proved our undoing, allied to not having either Woakes or Wood in the team. In saying that the Aussies lost one of their most influential players in Lyon too. We only have ourselves to blame.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

An earlier start isn't feasible as the dew and conditions aren't stable early on in the day. And a roof? You know how big a cricket ground is?? Again not feasible.

Extra days however ... like they had for the cricket World final - eminently sensible.

Maybe, but a later finish certainly is.

 

[MisterJ]

We threw this away with one poor session at Edgebaston and one poor session at Lord's where we just threw the bat at everything when all that was needed was a little common sense batting and we'd be 3-0 up.

I admire the positive approach theyve taken, but it's all about winning and we weren't smart about it

Hopefully they learn

 

[StreetEndBlue]

I did all five days at Old Trafford (didn't see much today obviously). A few of my own observations now we can't regain the Ashes.

1) The hasty Stokes declaration at Edgbaston. There was no need to pull them out when he did. Root was batting brilliantly and Robinson was giving him solid support. We'd have built up an even bigger first innings score and took time out of the game putting an Australian win out of the equation.

2) The sight of Australian Test players doing short stints with county sides in the build-up to home Ashes series getting invaluable practice in our conditions. This really grates me. It happens before every Ashes over here. Are we really doing everything we can to help us win? By allowing this certainly not. There's not a chance the ACB would allow English players to play Sheffield Shield cricket in the lead-up to an Ashes series Down Under, and rightly so.

3) Packing 5 Test matches in 6 weeks because August has been reserved for that 'Hundred' dirge. Our two greatest bowlers are getting old, so it would surely suit us to space the games out to give them a breather, but no, we decide to pack all five Tests in a short window because that tinpot, joke of a competition must come first, yes even above the Ashes!

Also I'm seeing some cricket fans on social media now demanding Old Trafford dumped as a Test venue after what's happened these last 2 days but even if it had been played at Leeds, Birmingham or Nottingham it would've been no different this terrible weather is so widespread. Since 2000 England have played 19 Tests in Manchester, winning 14, drawing 3 and losing just twice. It would suggest the weather isn't so bad so why get rid of a venue England generally win at and would've surely won again but for rain these last 2 days?

 

[Jamo Martinez]

With regards to the result, don't think we can complain about the weather.

There should however be some thought given to extending playing time beyond 6.30pm in summer and extra days when necessary.

 

[Cool_Blue]

Good day all round for the Aussies with this draw and then Ricky Ponting winning the Open.

 

[Hinchcliffe's Corner]

 

[Swartzy]