England's Summer of Cricket 2023, Featuring The Ashes

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June 1st-June 4th: One Test v Ireland (four days)
June 16th-July 31st: Five Tests v Australia
August 30th-September 5th: Four T20s v New Zealand
September 8th-September 15th: Four ODIs v New Zealand
September 20th-September 26th: Three ODIs v Ireland

England try to wrest the Ashes back from Australia, in a series which could be the greatest since 2005. Australia have currently held the urn for just over five years, which is the longest spell of urn-holding since the 1989-2005 period.

Ireland also visit for a test before that, and then there's some limited-overs games squashed into the last days of summer.

Two in the over ! Balburnie a rather tired sort of slash and Jonny happy to dive and gather the low edge...

Felt Tongue might have had better figures yesterday with a bit of luck so nice to see him reaping rewards now.

Though the day three ticket holders might be getting a bit anxious.

alfie wrote:Think we are all looking forward to greater challenges !  But I don't agree with marking down serious success by concluding - with hindsight - that the opposition were rubbish. Pretty sure you for one ,  Duty , were less than confident about England's chances before those series were played ?  

It's true England have generally been hard to beat at home for a long time (except 2021 !) But they weren't usually winning as decisively as last year...even against the lesser teams.

Expecting a tough battle in the Ashes. But if England were to demolish Australia 4-1 (hey a man can hope !) ; I wouldn't declare that Australia had suddenly become cannon fodder.

I did favour NZ to beat England last summer, yes, but I was on the fence about South Africa. It wasn't with hindsight (!), because I thought NZ were pretty average (not rubbish) at the time and SA pretty woeful at the time. The SA series was awful to watch. One of the worst, most low-quality test series I've seen. The series win against NZ was a good one, but it was helped by NZ's in-game injuries (I think Jamieson broke down in the first test, England weren't winning that if Jamieson stayed fit) and dodgy selections, plus Bairstow having the summer of his life. I don't think the wins over NZ were decisive because they were fourth innings rescues, which is a bit like coming from 2 down at half time to win it.

There will be no hindsight with Australia. They're a good team, the best team outside the sub-continent,  and if England win it'll be richly deserved. The toughest test yet.

VTR wrote:Agree the new regime hasn't faced the biggest challenges yet, but the England of 2021, regardless of who they were playing were clearly devoid of confidence. They were well beaten at home by New Zealand and India had dominated the series that followed it. The loss in the West Indies was truly pathetic. I think its a big improvement since then

I agree about NZ, but England competed well v India. It was 1-1 after 3 tests, I think England won the 3rd test by a lot, but inept captaincy from Root sabotaged winning positions in both the 2nd and 4th tests.

Not really learning a huge deal from this one bar it's very funny that Root simply outright refuses to boost his average when playing cannon fodder or on flat decks (Pakistan last winter) by not cashing in. I kinda admire his commitment to it

Good bowling change...only took Leach two balls to break that handy partnership. Tucker - who'd played rather well - a little unlucky to glove that onto his stumps. He and Textor had done a good solid job that first half hour or so.

Leach might fancy a few wickets today. Not that there is any help for him in the pitch ; but with Ireland still 226 behind the size of their task might prey on their minds a bit...I think he'll bowl a long spell here.

Even as an England fan I was rather enjoying that partnership. I don't follow the 'no longer associates but still treated like associate' nations as much these days simply as I don't have quite as much time for cricket. Tector and Tucker are really good talents who are genuine products of the Irish system though. Both being signed to IPL 'feeder' teams in the CPL and UAE respectively.

In years gone by both would likely be playing in the CC developing their red ball game. Subsequently, they might not have been available for Ireland as much though. See the weakened teams Scotland and Netherlands will send to the CWC qualifiers due to players with CC commitments.

Tucker looked fairly limited as a batter early on but has come along so much in a short space of time. Going from a keeper who can but to a genuine keeper-batter. Which is vital for Ireland's balance given they need the bowling depth of an extra seamer currently.

Tector is simply their best talent with the bat and looks a really good player to me. There is work to do against spin especially  but that's unsurprising given the conditions he's come through.

Fat lot I know...Leach in fact has left the field already and Joe Root takes up the bowling

Hope nothing too wrong with Jack. Odd time to wander off though.

So just the one wicket in that first hour. Tector has indeed looked pretty good for his 46...they'll be hoping for a lot more from him today.

Potts bowled a good spell there. Time for a bit of Tongue now though after drinks...be hoping for two more scalps today , eh ?

Fifty for Tector

Well played...

But now he's gone ! Bit of a soft dismissal . Loose cut straight to Harry Brook at backward point...

Four now for Tongue

Oh dear...Campher sweeps Root straight to Stokesand its six down. Really seven as McCollum isn't going to come back .

Didn't like the look of that Stokes wince as his knees were bent under pressure

Really into the tail now so one wonders if this will last to lunch. Hopefully Tongue can get one of the last three : personal milestones are about all that is left to take from this unfortunately serious mismatch.

I fear Ireland have gone backwards over these last four years - at least in the four day stuff. They did hint before the match that this isn't their main focus at present , with WC qualification in prospect ...possibly wasn't a great idea to articulate that before what should still have been an important experience ?

These two doing well to close in on lunch still six down.. Not just blocking either , playing their shots quite vigorously and landing Root's offerings into the stands once or twice...211/6 with Leach thankfully oK and back in the action...

Couple more overs to lunch so going to be into the next session : should be good for the bar sales

All this short stuff seems to indicate England still haven't learnt how to bowl to the tail, which is a concern ahead of the Ashes. Amazing how that tactic has survived multiple captains. Would still like to know why England do it as the statistics indicate England are one of the worst, possibly the worst, test nation at bowling to the tail.

Stokes looked in a very bad way earlier. I'm really not sure what part he's going to be able to play, aside from the captaincy stuff. He hasn't had a proper innings with the bat since February, with just two isolated (and short) T20 games since then. It's like Flintoff from 2006-2009 - just get him on the field and pray he does something talismanic. I think not playing Stokes in the Ashes, at least initially, should have been a consideration. He can't bowl, his batting has gone downhill since 2019/2020, and he's liable to break down at any moment.

Ireland have gone backwards since 2019, but it's hardly surprising. They need a first-class structure in their own country. And they need tests they can win. Most of their tests have been played in the alien conditions of the sub-continent.

England have named their squad for the first two Ashes tests. It's unchanged from the squad for this.

Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

So I'd expect the same top 7 + Leach, with Anderson and Robinson surely certs to start, provided fitness is OK. The only question is the third seamer. I'd go for Woakes, personally, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Wood play. I could envisage Broad playing, but he wouldn't be my choice. Tongue would be a big surprise (again!).

C215/6 at lunch. Good resistance this morning from Ireland

Tector played really well until he rather threw it away ; but now McBrine and the very lively Adair have kept England out - and indeed scored briskly. Improvement on first innings !

England same squad of 16 for first AshesTest. Not too big a surprise.

Well earned fifty for Adair

Couple more boundaries to celebrate too... Up to 259/6 ; and has to be said England's attack has looked just a bit toothless since lunch.

97 partnership now. Leach being tested , with nothing really in the pitch for him on this third day. He'll likely have to deal with this situation against Australia at times so this might be the workout he needs ?

Solid batting in much better conditions than the first day. Fair to say England looking a little toothless.

One aspect of Stokes' captaincy that I've liked is they've given Leach proper backing. Under Root, Leach would often be ignored, and then suddenly be expected to deliver when circumstance demanded. With Stokes, Leach is getting every chance. However, it's fair to say that Leach isn't the match-winning spinner that England might like to have. Averaging in the high 30s over the last year, with an economy over 3 - he offers neither control nor consistent wicket-taking ability at test level, and England need a better option.

This is Ireland's record partnership in test cricket.

I know Lord's is generally favourable to batting sides anyway, but I hope we don't see, as was the pre-series suggestion, these types of flat pitches on a consistent basis against Australia, because the likes of Smith, Labuschagne and Head will feast.

To be fair to Leach , he's getting no help from this bland pitch . But it is a little concerning that with only three seamers being forced into repeat spells they really don't look likely to break this (late order) stand unless one of the bats has a brain fade...

This is of course the sort of situation in which a fit Stokes would certainly be bowling. Does show his absence from the attack is a big blow - and potentially an Ashes losing one ?

Lead down to just 41 so looking as if England might need to bat again...

Duty281 wrote:This is Ireland's record partnership in test cricket.

I know Lord's is generally favourable to batting sides anyway, but I hope we don't see, as was the pre-series suggestion, these types of flat pitches on a consistent basis against Australia, because the likes of Smith, Labuschagne and Head will feast.

Amen to that ! I have been assuming that was a bit of a smokescreen , to be honest ; as it seems daft to deliberately throw away the usual home conditions advantage. Watching this , I really hope we don't see more than a couple of really flat decks.

Anyway all credit to these two bats : regardless of pitch/bowling limitations etc - this has been seriously good batting. Regaining a lot of pride for Ireland

Ha . One too many attempts to deflect a short ball over slips has done for Adair...Potts has his man

Reward for toil. Wouldn't have begrudged Adair a hundred ; but England will be relieved to see that stand eventually broken...

Still 27 behind so a lot up to McBrine now.

That was like Blundell and Mitchell again, glad it's over!

That was a wonderful partnership anyway...doubled the score ; and in good time. Something for the Irish supporters watching to take home from this - and going a long way to making the game a worthwhile effort from them rather than the humiliation that had appeared to be their only reward...

Now then : Adair fell a few boundaries short of his hundred : can McBrine get another 24 for his ?

New ball in seven.

Five for Tongue

Nice catch at second from Crawley (who has taken a couple of good ones now in this match , which at least is to his credit) sees off Hand ; and the new boy has his Honour Board entry on debut.

Last pair at the crease now so delayed tea I guess ?

I think Tongue's done enough, and bowled with the requisite intensity and pace, to force his way into the thinking for the Ashes. Wood will play two tests in the Ashes, perhaps three as a maximum, but if England want extra pace in the games that Wood doesn't play, or if Wood breaks down with injury, Tongue is now the second choice behind him, with Stone and Archer out of the equation.

Root with the new ball ? Stokes likes to surprise , does he not ?

And Ireland have now made England bat again ...well done them

Unlikely to set a large target though...

Not long after tea...Broad bowls the number 11 and McBrine is left stranded on an excellent 86...

England will need 11. Maybe Broad can go in and get them as a DayHawk ?

Crawley made short work of that .Four balls , three boundaries...done.

Both sides can take something from this match in the end...after a bit of online grumbling about England potentially leaving spectators short changed they actually got most of three days...

Anyone buying tickets for day four must have been an optimist

Think Wednesday the WTC final might be a bit closer...

Good fight from Ireland today with the excellent partnership between Adair and McBrine but also that earlier one from Tector and Tucker. England once again bowling poorly to the lower order.

I can never quite decide whether it's purely tactics to the tail or perhaps a case of them naturally bowling at the lower order more with the old ball which the attack as a whole is significantly worse at. When they bowl with the older ball to the top order it's a common tactic too. So perhaps conditions based more than who they're bowling at. Either way I'm not sure they have the bowlers for it unless Wood and Stokes are genuinely fit.

A good debut from Tongue. He looked such a talent when taking lots of wickets in that debut 2017 season as a teenager. Then the injuries struck again and again. He's not as quick as he once was but that's very common by the time seamers debut in Test cricket. It's great seeing him fit and firing.

I've said it a couple of times now but I wouldn't be surprised if we see 7.Surran 8.Woakes at some point in the Ashes if Stokes can't bowl at all. The double whammy of Stokes looking more and more like a specialist batter, then Cam Green's rise as a genuine all-rounder for the Aussie is a massive shift in balance for both sides.

Leach is going to be under a lot of pressure as England will be relying on him a lot if it's a 4 man attack.

I had the stream on at work during a fairly quiet shift in the café so saw a lot but missed some. Watching the highlights I've just had a proper look at Stokes taking the Campher catch. We know the knee seems fairly cooked judging by the reports but even so that's really worrying stuff to see him struggling that much with what was basically crouching slightly.

Flintoff was in a good vlog during an early lockdown with Rob Key and Harmison (there was a ton of dross around then to fill the vacuum but that one was genuinely really enjoyable I thought) where he mentioned that playing in the '09 Ashes likely cost him the last 3 years of his career. Basically saying that his body was in bits at the start, let alone the end but mentally he had to play after what had happened on the 07/08 tour.

I just hope Stokes isn't about to do similar. In the last Ashes down under he played when well short of full fitness and looked fairly woeful with the bat when that's his strongest suit.

Crawley able to massage his average a little more.

Still got plenty of concerns about England ahead of the Ashes:

1) Poor use of reviews. This might be something England are better at with Bairstow behind the stumps, as Foakes was never much cop with them, but this test illustrated England's continual problems.

2) Partnerships. When England are faced with an established partnership, they often lose patience with conventional logic rather quickly, and revert to 'funky' field settings and plans. Heads also drop in the field quite early.

3) The tail. England are dreadful at bowling to anyone who comes in at 8 down. No sign of improvement.

4) Bowling on flat pitches/Dukes Ball. England are lethal with the new ball, but tend to struggle in the 40-80 over stage. This is where they were hoping Archer/Stone/Wood could make an impact, but they're limited to Wood for now, and he'll play no more than three tests. Will Tongue get an Ashes test or two? Quite possibly. I also note that the Dukes balls this season don't look especially potent, so maybe not much different from last season.

If we see continually flat wickets I think this benefits Australia more than England. Obviously, we saw flat decks last summer, and I think the new approach is similar to the ODI approach post-2015 - out blast the opposition. But will it be feasible against Cummins and Hazlewood? And won't Smith and Labuschagne love these wickets?

5) Stokes/lack of an all-rounder. Big problems with Stokes as I think he's a complete dead weight in the batting order. His hobbling around today also seems to indicate that any potential bowling in the Ashes is a distant prospect, so England will be lacking an all-rounder (closest thing is Joe Root!) and going with just four bowlers. Four bowlers, flat pitches, one of them Leach...doesn't sound great. I probably wouldn't pick Stokes in the side if he can't bowl. His place as a specialist bat isn't enough to justify only four bowlers on expected flat wickets. So either drop Stokes and pick another bowler, or drop Crawley and send Stokes up to open to do what he can. Of course, neither option will happen.

I do think Stokes' career is nearly finished, unfortunately. I wouldn't be surprised if this is his last series for England, it's like the last days of Flintoff. He's certainly not going to come out of retirement for the ODI World Cup, and a long tour to India seems unlikely.

6) Leach. As mentioned earlier, averaging in the high 30s and an economy over 3. If Ireland can cart him, Australia will destroy him. England need, as a minimum, control from their spinner and Leach doesn't provide that. Again, if we see flat wickets Leach will be expected to wheel away for 20 overs in an innings on a consistent basis.

7) General batting issues. Crawley's a problem. Duckett's untested against top level opposition. Pope has problems v spin, and Lyon might eat him up. Stokes' batting is struggling, in no small part due to his injury. Bairstow is the big question. If Bairstow replicates last summer, England have a good chance. But he's previously had one strong year, and followed it up with many fallow ones. And he suffered a terrible injury last year, so is it even possible for him to get back to those heights of 2022?

A common theme, also, is lack of game time. Stokes, Root, Bairstow and Brook haven't had much time in the middle recently, that could cause problems.

For England to win the Ashes, they're going to need Root to be Root, and at least one other player to support him with a sizable series average. Bairstow is perhaps the most likely contender, but Brook could provide an x-factor similar to KP in 2005.

So, yes, I have numerous concerns. That's not to say Australia have zero concerns themselves. Warner is a big problem, but overall their batting order looks more settled than England's. They've got two proven, world-class performers, who have delivered already in England, in Smith and Labuschagne. Head is improving all the time and Carey's a solid contributor. Khawaja appears to be having a late renaissance in that's he averaging 70 in his last 16 tests, although how he fares in England (historically he's struggled) is another matter.

Aussie bowling looks fantastic. Cummins and Hazlewood get into any team in the world, though there are some fitness concerns over Hazlewood, granted. And outside of that, Starc, Boland, Abbott, Neser, plus the superb Green who adds crucial balance to the side. The overall unit looks much more refined than England's, and I don't see England's home advantage counting for as much as it used to. Added to which, Australia have a proper test match of preparation, which can only aid them.

So, I'm full of pessimism. 3-1 Australia. Please, prove me wrong, England.

Two great stats from today;

1. Ben Stokes became the first captain in test history to not bat, bowl or keep wicket.
2. Ben Duckett has left the ball just 8 times since coming back into the side, that's over 600 balls.

I am not quite as pessimistic as our pal Duty here, but I do have to admit the almost nailed on prospect we have now of going in with a four man bowling attack, one of which being Leach, against the Aussies has me very concerned. Simply do not see Leach being good enough as part of a four man attack in home conditions, and the prospect of the Aussies lefties against him has me worried, big time.

Cameron Green staying fit might be the difference between the two sides. Very very handy cricketer for the Aussies, I expect him to play well

I see Duty is very much "glass half empty" today

Busy now but will offer my own list of concerns/possible solutions etc later.

Was nice to see nearly a full day of cricket instead of what might have been a couple of hours , by the way. Though it did keep me from finding some way of watching the Cup Final (not broadcast here in Melbourne , surprisingly ) : and even that was a blessing with Man U going down badly alas...

OK back as threatened with random thoughts on the "warm up" and Ashes prospects...

I don't think a Test against Ireland (who are battling a bit at Test level , understandably for want of experience) is ideal preparation for taking on Australia. But with all the scheduling issues what else was on the table ? No time for another "short" series - even if anyone else was up for it : can't have NZ over every year  

As it was , the match achieved a few things : good debut for Tongue (which could be significant with the need for a roster of pace bowlers ) ; good runs for Duckett and Pope - any even handy knocks for Root and Crawley. How much we can read into those scores , given the "limited" Irish bowling performance is open for debate. But better than confidence sapping failures , surely.

Duty raises a few points of concern from the game . One by one :

Not too bothered about the reviews : they got a couple wrong early day one (bit over-excited ? ) but subsequently were fairly sensible ; overturned one not out call ,and had a couple of umpire's call verdicts with no effect either way. Need to stay level headed on these , sure.

Problems in dismissing late order bats/solid stands on flat pitches : true. Though to be honest a lot of teams have similar problems , do they not ? It may look bad that they couldn't break a seventh wicket pair somewhat less credentialled than Mitchell and Blundell  ; but it is (a) nothing new and (b) arguable that there were extenuating factors . The pitch was indeed extremely lifeless on day three ; this was hardly the first choice attack group ; with Stokes still not bowling they had just four regular bowlers - and the early declaration ensured those bowlers were back in action a little earlier than they might normally wish to be. But I agree , it does suggest that flat pitches could present serious problems against Australia , even with the Dukes ball.

Stokes  : who knows ?  He says he is good to go and expects to bowl when needed : whether this is just bravado or justified confidence we will see in a couple of weeks.  I am suspending judgement for now.  That grimace when took the catch showed pain for sure ; but whether that was just a reaction to an awkward movement tweaking an obviously tricky spot or a sign of serious ongoing damage is something that is hard to know from the outside. He didn't seem to be in much trouble running around the field ; and I don't know what has gone on between him and the physios so will leave it to them for now - and keep my fingers crossed.
I don't , by the way , have huge worries about his batting. True the big scores haven't come recently ; but then they haven't been needed , have they ? Stokes has always been a man to make the tough runs , or play the vital innings , rather than a model of consistency. Lately he's played quick cameos ; but if you need someone to mount a rescue mission from 50/4 I reckon he's high on my list ...

Leach : Yeah OK , we know his limitations. As do the Aussies , who will probably seek to target him. It is a concern , as he obviously is inferior to Lyon in the spin role ; but with Ahmed not really quite ready yet there isn't an alternative. They got after him a bit day three but I didn't think he was awful in this match so hoping he can do a decent job backing up the pace men. Unlikely to get Taunton conditions so if he can just do a sort of Ashley Giles 2005 job I'll be happy.

And batting overall ?  Top four (even Crawley) got useful centre wicket practice at least from this - apart from fattening averages. Some folk complaining that Brook and YJB weren't given a chance to have a hit despite there being plenty of time available - and it is a fair point . But at the same time : would whacking a bunch of very tired and disheartened bowlers who aren't that good in the first place around the ground , under zero pressure , really have been particularly useful  - even as practice ?

We won't really know how this batting line-up stacks up against a very good Australian attack until they face them . But nothing we saw here serves to downgrade their chances so I'm keeping this in the "unproven" file for now.

More on the prospects after a breather.

Tongue bowled better than I expected. Never bowled at Lords so I thought he would have trouble with the slope but looked good. Stokes never bowled Tongue at the Nursery End. Was that why Stokes bowled Leach early at the Nursery End? Most bowlers prefer the Pavilion End.

Not that fast, 85/87mph but arm past the perpendicular, like Stokes, is hard to face. About 6'5 and had about 4 batsmen get concussion tests. Ashes will be different.

In order of fast and fastish bowlers I would go Archer, Wood, Tongue, Stone, Mahmood and J Overton.

Stokes saying he's on course to bowl at Edgbaston. Suspect that's a little bit of gamesmanship. Even if he does bowl, which is one hurdle, will he even be able to bowl sufficiently well? He was good with the ball last summer, but the winter tests provided a combined analysis of 44-7-178-2, with a huge number of no-balls!

Jetty - my list of fast bowlers would probably put Stone and Tongue the other round, but that's probably the only alteration. Just shows how tough it is for England with three of those six names injured, Mahmood struggling on a comeback from his injury and persistent question-marks over Wood's fitness.

Well here's some not good news - Jack Leach ruled out of the Ashes due to a stress fracture of the back. We really do have some honking injury luck, don't we?

Not entirely sure what they'll do - four seamers and whatever they can cobble out of Root/Stokes as the 5th bowler, the most logical solution?
Had reservations about playing Leach as part of a four man attack, there is absolutely no way you can play Jacks/Ahmed/Dawson or whoever is next cab off the rank as a lead spinner in a four man attack.

Leach is far from a complete bowler but that's still a blow, especially if Stokes can't bowl. Leach is the only bowler who's played every Test since Stokes took over.

If Mo gets an SOS call then I'll be sincerely concerned about duty combusting...

Blimey, hard to see any kind of replacement there. Is Gareth Batty still playing?!

On way back to you guys.
Could do worse imo than this -
Play an extra seamer in place of Leach;
Leave Crawley out in interests of team balance (or however you want to dress it up) and replace him with Jacks who shares the slow stuff when needed with Root.
Not ideal but nothing that you lot have left me with on my return is!

Oh, that's bad news. And very cruel for Leach who has battled through a myriad of problems and finally seemed to have arrived in a happy relationship with his test skipper. Is there a reason behind all these injuries? England seem to be the most afflicted test nation by a distance.

I really don't think England can go without a specialist spinner. If we see those expected flat pitches, combined with Australia's batting quality, England are going to need to be prepared to be in the field for 120 overs+ on a few occasions, and for innings of that length you will need a spinner. You cannot place that workload on four seamers + a hobbling Stokes (especially when, of those four seamers, one of them is 40, Robinson has concerns over lots of things, Woakes might not be 100%, and Wood is never a beacon of fitness).

So, England need a spinner. One option is to actually pick four seamers, but back Root to bowl long spells if required. His average in England is 45, however, and his economy is near 3.5. So I don't think it's a goer.

The alternative is to actually pick a spinner from what's out there. Dom Bess is out there. But he's having a horrible season. So cross him off. Moeen (give me strength) is out there. He may be the finest white-ball cricketer to have ever, ever lived, and single-handedly pushed England to glory in the 1966 World Cup, but he hasn't played a FC game since his comeback against India in 2021, which went awry. I'd sooner drag Tufnell off Question of Sport, or whatever it is he does now, than pick Moeen. So cross him off.  And cross Matt Parkinson off. Will Jacks isn't a good enough bowler (But I could see him getting the call).

There are two actual options: Dawson or Ahmed. Dawson has had a couple of decent seasons. He's got 9 wickets @ 24 this year, and 24 wickets @ 28.33 last year. If you want a solid option, Liam Dawson is your man. If you some unpredictable x-factor, it's Rehan Ahmed. He's got 22 FC wickets @ 33, lack of control is a bit of a concern, and he can give it a bit of a whack with the bat lower down the order. Ahmed's the fun option. The vibes option.

Order of preference:

1) Dawson
2) Ahmed
3) Root entrusted + 4 seamers
4) Jacks
5) Parkinson
6) Bess
7) What's Swann doing these days? Does Ashley Giles fancy one last job?
8) England surrender the Ashes 0-5
9) Listening to this song on repeat for 48 hours - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDfr_mJJPgg
10) Moeen

Rehan is next cab going by previous selections but on flat pitches with a side containing some good players of spin that would be a hell of a gamble.

Liam Dawson might genuinely be the best option if they're wanting a holding spinner to tie up an end. That in itself doesn't inspire huge confidence. Dawson is an underrated cricketer but as a front line spinner for the Ashes would be incredibly defensive.

Parkinson has had a tough start to the season, gone out on loan to Durham in the CC. Personally, I've been in the camp of feeling Parkinson bowls a bit too slowly for Test cricket and would be eaten up by players with better footwork.

Mo is Mo but would of course be even rustier in red ball cricket. He had a very good strike rate, very poor economy and therefore a poor average. His batting can be brutal but got found out against top class seam and the short ball in particular. Shortcomings that were never really addressed by technical changes from what I saw.

I'm not a big fan of four seamers. If we're grasping for straws it could be an option to get Woakes' batting and bowling at his home ground for T1. But that is grasping.

I like the idea of picking Livi or Jacks as a spinner even less than the 4 seamers to be honest.

They're never going to do this (because it would mean dropping Crawley and accepting Stokes isn't fit to bowl, two things they seem staunchly entrenched against at the moment), but I think this would be the actual best option...

Stokes
Duckett
Pope
Root
Brook
Bairstow
Ahmed/Dawson/Jacks/Livingstone
Woakes/Curran

then three of Broad, Anderson, Robinson, Wood as you see fit based on conditions.

But as said, based on everything to date that seems unlikely.

Not seen them mentioned yet - but the two spinners on the same Lions tour where Tongue impressed were Liam Patterson-White and Jack Carson. A left arm spinner and a right arm offie. They didn’t stand out there, but the pitches were very flat!

Of the two, even though he has 1 wicket at 228 this year, I’d keep an eye on LPW. Left arm angle and he bats a bit too so can help in other areas.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:They're never going to do this (because it would mean dropping Crawley and accepting Stokes isn't fit to bowl, two things they seem staunchly entrenched against at the moment), but I think this would be the actual best option...

Stokes
Duckett
Pope
Root
Brook
Bairstow
Ahmed/Dawson/Jacks/Livingstone
Woakes/Curran

then three of Broad, Anderson, Robinson, Wood as you see fit based on conditions.

But as said, based on everything to date that seems unlikely.

I really hope they don't look at Stokes up the order myself. Similar to Bairstow his batting is so much better suited to the lower middle order.

Mo opening with the 4 seamers on the other hand... 

There's been a poll on the BBC. Currently, 47% say Moeen, 27% say Rehan Ahmed, 9% going for Livingstone, 6% believe England should go without a spinner, 5% for Jacks, 4% for Dawson, and 2% for Parkinson.

What is it about Moeen that has such a hold over people? He hasn't played long-form cricket since 2021 and he wasn't much good then. If he played the first test Australia would destroy him, his confidence would be annihilated, then England would have to find someone else for the second test anyway.

Mo's peaks have been really good is the likely reason he sticks in fans minds so fondly. When he fired with the bat he strikes it as cleanly as anyone. His stroke play can be superb. With the ball he could put big revs on, getting the ball to dip and drift. Which we haven't often seen from English spinners let alone finger spinners. He could bowl genuinely fantastic, wicket taking deliveries. Hence the good strike rate.

Coming to bowling late meant he lacked control. Whilst developing his batting in English conditions meant that weakness against pace and short balls. As he largely batted down the order as a bowling allrounder in Tests there then wasn't the same pressure to iron out those batting flaws.

In the past I argued that Mo made sense as England's spinner as the seamers were bowling so defensively relatively early in the innings at that point. Basically as soon as the swing went after the opening spells they often dragged their lengths back and bowled very economically but not very threateningly at times. As such I thought a limited holding spinner didn't make sense but a limited attacking spinner could. If the seamers were bowling holding lines and lengths then adding a spinner to do so too seemed unnecessary to me.

With the seamers being a bit more attacking later into the innings now I'm not sure an attacking spinner is needed as much.

That said I don't honestly dislike the idea of Mo's return to the squad in perspective. I think Rehan at this stage in his development is probably a more inconsistent bowler and batter even with recent red ball practice. Whilst I think Dawson is an underrated cricketer I don't honestly see him performing better than Mo could either. Meanwhile Jacks and Livi are unlikely to do more with the ball than Root.

I've never been as wedded to the idea of 'red ball practice' though. It's a subject that has often been so much more of a focus for England fans than fans from other cricket cultures I've tended to find. The fantastic recent India side played very little red ball cricket outside of Tests. A lot has been made of Smith and Marnus being in the CC this summer but realistically Aussie Test stars generally haven't played much F-C cricket for a long time now. McGrath's a great example given he played 65 F-C games in his career. Smith has only played 62 as well. Mo for contrast 134. Aussies who played a lot of F-C games did it mostly in the CC at a time when those contracts were their best financial offer of course. I think the high number of games played in the CC sometimes tempts England fans to feel that days and days of F-C have to be played as preparation but players, coaches and selectors around the world, not just in England, have generally moved away from that thinking for a fair while now.

Oh dear that is an unexpected blow... Didn't see Leach as the new Swann but he had been bowling well enough to suggest he might at least do a job as relief for the pace men : how that would have worked was up for speculation but now we will never know. And have to find a replacement.

I am fine with four seamers in the short term but only if pitch and weather conditions suggest minimal need for spin. If we are looking at likely extended innings a proper spinner (ie not just Root - and not Jacks or Livingstone either !) is going to be needed. The cupboard is - if not bare - seriously sparsely populated.

BBC poll predictable in calling for Moeen (Duty only had one vote) But while I had a lot of time for Mo as a bowler I wouldn't even consider him now. He has been at best ambivalent about playing Tests for some considerable time now ; and the last thing England need in an Ashes contest is anyone who is less than totally mentally committed. We have seen in the past the perils of picking players on tours when they were dealing with issues of self doubt or general disenchantment with the pressures of the Test Match grind.

Dawson as an Ashley Giles "holding" spinner or Ahmed as a bit of a gamble (well a lot of a gamble actually) seem to me to be the only real options at present , as Bess seems to have regressed and Parkinson fallen rather off the radar. Though I can't claim to have seen much of any of them bowl lately so my opinion on this is probably not worth that much !

Have to say whatever they come up with it does look like another reason for England to feel a little less confident about their prospects for this series. But who knows ? Sometimes
bad luck for one player can end up allowing someone else to step up unexpectedly and work magic...we can hope

I wouldn't read too much into a BBC poll. It won't be long before we see on the text commentary someone questioning why they haven't picked "John Leach"