England's Summer of Cricket 2023, Featuring The Ashes

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If Pope can't play I'd probably prefer Foakes coming in, taking the gloves, myself. Maybe:

1.Crawley 2.Duckett 3.Brook 4.Root 5.Bairstow 6.Stokes (c) 7.Foakes (wk)

It means a rejigging of the order but gets better players in the XI than Lawrence at 3 IMO. Particularly when I'm not that convinced by Lawrence against higher pace. Given the 15 man squad that isn't on the cards though.

If Wood is genuinely fit I'd like his pace in the attack but would probably ere towards the seam heavy attack again if the 4  below are good to go:

8.Woakes 9.Broad 10.Wood 11.Tongue

If Wood isn't fit then:

8.Moeen 9.Woakes 10.Broad 11.Tongue

Which does have a lot of batting depth on the upside.

I don't really see why Brook has to go for it from here. Woakes has a Test ton, and so does Broad. I'm not sure I'd have England at 61%, but they have to be the favourites from here.

Think Australia need to be on the charge here, Starc should be back on, he and Cummins will have to do it if they are to do it. Woakes not tested enough with some short stuff, he's really poor against it. But brave little innings from him in a pressure situation, has given Brook the confidence to stay the right side of the line rather than doing something stupid.

Woakes has been busy and done mostly well, though needed some fortune to survive a couple of edges, which landed safe.

Below 50. Another gripping finish. Cummins still coming in, and Starc will have another burst before the end.

Baffling from Cummins, going for Marsh of all people.

Well Boland's done a spell, so it's either Marsh or Murphy at this end, and Marsh is getting a little bit from the pitch and keeping it relatively tight.

Starc will be back soon and it'll be his spell that decides the game, most probably.

Next match is in nine days. Australia need to empty the tank on Starc and Cummins here.

Curious call. Murphy coming in, with just 30 left to get. Gambling on some miscued aggression?

kingraf wrote:Next match is in nine days. Australia need to empty the tank on Starc and Cummins here.

Or you can roll the dice on Todd Murphy!

That was strange. Down to 24. Finally Starc gets the call. The man who carries Australia's hopes.

Shiote....

Ah, the twist. Terrible looking shot from Brook, although he was nearly saved by Starc barreling into Cummins.

Mark Wood. Another quick 20-odd wil do!

What on earth was that shot?

Never in doubt.

Woakes and Wood you beauties!!!!

And....breathe.

Sir Christopher Woakes

WOOD

No doubt who MOTM is; 7 wickets and 40 runs.

Thank heavens for that. Three Test Matches with the teams separated by a cigarette paper ; would have been obscene to have the score 3-0.

Whatever happens at Old Trafford we have at least one more game to chew our nails off...

Slightly too drunk to post. Woakes MotM easily. Will give review tomorrow. Enjoy all

So the series stays alive as England gets through the finishing line. Fine efforts from Woakes, and Wood chipping in with the bat yet again.

PoTM . Has to be Woakes ...or Wood ? Reckon they both deserve it .

Brook was excellent today but the two "all rounders" surely edge it

Honourable mention for Mitch Marsh

compelling and rich wrote:

Soul Requiem wrote:The Aussies are well on top here, can see England getting skittled for about 150/160.

stokes will hit the winning runs have some faith! its Headingly!

My phone auto corrected, clearly meant woakes

What you been drinking eirebilly ? I'm half cut on Scotch myself...didn't dare try to post until it finished because I couldn't bring myself to really hope until Wood hit that six

Great win for England. They really needed that! And you guys did too. Congratulations!

That result makes it much more interesting now regarding selections for the next two matches. Both sides must be exhausted. I felt knackered just watching it.

So Tortoise 2 - Hare 1... and we get an early night and a day off, eh alfie. Sleep well mate.

alfie wrote:What you been drinking eirebilly ?  I'm half cut on Scotch myself...didn't dare try to post until it finished because I couldn't bring myself to really hope until Wood hit that six

Green bullets, Heinekins

Well done England, another thrilling test, only this time England come out on the right side.

Woakes hitting the winning runs, a great return. I've wanted Woakes to play from test one, he is so underrated in England. Six wickets and a relatively composed 32 to get England home. Wonderful. Memories of Old Trafford 2020.

Credit also to Brook, for the only half-century of the innings. Stokes' magnificence in the first innings was also integral. He scored 80 which got England close, no one else higher than 33, and without that England would have been chasing in excess of 300. Crawley, credit as well, nothing big in either innings, but 77 runs in a test where, surprisingly, neither side scored 300 is valuable.

Broad, another strong test. Probably bowled better than his five wickets indicated. But the absolute star of the test was Mark Wood. Phenomenal. Seven wickets, with his pace finally injecting the menace that England's attack lacked, and 40 swashbuckling runs. Sensational. A poignant reminder of what England have missed.

A big decision coming up, actually, for England. Do they play Wood in test four or five? He surely won't be able to play both. So do they risk leaving him out until the Oval, when the series might be over, or do keep him in for Old Trafford and have him, potentially, miss a 2-2 decider?

There were problems for England, however, the main one being Bairstow's keeping. He surely cannot keep in the next test. If England have any sense they can sort two problems with one selection - Foakes in for Moeen. Strengthens the batting and solves the keeping issue. Root will be fine with whatever spin is required. Robinson possibly out of the series as well, we'll wait and see.

Australia, their main problem was their top four did nothing. Labuschagne and Warner's struggles continue. Smith didn't follow up his ton, and Khawaja finally faltered. They again lost wickets in a heap in the first innings, which will be a growing concern. If England had lost, the dropathon on day one would have been pinpointed as perhaps the key to the defeat. Because Australia lost, the key was likely their collapse in the first innings from 240/4 to 263ao.

Today, Starc was on top form, as he has been since his recall, but he got little backup from elsewhere. Boland/Murphy only contributed one wicket between them in 31 overs across the two innings. Not good enough and I'm not sure we'll see either again in the series. The selection of Marsh, though, proved to be inspired, and he'll stay in for the remainder. Possibly alongside Green, who knows?

Anyway, that's all for another day. Well done to England for keeping the series alive.

Yeah , PJ ...another nail biter done ! Don't think I'll sleep just yet but at least can sleep in...benefit of being retired

Wood got PoTM : fair enough I think. Hope he's fit for Old Trafford : a Hare needs all the speed he can muster to hold off your blessed Tortoise !

A cracker of a series. And thank god we can probably forget all that hoo ha from last week and just concentrate on the cricket now...

The biggest factor was the bowling attacks in this match; Australia effectively had Starc, Cummins and nothing else whereas England had Woakes and Ali to back up Broad and Wood.

On Moeen Ali batting three: "Mo came up to Baz and said, let me have a go at three. Free hit is not the right word, but we thought he could have more influence at three then eight.

"It didn't work, but I loved that Mo took that responsibility."

Hope that isn't true.

Well done Eng and I am very happy for Stokes.
He deserved success for his courage and leadership.

It's not easy to chase to down 250 and game could have gone any way until Wood smacked his sixes and fours.

Boland not being effective and Cummins not trusting Murphy enuf were factors that weighed against Aus.
Series remains alive and all to play for

Beyond the obvious, glad it's 2-1 as 3-0 would be rather harsh given how close it's been.

Probably Robinson for Jimmy and stick with Broad I guess. Foakes or Mo will be hotly debated I imagine

Terrific stuff by England. Another really tight and engrossing Test match. Had England lost a third tight Test in a row it would've really stung that's for sure.

Wood deservedly MOM. 7 wickets and disrupted the Aussies throughout. That opening spell on D1 was electric. Then 40 runs from 16 balls!

Woakes had a fantastic Test as well. He's such a reliable performer.

I'd say the break (at least in the perspective of this schedule anyway!) comes at a good time for both teams. Cummins has been Australia's best bowler so needs a break and they'll be desperate to get Hazlewood back too. Whilst England need Broad to get his feet up, would love Wood to make OT and have the YJB issues.

We always said that depth in the seamers would be important in this series. We have previously seen the Aussie seamers fatigue significantly in long Border-Gavaskar series of course. On the one hand England have been very poor at putting overs into their legs - T2 D2. On the other hand they've lost their lynchpin in Lyon, Hazlewood seems to be struggling with injuries and Boland has thus far been nullified.

England are far from ahead in these stakes though. Robinson is crocked and frankly looked unfit anyway. Jimmy really struggled. Stokes has one knee and has bowled Marsh's pace with less swing! Wood was magnificent but has that glass ankle. We also lack a spinner. Woakes having such a strong return feels vital in that regard. Also, Broad bowling 25.5 overs in this Test and having a break before OT. If England can lock those two in for T4 and T5 it would be a massive boost. Particularly if there's a decision around a 4 or 5 bowler attack to be made.

Fantastic win from England and great work by Brook ably supported by Sir Christopher of Woakes, and a decent knock by Crawley too.

Series deserves to be alive going into the 4th test, and very much is now!

Big selection decisions upcoming though…providing everyone pulls up ok and is fit, I think England’s XI should be

Crawley, Duckett, Stokes, Root, Brook, Bairstow, Foakes (wk), Woakes, Wood, Broad, Anderson

Jimmy for Robinson seems almost nailed on (Jimmy Anderson do something in a home ashes series challenge).
If the pitch isn’t going to spin, and be similar to what we saw here, Foakes over Moeen makes far too much sense on so many fronts to ignore it.
Hopefully with rests between tests Stokes might be able to bowl a bit next test too.

Aussies have some issues too - evidently they don’t rate or trust Murphy one iota. What’s the point in playing him if you’re not going to bowl him in a 4th innings? Do they go all seam and rely on Smith/Head/Labuschagne for spin overs?

I would go for - Duckett; Crawley; Stokes; Root; Brook; Foakes; Bairstow; Woakes; Wood; Broad; Anderson.

Pending fitness, of course. Appreciate that means Wood would almost certainly be unavailable for the 5th test, but England have got to go all out to try and get the series to 2-2. No point holding Wood back for the Oval only for it to be 1-3 by the time England get there.

Moeen has to be dropped. He just offers absolutely zilch, as anyone with any sense knew before this whole nonsense of recalling him was brought about. Currently averaging 15.75 with the bat for the series (better only than Anderson, Broad and Tongue), with a high score of 21. With the ball, 5 wickets @ 55.6 and an economy of 3.8. Only Anderson has a worse average and strike-rate for England this series, and only Woakes has a higher economy. Complete passenger.

Get Foakes in for Moeen. Will give somewhere between double and triple what Moeen offers with the bat; gives England a substantially better keeper; and hopefully frees up Bairstow in the process to get the keeping out of his mind and concentrate on the batting, where he can be a match-winner. Just don't see a valid argument for keeping Moeen in. Root can bowl the spin overs if required.

Going for Stokes at 3, but it's a position I'm not really sure about. Don't want Brook or Root there, so I hesitatingly plump for Stokes. Robinson's injury is an irritating blow. Hopefully he can come back for test five. Should never have played this one. Was pushed beyond the limit.

I would have Anderson back in the team, but if he struggles again it really could be his last test. Hopefully Broad is good to go again. He's probably been England's man of the series so far and has taken the most wickets in the series of either side. I'm happy to see England stay with four seamers + Root + whatever Stokes can do, rather than go for another option, at this stage, like Dawson or Ahmed, unless the pitch is a turner.

Aussies should also go all-seam, in my view, and get Green in (if he's fit) for Murphy who did nothing. Don't see a way back for Boland this series, so that means either Hazlewood or one of the outsiders, like Neser. I'd still stick with Warner, but only just.

Duty281 wrote:A big decision coming up, actually, for England. Do they play Wood in test four or five? He surely won't be able to play both. So do they risk leaving him out until the Oval, when the series might be over, or do keep him in for Old Trafford and have him, potentially, miss a 2-2 decider?

There were problems for England, however, the main one being Bairstow's keeping. He surely cannot keep in the next test. If England have any sense they can sort two problems with one selection - Foakes in for Moeen. Strengthens the batting and solves the keeping issue. Root will be fine with whatever spin is required. Robinson possibly out of the series as well, we'll wait and see.

I think they need to play Wood in T4 if he pulls up OK. If it's a case of them thinking he only has one full tilt spell in him for T4 but potentially a few in T5 it's a different debate. But with a decent break to Old Trafford he does have time. No point waiting for The Oval when England still have to win every Test to get the urn back.

1.Duckett 2.Crawley 3.Stokes 4.Root 5.Bairstow 6.Brook 7.Foakes (wk) 8.Woakes 9.Wood 10.Broad 11.Anderson

Ideally, I'd hope for that and a pitch that suits said attack. If it's looking very flat I'm not opposed to 5 bowlers as I do think England are a far better bowling attack that way. I'd be looking at Surran as an option for more depth though. 7.Mo 8.Surran 9.Woakes isn't ideal (regardless of how you order them) but does add depth for the extra bowler.

I'd bring Foakes and Surran into the training squad.

And get them to all practice catching. Bairstow is actually a decent slip fielder. A cordon of Foakes (wk), Root (1st), Crawley (2nd), YJB (3rd) should be better...

I've been critical of England, but praise where its due, that was a good win. I hope though they can still see its a win in spite of some of the selections, and make more changes for the next Test. Please none of this not changing a winning team nonsense

Three nil down would have been cruel but at least there's still all to play for.

Thought that 250 was gettable whereas 300+, which Australian should have ensured, would have been tricky. Bairstow, surely, can't keep again....ever.

I would NOT have brought Jonny back in any case. He needed more innings before being recalled. Have to wonder whether his sensational form last year was merely an average player having a particularly good run.

Brook at three should be discontinued. I think they should completely forget any idea of resting Wood for The Oval. He HAS to play at OT as long as he's fit.

Woakes, you feel, will be retained. I've always liked Moeen but he just isn't worth his place. Thought he might smash a quick 50 or 60 if he played but it just ain't happening.

Aussies, for once, are in a bit of a mess. Lyon absent is obvs a big blow. Warner's 60 at Lord's was useful for England - it kept him in the side. I would not have selected him for this tour with Broad around.

Thought Boland would be a real handful in England but he's been ineffective. England should be wary of over-optimism. After the last Headingley miracle in 2019 England then lost the next Test.

From an Australian perspective.....they got the worst of conditions yesterday which knocked the wind out of their sails...leaving them light by 75 runs.
They have lost all 3 tosses also.
They can't complain.....a lot of the rub of Green has gone their way.

Green reminds me that Green will be fit next game and their might be a case of swapping Murphy for Green...giving them 5 seamers + Head, Smith, Manus etal to roll their arm as spinners.
Michael Neser was released today from the standby position in the squad to play  County cricket implies that Hazelwood is likely to be fit.

I don't see anything else changing.......Warner and Manus are not in form.....Warner is like Kohli...on a good day he will get between 30 to 50 odd and will have 2 bad days for every good day...and any way if they will play Green& Mitch..both....Aus will have plenty of batting.
Labuschagne should be due for a big one.
And Cummins due to win the toss...although the nature of pitches has been such that toss hasn't been a game changing event

Don't know about the players but I reckon we all need a rest !  That was exhausting ...

Enjoyed it far more than Lord's for a couple of reasons  (apart from an England fan's obvious perspective about the result). First , no unpleasantness over "controversial" dismissals : the crowd were understandably vocal in support of the home team but any booing of the Australians was theatrical ; and any testiness between players only what you will see in any Test Match. Perhaps some of the friendliness between the players on both sides has been put on hold for now but maybe that is no bad thing - especially for England : that Kiwi inspired niceness maybe isn't ideal for an Ashes contest !

Secondly the much better pitch (this one was excellent for cricket) meant we were not subjected to hours of that wretched tactic of just banging every ball into the pitch half way down with fielders all on the boundary. Of course we did see plenty of that stuff in the latter stages of both sides second innings ; but perhaps significantly it didn't actually do a lot of good for either bowling group : might that mean it won't be quite as quickly adopted next week ? (I must concede that sometimes that approach can work , and may even be the "least worst" method in certain situations ; but I do think it can be overused - and certainly doesn't make for great viewing)

Overall this was a highly entertaining game. No huge scores - four innings in the 220-260 range not only made for exciting cricket but effectively removed any fear that the weather might have prevented a result. Crowd was cheerful and enthusiastic - even patient enough to wait for hours in the rain on Saturday and justly rewarded with a gripping late session.

Three really enthralling contests . Can we hope for another one next Wednesday ?

A bit rattled today but am alive. My thoughts going forward are:

Bairstow, either play him as a batter or do not play him at all. He has had far too many costly misses. Not saying that Foakes would have claimed everyone of them but think Bairstow's movement is restricted since the injury. Bairstow is a confidence player and right now his confidence seems in the gutter.

Moeen, do not play him again, yes he took crucial wickets but that was more down to the pressure being built at the other end and plain silly shots from Smith and Marnus. Offers next to nothing with the bat or ball.

Crawley, never converts his starts but he has done enough to retain selection for me.

If OT track is anything like the Headingly track then the selection of Jimmy is a no brainer for me. He must have been kicking himself not to bowl on the Headingly track, perfect conditions for him.

As such, I would pick the identical as KC

1.Duckett 2.Crawley 3.Stokes 4.Root 5.Bairstow 6.Brook 7.Foakes (wk) 8.Woakes 9.Wood 10.Broad 11.Anderson.

It's only a small difference but I think you have to have Brook at 5, after playing such an important role yesterday putting him at 6 might seem like a demotion which would be unfair.

Week to think more about it but at the moment I quite like eirebilly's suggested team.

But I somehow doubt they will ditch Moeen - and I am not sure Stokes will be prepared to go to three. May be totally wrong of course.

Not sure what to make of Bairstow. Actually thought his keeping - apart from that dreadful miss of Head down the leg side - had improved a bit. But his confidence does seem down : suspect that "unusual" dismissal at Lord's has rather scrambled his mind ; so he would need to sort that quickly or not much point to playing him. Though at least he has the useful attribute of winding Steve Smith up

Do think Anderson will play. Robinson needs a rest even with the eight day gap ; apart from his injury , the batteries look a bit drained.

Agree with those above that Wood must play unless he's crocked. No point in saving him for what might be a dead rubber if they don't get it right. Pick the team to win this game.

And hope Broad is good to continue. Lot of people nearly wrote him off at the start of the summer but he's been excellent throughout ; not just for getting Warner out.

Australia have a question or two as well. Do you bring back Green ? Marsh obviously stays ; so who drops out ? Boland surely in any case ; but do you keep a spinner that Cummins doesn't trust with the ball until the game is basically over ? Not to mention the Warner issue...

Lots to ponder in the week off.

Looking ahead, since there is a decent break before the next test and it is absolutely crucial for England to get even, they have to play Wood for the next game.
Since they don't have a quality test bat in the reserve, continue with Moeen at 3 and hope he can't do too worse. The only batter who has the technique to bat 3 is Joe Root. But he's the best at 4, and didn't have the best of times at 3 when he took up the responsibility. Brook has to bat 5 or lower, can't play above that with his technique. Stokes is carrying this batting lineup all by himself. If England go for a 4 man attack Stokes will have to bowl a bit. Just leave him at 6 where he has also been marshaling the lower order to great effect. That means if Bairstow has to play, he has to keep. For what he did last year, he has to have some credit in the bank, so should get the series, or at the very least, the next test.
Coming back to the bowling, Anderson was pedestrian in the first 2 games. But its going to be a home game for him, perhaps his last for England. Robinson despite some decent numbers, never seemed fit throughout the series, and even the numbers are rather deceptive. So unless they are to play someone like Sam Curran, then Anderson for Robinson. That also means Broad will be playing his 4th consecutive test of the series. He has been England's best bowler of the series. The series is on the line. At his age, again you have to look at him on a mat-to-match basis, so use the hot streak to the team's advantage, unless he has any obvious fitness concerns. He has pulled up alright by the look of things so far. Woakes picks himself obviously.
Duckett
Crawley
Moeen
Root
Brook
Stokes
Bairstow
Woakes
Wood
Broad
Anderson

For Australia, think Boland has to make way. But for whom? Green? Neser? Hazelwood? It has to be Hazelwood obviously if he's fit and ready. Else, think it'll have to be Green. Would keep Murphy, though Cummins didn't come across as a very good captain to the spinner. Kept him on when he shouldn't have been, didn't use him when he should have. But I think they'll keep the balance of the attack in place and keep him in. Smith doesn't bowl much these days, and same goes for Marnus. Head is even more pedestrian than either of them though he's used more often as a parttimer of late. Warner would surely stay in for me. He has only 1 good score of note, but he has been part of multiple solid partnerships upfront. Wherein he completely failed, Australia lost the game, it has to be noted. The other option to open is Head, but since he's been doing absolutely fine at 5 and is more suited to that position in these conditions particularly, no need to mess him up. Green opening? Its not some silly T-20!
Warner
Khawaja
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Marsh
Carey
Starc
Cummins
Murphy
Hazelwood

If Hazelwood isn't fit, Green comes in at 6 with Marsh at 7. A batting lineup where Cummins comes in at 10 has to be something!

Pretty sure Moeen is going to play. He is getting a lot of praise for his two wickets, and also quite staggeringly for his attitude to want to bat at 3. Forget the fact he was bowled after making all of 5!

Do the Aussies have any other spinners in the squad? I know Kunhemann was playing with Durham earlier in the season, and was in India with them...could he come in?

Not only did they evidently not trust Murphy, he was also fairly ineffective in his short spells too. Didn't look like he got much action on the ball to me (and not to blame him, he's only very young in his first class career!).

Does present a real issue for them though - you'd assume Hazlewood in for Boland is a given.

msp83 wrote:For Australia, think Boland has to make way. But for whom? Green? Neser? Hazelwood? It has to be Hazelwood obviously if he's fit and ready. Else, think it'll have to be Green. Would keep Murphy, though Cummins didn't come across as a very good captain to the spinner. Kept him on when he shouldn't have been, didn't use him when he should have. But I think they'll keep the balance of the attack in place and keep him in. Smith doesn't bowl much these days, and same goes for Marnus. Head is even more pedestrian than either of them though he's used more often as a parttimer of late. Warner would surely stay in for me. He has only 1 good score of note, but he has been part of multiple solid partnerships upfront. Wherein he completely failed, Australia lost the game, it has to be noted. The other option to open is Head, but since he's been doing absolutely fine at 5 and is more suited to that position in these conditions particularly, no need to mess him up. Green opening? Its not some silly T-20!
Warner
Khawaja
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Marsh
Carey
Starc
Cummins
Murphy
Hazelwood

If Hazelwood isn't fit, Green comes in at 6 with Marsh at 7. A batting lineup where Cummins comes in at 10 has to be something!

Green has to come in with what he has offered in the field, but really not sure where. The only suggestion I have heard that makes sense is Warner out, and Marnus. Smith, Head and Marsh all move up one.

Smith averages 67 at number 3!

Duckett
Crawley
Moeen
Root
Brook
Stokes
Bairstow
Woakes
Wood
Broad
Anderson

I think thats what we will see. I'd like to see

Duckett
Crawley
Root
Bairstow
Brook
Stokes
Foakes
Woakes
Wood
Broad
Anderson

Afro wrote:
Green has to come in with what he has offered in the field, but really not sure where. The only suggestion I have heard that makes sense is Warner out, and Marnus. Smith, Head and Marsh all move up one.

Smith averages 67 at number 3!

The daggers are really out for Warner here. Quite a few disparaging remarks about him in the comments section of a SMH article about his performances. A lot of up-voting him into retirement too! Question is, do they persevere with him one more time or tap him on the shoulder?

If so, then how best to shuffle the order and bring a specialist opener in. Harris or Renshaw? I hope not. I'd rather they move Marnus up a notch but have Marsh at 3 (as sacrificial lamb or bully ibex) and Green at 6. Otherwise Smith at 3, Head 4, Marsh 5 and Green 6 as Afro says above.

As for the spinner conundrum, either stick with him or go without a specialist (if OT is another flat track similar to Lord's... I'm not sure?) and then go with a 4-pronged pace attack of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Neser (if no Murphy) and call on part-time spinners if need be.

Interesting call on Kuhnemann, Olly. Not sure the selectors would be looking at that option given he's had only a little success in the 2nd Division. He seems to have dropped off the radar since India.

VTR wrote:Pretty sure Moeen is going to play. He is getting a lot of praise for his two wickets, and also quite staggeringly for his attitude to want to bat at 3. Forget the fact he was bowled after making all of 5!

It seems we're all agreed on the team on here, so naturally Moeen will retain his place and Bairstow will keep the gloves!