Okay maybe too many all rounders but fun to watch and you could play with the batting order. Vaughan as captain would take care of egos, 8 England Captains in one dressing room.
I make that 9 England captains. APE Knott captained England v West Indies in a ODI at Scarborough in 1976, IT Botham's international debut.
Disagree - don't think Australia are strong enough to win 5-0. In fact I have had a bet on 2-2.
Have you been drinking the same as Riviera ?!
This has got 3-1 written all over it, with Oz gifting us the last Test because their quicks are all injured by then
But then by the end of an Ashes series, England will be mentally broken and demoralised. 2 out of the last 3 down under have been 5-0, despite the Aussie team not being as strong as that which played us in the late 90s early 2000s, I really fear the worst...
Cook Rocky Vince Root Malan Bairstow Ali Woakes Ball Broad Anderson
Looks like the side that will play. Foakes' chances of playing (bar an injury to Bairstow) have gone out the window with Stokes not being there. I still feel Jonny would be best used at 5 but that doesnt work if he is keeping and Foakes wont coem in to bat higher than 7. Root should be 3 for this series even if he is not going to bat there long term.
Think the batting lacks backbone and the bowling lacks bite. Hopefully Woakes can re-create his from from before his injury. Broad Jimmy and Ali need to be at their best.
am semi optimistic about the batsmen, they have a good attack but Aus pitches arent that hard to bat on. Hopefully a couple of them can get some early scores and build some confidence.
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
I keep looking, but can't find anything about terrestrial tv highlights
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
You can get BT via Sky. Ok you have to pay but it's not a huge amount. By the way BT's build up is pretty lacklustre. I keep looking for preview programs but nothing doing.
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
You can get BT via Sky. Ok you have to pay but it's not a huge amount. By the way BT's build up is pretty lacklustre. I keep looking for preview programs but nothing doing.
I have to disagree with you there. I'm with Sky & they told me i'd have to pay an extra £25.99 a month for BT Sport, which I think is a ridiculous amount of money. I'll be finding an online stream
I can see us losing 3-1 with one match drawn. I think their bowlers will give our batsmen a lot of problems.
Same here. We still have a fragile No 2 & 3 and with no Stokes could easily collapse leaving Ali trying to coax the tail to get up to 300. Only decent bowlers are Anderson, Broad & Ali - and Anderson & Broad prefer to swing it & Aussies pitches are more for fast bowlers.
Okay maybe too many all rounders but fun to watch and you could play with the batting order. Vaughan as captain would take care of egos, 8 England Captains in one dressing room.
I make that 9 England captains. APE Knott captained England v West Indies in a ODI at Scarborough in 1976, IT Botham's international debut.
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
You can get BT via Sky. Ok you have to pay but it's not a huge amount. By the way BT's build up is pretty lacklustre. I keep looking for preview programs but nothing doing.
I have to disagree with you there. I'm with Sky & they told me i'd have to pay an extra £25.99 a month for BT Sport, which I think is a ridiculous amount of money. I'll be finding an online stream
£26pm to see the Ashes, pretty good value I'd say. Less than £1 a day.
Okay maybe too many all rounders but fun to watch and you could play with the batting order. Vaughan as captain would take care of egos, 8 England Captains in one dressing room.
I make that 9 England captains. APE Knott captained England v West Indies in a ODI at Scarborough in 1976, IT Botham's international debut.
Stick Graeme Swann and Bob Willis in there for the bottom two and you have a team of England captains - but really would need to find a place for Mike Brearley to act as peacemaker for that lot!
Okay maybe too many all rounders but fun to watch and you could play with the batting order. Vaughan as captain would take care of egos, 8 England Captains in one dressing room.
I make that 9 England captains. APE Knott captained England v West Indies in a ODI at Scarborough in 1976, IT Botham's international debut.
Stick Graeme Swann and Bob Willis in there for the bottom two and you have a team of England captains - but really would need to find a place for Mike Brearley to act as peacemaker for that lot!
Brearley would need a psychiatrist’s couch and plenty of wine in that changing room
This Finn going home and Curran being called up shows just how wrong they got it with the lions squad.
I said it at the time. As did many others. The lions squad is basically following the mains squad around Aus playing matches etc. It is expected that Foakes and Overton will link up with them during the series for some game time.
My point is. Why didn't we use the lions squad as the 20 next best players out there. That way if there is an I just or any other crisis we have players already in the country and acclimatised and playing cricket ready to step straight in.
Instead we have a situation where TC who has been having the odd indoors bet and nothing more for a few months, now has to travel halfway round the world. It'll take him a week to adjust and get back into playing regularly let alone find form/rhythm.
We can get away with this because it's before the series and TC is unlikely to play the first test (or any - barring a crisis). But if it happened mid series we should have someone (Plunkett) already there and ready to drop straight in.
Not a bunch of kids who may well be good in the future but are not even close now.
This Finn going home and Curran being called up shows just how wrong they got it with the lions squad.
I said it at the time. As did many others. The lions squad is basically following the mains squad around Aus playing matches etc. It is expected that Foakes and Overton will link up with them during the series for some game time.
My point is. Why didn't we use the lions squad as the 20 next best players out there. That way if there is an I just or any other crisis we have players already in the country and acclimatised and playing cricket ready to step straight in.
Instead we have a situation where TC who has been having the odd indoors bet and nothing more for a few months, now has to travel halfway round the world. It'll take him a week to adjust and get back into playing regularly let alone find form/rhythm.
We can get away with this because it's before the series and TC is unlikely to play the first test (or any - barring a crisis). But if it happened mid series we should have someone (Plunkett) already there and ready to drop straight in.
Not a bunch of kids who may well be good in the future but are not even close now.
Canters I get where you are coming from but I think you might be missing one aspect that would have been part of the selectors thinking.
Curran is still only 22 and next on the international rank but has had a long season bowling a shed load of overs. He probably needed the time to recover and isn't needed to prove himself by going on a Lions tour with the associated games and training.
As we know fast bowlers are particularly vulnerable to repetitive injuries and stress fractures so, perhaps, the thinking was that they would give him that rest and only call him up if needed. Surrey may well have had some input on that decision too.
This Finn going home and Curran being called up shows just how wrong they got it with the lions squad.
I said it at the time. As did many others. The lions squad is basically following the mains squad around Aus playing matches etc. It is expected that Foakes and Overton will link up with them during the series for some game time.
My point is. Why didn't we use the lions squad as the 20 next best players out there. That way if there is an I just or any other crisis we have players already in the country and acclimatised and playing cricket ready to step straight in.
Instead we have a situation where TC who has been having the odd indoors bet and nothing more for a few months, now has to travel halfway round the world. It'll take him a week to adjust and get back into playing regularly let alone find form/rhythm.
We can get away with this because it's before the series and TC is unlikely to play the first test (or any - barring a crisis). But if it happened mid series we should have someone (Plunkett) already there and ready to drop straight in.
Not a bunch of kids who may well be good in the future but are not even close now.
Canters I get where you are coming from but I think you might be missing one aspect that would have been part of the selectors thinking.
Curran is still only 22 and next on the international rank but has had a long season bowling a shed load of overs. He probably needed the time to recover and isn't needed to prove himself by going on a Lions tour with the associated games and training.
As we know fast bowlers are particularly vulnerable to repetitive injuries and stress fractures so, perhaps, the thinking was that they would give him that rest and only call him up if needed. Surrey may well have had some input on that decision too.
Thats a fair point, I was told by a Surrey member that Stewart had said the reason the Currans weren't in the lions squad was the number of overs bowled. Personally I'd still want someoen out there I could call on at short notice. That argument doesnt hold so much weight for the batsmen who should be there ready to go.
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
I keep looking, but can't find anything about terrestrial tv highlights
There won't be any terrestrial highlights (yet). Only 10 mins per day of highlights available on the BT website.
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
I keep looking, but can't find anything about terrestrial tv highlights
There won't be any terrestrial highlights (yet). Only 10 mins per day of highlights available on the BT website.
An unfortunate recent development is for FTA coverage of sport covered by BT, to be online, or on their showcase channel, rather than on a mainstream channel.
The Champions League will be like this next season, with no ITV highlights programme.
not having BT (only Sky) you wouldn't know they were happening in a couple of weeks.....Sky would have their AshesHD channel up and running and the countdown clock on SSN.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
You can get BT via Sky. Ok you have to pay but it's not a huge amount. By the way BT's build up is pretty lacklustre. I keep looking for preview programs but nothing doing.
I have to disagree with you there. I'm with Sky & they told me i'd have to pay an extra £25.99 a month for BT Sport, which I think is a ridiculous amount of money. I'll be finding an online stream
£26pm to see the Ashes, pretty good value I'd say. Less than £1 a day.
Errrrm......you have to pay BT a £20 one off signing on fee, plus £22 per month for a minimum 12 month contract. Total £284.....I’m with Sky. So if you are only going to want to watch the Ashes that’s £11.36 per day......and possibly more for games that don’t go the full 5 days for reasons of rain or early result. Given that there’s absolutely no way I’ll be able to stay awake all night for 5 days at a time (which would give me the worst case of jet lag imaginable without even leaving the house), it’s a non starter to watch it live. I’d have to record and watch it the following day in the hope that somehow or another I don’t hear about any of the action by some other unwanted means.....Sky will go all out, and quite deliberately, to update one and all at every opportunity......of that you can be sure! With terrestrial TV and radio not far behind.
Comments
The late Colin Millburn would walk into that team.
waddle
Rocky
Vince
Root
Malan
Bairstow
Ali
Woakes
Ball
Broad
Anderson
Looks like the side that will play. Foakes' chances of playing (bar an injury to Bairstow) have gone out the window with Stokes not being there. I still feel Jonny would be best used at 5 but that doesnt work if he is keeping and Foakes wont coem in to bat higher than 7. Root should be 3 for this series even if he is not going to bat there long term.
Think the batting lacks backbone and the bowling lacks bite. Hopefully Woakes can re-create his from from before his injury. Broad Jimmy and Ali need to be at their best.
am semi optimistic about the batsmen, they have a good attack but Aus pitches arent that hard to bat on. Hopefully a couple of them can get some early scores and build some confidence.
shame really.
anyone know if any of the terrestrial channels have an evening highlights package? (channel 4 or 5??)
I said it at the time. As did many others. The lions squad is basically following the mains squad around Aus playing matches etc. It is expected that Foakes and Overton will link up with them during the series for some game time.
My point is. Why didn't we use the lions squad as the 20 next best players out there. That way if there is an I just or any other crisis we have players already in the country and acclimatised and playing cricket ready to step straight in.
Instead we have a situation where TC who has been having the odd indoors bet and nothing more for a few months, now has to travel halfway round the world. It'll take him a week to adjust and get back into playing regularly let alone find form/rhythm.
We can get away with this because it's before the series and TC is unlikely to play the first test (or any - barring a crisis). But if it happened mid series we should have someone (Plunkett) already there and ready to drop straight in.
Not a bunch of kids who may well be good in the future but are not even close now.
Curran is still only 22 and next on the international rank but has had a long season bowling a shed load of overs. He probably needed the time to recover and isn't needed to prove himself by going on a Lions tour with the associated games and training.
As we know fast bowlers are particularly vulnerable to repetitive injuries and stress fractures so, perhaps, the thinking was that they would give him that rest and only call him up if needed. Surrey may well have had some input on that decision too.
The Champions League will be like this next season, with no ITV highlights programme.
However, potential more bad news on the fast bowling injury front, Ball is now off the field having rolled his ankle.
47-4 a first wicket for Mason Crane
Anderson removes their two top scorers including Tim Paine.
Total £284.....I’m with Sky.
So if you are only going to want to watch the Ashes that’s £11.36 per day......and possibly more for games that don’t go the full 5 days for reasons of rain or early result.
Given that there’s absolutely no way I’ll be able to stay awake all night for 5 days at a time (which would give me the worst case of jet lag imaginable without even leaving the house), it’s a non starter to watch it live. I’d have to record and watch it the following day in the hope that somehow or another I don’t hear about any of the action by some other unwanted means.....Sky will go all out, and quite deliberately, to update one and all at every opportunity......of that you can be sure! With terrestrial TV and radio not far behind.