Ashes 2023

It seems very likely that Archer will miss the 5 match series.
He’s come home from the IPL with an elbow injury.
It’ll be a big loss but at least Robinson seems to be fit and in form.

 

Probably would've been unwise to have him playing test matches after so long out anyway. Hopefully not too serious, but that elbow has been an issue for a while now. Since that tour of NZ when the coach and captain accused him of not trying to bowl fast enough

 

Without bad luck the lad would have no luck at all.
Seems destined to never fulfil his potential due to persistent injury problems.
Big blow for our Ashes hopes.....

 

I wouldn't actually call it a loss. He's hardly played for two years and we've done fine without him. Better if he had been available but not the end of the world, as we are used to being without him.

 

It’s his pace we’ll miss especially if Wood can’t play in most games.
5 matches are squeezed in to just over 8 weeks so that August can be entirely devoted to the Hundred !!
We’ll need a good back-up of good cricketers because there’s certain to be injuries or bowlers being rested.

 

Forgotten all about him to be honest - plenty of decent bolwers around

 

Squad for the Ireland game on 1st June is fairly predictable except Foakes has been left out so Bairstow will keep wicket.

 

Absolute shocker of a decision.

 

I think it goes deeper than squad selection. This Ashes series has disaster written all over it. All our best players preparing by slogging in the IPL playing 20/20. Aussie players allowed to play 4 day games for the counties. One 4 day warm up test against Ireland Leaving out our best wicket keeper and one of our most reliable batsmen in favour of Crawley.

 

Totally agree

 

That's the spirit.

 

Andy Flower has been appointed as part of Australian back room staff.
He had a lot of success with England so it looks like they’re taking things seriously

 

For some unknown reason, the starting eleven has been named.

Moeen is in and 4 seamers are Robinson, Anderson, Broad and Stokes.
The rest are as expected

 

The biggest series in world cricket and our preparation seems to be heading back to the mid nineties. Still not happy we haven't played a meaningful series before this one.

Like I mentioned before Smith and Labuschagne have been playing 4 day county cricket. Makes a massive difference.

Here's an out there pick. Get Cook back to open with Duckett. He's still got it. Retired way too young from test cricket.

That said a lot of cricketers do after the captaincy. Hussain, Vaughan, Strauss. There's only Root that's played on.

 

I wouldn't have brought back Ali. He didn't want to play no more and is only coming back for the Ashes.

 

Why didn't they select Liam Livingstone?

 

There was a strong rumour that Root tried to encourage him to play Test cricket again some 3 years ago.
It was when we were having problems with getting even half decent openers.

I totally agree that he retired too early at 34.
It was as if he knew about Co-vid and all the hassle with bubbles and travelling etc.

Stokes is just 32 and I somehow can’t imagine him jacking it in when he’s 34 depending on fitness and form obviously.

The reason why Root is still playing is jointly because of his love for the game and money.
He loves test cricket and, at the same time can earn plenty playing in Dubai and India etc.
Hussain and Vaughan etc weren’t limited overs players even if the global tournaments had existed.

Slight change of subject …. I expected Brook to be England captain after Stokes but Pope has got vice captaincy so must be earmarked for the job.
Bit of a shame

 

Me neither.
His statement that he wouldn’t have come back for any other captain other than Stokes, is disgraceful in my opinion.
Surely he’s come back to play for his country to help out when needed.
They’ll be letting him play with his OBE medal next !!! ( which he’s rightly earned by the way )

 

He’s not a test batsman or a test bowler…. he’s fairly good at both.
Also, there are plenty others in front of him.

He’s been injured but he’s got a future in international ODI’s and T20i’s but I can’t see him playing regular test cricket… only my opinion.
Also, he plays for them lot ovver t’hills

 

Will Stokes even bowl?