Ashes!!

philwrig · Hall of fame

RE: Ashes!!

Salmon · Tennis legend

As excited as I am about the prospect of Rashid, I can totally understand their decision of picking Panesar. Apart from having some experience in Oz etc. etc., he is a left armer. And I would be shocked if KP wasn't playing him for an hour everyday in the nets.

Plus Rashid's not wasting the winter as he'll play T20s for South Australia and in the Lions tour to West Indies - both should be valuable experiences for him. I know it's frustrating that he keeps being ignored and I do think he could have been managed better, but if they want to cottonwool a young leggie after the years of torment suffered at the hands of Warne, I can't blame them.

My first choice attack, everyone being fit, would be Anderson, Broad and Tremlett. And if EVEEEERYONE is fit, Anderson, Simon Jones and Tremlett. The times are happy if you can leave Broad, Shahzad, Harmison, Onions, Finn and at a stretch even Hoggard and Kirby out of your first team.

wolf · Tennis legend

Looks like a series vicotry then...

Would like to thank the Australian selectors for their incompetence, but we would have won anyway I think.

Everyone has played their part, but Cook has been an absolute don.

wolf · Tennis legend

Steve Smith comes into the attack for the first time in the 102nd over of the innings.

What was the point in picking him again?

Salmon · Tennis legend

Smith was a dire pick. He may be a world beater someday, but I've not seen someone so much out of their depth play Tests for Australia.

And I have watched so much of Cook scoring runs that I'll probably wake up randomly at 5 a.m. over the next few weeks and think that I have a Cook century to catch on TV. 766 runs in 7 innings, phew! This is also the English record for non-Timeless tests, I just realised.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Great day of cricket again! England should wrap this up in the first session itself. Just hoping that a Sehwag blitz gets India a win today and my day will be made.

Shame about Colly's retirement.

I honestly think it's a mistake and they may rue it later, just like when England got rid of Thorpe and soon enough found themselves with zero experienced batsmen.