Ashes 2025/6

@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:

If you subscribe to the view that the top of the Aussie order is still open, then today is a pretty big day.

South Australia are hosting Queensland and Victoria are playing NSW. Most of the key players will bat in these games.

Had a quick look at the teams and clicked on a few players
I know its only 4 of their FC sides but you can see why OZ are struggling with top order batsmen. Looking at their FC records all you see are guys averaging 25-35. Either really young or already in their 30's tried and discarded like Handscomb and Harris

As i type this Victoria have already lost one of their openers early.

@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:

@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:

If you subscribe to the view that the top of the Aussie order is still open, then today is a pretty big day.

South Australia are hosting Queensland and Victoria are playing NSW. Most of the key players will bat in these games.

Had a quick look at the teams and clicked on a few players
I know its only 4 of their FC sides but you can see why OZ are struggling with top order batsmen. Looking at their FC records all you see are guys averaging 25-35. Either really young or already in their 30's tried and discarded like Handscomb and Harris

As i type this Victoria have already lost one of their openers early.

Like you said previously. Both teams will be reliant on a few legends with varying degrees of average to very good backing them up.

But this is hardly a new thing in Cricket ( or indeed any sport )

The problems Aus have are a build up of:

One guy in the top order getting a score on a rotation basis, with middle order runs setting a defendable total, and
An all-time attack rolling the opposition, resulting in a succession of test wins.
No one behind them stating a serious case to go in, allowing the boys club to allow old players to dictate when they go, and dumb shit like Green at 3.

There are guys who have had hot seasons that get them nowhere and then they have a down season allowing the selectors to ignore them.

@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:

There are guys who have had hot seasons that get them nowhere and then they have a down season allowing the selectors to ignore them.

are we talking about Akira again?

/takes cover

Handscomb (who they will not pick) got runs. Every other hope has so far shat the bed

@NTA said in Ashes 2025/6:

Bledisloe? What the fk is that?! It's cricket season, you Polish harlots.

News is Cummins is out for the forseeable - back issues. Probably from carrying the entire nation the last few years.

I know he's only one person, but given how important the bowling attack in for Australia now their batsmen are inconsistent donkeys, this is a massive loss.

All it takes is a drop in form from one of the other mainstays and this is a remarkably open series.

@antipodean said in Ashes 2025/6:

@NTA said in Ashes 2025/6:

Bledisloe? What the fk is that?! It's cricket season, you Polish harlots.

News is Cummins is out for the forseeable - back issues. Probably from carrying the entire nation the last few years.

I know he's only one person, but given how important the bowling attack in for Australia now their batsmen are inconsistent donkeys, this is a massive loss.

All it takes is a drop in form from one of the other mainstays and this is a remarkably open series.

yep, Australia's huge advantage was not only their four main bowlers, but the safety net of someone as good as Boland waiting to come in. Well now they are using the safety new right from the get go.

Cummins also provided a few of those valuable middle-order runs we talked about earlier. Boland ain't doing that.

@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:

Cummins also provided a few of those valuable middle-order runs we talked about earlier.

some match saving/winning knocks. He was bloody good.

What are the chances of another round of the battle of the Ians this Summer ?

For what it’s worth I give this one to Beefy for being slightly less childish and petty and admitting Chappell was a good player.

Marnus hits 159 and puts himself in to the first test

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

What are the chances of another round of the battle of the Ians this Summer ?

For what it’s worth I give this one to Beefy for being slightly less childish and petty and admitting Chappell was a good player.

View embedded content

Team Beefy in this beef!

Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first Test.

Just read that Thomas McDonnell (NZC) [famous or infamous, depending on how you want to look at it] was the uncle of Fred Spofforth, and Spofforth lived in Hokianga as a kid.
There ya go!

^^^ This is @Virgil level crossover work @MN5

last round of Shield games for someone, anyone, to put their hand up.

Aussie could be in a spot here, the chat is around needing one opener, but again, because these selectors refuse to let anything go, they are working on the hope that Khawaja can refind some form. That double hundred in Sri Lanka is doing a LOT of heavy lifting (just like Warner's last one did) because other than that he has crossed 50 once since the start of last year. And he's had a lot of innings since then.

Essentially they are hoping a 39 year old can get his eye back.

Given England's terrible batting form at the moment, Australia could pull someone out of club cricket to be one of their openers and still win the series 5-0.

It looks like being a battle of the bowling attacks.

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

Given England's terrible batting form at the moment, Australia could pull someone out of club cricket to be one of their openers and still win the series 5-0.

Both teams have a mix of brilliant batsmen, a couple maybe past it or in terrible form and some who are a bit shit and you wonder how they made it in the first place.

Should make for an excellent series.

Hope the physios are warmed up. Those geriatrics might give them quite a bit of work this summer

Given the age of the England squad too and how many injuries Archer and Stokes have had, the s England physios will be bloody busy too.

My guess is the Australians will rotate their quicks a bit from Test to Test. If they can prevent Root and Brook from finding their peak form, I expect Australia to win at least three of the Test easily, although a couple of the others may be tighter contests.

Test quicks Starc and Hazlewood playing for NSW v Victoria who have Scott Boland. Lyon and Smith also in the NSW side.
Alex Carey & Travis Head playing for South Australia. Marnus for QLD
All the Aussie test squad except Khawaja are playing in the current round of Sheffield Shield that's underway.

No pressure on Green. All he has to do is get a bunch of huge scores without getting out and he's the next Steve Waugh apparently.

Gilly was a legend and one of my favourite players but he sure does talk some shit. This is almost as bad as the time he went on about Warnies awesome batting.

It's the ears; he can't help but have random words fly into his brain.

did you read the article? it's pretty clear the Australian selectors see him as the key piece of this team going forward. He's 26 in a squad of 30+ year olds. He has been selected any time he's fit, and that includes not fit enough to bowl. He's been selected in the top order repeatedly despite a modest record.

These guys aren't saying he's the next Steve Waugh, they're saying if he is to prove he's the man going forward, he needs a break out series, like Steve Waugh had. And Australia probably need him to, given the flux around him.

They even express doubts that he can, and say he needs to bowl.

Personally i have seen nothing that says this is a possibility, but it's a very fair talking point given the shape of that Australian batting lineup, and the chances this bloke has had.

@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:

did you read the article? it's pretty clear the Australian selectors see him as the key piece of this team going forward. He's 26 in a squad of 30+ year olds. He has been selected any time he's fit, and that includes not fit enough to bowl. He's been selected in the top order repeatedly despite a modest record.

These guys aren't saying he's the next Steve Waugh, they're saying if he is to prove he's the man going forward, he needs a break out series, like Steve Waugh had. And Australia probably need him to, given the flux around him.

They even express doubts that he can, and say he needs to bowl.

Personally i have seen nothing that says this is a possibility, but it's a very fair talking point given the shape of that Australian batting lineup, and the chances this bloke has had.

Well, they're saying he could be......

“This series for me for Cam Green is his Steve Waugh, 1989 Ashes,” Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket on Saturday night.

“If he can nail that breakthrough series where he contributes Test match after Test match after - I mean, ‘Tugga’ ... wasn’t dismissed until about the third Test, I reckon.

ah, you've fallen for the fox sports cut up quote.

@NTA said in Ashes 2025/6:

It's the ears; he can't help but have random words fly into his brain.

Exciting player though. Very good at being on winning test teams it has to be said. Much, much nicer guy than Brad Haddin too.

Josh Hazelwood is out of the first Ashes Test: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cwy7z7xjep1o

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

Josh Hazelwood is out of the first Ashes Test: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cwy7z7xjep1o

Probably means @mariner4life won't watch now

Guardian top 100 Ashes cricketers

@KiwiPie said in Ashes 2025/6:

Guardian top 100 Ashes cricketers

View embedded content

Warne 1, Bradman 2, Botham 3.
Compiled by 51 journalists picking their top 50 - Bradman topped most lists but apparently 2 people didn't select him in their top 50 even though they had to include players from all eras.

TBF and in their defense he only averaged 89.78 vs England, thats a whole 10 runs lower than his overall average.
Clearly struggled against the big boys.

Funnily though he averaged an even lower 78 at home vs England but slightly redeemed himself by averaging a not too shabby 102 in England. Scoring 11 x 100's from just 19 tests...

@KiwiPie said in Ashes 2025/6:

Guardian top 100 Ashes cricketers

View embedded content

Warne 1, Bradman 2, Botham 3.
Compiled by 51 journalists picking their top 50 - Bradman topped most lists but apparently 2 people didn't select him in their top 50 even though they had to include players from all eras.

Automatically makes the rest of the list invalid.

@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:

@KiwiPie said in Ashes 2025/6:

Guardian top 100 Ashes cricketers

View embedded content

Warne 1, Bradman 2, Botham 3.
Compiled by 51 journalists picking their top 50 - Bradman topped most lists but apparently 2 people didn't select him in their top 50 even though they had to include players from all eras.

TBF and in their defense he only averaged 89.78 vs England, thats a whole 10 runs lower than his overall average.
Clearly struggled against the big boys.

Funnily though he averaged an even lower 78 at home vs England but slightly redeemed himself by averaging a not too shabby 102 in England. Scoring 11 x 100's from just 19 tests...

Further to this silly list.......

It's pretty awesome to me that Beefy and Warnie are so highly rated. Both absolute larrakins off the field who could play like demons when they needed to. Both very high on my list of favourite players.

Guys who captured the imagination like few, if any, before them because if you look closer they both had a few faults ( Beefy crap vs Windies, Warnie crap in India )

Would definitely choose either of them to have a few beers with over Bradman who preferred tea apparently.

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

Josh Hazelwood is out of the first Ashes Test: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cwy7z7xjep1o

Probably means a likely debut for Brendan Doggett

@1kiwi said in Ashes 2025/6:

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

Josh Hazelwood is out of the first Ashes Test: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/cwy7z7xjep1o

Probably means a likely debut for Brendan Doggett

Dizzy Gillespie backs him, which is good enough for me.

I still can't agree with starting the series in Perth. I'll be somewhere in Tokyo when the first ball is delivered so hopefully it goes well and/or I can find a way to watch it

@NTA said in Ashes 2025/6:

I still can't agree with starting the series in Perth. I'll be somewhere in Tokyo when the first ball is delivered so hopefully it goes well and/or I can find a way to watch it

We went to Perth for a day night first test of the tour and it ruined us for the entire trip

Australia XI for first Test: Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland