Amazing ground these days is Headingley.
Walking around it today I would say pretty much everything there is new from within the last 25 years, even the same applies to 3 of the 4 rugby league stands too. I first went there in 1984, it’s improved a lot since then.
The old pavilion is still there tucked in between the football stand and the whatever the east stand is called. It's not like the pavilion was ever an impressive or interesting structure though.
It's good that folk recognise that it's often good to dispense with the old. I think the 20th century ground versions we have in cricket are very impressive. Aside of thankfully keeping some of the old pavilion structures, although not Headingley where county league clubs had better, the refurbs have been wonderful.
4 seamers again at OT? Temptation could be Bairstow at 3, Foakes in with the gloves and stick with Broad/Wood/Woakes? Is Stokes definitely unable to bowl now with his knee for the rest of the series?
It's generally been a five match series throughout it's history - I think we had a spell when it was 6 in England but 5 still in Australia, don't know what the logic of that was. Then when we reverted to five again - I think we used to fit in a two test series, rather than just the one match like this year. Pretty sure we played the Aussies and the West Indies in one summer.
Not to Ireland or Bangladesh, it isn’t
The 1970/71 Ashes was a seven-match series (although one test was abandoned without a ball being bowled). The Aussie board made way for another game in the series: that wouldn't happen now, they'd be too interesting in prioritising the 100
Is that the famous one where they had Aussie umpires and we didn’t get a single LBW decision in the entire series? I’m sure Glenn McGrath would be able to spin that somehow! (maybe he should have replaced Nathan Lyon in the team!)
It depends what you want from the ground. We went to Southport a few weeks ago. That hasn’t changed in decades, if ever. There’s a pavilion and the rest of the ground is temporary seating for its week of Lancashire cricket. The bigger grounds needed makeovers though. I went to Lords in the 1970s and it was much improved on my last visit in 2016. Went to Headingly in 1980 but didn’t see a ball bowled and we hid from the rain and ate our picnic in the rugby ground. Old Trafford seems to be a work in progress from visits in the last couple of seasons.
If they'd finished the Riverside when you were there, I think it will be pretty much the same now. The only notable difference will be that the temporary stand on the Lumley Castle side is there all the time now (but often doesn't have any actual seats I'm it).
Just to be boring about this for a minute, I believe Australia were only awarded a single lbw over the whole series, which suggests a severe bout of not-outism rather than conspiracy.
I think five Tests is about right. I remember when it was 6 Tests. That stopped in 2001 against Australia. Some might argue to stop prolonging our agony. We did play Pakistan in two Tests that year. I quite like summers where there are two touring sides. So I wonder if that was it. Don't know.
Oh come on, when did the facts have to get in the way of a good conspiracy theory!!
Not a surprise. His bowling has been expensive.
