[Cricket] The Ashes - England v Australia - 4th Test, Old Trafford, July 19-23, 2023

[PeterT]

I shall be at Old Trafford, got tickets for every day so really looking forward to it! I did have tickets for the T20 final too but even I admit there’s only so much cricket you can watch so my Hampshire mate has been happy to take them off my hands!

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I think it would have been quite funny if there hadn't been a staging element to it. A bit like when Johnson was seen watching the Euros a couple of years back. I think Sunak is a genuine cricket fan, but he's no John Major.

I've always thought Major supporting Surrey was his worst feature.
If Sunak supports Hampshire he's lost my vote.

 

[Eeyore]

I've always thought Major supporting Surrey was his worst feature.
If Sunak supports Hampshire he's lost my vote.

In fairness, it's a hard burden to bare. I was born in Surrey and fled after ten days... to Hampshire. Thankfully I was rescued and bought to Sussex six weeks later. I think most folk have an affiliation with the county they are from. I only remember Sussex, I don't talk about the Surrey bit. The flag of the six martlets sits proudly on my desk.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

That's not what it sounded like being discussed on TMS (and, IIRC, on Talksport too)! - and no, sorry, I don't have a link. But it's not a hill I;m choosing to die on either.

I'm guessing that they've decided to quote his average over the last "x" number of years, which would cut off his best year as wicket keeper while including the last English season when he was largely brilliant.
On the face of it that seems reasonable, except it leads to the numbers being hugely skewed by last year, which was always going to be a purple patch rather than representative of his form going on.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

In fairness, it's a hard burden to bare. I was born in Surrey and fled after ten days... to Hampshire. Thankfully I was rescued and bought to Sussex six weeks later. I think most folk have an affiliation with the county they are from. I only remember Sussex, I don't talk about the Surrey bit. The flag of the six martlets sits proudly on my desk.

It is unfair of me to judge people for such things.
Oh well.

 

[Bodian]

I do wish politicians would keep their noses out from this sort of thing:

UK to Aussie PM: I didn't bring my sandpaper with me

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese discuss the Ashes during their encounter at the NATO summit in Vilnius

www.espncricinfo.com

I think it would have been quite funny if there hadn't been a staging element to it. A bit like when Johnson was seen watching the Euros a couple of years back. I think Sunak is a genuine cricket fan, but he's no John Major.

I've always thought Major supporting Surrey was his worst feature.
If Sunak supports Hampshire he's lost my vote.

He was on TMS 'View from a Boundary' during the third test. I do wish they wouldn't chattily interview people I disagree strongly with - as he came over a pleasant, cheery, intelligent, and quite human person! So annoying when I want to dislike him and all that he stands for.

Anyway - his mother's pharmacy was across the park from The Dell and the old County Ground, so he supports his local team(s). He was chatting about how he would go down to the County Ground and at lunch, the kids would jump over the ropes and have a knock about on the outfield. Just what I used to do down at Hove. You'd get frogmarched out for doing that now.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

He was on TMS 'View from a Boundary' during the third test. I do wish they wouldn't chattily interview people I disagree strongly with - as he came over a pleasant, cheery, intelligent, and quite human person! So annoying when I want to dislike him and all that he stands for.

Anyway - his mother's pharmacy was across the park from The Dell and the old County Ground, so he supports his local team(s). He was chatting about how he would go down to the County Ground and at lunch, the kids would jump over the ropes and have a knock about on the outfield. Just what I used to do down at Hove. You'd get frogmarched out for doing that now.

Sickening.
Seriously though, where are you allowed to do that now? When I lived in Sheffield I used to go to Trent Bridge fairly often for county matches, and there were always a bunch of kids and their parents out on the field.

 

[GT49er]

I'm guessing that they've decided to quote his average over the last "x" number of years, which would cut off his best year as wicket keeper while including the last English season when he was largely brilliant.
On the face of it that seems reasonable, except it leads to the numbers being hugely skewed by last year, which was always going to be a purple patch rather than representative of his form going on.

Yeh, quite possibly. I would still be happy enough to keep Bairsow in the team as a batsman though - he has, after all, made some big and important scores in his time - but not as a wicket-keeper. We could have won the frst 2 tests if we'd held our catches (and I do acknowledge that Bairstow wasn't the only culprit!)

 

[Eeyore]

He was on TMS 'View from a Boundary' during the third test. I do wish they wouldn't chattily interview people I disagree strongly with - as he came over a pleasant, cheery, intelligent, and quite human person! So annoying when I want to dislike him and all that he stands for.

Anyway - his mother's pharmacy was across the park from The Dell and the old County Ground, so he supports his local team(s). He was chatting about how he would go down to the County Ground and at lunch, the kids would jump over the ropes and have a knock about on the outfield. Just what I used to do down at Hove. You'd get frogmarched out for doing that now.

I know some grounds still allow it. Anyway, I have to tell my story...

Back in 1983 the Aussies played a match at the County Ground. The nets were just beyond the pavilion. I'd joined a couple of Sussex players in there before when I was 13 a year earlier, but this time I saw Trevor Chappell and Graeme Wood having a practice. No-one else in there or watching. I went in and asked if I could have a bowl. They obliged. And for about half an hour I was bowling to Test cricketers.

I'll take that one to me grave.

 

[Bodian]

I know some grounds still allow it. Anyway, I have to tell my story...

Back in 1983 the Aussies played a match at the County Ground. The nets were just beyond the pavilion. I'd joined a couple of Sussex players in there before when I was 13 a year earlier, but this time I saw Trevor Chappell and Graeme Wood having a practice. No-one else in there or watching. I went in and asked if I could have a bowl. They obliged. And for about half an hour I was bowling to Test cricketers.

I'll take that one to me grave.

Brilliant. I do hope you bowled at least one underarm ball to Chappell.....

 

[Eeyore]

Brilliant. I do hope you bowled at least one underarm ball to Chappell.....

I seem to recall he faced me just wearing gloves and no pads. I was pretty rapid at 14, but obviously not to someone of his level.

It wasn't a first class match as the three dayer had been cancelled. Here is the only report I can find which solves a question I pondered. It would have been half term.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Should Anderson return?

 

[Mellotron]

Should Anderson return?

Whether he should or not, he does.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

I think that’s a fair enough change.

Just desperately hope the weather holds out as this could be another classic.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

I seem to recall he faced me just wearing gloves and no pads. I was pretty rapid at 14, but obviously not to someone of his level.

It wasn't a first class match as the three dayer had been cancelled. Here is the only report I can find which solves a question I pondered. It would have been half term.

View attachment 163409

Ian Gould the Sussex Wicketkeeper mentioned in that article was third umpire in the notorious sandpapergate test. He had the task of telling the on-field umpires there was ball tampering going on. Capetown wasn't the first time he'd rubbed shoulders with notorious Australian cricketers. It was often said amongst Australians that Trevor Chappell only made the team as he had the right surname.

 

[Eeyore]

Ian Gould the Sussex Wicketkeeper mentioned in that article was third umpire in the notorious sandpapergate test. He had the task of telling the on-field umpires there was ball tampering going on. Capetown wasn't the first time he'd rubbed shoulders with notorious Australian cricketers. It was often said amongst Australians that Trevor Chappell only made the team as he had the right surname.

In fairness, Chappell only played three Tests (from memory all of those were in the 1981 Ashes). His one day record at ODI level was okay in an all-round capacity. All-rounders and Australia weren't exactly two phrases you would find together at that time.

 

[Arkwright]

For me the Aussie's didn't like raw pace, same team but Tongue for Anderson.
Obviously drop Bairstow but that ain't happening.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

No Bristow?

He was due to play, but then the selectors did a 180 and changed their minds.

 

[Surf's Up]

I feel bitterly sorry for Foakes. Its worse than Dunk being overlooked.

He is without any doubt the best gloveman in the land, he'd have snagged many, maybe all of the drops Bairstow fluffed, and he's been scoring well with the bat at County level.

What more can he do....... its a travesty an overweight, out of form Batsman who is proving utterly shit with the gloves isn't judged on actual performances, but on past performance or something else and is instead kept on at the expense of the best keeper in England, whose decent with the bat.

It's nepotism, jobs for the boys.

Bairstow selection has been awful...... doubling down rather than admitting it, is an even bigger mistake.

Totally endorse everything you say, utterly ridiculous - and as if the above isn't bad enough, he's ginger too!!!

 

[Arkwright]

I feel bitterly sorry for Foakes. Its worse than Dunk being overlooked.

He is without any doubt the best gloveman in the land, he'd have snagged many, maybe all of the drops Bairstow fluffed, and he's been scoring well with the bat at County level.

What more can he do....... its a travesty an overweight, out of form Batsman who is proving utterly shit with the gloves isn't judged on actual performances, but on past performance or something else and is instead kept on at the expense of the best keeper in England, whose decent with the bat.

It's nepotism, jobs for the boys.

Bairstow selection has been awful...... doubling down rather than admitting it, is an even bigger mistake.

Totally this, Bairstow's form since his golfing injury has been poor. Maybe he deserved a couple of games on reputation but it just hasn't worked out for him and Foakes should have come in.
Maybe Foakes' style doesn't fit into Bazz Ball (whatever that means). England's loss is Surrey's gain and his exceptional glove work and steady batting will probably guide Surrey to winning the Championship while Bairstow's current form will guide England to loosing The Ashes.