Beat me to it by seconds

Can I delete mine?

Looking forward to this. Can Bazball take out Cummins, Hazelwood, Lyon, Starc and Boland in the same ease as it has taken out other attacks will be very interesting.

Outcome: Australia 3-2 England. Can't see any draws, can see Bazball coming unstuck in 3 or 4 innings in a big way. Crawley and Moeen will struggle horribly so we'll be up against it with a 9-man team. But we'll come up with enough daft heroics to win a couple.

Leading wicket taker: Cummins

Leading run scorer: Labuschagne is the easy/obvious pick so I'll go left-field and say... Ollie Pope

Big battles are Broad v Warner obviously, Jimmy v Smith, Moeen v any short bowling and Creepy Crawley v his own abysmal record.

Reckon Stokes will bowl no more than 30 overs across the series and may well injure himself in the process.

The pros disagree about Boland, TCM

https://wisden.com/series-stories/ashes-2023/running-spinner-michael-vaughan-england-ashes-scott-boland-eng-vs-aus-2023/amp

Stokes is a big question. If he could bowl at anything like full capacity it would make a fair difference. But I don't think he will.

Also I have no great confidence in Moeen Ali I'm afraid and I see Mark Butcher has been highly critical of the selection: https://wisden.com/series-stories/ashes-2023/its-not-like-youre-bringing-michael-jordan-out-of-retirement-mark-butcher-moeen-ali-eng-vs-aus

Crawley is a controversial opener, shall we say, and Duckett will surely find these matches tougher than previous ones.

My guess is Australia will win, maybe 4-1. Smith will be the top run scorer, Cummins the leading wicket-taker.

But I hope I'm wrong!

Butch is absolutely right, of course. I knew Moeen was never a good holding spinner - he gets most of his wickets caught on the boundary because the opposition always target him - but I hadn't realised his average in Ashes tests was so awful. 64.65! That's stunningly bad.

Leaving aside the usual issues I have with Moeen - the fact that he retires in a big drama show every couple of years and then maybe thinks about deigning to show his face again when enough people butter him up - as if he's doing everyone a favour accepting the privilege of playing for his country when he's been pretty sheite at it for his whole career...

...so yeah, leaving that aside: it's another "vibes" decision by Stokes and Baz, isn't it. All the stats point one way, but they hope that by sheer force of "DGAF" it'll work out anyway. Who knows, they may be right. The only other Big Bad Baz Vibez decision that hasn't paid off so far is Creepy Crawley. Maybe Moeen will suddenly flourish in Bazball in a way that he never has throughout the entirety of his 9-year, 64-test career. Because, y'know. Vibes.

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Think you're spot on with 3-2 to Australia assuming no rain. If Stokes was fully fit and we had Leach, as well as binning off Crawley, then I'd have tipped us to win 3-2 but Aus have too much quality for us to not be at our best. Also think we'll regret not picking Foakes.

Although there is also a part of me that thinks we could get demolished if we have the flat and fast pitches that Stokes has asked for.

I know it's Bazball baby! but why we'd want to try and beat the Aussies at their own game is a mystery to me.

comment by Admin1 (U1)
posted 41 minutes ago
Live @ https://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewLiveArticle/455391
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comment by AmAngeda Postecogginkiss (U11574)
posted 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
The pros disagree about Boland, TCM

https://wisden.com/series-stories/ashes-2023/running-spinner-michael-vaughan-england-ashes-scott-boland-eng-vs-aus-2023/amp
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Harmison said this on the cricket collective. He doesn't bowl high 70s, he bowls mid 80s and on a good length. The BBC did an article saying England average 34 and have a SR of 52 against good length bowling. Full is average 41 and SR of 94 with short being 43 average at 85 SR.

Therefore if you go full or short then you get whacked. On a length you get most reward and that's where Boland bowls more than anyone else. He will be our destroyer more so than anyone. Vaughan is a plonker.

comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 2 hours, 4 minutes ago
Think you're spot on with 3-2 to Australia assuming no rain. If Stokes was fully fit and we had Leach, as well as binning off Crawley, then I'd have tipped us to win 3-2 but Aus have too much quality for us to not be at our best. Also think we'll regret not picking Foakes.

Although there is also a part of me that thinks we could get demolished if we have the flat and fast pitches that Stokes has asked for.

I know it's Bazball baby! but why we'd want to try and beat the Aussies at their own game is a mystery to me.
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Yeah this

And I wanted to see Foakes, Woakes & Stokes together

comment by Emile Death Rowe (TCM) (U8959)
posted about 2 hours ago
comment by AmAngeda Postecogginkiss (U11574)
posted 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
The pros disagree about Boland, TCM

https://wisden.com/series-stories/ashes-2023/running-spinner-michael-vaughan-england-ashes-scott-boland-eng-vs-aus-2023/amp
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Harmison said this on the cricket collective. He doesn't bowl high 70s, he bowls mid 80s and on a good length. The BBC did an article saying England average 34 and have a SR of 52 against good length bowling. Full is average 41 and SR of 94 with short being 43 average at 85 SR.

Therefore if you go full or short then you get whacked. On a length you get most reward and that's where Boland bowls more than anyone else. He will be our destroyer more so than anyone. Vaughan is a plonker.
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How long will he continue to bowl length if he disappears a few times to the boundary? It's all well and good saying he bowls length more than other Australian bowlers, but Bazball is a different proposition to other Test teams. Bowlers are easily put off length if they are attacked.

He doesn't bowl mid 80s. He averages between 130-135kph which is 80-83mph. He is low 80s and if batsmen move their feet, then his length starts to get thrown off. Particularly as this year's Dukes ball moves less than last years, Boland is on the low side of ball movement anyway and Stokes has asked for flat pitches.

It could well be that Boland comes up good for Australia and continues the form he has been on. It could be that he is easiest of the Aussie quicks to get on top of due to his predictability. To speak with any certainty about it makes anyone a plonker.

I can see Australia getting off to a win, they`ve had proper preparation whereas England had a stroll in the park and many players did not even get any meaningful match practice.

It should be a close series, I could not predict, all 3 results are possible.

Listening to the tailenders podcast, Anderson said that one of the things that have worked well for England under Stokes is doing the team building and camaraderie stuff pre-test. That playing golf and bonding as a team has actually worked better than playing a bunch of build up games.

He doesn't think that the Australia v India game will have any bearing on the Ashes. Much like the England v Ireland one won't either.

comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
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How long will he continue to bowl length if he disappears a few times to the boundary? It's all well and good saying he bowls length more than other Australian bowlers, but Bazball is a different proposition to other Test teams. Bowlers are easily put off length if they are attacked.

He doesn't bowl mid 80s. He averages between 130-135kph which is 80-83mph. He is low 80s and if batsmen move their feet, then his length starts to get thrown off. Particularly as this year's Dukes ball moves less than last years, Boland is on the low side of ball movement anyway and Stokes has asked for flat pitches.

It could well be that Boland comes up good for Australia and continues the form he has been on. It could be that he is easiest of the Aussie quicks to get on top of due to his predictability. To speak with any certainty about it makes anyone a plonker.
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We will go after them all but I think Starc will be the one we have the most success against as he will go full or short more so than Cummims, Hazlewood, Boland or even Neser if he comes in later in the series.

The success has come from when you miss your length, you get punished and that is why you need to hold a good length. Sure you might get hit a few times but driving on the up or hooking or cutting a ball that is too full brings more risk. This is why our average and strike rate is worse against a good length during the Stokes era.

I'm sure Zatlzman said his average speed in the India test was around 84mph. The Aussies may well go for Hazlewood anyway which personally I'd prefer.

Finally some proper cricket to look forward to, although I expect Australia to retain the Ashes at a canter. Better Test players all round. England have to many one day merchants, and ageing pace bowlers.

Let's hope the weather holds, and we get more than three day Tests.

comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
posted 8 hours, 42 minutes ago
Listening to the tailenders podcast, Anderson said that one of the things that have worked well for England under Stokes is doing the team building and camaraderie stuff pre-test. That playing golf and bonding as a team has actually worked better than playing a bunch of build up games.

He doesn't think that the Australia v India game will have any bearing on the Ashes. Much like the England v Ireland one won't either.
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I think this is pretty apparent. Too many are warped into the traditional ways of test cricket but Stokes and this team have taken a far more relaxed approach which has allowed us to perform better in the last 12 months.

Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Broad, Robinson and Anderson have played plenty of red ball cricket anyway. The middle order is full of world class players so they'll figure it out.

comment by Emile Death Rowe (TCM) (U8959)
posted about an hour ago
comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
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How long will he continue to bowl length if he disappears a few times to the boundary? It's all well and good saying he bowls length more than other Australian bowlers, but Bazball is a different proposition to other Test teams. Bowlers are easily put off length if they are attacked.

He doesn't bowl mid 80s. He averages between 130-135kph which is 80-83mph. He is low 80s and if batsmen move their feet, then his length starts to get thrown off. Particularly as this year's Dukes ball moves less than last years, Boland is on the low side of ball movement anyway and Stokes has asked for flat pitches.

It could well be that Boland comes up good for Australia and continues the form he has been on. It could be that he is easiest of the Aussie quicks to get on top of due to his predictability. To speak with any certainty about it makes anyone a plonker.
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We will go after them all but I think Starc will be the one we have the most success against as he will go full or short more so than Cummims, Hazlewood, Boland or even Neser if he comes in later in the series.

The success has come from when you miss your length, you get punished and that is why you need to hold a good length. Sure you might get hit a few times but driving on the up or hooking or cutting a ball that is too full brings more risk. This is why our average and strike rate is worse against a good length during the Stokes era.

I'm sure Zatlzman said his average speed in the India test was around 84mph. The Aussies may well go for Hazlewood anyway which personally I'd prefer.
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Yeah I think Starc will go for the most. He can be erratic and went at 5 an over against India. He is also the most likely to bowl an absolute jaffer in amongst all that though.

I know about length bowling and risks attacking it. However, there are things that batsmen can do to throw a bowler off that (particularly if you know that is what they are going to do repeatedly) and cricket can be a psychological game. There is potential for this to be the biggest challenge for Boland has faced in Test cricket to keep his consistency as much as it could test Bazball.

Comment deleted by Article Creator

Indeed, Pope and Stokes like to go on the charge more than most and Root has made a habit of batting a fair way off his crease. I just think he will be aware that he will get his rewards if he sticks to it and he can do that better than most.

It'll be a fascinating contest and I can't wait. Of course I'd love to win but it's not quite like football where its win at all costs. Let's just see a close contest with mostly competitive games. 1 or 2 might not be too close but let's get some close games in there.

Come on England!

Not looking forward to it. I think its gonna be a very high scoring series.. I hate games that drag on.
England will win 2-1. The other 2 will be draws..
Leading scorer for England will be Brook
and leading wicket taker will be Broad

Dont care about Australia they can sod off

Not sure there will be too many draws unless they are weather affected to be honest.

England to win 3-1.

2 draws out of 5 in the Bazball era? Absolute waffle