Ashes 2025-26.

[Slipstream]

Is there anymore more current England than replacing a player who averaged low 30s in CC and was picked on nothing but hype, with another kid who was preordained a legend before he scored a first class run, and then had a horrendous year in CC where he averaged...

I reckon James Rew is the only batter averaging over 40, or even with much of a fc record.

I thought it was odd Haines bowled so much. Or at all.

I see Rehan Ahmed is not playing, so maybe Hartley is ahead of him if Bashir is quietly shuffled out.

Rehan is back home injuried.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Thanks. Got a feeling I might have read that and then forgotten.

[bigfluffylemon]

Wood out probably a blessing in disguise.

[andy]

Lions 'won by 8 wickets' farcical game which included Sam kontas bowling his first over in professional cricket and it was a shocker...tour just descending into chaos

[Durhamfootman]

Lions 'won by 8 wickets' farcical game which included Sam kontas bowling his first over in professional cricket and it was a shocker...tour just descending into chaos

excuse me....... I think you'll find, if you look properly, that this is descending into thoroughly well planned chaos.... no stone left unturned in its pursuit

[Arthur Crabtree]

I reckon James Rew is the only batter averaging over 40, or even with much of a fc record.

Wonder if he has a chance at 3.

[alfie]

Lions 'won by 8 wickets' farcical game which included Sam kontas bowling his first over in professional cricket and it was a shocker...tour just descending into chaos

excuse me....... I think you'll find, if you look properly, that this is descending into thoroughly well planned chaos.... no stone left unturned in its pursuit

I watched some of that Lions game. Pretty evident that the decision to take the main squad directly to Brisbane was actually sensible : pitch was absolutely nothing like the one they will encounter in the Test , and the PM's XI bowling attack was more club standard than FC. Might have allowed the likes of Crawley to get some easy runs but would have done little or nothing to help preparation for the serious business. Solid workout in the nets in Brisbane far more valuable. (Proper day/night warm up game in similar conditions to the Test would obviously be better : but not happening in this universe)

Bethell didn't help his cause - the only batsman who managed to fail. One might almost think there was a case for leaving him with the Lions and taking a Rew or a Haines instead - but we know that won't happen , and in any case would be over reaction to one innings. I do hope though that the incumbents can justify their places going forward as I reckon the promising but clearly not yet ready young fellow would be a walking wicket against the proper Aussie attack.

[andy]

So England have brought in will jack's for the injured mark wood, bit of a wake up call for Bashir he needs to step things up! Khawaja ruled out for Australia I would assume head will open with inglis slotting in at number 5

[alfie]

Jacks in for Wood , eh ? Makes more sense than picking Bashir as I imagine spin will only play a minor role here , and Jacks provides further depth to the batting - which might be useful if Starc is in destructive mode again ! Still a bit surprised they didn't bring in Tongue to keep the fierce pace attack plan that worked so well on day one in Perth ; but I presume all the other quicks (including Stokes) are well rested and ready to give it everything now with a bit of a break to Adelaide , and the reserve pace men available to rotate after that.

Need to get a result here or it might be a bit late to worry about who plays or not in the remaining games .

No Khawaja for Australia so presumably Head opens again. Might be a lively start whichever team bats first

[Arthur Crabtree]

Jacks looks a bit of a bits and pieces pick. So he gets in the side neither for batting nor bowling. And I'm always a bit disappointed when they don't select a front line spinner. Now is not the time to discover you have been grooming the wrong candidate. A predicament worsened by only including one spinner in the party.

Still, Jacks has a Test 6-fer.

[andy]

I don't think it's a case of picking the wrong spinner I think in this test jack's over Bashir makes sense... spin will be used to rush through overs to get to bowling under lights it won't win the game and jack's batting is a handy extra....I think in Adelaide where it will be drier day test bashir will come in as a proper frontline spinner so I don't mind the selection...that being said I'm a tad surprised tongue didn't get the nod

[Arthur Crabtree]

Reducing the role and potential of the spinner to a pressure valve on the over rate is a bad start to the day for me. It's irritating enough that the sole spinner is picked for his batting.

[sussexpob]

It occurs to me that the idea spin wont matter at all in this test match originates from the fact D/N games mostly held in Adelaide have produced some very low scores in seam friendly conditions..... meanwhile in Brisbane, Pakistan were 1 run away from beating the all time record 4th innings all out score in the DN game held in Brisbane a few years ago, and got uncomfortably close to chasing down nearly 500 in the 4th innings.

In the Sri Lanka DN at Brisbane, who bowled the most? 1st innings, Lyon. 2nd innings, Perera (nearly 50% of overs bowled in the 105 were spin)....
In the Pakistan game, YS bowled nearly 45 overs of spin in the first innings. Lyon bowled 40 overs.
In the Windies game, Lyon was the most used Australian bowler.

So yeah, history says your spinner is getting a lot of overs to bowl here, not just there to improve the over-rate before it gets dark.

Nothing quite says "spin wont win it" like playing at the signature ground of a spinner voted by Wisden as the greatest player to play test cricket, and who just got voted the Ashes best ever play in a poll by the Guardian.

But what would Shane Warne know about the Gabba that Rob Key doesn't? Rob, after all, has a deeper comprehension than such obvious statistical leanings.

[Arthur Crabtree]

If spinners are strategically bowling a lot of overs, then it makes sense to pick your best spinner. Though I accept it would be good for them not to give runs away.

Still having a batter down at 8 isn't without advantages. It has sometimes worked against England (Greg Matthews!), but not so much in their favour.

[andy]

Maybe Bashir is 'unpickable' like finny was a few years ago....I personally believe he will be back at Adelaide and they just feel jack's is better for this wicket and conditions however they were so determined Bashir was the one and now he can't get a gig and he was horrendous in the warm up game maybe he has zero confidence right now and neither do coach and captain in him?