England Cricket 2025

kinveachyaddick said:

fenaddick said:

We all know why Collingwood is absent it just can’t legally be said. Not replacing him is awful though 

What’s the story there?

Can you give a hint without posting anything you shouldn’t?

pm me pls

The video of Duckett doesn't suggest someone who had been having a few quiet drinks with his family...

Are we playing too many international matches ? I wonder how many international games someone like Harry Brooks has played vs Steve Smith or Travis Head this year ? 

MarcusH26 said:

Duckett does have previous after the incident with Jimmy in 17-18 when he poured a drink over him. 

Presume someone has made a "Boozeball" joke?

Todds_right_hook said:

I am going against the grain here. The squad are away from home for a long time, including being away for Christmas. I’m assuming that wags and kids are likely to be with them but how about parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, friends. It must be a difficult time of year to be away and as a result, I have no issue with some down time.

the problem is that should more practice games have been arranged pre 1st test and also between tests. If the tour was extended by a couple of weeks to ensure a suitable number of competitive games were played, down time would be less of an issue.

disclaimer: if I’m talking rubbish, it’s because I’ve had a work Christmas lunch washed down with a few pints

Ah diddums. Away in Australia for a couple of months getting handsomely paid for it. How terrible. No one asked them to be international cricketers. If you can’t handle it get another job. No sympathy at all.

LargeAddick said:

Todds_right_hook said:

I am going against the grain here. The squad are away from home for a long time, including being away for Christmas. I’m assuming that wags and kids are likely to be with them but how about parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, friends. It must be a difficult time of year to be away and as a result, I have no issue with some down time.

the problem is that should more practice games have been arranged pre 1st test and also between tests. If the tour was extended by a couple of weeks to ensure a suitable number of competitive games were played, down time would be less of an issue.

disclaimer: if I’m talking rubbish, it’s because I’ve had a work Christmas lunch washed down with a few pints

Ah diddums. Away in Australia for a couple of months getting handsomely paid for it. How terrible. No one asked them to be international cricketers. If you can’t handle it get another job. No sympathy at all.

I understand your perspective, but as someone who has lived 'Down Under' for twenty years, its hard to explain just how much of a spotlight the team is under in Australia during an Ashes. I'd lay a lot of dough that Pat Cummins and Steve Smith could walk down Oxford street, and nobody would bother them, but if Stokes or Root went out and about here, they'd be hassled non-stop, not to mention cop plenty of abuse on the way. The Aussies are taught from an early age that nothing beats thrashing the Pommies, and when the Ashes comes around it really feels like an entire country is lined up against you, which we can only really claim happened once in 2005 for us.

 The idea of Noosa (a tiny upmarket seaside town), was to get them out of the spotlight and give them a bit of a break from the cricket. If the series had been level, nobody would be fussed, but as we're losing everything comes under the microscope.

Additionally as a cricketer, there is only so long you can spend in the nets or on the outfield practising, especially when the temperature is in the mid 30s and it gets light at 430am!! There are multiple reasons why we've got wallopped again, a few of the lads getting on the cans isn't one of them!!