Forum Topic

The Ashes!!!

If you aren't watching/listening right now, you really should be.

Francis Rowe ● 1187d19 Comments

I have been immersed for 5 consecutive days in a wonderful contest.Well done Aussie.4 to go.

Denis I. Fox ● 1186d

Gripping although ultimately deflating. Ultimately Moeen Ali's poorly finger was probably the difference. Very excited about the rest of the series though.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 1186d

Not sure the wk was the right choice.

Keith Iddon ● 1186d

The difference was Bairstow's clangers behind the stumps.If he had taken the first innings chances, then Moeen wouldn't have had to bowl as many overs, so Moeen's finger is partly Bairstow's fault as well.

Al Webber ● 1186d

Brilliant game despite the result. Shame there’s no big screens showing the games this time.

Ed Saper ● 1186d

A couple of very rare of days behind the stumps by Mr Bairsyow and I really do think we should have taken the new ball somewhat earlier towards the end of play on Tuesday.Cracking game and what five-day, red-ball cricket should be

N V Brooks ● 1186d

The popularity of white ball cricket has brought not only crowds back and money into the game, but improvisation has found its way into the Test arena.It's called Bazball. How else can you explain Joe Root's outrageous attempted scoop shot off Pat Cummings, first ball of the day on Sunday? It so surprised Jonathan Agnew in the TMS commentary box with Phil Tufnell, he had to go for a sit down after the over!Second Test due 28th this month England could do with Mark Woods's pace but which pace bowler makes way for him? Will Moeen's blistered digit be healed in time? Will Ben Stokes rickety knee improve in time for him to bowl?Australia, with a huge psychological advantage stemming from their narrow victory yesterday now start firm favourites for Lords.

Denis I. Fox ● 1186d

Foakes must be feeling a little hard done by.He has played 73 fewer tests than Bairstow and averages only five fewer runs.He is much better keeper imo.

Keith Iddon ● 1186d

Keith, I concur.Bairstow's aggressive batting is a perfect fit For Brendon McCullum's Bazball philosophy and it must have been a close call.

Denis I. Fox ● 1186d

Talking about gripping.  Having bowled Off Breaks for 45 years in club cricket I never had a blister.  The ball should be gripped between the knuckles of the Index and Middle fingers and not the flesh of the top digit. Over the years I developed lumps of hard skin on the knuckles (still got them) which never blistered.

Derek Hill ● 1185d

How many times did you play for England,Derek? ;-)

Keith Iddon ● 1184d

Never of course but I played a decent level of club cricket and took loads of wickets for Old Meadonians CC including First XI games.  He obviously doesn't grip the ball with his Index finger knuckle as most off break bowlers do.

Derek Hill ● 1184d

Thereb is a paucity of talent in the slow bowling department for England, and has been so since even before Swanny retired really.We could do with spinners such as my paternal grandfather's cousin Jack Iddon, who played for many years for Lancashire,taking a plethora of wickets and scoring thousands of runs.He bowled slow left arm and was more than decent with the bat,playing 5 times for the MCC in the late 20's and early 30's.Known as 'Sir Jack'in Lancashire during his playing days,he was much revered at Old Trafford.

Keith Iddon ● 1184d

Talking of Lancashire spinners, Tommy Greenhough bowled some mean leg-spin for the county in the 1950s and 1960s and deserved to play more than his four Tests for England. Although I can't claim him as a relation, in his heyday more people managed to spell our surname the right way than at any time before or since !

Richard Greenhough ● 1184d

Is your heritage Lancastrian,Richard? Greenhough is not uncommon in Lancashire,neither is Greenhalgh(pronounced Greenhalsh).My name is quite often seen or heard in the Wirral and west Lancs,but not many other places.

Keith Iddon ● 1184d

I remember Tommy Greenhough's bowling in the day- bouncy action, too many "four" balls, like most English Leggies.I think Ian Salisbury was the best of a bad lot to be fair, our climate doesn't produce nice hard surfaces until late August at best.In retirement Salisbury coached Surrey younsters and believe he got sacked for bullying; should have become a Tory front bencher?

Denis I. Fox ● 1184d

Abdul Rashid is the best by far of our current spinners imo,but he has made himself unavailable.

Keith Iddon ● 1183d

With apologies to Adil Rashid.

Keith Iddon ● 1183d

No, Keith, I am not aware of a Lancastrian heritage - my family were in Derbyshire just after the Civil War in the 1660s, which is as far back as I have managed to trace them. They then moved to Staffordshire. Our name is common in both Lancashire and Yorkshire, so I assume that my ancestors moved south in Tudor or Jacobean times. Given that the forenames Edward and Richard were both in use in the 1660s I suspect a Yorkist heritage rather than a Lancastrian even though it was long after the end of the Wars of the Roses.

Richard Greenhough ● 1183d