England v India - 5 Test series

[Fauxstralian]

1st Test June 20-24 @ Headingley
England team : Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

No Bethell & various fast bowlers .. Atkinson, Wood, Archer unavailable

India lose Kohli and Rohit Sharma to retirement after the debacle in Australia

[Fauxstralian]

I particularly care about the Ashes & the BGT. Always will. England have a very good chance later this year unless Aust can sort their top order batting out.
England not winning a series in a decade and losing 13 Tests with 2 draws in their last 3 trips to Australia is an embarrassment 
Australia have a strong bowling attack but it’s hardly been a great Australian team for a fair while

To be honest Australia, England & India are the only nations serious about Test cricket

[El Scorchio]

Ricky Ponting’s rug is fucking atrocious by the way!

[El Scorchio]

And as soon as Australia don’t hold them, you’ll claim not to care.

[Fauxstralian]

To be honest I care more about the trophies involved between the various countries 
Unfortunately Australia gave up the WTC to S Africa but hold all the bilateral trophies they compete for  … including the Ashes & Border Gavaskar Trophy

Root is the form batsman in world cricket at the moment 
Kohli has retired, Williamson hasn’t played as much & Smith hasn’t been at his levels of a few years ago. 

[Eerie Decent]

It's fucking scandalous that Liam Dawson hasn't got 50 Test caps for England. Forget his bowling, I'd have him in the side batting over Crawley & Pope, better technically and in temperament than both of them.

The weird vanity project with Bashir has to be fucked off for good now. Dawson has to play in the Ashes.

[Lee Trundle]

Telling us you don't care while telling us you absolutely care 

That's what I was thinking.  His 2nd sentence completely contradicts his first.

[El Scorchio]

To be honest I don’t particularly care about individual records for total runs or wickets
Though it was amusing that McCullum sacked Anderson 4 wickets short of Warne … and then kept the old grey beard Woakes 

Obviously the game is a lot different these days so modern players who play 160 Tests dominate over those from an era where a 10 year career might see you play 60 or 70 Tests
Tendulkar played 200 Tests while Bradman with WW2 in the middle of his career played 52
If Bradman had played 200 at the same rate he’d have 28,000 Test runs 
Just the same with bowlers… everyone at the top of the list played recently

Telling us you don't care while telling us you absolutely care 

[Far Cough UKunt]

Well played Joe, you fucking run machine. Goes ahead of Ponting now.

[Fauxstralian]

To be honest I don’t particularly care about individual records for total runs or wickets
Though it was amusing that McCullum sacked Anderson 4 wickets short of Warne … and then kept the old grey beard Woakes 

Obviously the game is a lot different these days so modern players who play 160 Tests dominate over those from an era where a 10 year career might see you play 60 or 70 Tests
Tendulkar played 200 Tests while Bradman with WW2 in the middle of his career played 52
If Bradman had played 200 at the same rate he’d have 28,000 Test runs 
Just the same with bowlers… everyone at the top of the list played recently

[North Bank]

Brainless batting from Brook running down the wicket to play a block 

[Lee Trundle]

They were saying on the tellybox that he's likely to stay at the top (if he does get there) for a VERY long time the way things are currently set up with 20/20's, ODI and Tests.  Not as many tests are being played now as they once were.

Reckon you'll wear that record out for excuses in no time, Sven.

[Fauxstralian]

Would be astonished if he doesn’t go past Tendulkar
Is he 34?
Could play for another 4 years at least & England seem to play 10 to a dozen Tests a year

[Massive Attack]

Roots got at least another 5 years left in him as well. 

[yngwies Cat]

Anyone listened to 'settling the score' ?
It's the story of the 2005 ashes series, narrated by Charles Dance with bits of commentary from the likes of Blowers, Agnes etc. All backed up by the BBC philharmonic orchestra. I have my issues with the BBC but this production is magnificent. Available on BBC sounds

Cheers Bill.

Will give it a listen.

BbC sounds generally is the dogs danglies 

[Fauxstralian]

This is a period where England had:
The GREATEST batsman ever
Their 2 GREATEST bowlers in Anderson & Broad
An all rounder in Stokes who’d probably ranked in the top 3 with Botham & Flintoff

Its the equivalent of Australia fielding Bradman, Warne, McGrath & Keith Miller in the same team

10 (TEN) years. 

[only1billybonds]

Anyone listened to 'settling the score' ?
It's the story of the 2005 ashes series, narrated by Charles Dance with bits of commentary from the likes of Blowers, Agnes etc. All backed up by the BBC philharmonic orchestra. I have my issues with the BBC but this production is magnificent. Available on BBC sounds

[Lee Trundle]

A single batsman won't win you a test series, Svenis.

Even if he does eventually become the worlds greatest.

[Fauxstralian]

It is what it is
Probably consolation that he hasn’t won an Ashes series in 10 (TEN) years. 
According to Stokes & Brook he is the greatest batsman EVER

[violator]

The convicts wont like that..

[Fauxstralian]

Root goes past Dravid & Kallis in the list of Test run scorers & is now 3rd
Within 100 of Ponting & then only Tendulkar ahead of him

[Fauxstralian]

Reasonably even first day
If I am sending teams in I’d want 8 or more wickets but batting I’d want 320
India 4 down but could be 5 if Pant is seriously injured
Presume he can’t run so may come in and swing at everything 

[Fauxstralian]

England win the toss and BOWL
Bazball is back!

Sudharsan , Thakur & Kamboj IN
Nair , Reddy & Deep OUT

[Fauxstralian]

4th Test at Old Trafford starts today
Overcast today but forecast generally dry for the 5 days

Dawson returns after 8 years for the injured Bashir
Reddy & Deep out injured for India but team not named yet

[Westham67]

Dawson recalled to the team hopefully not Les

[Fauxstralian]

27 all out
Just when you think the Windies have bottomed out they find another level 
Mitchell Starc 6 wickets for 9 including 5 in his first 15 balls
That goes past the previous records which included 5 in 19 balls by Broad in his 8/15 in the 2015 Trent Bridge Ashes Test & Scott Boland in his 6/7 at the MCG
Boland took a hat-trick yesterday too