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Ashes Squad 2025


Parkside said:
It's an omission imo not having a reserve opener in the squad and Hameed is clearly a more mature player and character than when discarded by both Lancashire and England. He's just led a previously vastly underachieving Notts team to the County Championship. Away Ashes series are a test of character and certainly not for the faint hearted but the way Hameed has turned his career around doesn't indicate a weakness in character. Care to clarify and justify your criticism of him?
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All of this is true.

Doesnt change my opinion on him as a batsman though, I don’t think he has the technique for test cricket, very low hands, think he struggles against pace and bounce

It’s a great story but the amount of runs he scores in CC Doesnt really have much impact for me as he just faces none of the types of bowlers he does in test cricket

He could be a contender for a subcontinent tour Msybe but not Australia, Doesnt have the game in my view
 
MustardAndOnions said:
All of this is true.

Doesnt change my opinion on him as a batsman though, I don’t think he has the technique for test cricket, very low hands, think he struggles against pace and bounce

It’s a great story but the amount of runs he scores in CC Doesnt really have much impact for me as he just faces none of the types of bowlers he does in test cricket

He could be a contender for a subcontinent tour Msybe but not Australia, Doesnt have the game in my view
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Yeh,fact that he didn't make the Lions squad indicates that the selectors have similar reservations. It was the unqualified accusation that he wouldn't cope with the pressures of an Ashes tour that I thought was unfounded. That Lions squad comprises almost entirely of promising but untried youngsters -not so sure there's any there who are ready for an Ashes series or to give the test team a meaningful challenge or preparation in a warm up.
Perhaps Hameed should have been given the opportunity to see if he could adapt
 
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We played a ODI in NZ overnight. We had a few players in the game who will likely play in the test series so I guess this is a bit of a warm up.

However it was a bizarre innings as this scorecard shows...

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Brook way out in front with 135, Overton next with 46, then no one else got more than 6.

Not much of a warm up there :lol:
 
Certainly seems like Cummins is likely to miss more than the first test. Boland has a great record in Australia but it's a huge psychological boost, and also weakens their tail - looks how important Cummins' runs were at Edgbaston 2023.
 
The Breen Machine said:
Certainly seems like Cummins is likely to miss more than the first test. Boland has a great record in Australia but it's a huge psychological boost, and also weakens their tail - looks how important Cummins' runs were at Edgbaston 2023.
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Why announce this so far in advance of the tests? Could be the convicts playing mind games.
 
Voice of fair play said:
As much as Crawley a concern it can’t get and worse than we were last time opening with Burns and Hameed
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We were also opening with Crawley who failed in 7 of his 8 innings which is why a plan B is necessary. Looking at the Lions squad would suggest that Gay and Haynes are the plan B openers. Gay is apparently highly rated but vulnerable more than most early in his innings even at county level. I accept the potential weaknesses in Hameed's technique but he's proved he can adapt which is why I wouldn't dismiss him completely. There aren't any obvious alternatives. Certainly Sibley,Burns and Lees are history but I wouldn't totally dismiss 28 year old Hameed. Plenty of evidence of past test failures coming again at a more mature age.
 
Parkside said:
We were also opening with Crawley who failed in 7 of his 8 innings which is why a plan B is necessary. Looking at the Lions squad would suggest that Gay and Haynes are the plan B openers. Gay is apparently highly rated but vulnerable more than most early in his innings even at county level. I accept the potential weaknesses in Hameed's technique but he's proved he can adapt which is why I wouldn't dismiss him completely. There aren't any obvious alternatives. Certainly Sibley,Burns and Lees are history but I wouldn't totally dismiss 28 year old Hameed. Plenty of evidence of past test failures coming again at a more mature age.
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I think the problem is you guessing to a certain extent, as the bowling soo much better at top test level than what they face week in week out.

However Crawley definitely in another era would not have lasted as long.
 
Parkside said:
We were also opening with Crawley who failed in 7 of his 8 innings which is why a plan B is necessary. Looking at the Lions squad would suggest that Gay and Haynes are the plan B openers. Gay is apparently highly rated but vulnerable more than most early in his innings even at county level. I accept the potential weaknesses in Hameed's technique but he's proved he can adapt which is why I wouldn't dismiss him completely. There aren't any obvious alternatives. Certainly Sibley,Burns and Lees are history but I wouldn't totally dismiss 28 year old Hameed. Plenty of evidence of past test failures coming again at a more mature age.
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Have to agree with this. I've made my feelings known on Crawley, in my view he should have been moved on a little while ago. That said, I do think his game stands a chance of being successful in Australia if the pitches display some of their traditional pace and bounce. If, as we have seen in recent times, they nibble about a bit more, I am less confident for him. Whatever happens, not taking a back-up opener comes with massive risk IMO. If Crawley performs anything like he did in New Zealand last winter then we will need to replace him by the 4th test at latest. Possibly a bit biased, but I'd have taken Lees.
 
Voice of fair play said:
I think the problem is you guessing to a certain extent, as the bowling soo much better at top test level than what they face week in week out.

However Crawley definitely in another era would not have lasted as long.
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All selections to a higher level are to some extent guesswork but less so if you apply logic to yoursu
Voice of fair play said:
I think the problem is you guessing to a certain extent, as the bowling soo much better at top test level than what they face week in week out.

However Crawley definitely in another era would not have lasted as long.
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All I'm arguing is that players shouldn't be automatically excluded because of shortcoming s early in their career. Hameeddid and show he had the temperament for test level. Seem to recall some really gutsy innings when a youngster.
 
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Aidan11 said:
Even without Cummins, their attack is still pretty useful.

Its still going to be tricky for our batsmen. We're one wicket down already with Crawley.
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Pretty useful is the understatement of the thread mind.
If Crawley fails in the winter he is done. He’s only been kept in the side for this tour.
 
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