The Ashes | 2025-26 | 5 tests | Nov 21 to Jan 08 | Discussion Thread

[MK55]

lol this Stokes drops his shoulders way too much on the field. Can feel it though - game is getting lost if not already.

[AKane]

3 hours ago, Lord said:

3 hours ago, rollingstoned said:

Weatherald non review is a shocker. Even with naked eye it looked not out. 

new guy got nervous.

And Head was probably not paying attention at non-strikers end.

[MK55]

lol slimy Duckett. Was such an obvious 4

[Lord]

14 minutes ago, Vickydev said:

Why did England waste 2 years on Bashir if they rate Jacks over him? Dawson could have actually served them well over that time

 

Root is better spinner than both. They can play extra batsman

[AKane]

I dunno why they make a big deal about the Ashes - Unless England finds a Botham or a Flintoff, its usually an Aus win and England loss. Hardly much of a rivalry.......I am frankly having trouble remembering the last English win in a test match in Aus. Not in the last 2 or 3 series at least.

[Gollum]

25 minutes ago, AKane said:

I dunno why they make a big deal about the Ashes - Unless England finds a Botham or a Flintoff, its usually an Aus win and England loss. Hardly much of a rivalry.......I am frankly having trouble remembering the last English win in a test match in Aus. Not in the last 2 or 3 series at least.

2010-11 Ashes which Poms won 3-1. That was the greatest ever English side IMO and Aus in transition.

 

Since then 17 matches completed, Aus have won 15, 2 draws. Should be 18-0 by end of this series.

[Suhaan]

43 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

What Head is doing Abhishek can do as well in SENA.. if he is  properly backed and keeps working on himself.

 

Indian selectors are usually risk averse and continue to pick safe players.

 

Abhishek's left arm spin as a part time option will be gold in places in NZ where you don't need a frontline spinner.

Arey bhai ,yahi pe log usey bal bhar gaali denge jab wo Head style me khelega aur saste me out hoga toh(which happens with high risk)

Jaiswal is also quite aggressive,he is also always under the pump by TM and fans

Need out of the box thinking like John Right and Ganguly,back guys who have potential not just for the sake of it and pack the side with bits and pieces cricketers

[Suhaan]

32 minutes ago, AKane said:

I dunno why they make a big deal about the Ashes - Unless England finds a Botham or a Flintoff, its usually an Aus win and England loss. Hardly much of a rivalry.......I am frankly having trouble remembering the last English win in a test match in Aus. Not in the last 2 or 3 series at least.

Yes,let’s be honest,when has it not ended as an Aussie win?  

The truth is, Australia doesn’t always need to go into overdrive. Why? Because England have this uncanny habit of making things easy for the opposition. Time and again, they hand over momentum, collapse under pressure, and leave the Aussies needing nothing more than their normal game to dominate.  

It’s not about Australia playing out of the skin cricket

it’s about England gifting them openings. once you give a side like Australia even an inch, they’ll take the whole mile.  

So maybe it’s not that the Aussies “give it all” in the Ashes

[diga]

Only if Eng had batted sensibly in the 2nd innings of the first test in Perth,  Ashes probably would be alive ... now 5-0 seems inevitable and the careers of Mccullum, Pope & Stokes as skipper

[Serpico]

1 hour ago, Lone Wolf said:

What Head is doing Abhishek can do as well in SENA.. if he is  properly backed and keeps working on himself.

 

Indian selectors are usually risk averse and continue to pick safe players.

 

Abhishek's left arm spin as a part time option will be gold in places in NZ where you don't need a frontline spinner.

Doesn't Pant already do that?

[Lone Wolf]

44 minutes ago, Serpico said:

Doesn't Pant already do that?

Pant does what Carey does... Comes clutch when needed.

 

India needs another guy to partner him.  Time to let go of safe players like Sai Su types they will never win you tests overseas 

Edited December 19, 2025 by Lone Wolf

[diga]

10 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

Pant does what Carey does... Comes clutch when needed.

 

India needs another guy to partner him.  Time to let go of safe players like Sai Su types they will never win you tests overseas 

Somehow none of the selections for the no-3 & no-5 are working as expected.. be it Sai Sudharshan, Karun Nair, Rajat Patidar, Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan,Surya or even Shreyas Iyer... Ishan Kishen or Abhishek Sharma need a run

 

We need 2 good batsmen to fill that no-3 & no-5 slots

[Lone Wolf]

4 minutes ago, diga said:

Somehow none of the selections for the no-3 & no-5 are working as expected.. be it Sai Sudharshan, Karun Nair, Rajat Patidar, Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan,Surya or even Shreyas Iyer... Ishan Kishen or Abhishek Sharma need a run

 

We need 2 good batsmen to fill that no-3 & no-5 slots

Kishan footwork and game against swing/seam is awful and he isn't strong off side player.  His International strike rate is in 120's for a reason 

 

Abhishek has that off side game like Head & is decent against moving ball as we saw in MCG when Indian batters struggled with seam and Bounce.. bar Abhishek.

Edited December 19, 2025 by Lone Wolf

[nitinbwj]

33 minutes ago, Lone Wolf said:

Pant does what Carey does... Comes clutch when needed.

 

India needs another guy to partner him.  Time to let go of safe players like Sai Su types they will never win you tests overseas 

Carey is >>>>>> Pant atm. Pant is now a brainless tulla

[goose]

you'd never hear our commentators say this !

 

 

[Lone Wolf]

39 minutes ago, nitinbwj said:

Carey is >>>>>> Pant atm. Pant is now a brainless tulla

Keeping wise Carey is miles ahead but Pant has a pretty good England series too.

Ofc he is now no more the player he once was.  Post accident his game has gone down a notch 

[putrevus]

Stokes not bowling exposed England's bowling further.He was England's best bowler against India too.

 

 

[putrevus]

Now people here want Abhishek to become Travis Head. Head has played 170 plus FC matches. Alex Carrey has played 100 plus FC matches. You just don't walk into test cricket and start scoring runs by playing t20 cricket.

 

Only guy who went from t20 player to test player is David Warner.Can Abhishek become another David Warner ? 

[New guy]

4 hours ago, nitinbwj said:

Carey is >>>>>> Pant atm. Pant is now a brainless tulla

Difference is that if head fails commentators and thankless fans won't start abusing and attacking him and Head knows that. Pant doesn't because he knows ungrateful fans and paid commentators and coach and management will attack like vultures.

 

That's the difference between Indian culture and Aussie culture. It's the same thing we have with fast bowlers, if a trundler gets smacked they get chance after chance but a pace bowler will be attacked if he fails once.

 

So our agressive batsmen and bowlers will never have the confidence of having fans and commentators and coaches behind them and will never flourish. Attacking players need backing and confidence more than anything and Indians simply don't give them that, they are just waiting to attack and abuse.

 

Indian fans do the same thing now with Abhishek and bumrah too, no matter how many time they succeed they are waiting for their failures to attack and abuse. It's a weird mentality only sub continent fans have.

Edited December 19, 2025 by New guy

[cowboysfan]

the hubris of England to play the Ashes in Australia without a proper spinner,they really thought they could play with Jack's as the spinner