Transcript
Tom Evans: hello, and welcome once again to the Last Hour Cricket Podcast, the podcast which achieved so much in its first nine episodes that we decided not to do a tenth one for a couple of months. and Sorry about that. had a lot going on. My name's Tom Evans from Motherside Cricket Online. I'm joined as ever by Jamie Bowman. how are you doing, Jamie?
Jamie Bowman : How are you doing? You're right. Good to be back.
Tom Evans: Yes, very much very much good to be back. Yeah, um yeah and thank you for thank you for listening. Thank you for giving us another go. Yeah. yeah So ah obviously a lot's happened since we since we last ri recorded. The last one we did was with with Scott Oliver, wasn't it?
Tom Evans: The author of books about pros in the comp. um Check that out if you haven't already. um you know the Yeah, and obviously since we since we last spoke, we've had the the end of the comp season. um Massive, massive success for Armskirk in terms of winning the league and the the national knockout at Lourdes. First Liverpool competition side ever to do it. um huge achievement. I think when I spoke to Gary Knight and a couple of his players in the week after after the match, i I don't think it had really sunk in yet. I think a couple of them said, you know, I'm expecting this to kick in around December. So, you know, um but yeah, so just the the sheer size of what they've achieved is obviously second um the sort of thing that takes a lot to get your head around, I suppose, but um massive achievement for them. And, you know, it just goes to show how much you can
Tom Evans: how far you can go as ah as a club cricketer, I guess, Jamie.
Jamie Bowman : it's ah It's a brilliant achievement and one and one the comp can all kind of glory in, I think. I mean, I know people sometimes look on Ormskirk and Norv and norvin as, you know, the the the power the power duo at the top there and and we can't really touch them. But I think, you know, this is ah this is a victory that that we can all be proud of, everyone involved with the comp. it was it It was a fantastic achievement. Some amazing scenes there. It was great to watch, you know, and listen to and... Yeah, I mean, well played. I mean, it really is a fantastic achievement and I'm sure over the winter they're going to be reliving those memories.
Jamie Bowman : it's just It's just brilliant for them, isn't it?
Tom Evans: Certainly is. My highlight from watching on the stream was um Jamie Barnes, the same attempting a knee slide on the main square at Lord's.
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Tom Evans: um I think he quickly found out that that that there's a difference between the main square at Lord's and your average football pitch when it comes to comes to doing a knee slide. It was more sort of a ah a knee drop he ended up doing, but... um you know yeah great Great celebrations at the end and great greg achievement. thoroughly Thoroughly deserved on the day and in terms of how well he's done ah over the last few years since ah since Gary Knight took over as captain. and I'll tell what you say tell what you're saying about you know there are currently two teams in the comp who who are dominating the trophies. Armskirk won the league three years in a row. Northern obviously won the Lancashire Cup. That's another thing that's happened since our last episode, beating Formby in the all-comp final. um And they won the the Echo knockout as well. um
Tom Evans: But, you know, that that there are... In any strong league, there are going to be some teams that are stronger than the others. I think if... There's still a situation where anyone can beat anyone on their day.
Tom Evans: and I think if, you know, it was... if there were 12 teams in the Prem who all had an equal chance of winning the league at the start, I think that would be a sign of the standard not being as high as it currently is, to be fair.
Tom Evans: Because I think you're always going to get sort of the the quality concentrated in one two teams.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, I suppose it's a danger. It's that Scottish thing, isn't it? Where you worry
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : And but yeah as you say, I think it is just shows the strength of, the top the top league and maybe the league in general, you know, we should we should be proud.
Jamie Bowman : And and and it's it's up to the other teams to fight for it. I know i know i was at the um i was at our players' meeting the other day at Sefton Park and our cricket chairman said, you know, we shouldn't we shouldn't just look at Ormskirk as way out in front.
Tom Evans: to help you.
Jamie Bowman : we You know, they should they should be something to aspire to. why can't Why can't we do that one day? So I think that's the attitude a lot of the clubs should have, really. It's going to be difficult to knock them off the perch. But these things are cyclical. We see we see that in cricket all the time. We see that in other sports. They're there at the top. They deserve to be. But it's it's up to the other teams to get it together and and and knock them off the perch.
Tom Evans: There definitely teams knocking on the door as well. Formby won the regional T20 competition, and an excellent achievement for them, their first trophy in and in a while. And you know getting to the Lancashire Cup final was ah was a big achievement too. um Northern, I think, were always always a ahead on the day, I think it's fair to say, but Formby, they dealt them a few blows and it wasn't wasn't easy, it wasn't a foregone conclusion by any means. So you know that the gap the gap isn't that big.
Tom Evans: It is there, and what usually happens when you've got a gap is that the better team will come out on top, but like you say, it's up to the, like, Formby, Lee, Vainford, you know, that kind of level just below the top two.
Tom Evans: It's up to them to, you know, make the step to the gap, and it's kind up the gap, and up to it's gap, and the gap, it's up to the it's gap,
Jamie Bowman : yeah I think Rainford are a really good example of a club of kind of that's slowly built up and up, haven't they? And have i got something special going on. It just shows you can get a bit of momentum and you can build yourself up into a powerhouse that can f threaten the top the top two and and and and play well.
Tom Evans: No.
Jamie Bowman : I think they're a good example as a form, as a league. So, yeah, it is still a competitive league. And I think...
Jamie Bowman : there' It didn't feel like there were any whipping boys really this year either. um I mean, I know Birkenhead Park had a miserable season with just the one win, but um there weren't they weren't miles off the relegation. I think i think there was still still a chance, wasn't there, of a few weeks to go that they they could have got themselves out. So there's there's there's there's you know there's opportunities there for other clubs.
Tom Evans: Yeah, i think both Birkenhead Park and Colwyn were the two relegated sides from the Premier Division this year. they They both had... I mean, yeah every relegated side says this, but that there were times when they had teams nine down.
Tom Evans: There were times when they got within 20, 25 runs of a target um and they just didn't get over the line. And you know that's that's the way these things go, isn't it? That's so that's what sport is about. And it's just about, um i guess, they have to have to rebuild and, you know...
Tom Evans: i don't think I don't think anyone felt that they were... That it certainly didn't give anyone an easy afternoon, put it that way.
Jamie Bowman : yeah What about the teams coming up, Tom? I mean, i think I think Liverpool will really mean business when they they go up. It's been a long time for them. I think they're really going to grasp the opportunity, Liverpool. They've made some signings already, haven't they? Some impressive signings. I think i think they're really going to prove a handful to some of the bigger clubs and and and they're going to go in there and ruffle a few feathers, I think.
Tom Evans: I'll just have to try and edit out the sound of your teeth grinding as you say that, Jamie. But yes, yes liver Liverpool um local rivalry with Sefton Park aside have had an excellent season. and i think you know a few times in the last few years they've been they' put they've put together half a really good season.
Tom Evans: um and you know they've they've been They've started well and have faded or they've you know started slowly but then picked up towards the end of the season and not quite got over the line. I think this season they've been excellent from Pretty much week one and i thoroughly deserved their promotion and their chance. of've automated a couple of signings, like you say. ah James Sterling, Sefton Parks, um excellent young wicketkeeper. And Harvey Rankin from Ormskirk joining his his brothers, Rob and Alex, at at Liverpool. um You know, that's someone who, you know, he' is a National Club Championship winner. Just as, you know, when Rob and Alex signed, it was a big statement and of intent because they'd just won the Lancashire Cup, you know, 12 months before when when when they signed for Liverpool in in Division I. like say, it shows that they mean business. um
Tom Evans: Oral Red Triangle put together a very strong run towards the end of the season as well. And they're definitely not going to be in the prime to make up the numbers next season. so Because they they've got some they've got some excellent players as well. and um they They ruffled a few feathers themselves last time they were though in the prime. They got a few a few big scalps.
Tom Evans: I think they two seasons. They came up with Safton, didn't they? And then they had two seasons...
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, it did. Yeah,
Tom Evans: before they got relegated, but they got picked up a few a few good wins there. So it's, again, looking like ah looking like being a high-quality Premier division next season.
Jamie Bowman : yeah. Yeah, yeah. A couple of other things I noticed. ah yeah and not a great ah Not a great time for the Welsh clubs. I know northern Norfolk Hall got promoted, but obviously a relegation for Colwyn Bay. And Pristatin's problems continue at the bottom, didn't they, at Division 2? No win all season. You know, you you do you do worry maybe that the Welsh cricket is on a bit of a downturn. I don't know that that if that's that's something that something to keep an eye on next season.
Tom Evans: I mean, I guess you could, over the last couple of seasons, say the same about um the Wirral sides. you know, two seasons ago, there were three in the Prem. Next season, there'll be one. There'll be ah there'll be no Wirral derbies in the Prem next year. and I guess it's just the way things go. Like you say, North of Paul, along with Ainsdale, were very, very dominant and in Division 2 and thoroughly deserved their promotion. Pristatin have finished bottom a couple of seasons, but was speaking to... um speaking to people at the club, it seems like that you know that this season has been ah more promising one, even if the results have been ah less good.
Tom Evans: I think in terms of you know building for the future, I feel like they're quite optimistic. They're obviously still going to be in Division 2 next year because of ah because of all the the the changes are happening. and With Lytham dropping out of Division 1, that meant there was only the one relegation, and so there's no relegation from and Division 2.
Jamie Bowman : you
Tom Evans: and With all the The two new divisions, which I've not quite, if that's the file of things I've not quite got my head around yet, um but will in time for April, I promise. um So yeah, it's an exciting time all around, i think.
Jamie Bowman : You mentioned we're all cricket there. I just want to give a shout out to what's surely one of the most unlucky clubs, Kaldi. They just keep keep knocking on the door promotion. just Just missed out again this season. I do feel sorry for them. you know they yeah They've put together some really good seasons in the last few years and there's some good people there who I always enjoy my visits to Kaldi. So, yeah, just a shout out for them. Go well again next season and good Hopefully it could happen next season, but they've been unlucky again, I think.
Tom Evans: Captain by a former last hour guest, Mike Grealis, of course.
Jamie Bowman : Friend of the pod. Yeah, of course.
Tom Evans: Friend of the pod, listener Mike Grealis.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Tom Evans: and
Jamie Bowman : And I mean... Yeah, just looking at other things. Yeah, the Wirral thing is a bit of a worry. Terrible season, really, for New Brighton. Real struggle for them at the bottom of, near near the bottom of Division 1.
Jamie Bowman : Shout out to Springview. Very good season in in Division 1, finishing third and challenging for promotion for much of the season. they They impressed and believe theyve they' they're going to be busy signing players as well in close season. So, They might be one to watch as well.
Jamie Bowman : Anything else caught your eye?
Tom Evans: um I think it's a real shame that it chucked it down on the last Saturday of the season ah because not only i mean at most of the issues were pretty much settled but What happened the previous Sunday was that Armskirk, Armskirk Sam Marsh, hit a six off the last ball to when they needed six to win um and and win the league.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: And they wrapped up the title with that six.
Jamie Bowman : we were talking about it. when when When news filtered through of it, we were talking about it in the in the bar at the our club.
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Tom Evans: The start of an incredible seven days for the for the club and for the the comp as a whole. So our congratulations to To everyone on ah on ah and ah another season, basically. so It's been ah an absolute pleasure and a privilege, as always, to to cover it.
Jamie Bowman : Mm-hmm.
Tom Evans: um If you want to read more about um the season, you want to read more about Armskirk's triumph in the National Club Championship, if you want to read more about the All-Comp Lancashire Cup Final, or um a series of brand-new exclusive content, interviews with people... in all facets of the game from around the comp, then you could do a lot worse than checking out my ebook, ah that the story of the 2025 season, which is available now from Merseysidecrickets.com.
Jamie Bowman : recommend it. It's very good.
Tom Evans: Thank you.
Jamie Bowman : very good read.
Tom Evans: Thank you, Jamie. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : you can get that You can put that on the...
Tom Evans: Lovely stuff. Not my words. Words of shaking Stevens. Anyway, um enough Alan Partridge references. ah Anything else going on in the cricket world that you can think of this week, Jamie?
Jamie Bowman : Well, yeah, I wanted to give a shout-out to a young player from the Wirral called Oliver Sutton. Not that we've often got confused because there's two Oliver Suttons, isn't there, and in North West.
Tom Evans: This is unacceptable, by the way, but go on. Mm-hmm.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. So Oliver Sutton, who's 16, has been named the winner of the... Wait for it, big deep breath. The Sir Jack Hobbs Silver Jubilee Memorial Prize. Now that that is awarded to the most outstanding under 16 schoolboy cricketer in England.
Jamie Bowman : And um amazingly, i was I was looking at, I think I shared a few of these with you, Tom. Looking at the previous winners, you've got ah Mike Gatting, Michael Atherton, Mark Ramprakash. Jacob Bethel won it just i don't know he probably won it last week didn't he and it's it's it's ah so he he's joining a pretty illustrious list and and the ones I've not mentioned there's plenty um plenty of pretty good county cricketers on there as well so Yeah, well done, Oliver. I mean, he he plays for Cheshire's under-16s and for Wallasey Cricket Club. I think he sort of mainly plays in the twos there.
Jamie Bowman : um So, yeah, he's definitely one definitely one to watch. He's a leg spinner, took 32 wickets for Cheshire under-16s last year and took 44 wickets for Wallasey across their ah second and first XI. So, yeah, definitely one to watch. Well done, Oliver. Oliver.
Tom Evans: Definitely, yeah. did see him playing for the ones at Wallasey. sort late on this season. it's it's ah It's an absolute pleasure for a start to see 16-year-old lad going and turning his turning his arm over and giving it a rip as ah as a leg spinner.
Tom Evans: I think that's great. That's great for the future of leg spin, you know that that people are still willing to give it a go because it can be, if you could get it wrong, it can be quite punishing, can't it? But um know he's a yeah obviously a and an excellent an excellent young talent and I look forward to seeing if he can if you can join some of those illustrious names you mentioned earlier.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, there was also a nice nice thing earlier in the season where he actually took, him and his dad actually took all 10 wickets between them in a game, which is lovely, isn't it? i mean I mean, you know, more of that kind of thing. We like that.
Tom Evans: He is, as you alluded to earlier, he is going to have to change his name because I can't cope with two cricketers in the same league having exactly the same name.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah.
Tom Evans: um The Formby all-rounder was there first, so sorry, I don't make the rules.
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah. well I mean, at least One of them's got to become an Ollie at least, haven't they?
Tom Evans: Well, if i the Formby guy is known. i think on play cricket he's known as Ollie, which is helpful.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, is he? Right, okay. We'll let him off then.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah. Well, we'll see. We'll give it a trial run next season with them both. you know presumably with ah with with the Wallasee lad getting a few more games. So I'm looking forward to seeing how that goes. um You mentioned Jacob Bethel, and which is interesting, because that brings us on to our next subject, I think, doesn't it?
Tom Evans: don't know about you, Jamie, but I've got ashes fever.
Jamie Bowman : Catch it. yeah Yeah, I've got it too.
Tom Evans: LAUGHTER
Jamie Bowman : I've caught it bad. um I think I've already been talking about my kind of sofa arrangements for the next few months, where I'm going to sleep, how I'm going to sleep, what I'm going to eat.
Jamie Bowman : ah Yeah, it's ah it's brilliant, isn't it? I love and i was i was outside earlier and there' there's a frost in the air and I love that feeling of settling down on the sofa late at night, watching cricket from somewhere hot.
Jamie Bowman : It's great stuff.
Tom Evans: Yeah. I think when you sort of When you're living and breathing cricket, it can you can be a you can get a bit jaded. You can get a bit cynical and a bit sort of weary at times. And I feel like it's only in the last few days even that it's really sort of kicked in for me this time round.
Tom Evans: um
Jamie Bowman : I see you've been watching a lot the reruns of the tests, haven't you, to get you in the mood?
Tom Evans: But yeah.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah. been what get but The YouTube algorithm knows knows who it's dealing with with when it comes to me. Yeah, it's a suggesting like, you know, Adelaide 2010 and Edgbaston 2005 and, you know, suggests a few that Australia won as well, but i just ignore them.
Tom Evans: so
Jamie Bowman : All the greatest hits.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : that
Tom Evans: It's the joy of YouTube. is something If Australia won, you can just skip It's great.
Jamie Bowman : ah But no, it is it is exciting. And I mean, it does it does suddenly feel like we've got a great chance as well, doesn't it? We're we're going in going in there with quite a bit of confidence and especially with the the injury news to Australia um and and our good injury news as well for a change. So, yeah, it feels i feel I feel pretty confident. I mean, I don't know about you.
Tom Evans: No, I don't feel confident. I feel, well, I'll put it this way. I feel confident that it will be better than last time and the two times before that as well. I think, don't know if you read um Viti Shanihantharaj's excellent piece in Western Cricket Monthly and Crick Info this week about the last Ashes tour.
Tom Evans: um So,
Jamie Bowman : it's it's It's a fantastic piece, isn't it? It really is a great piece.
Tom Evans: It really is. There was a lot said at the time about how oh that this is difficult because of the COVID bubble. And I think generally around that time when when COVID was still causing problems, I think there was a general kind of, you know, and everybody was inconvenienced by it, but nobody wanted to complain about it because, you know, there's always somebody who's it was been who's been hit more.
Tom Evans: by it, you know, there's always somebody who's ill themselves or, you know, ah going through a genuinely genuinely dreadful personal time. And I think that applies to the cricketers as well.
Tom Evans: i don't think they wanted it to complain about it, but it does just sound...
Jamie Bowman : No, there was a bit, there was a there was the little details in there. that There was a bit about, they were worried about how it would look if they were by the swimming pool. Wasn't there, I think.
Tom Evans: Yeah, if if a drone flew over the hotel and caught them swimming.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Things like that.
Tom Evans: And that just shows just how mentally drained they clearly were that stage of the tour.
Jamie Bowman : Hmm. Hmm.
Tom Evans: And, you know, we are we all put up with some inconveniences due due to COVID bubbles. You know, I remember having to self-isolate for a one week when my daughter tested positive.
Tom Evans: And then the next week, my wife tested positive and we had to self-isolate again for the, you know, things like that. You know, it's not the end of the world, but a little bit inconvenient. But then I wasn't,
Tom Evans: expected to go out and put my body on the line and put my career and my reputation on the line playing a sport which at the end of the day is quite a lot based on luck and how the opposition perform and the opposition are at home and they've got all their home comforts and they're in pretty much their usual environment and you know and that they'd have known how was how it was going to look at home if they played badly and if they lost and they'd have known how it would look even worse if they complained about the COVID restrictions and And I just get the impression that it was all, it was a very, very difficult environment in which to do anything, let alone something as difficult as playing international sport.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. yeah
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, and obviously you combine that with, you I was like, it's even sort hard to believe when now when you look at the openers were were Burns and Hamid, isn't it?
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : You know, it's kind of things like that and you think they feel like forgotten men now, don't they? and But Hamid was trying to make, a very young man at the time, trying to make his way.
Jamie Bowman : um Some of the family groups were all separate, weren't they, from each other? There was isolation, there was all sorts going on. So, No, it's brilliant piece. If you can read it, I'd really recommend it. It really puts that that horrible tour in perspective.
Tom Evans: Yeah, so we've established that that wasn't that one didn't count.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, so that's the account.
Tom Evans: 2017-18 is the the previous tour, which Australia also won 4-0. That was the one where, despite having bowled brilliantly for all that tour, two tests later, they decided for the first time ever to try tampering with the ball.
Tom Evans: I mean,
Jamie Bowman : okay
Tom Evans: who just thought it? You know, if it if it ain't broke, don't fix it, lads.
Jamie Bowman : same old Aussies
Tom Evans: Come on. i mean, you know, what what why would you try something totally new that you've definitely never done before like that?
Jamie Bowman : yeah yeah exactly exactly yeah yeah I mean that didn't count that didn't count either but it's
Tom Evans: So that that didn't count on either, is what I'm saying.
Tom Evans: 2013-14, there wasn't supposed to be an Ashes then. that That was when they rearranged the schedule, so there wasn't supposed to be one that year.
Jamie Bowman : So we were caught on the hop.
Tom Evans: We were caught on the hop. Yeah, took us by surprise.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: and that They'd only just been in Ashes in England, which we'd won 3-0, so we thought, you know, or we'll just have to wait another 18 months before we need to play the Ashes again.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah,
Tom Evans: All of a sudden, you're in Australia, and Mitchell Johnson's bowling at 150 miles an hour at you. and Yeah, um so... The last Ashes in Australia that counted was, I think, 2010-11 it would have been.
Tom Evans: Let me let me just look up the score of that series.
Jamie Bowman : and that went quite well for us, didn't it? Yeah, yeah.
Tom Evans: Oh, you're not going to believe this.
Jamie Bowman : Free one? Yeah. okay
Tom Evans: You're not going to believe this, but we won that one. Yeah. But yeah, I think this is, in all seriousness, I think this is the best chance we've had since then.
Tom Evans: i think what we had in 2010-11 was a genuinely excellent top six, top seven, who could be relied upon to score consistent runs more often than not.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, it's got to be.
Tom Evans: Cook, Strauss, Trott, Peterson, Collingwood, Bell, Pryor.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Well, I mean, has England put out a better top top seven than that in the history? i i'd I'd argue that. I mean, that's that's got to be up there, isn't it? I mean, it was superb. And and and and you combine that with some, you know, bowlers who who kind of surprised with how good they were as well. They're like some Breslin.
Jamie Bowman : Tremlett as well.
Tom Evans: yeah
Jamie Bowman : You know, who...
Tom Evans: Yes, Broad got injured in the second test. He only played half the second test, as I recall. Anderson was obviously excellent throughout. um But yeah, sort of the rotating cast of second and third seamers um really stepped up to the plate and Graham Swan was at the top of his software is game as well. um we're We're not as good now and Australia aren't as bad now as they were then.
Tom Evans: you know but What we have got is a very settled top order. There's the odd question mark about Pope or Bethel. I think the right decision has been made in that Pope is going to stay at number three. They've named a squad of 12 earlier today.
Tom Evans: The only question, I think, is whether it's five seamers or whether Sheridan Bashir gets picked. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, what's your feeling with that? i I think they'll go in with the five seamers. To me, it feels a bit like they're going to f throw everything at this first test, aren't they?
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : It's almost like the opposite of last time when they they rested Broad and Anderson, didn't they?
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Expecting them to come back. It's almost like they've gone the opposite way. It's like, even if even if this absolutely knackers wood or... knackers archers, we're going to go in all guns blazing and throw everything at them and and and get get one one up.
Jamie Bowman : that's that That's what it feels like to me. um
Tom Evans: yeah
Jamie Bowman : and it's ah it's ah It's risky, it's risky, but it does it it's exciting as well and it does feel like It's certainly a change in in in how they went into the last one, where they where they sort of had this sort of careful planning of, you know well, we're going to have that team for this and rest him for that. and they've just picked They've just picked the best and that's what they're going to go with. and To me me, it's got to come off, hasn't it? It does feel like this is the test they've got to win, considering considering both their selection and the Aussies' injury troubles.
Tom Evans: Yeah, I mean, i I think if you've got Mark Wood and Joffa Archer both fit at the same time, why wouldn't you play them both? Because there's there's a high chance that one or both of them will break down at some point in this tour because they're fast bowlers.
Tom Evans: We've been spoiled by Anderson and Broad and how well they managed to stay fit. um You know, it's it's it's rare, you know, Cummins and Hazel would have gone down, you know, two of the most consistent fastballs over the past decade or so have gone down before this test.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: They're not, you know, that they might go down in training. If you rest Joffa Archer for this first test, he might break down in the nets before the second one, you know.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. yeah
Tom Evans: You've got them both. You've got Mark Wood and Joffa Hatcher available at the same time. i think you'd be crazy not to pick them both.
Jamie Bowman : yeah what did you i thought they I thought actually the 12 was quite interesting when you saw that it was Beshear and not Jax. I thought that was quite interesting. It made me think that Beshear is still the number one spinner as far as they're concerned and maybe Jax is there as a kind of almost like um a safety net for for um for for Stokes.
Jamie Bowman : you sort of want what because he ah he He could bat at seven and bowl a bit
Tom Evans: Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : and um and
Tom Evans: He's the is the backup all rounder rather than the backup spinner.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah.
Tom Evans: isn Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : that's that ah so it made me think, you know, but then as well, yes it's it's a weird one with Beshear, isn't it?
Tom Evans: Hmm.
Jamie Bowman : Because if the from from all everyone says, I mean, I know Lyon has a great... writer They've only played, is it five tests, I think, they've played at this new ground in Perth?
Jamie Bowman : the leading wicket taker there has been Lyon and it does take spin and it does turn so you sort of think well if they were going to play spinner it might be that one is that why they've picked him in the 12 are they going to make a very late decision are they going to wake up in the morning and look at the ground look at the conditions i don't know but it does it does it does make me think that um Bashir is kind of like He might still have a role to play during the series.
Jamie Bowman : he's not because I think he's been written off by a lot of people you know about this sort of with this seam attack. you know But it does make me think that they've still got a bit of faith in him by picking him in that 12.
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Hmm.
Tom Evans: and they've got Josh Hull as well on tour with them, who's obviously left-armor and he will be generating rough for Australia's right-handers that Bashir can bowl at as well as an off-spin. I think that's very much part the plan as well. A lot was made of the release heights was the quote when Bashir and Hartley got picked for that India tour. But I think with Bashir, they like a lot of his attributes as well. They like the over-spin he gets on the ball. I think they think he's quite Nathan Lyon-like in that respect. He's not as good a bowler as Nathan Lyon, but
Tom Evans: they're looking for those similar attributes. And, you know, a lot of their hunches have come off, you have to say.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah.
Tom Evans: so Some haven't, some some won't. And, you know, I don't think this series will be won and lost on the quality of England's spin bowling, because I think what you're going to get from Sherebashir if he's picked will be, he'll do it okay.
Jamie Bowman : No.
Tom Evans: I don't think he'll let anybody down. But it's the same attack and it's the top order for me.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, I mean, it's a big I think it's a really big series for Crawley, isn't it?
Tom Evans: I think it's. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : You sort of think you look at his record now. He's played 60 tests for England. it' you know he's That's that's a lot. A lot of test matches. And scored five centuries, is it?
Jamie Bowman : it's not Averaging 30, 35? Something that.
Tom Evans: Yeah..
Jamie Bowman : thirtyfive something like that so you kind of think they've almost kind of stuck with him for this, for this moment, haven't they? That's the reason he's, he's there.
Jamie Bowman : Cause they think he can take, take the game, take the game to the Aussies. That's the reason.
Jamie Bowman : he's really got to repay that faith that the England selectors have had in him on this tour, I think, because I think at any other age, you know, an opening battle with that record would probably not be not be yeah not be still being the side. There must be a lot of those openers that England have burnt through in the last decade or so, thinking... Blimey, he's been lucky. But, you know, in it him ah him and Duckett have been superb as a partnership.
Jamie Bowman : But I think individually, Rulli really needs to step up on this on this series and and show why england of England have stuck with him.
Tom Evans: Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Big big series for Pope as well. Been a lot of question marks around him.
Tom Evans: yeah
Jamie Bowman : I mean, i personally, i I like the guy. I think he's a great batter. I think, to be fair to the the lad, when every every time he's been under pressure, he's kind of come up with an innings that's kind of saved him and shut people up.
Jamie Bowman : But you do want to...
Tom Evans: Yeah, up the first first test against India in the summer, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, you...
Tom Evans: you wouldn't have won that test without that.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah.
Tom Evans: We'd have lost a series without that Honda he scored, know.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah. And you do. And, you know, the I know it was lesser opposition, but that when he was played against Zimbabwe and he got the big the big score there as well. So you kind of think um what... And he's been put through so much, isn't he? He's had to captain, he's had to wicket keep, he's had constant speculation about him. And and he's had the vice-captaincy taken off him as well now.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : You sort of think the poor lad is under a lot of pressure and it's a lot lot going on really for him to cope with as as well as being worried about his form. So I really hope, I think if Crawley and Pope have a good series, say average 40, we win the ashes, no problem.
Jamie Bowman : it want And and i think I think the rest of them will look after themselves. but I think those two, it's a real it's real kind of make or break time for them.
Tom Evans: I was going to say, because what we have got, 4, 5, 6 and 7, is Joe Rue, I think, is probably the best batter in the world currently. um'm Harry Brook, who, as much as he gets flack when he plays a bad shot and gets out, is an incredibly talented player.
Tom Evans: And I'm very excited to see what he can do um in a good way, and also slightly terrified to see what he can do in a bad way in this series.
Jamie Bowman : quite shot he played in quite a shot he played in the practice game true
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Tom Evans: Yeah, a practice game. we Years ago, we wouldn't have even seen that shot. Wouldn't have had any idea. Boycott might have done that in practice games all the time. and
Jamie Bowman : i doubt it but yeah i'll take your
Tom Evans: and Stokes, who... I think your point about Zach Crawley not averaging very highly. and Ben Stokes' hiss numbers aren't great, but he can sometimes turn a game single-handedly.
Tom Evans: um You can't rely on him to do it all the time, obviously, but, you know, he's... yeah um When it comes to players who can do that, don't think there's many close to him in Test cricket at the moment. And i'm Jamie Smith, who's obviously an excellent start to his career. I think the the middle order and the you know the very the heart of the team does look after itself. It's just a question of how long the top three can keep them from and keep them in the dressing room with their feet up.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely. And we go back to that, that line-up we were talking earlier, 2011, you sort of felt that if one of them failed, next one in would get a score.
Tom Evans: don't know.
Jamie Bowman : So, and that kind of does, England do feel a bit like that at the moment. I feel that they can, as you say, they can, they can kind of You can kind of rely on some runs from that middle order, definitely.
Jamie Bowman : And, and and you know, that's going to be crucial. We've got to put runs on the board. We've got to not be skittish. We've got to occasionally dig in and and and and um and bat long, I think, you know, and and and get those big scores on the board.
Jamie Bowman : that that's That's really important. Put pressure, because I think if we put pressure on the Aussies with... with those big scores, that's when that's when they could buckle.
Jamie Bowman : That's when the the press are going to get on them, the the crowds are going to get on them. And that's where we can really make make make a difference. And and with our fast bowling line-up, we can really you know go at them if we've got a big target to to defend.
Tom Evans: Speaking of the press, have you seen some of the the Western Australians' coverage of the last few weeks?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah. It's been terrible.
Tom Evans: ah that They've completely lost their minds.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. I think they're scared, Tom. I think they're scared. I think they're genuinely worried.
Tom Evans: LAUGHTER
Jamie Bowman : think they're genuinely worried. It's interesting. know I've got a few mates out in Australia and they say a lot of the Aussies are quite embarrassed about what what that paper's been coming out with.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: Yeah, I mean, you know we're we're English. we're We're used to being embarrassed about newspapers. But yeah, it's ah it's listen the one most recent one I saw had a picture of Johnny Bairstow on the front, who's not in England squad.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. yeah
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, not even in the
Tom Evans: And yet they were saying that England was still going on about that time he got stumped at Lourdes.
Jamie Bowman : world.
Tom Evans: But in doing so, that they're still going on about it.
Jamie Bowman : My bugbear...
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: And that that came less than 24 hours after Mitchell Stark pretended not to know what a catch was as well.
Jamie Bowman : my My bugbear was when they were calling us crybabies.
Tom Evans: so
Jamie Bowman : was thinking...
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : How many... how many i was thinking, I can think of at least three former... Australian captains, I've seen cry in press conferences. i mean i mean I mean, I've even, you know, even I've seen going back going back to the 80s.
Jamie Bowman : So, Jim Hughes, exactly.
Tom Evans: Kim Hughes, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : don't don't don't Don't start calling us, I mean, Stokes, a crybaby. i mean, I don't know about that.
Tom Evans: Yeah, I'm not sure which paper it was that the mocked Stokes up as a baby, as with spitting his dummy out after the burst of stumping, which the Western and Australian have taken it upon themselves to decide is now called Creasegate, which nobody called it.
Jamie Bowman : I
Tom Evans: Nobody's called it that at all in the past two and a half years.
Jamie Bowman : just, I'm sure that's just a dodgy website, isn't it? that one ah but I mean, I mean,
Tom Evans: and I'll take you your word for it, Jamie.
Jamie Bowman : yeah yeah yeah
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : But yeah, i mean i can't i mean, I know our tabloids can be bad, but you know i mean I genuinely ah do i do ah do hope it doesn't degenerate into a bit of ah a, bit of a war.
Jamie Bowman : It'd be nice. I think, I think there's respect between the players, isn't there? It feels like there is. I mean, I know players aren't, they don't, they they mix a lot more now, don't they?
Jamie Bowman : They play for franchises. A lot the Aussies have played in County cricket. and now You sort of get the feeling that, that they're actually, when they're on the pitch, they might play hard, but that, you know, there's no actual personal, you know, beefs there.
Tom Evans: Nastiness. No, I don't think you'll get a kind of a Botham Chapel situation developing. um yeah Like you say, I think i think once the when when when they're off the pitch, I think that that they get along fine. And when they're on it, they don't. And that's that's kind of how you want it, isn't it? You what you you don't want them to be mates on the pitch.
Jamie Bowman : No, God no.
Tom Evans: You want them to?
Jamie Bowman : I mean, we haven't we haven't really talked about the Aussies batting.
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : I mean, they've got problems at the...
Tom Evans: Mm-hmm.
Jamie Bowman : Obviously, a new opener is coming in. and we've We've lost the the pantomime villain in Warner, haven't we?
Tom Evans: yeah
Jamie Bowman : Which is a shame. I did like Warner, despite everything. I loved watching him bat. I think he was... i think he was fantastic. But yes, we've got a you know new opening batter coming in.
Jamie Bowman : Obviously, Smith's burdened with the captain again. It might make him cry again. So, ah yeah, I mean, they're batting the one the one who's...
Jamie Bowman : you know, really stands out for me is Travis Head. I think he's just fantastic. He's a fantastic player, you know, and you, you feel like even if they're three down, he could come in at, come in at five and just change the game and, and, and just be fantastic.
Tom Evans: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : He's, I think one of the best, best around at the moment. Um, But yeah, I mean, if Smith hits form, you know, that you know he he he obviously he's incredibly destructive, been one the best batters in the world for a number of years.
Jamie Bowman : so
Tom Evans: yeah yeah
Jamie Bowman : And then we always seem to have a problem over there playing at wit andke with wicketkeeper batters, don't we? So, you know, you go back to Haddon and Healy and Gilchrist.
Tom Evans: Haddon
Jamie Bowman : It's like we've always...
Tom Evans: in particular.
Jamie Bowman : we've always had problems with keepers and and i think I think he's pretty good as well. So, yeah.
Tom Evans: i saw I saw a post the other day of looking back at the Ashes with the match situation when Brad Haddon came in in the first innings. I think pretty much every time they were less than 200 for five.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah, he was fantastic.
Tom Evans: And Brad Haddon just came in and
Jamie Bowman : He was fantastic, yeah.
Tom Evans: And the beta's 5-0.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah, he was fantastic. but you He was... ah he was um And, you know, Gilchrist did the same before, you know.
Tom Evans: Horrible to watch, though.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, so, yeah, let's...
Tom Evans: you'd You'd love him on your team, but you'd'd you'd hate to actually watch him, wouldn't you?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, let's make sure we get their keeper out. it But, yeah, I mean...
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah. Fingers crossed.
Jamie Bowman : Bowling, I mean, of obviously, the ageing squad as well. You feel like this is their last chance, whether that they'll use that as an extra motivation as well. um You do feel like this this team's going to completely change in a you know ah after this series.
Tom Evans: Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : I mean...
Tom Evans: Yeah. That's what's their system.
Jamie Bowman : so i mean some Some great names, you know, Lyon, Khawaja, Stark. You know, there's some some some big... But what's interesting is even the reserve players they're bringing in are old as well, aren't they?
Jamie Bowman : They're not young pups like England have been very focused on doing.
Tom Evans: yeah yeah
Jamie Bowman : They've sort of gone with the experienced Sheffield Shield players who've come in. I mean, they do.
Tom Evans: that that source our system maybe a bit more than the England set up to us the county championship.
Jamie Bowman : Well, yeah, very much so. i mean, you look at someone like Boland, who's been around for for a long time, hasn't he? But, you know, it hasn't had his chances um and and and can be brilliant on his day.
Jamie Bowman : i do feel like they might get after Boland a bit. He's the one I think they'll be targeting.
Tom Evans: Yeah. It's question of ah whether whether they play like this or not, but it'd be good to get some overs into Mitchell Stark's legs in this first test as well, wouldn't it?
Jamie Bowman : So...
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Tom Evans: You know, with the two senior the two other senior fast bowlers being out, lying on the ball from one end.
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Tom Evans: um and when So when when they need a wicket, they will throw the ball to Mitchell Stark. And if we can get him back for... I know this isn't the way they play these days, but if we can get him back to a second, third spell a few times in the heat, then, you know...
Tom Evans: I've sent messages around before recording this. I'm do a little piece to accompany it with sort of opinions from around the around the region, cricket figures.
Tom Evans: um i've I've said it'll be anonymous. I'm not going to name names for any of them or outlandish predictions.
Jamie Bowman : okay
Tom Evans: um But, you know, I think generally the consensus is that England have got a chance, but Australia is still favourites, and I think that's fair.
Jamie Bowman : So what are you going with then? Are we going do predictions?
Tom Evans: Yeah, I'm going with... i don't know what weather's going to be like, but I'm going with 3-1 Australia. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Tom, that's very unpatriotic of you. I'm going to go for free one England.
Tom Evans: Okay.
Jamie Bowman : Okay.
Tom Evans: Okay.
Jamie Bowman : So that balances it out.
Tom Evans: We'll see. Yeah. Yeah. And at least this prediction I'm making, I'm not going to get England players in my WhatsApp saying, oh, that prediction you made was wrong.
Jamie Bowman : but
Tom Evans: two Two years later, people aren't going to messaging me saying, oh I remember when you predicted that you were wrong, weren't you? naming no Naming no names or clubs of
Jamie Bowman : Doesn't even play cricket.
Tom Evans: No, nobody's pulled that one out yet, because because they're absolutely right, I don't. i' I just talk about it. um Eagle-eared or hawk-eared listeners will have noticed that we have no guests. We've not just been incredibly rude to our guests and not let them get a word in edgeways, we actually have no guests, because we thought, you know, it's just going to be a ah a catch-up episode, really, um which means that the features that we would normally do with our guests we're going to have to inflict on each other, um namely Dressing Room 101, normally the first one. So Jamie and I are each going to nominate something for Dressing Room 101, something we would like to see banished from the game of cricket into the the the depths of hell. ah And the other one will assess it and see if it see if it gets in. So Jamie, you do you want to go first?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, so i did I did consider putting in Liverpool Cricket Club, but I thought that would be unfair to a friend of the pod, Matty Jackson, because I really like him.
Jamie Bowman : And also I like going to watch Lancashire there.
Tom Evans: but
Jamie Bowman : Also,
Tom Evans: for for For the record, I've got absolutely nothing against Liverpool Cricket Club. This is entirely a Jamie Bowman thing.
Jamie Bowman : and And I did get six wickets against them in my last game of the season. and So, you know, if they can be my rabbits, that's fine. So that's great. So they're not going in. um So, yeah, I had to think about this. And it's very much um a social ah social cricket kind of thing that that that annoys me.
Jamie Bowman : and uh it's probably gonna reveal a lot about my character but it's it's sides that don't stay around and have a drink after the uh after the game and that doesn't mean they stay and you know get pissed or they can stay and have a coffee and or or a coke you know or a guinness zero i believe the kids like these days but i think yeah teams that don't stick around after the game, chew the chew the fat, ah you know, and and talk about the game and talk about their club and have ah have a good gossip.
Tom Evans: was
Jamie Bowman : To me, that's one of the great things about recreational cricket. And it really annoys me when teams just go, Oh, we've got to get home. We've only got a load of kids in the team.
Jamie Bowman : So there's no point. And we want to beat the traffic. Or they go because they lost and they're in a bit of a bad mood. That really annoys me. So, yeah, my team's team's not sticking around for a drink.
Tom Evans: Because it is a huge part of the structure of the game, isn't it? like like and In terms of clubs, but know the money they take across the bars and the the social side of it keeps the lights on, doesn't it?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Tom, it's rude. It's rude. it's it's It's like, you know, you have these you have these kind of traditions of hospitality in certain countries and religions and and that kind of thing.
Jamie Bowman : And I believe club cricket has that tradition. You you kind of almost want want to buy them a jug, sit around and have a beer and have a chat. And and yeah, it annoys me.
Jamie Bowman : and I think it's slowly gone out of the game a little bit. I understand it. I understand it.
Tom Evans: I think it is.
Jamie Bowman : People want to get home. You know, sometimes you you're playing teams, you know, from North Wales or, or or um you know, up by Southport and they've they've had to travel to Liverpool.
Jamie Bowman : But it's funny, what made me think about this was last last season I played at Norfolk Hall. And um we we didn't play at Norfolk Hall, we played at their outground, which is Shotan's ground, which is um quite a sight to behold.
Jamie Bowman : But we...
Tom Evans: another cricket ground in shotting
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, well, it's called a cricket ground. We we've got, we got, we finished the game, we lost quite heavily. And I said to the lads, come on, let's go, and Norfolk Paul is a beautiful ground, let's go and have a beer.
Jamie Bowman : And about five of us went there and had a beer. And they were absolutely made up that we'd come. They said, no one ever comes now. No one ever sticks around for a bit. And it so and the sun was setting over Norfolk Paul, which is a beautiful ground. We were having a beer, we were chatting about their season. Obviously, they had a good good season, got promoted. And, um you know, we're just just chatting away. and I just thought, this is what it's all about. Isn't it a shame when this doesn't happen? And, yeah, it just made me think more teams should do this. And so, so yeah, more more more more after
Tom Evans: think it's very hard to argue with that. i think obviously you you accept that sometimes there will be extenuating circumstances, but do you think it's a trend that you've seen people doing less and less over the last few years?
Jamie Bowman : Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, when I started playing, you'd actually look forward to it. You know, sometimes you'd get the train there so you could have a proper drink after because you knew there were good hosts and you knew you'd have you know you knew the jugs would come.
Jamie Bowman : um and you' you
Tom Evans: more more More people involved in cricket for whatever reason are non-drinkers now, though aren't they?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, true, true. It's not just about, I'm painting myself as ah as ah as a semi-alcoholic here, I know, but it's ah it's not just about the drinking, it's about about the you know the chatting after after the game, I think.
Jamie Bowman : you know it's just I just think it's really sad when you see whole teams just scarpering in their cars and going and you sort of, I almost think, oh, what I going to do for the next hour? I've got to sit and chat with my teammates who have spent the whole day with them.
Tom Evans: How would you know that?
Jamie Bowman : I just want to do that.
Tom Evans: yeah I'm fed up with him. He dropped a catch off me.
Jamie Bowman : sp up the room yeah
Tom Evans: yeah
Jamie Bowman : so yeah I think it's yeah it's it's's I agree you know and of ah if social social habits have changed and you know I'm not expecting you know clubs to roll out drunk at clubs on a Saturday evening but yeah it's just a bit more sociability
Tom Evans: Okay. I think it's very difficult to argue with that.
Jamie Bowman : yeah very good
Tom Evans: Mark Nicholas there, a famous moment from Ashes
Jamie Bowman : hear your one-on-one.
Tom Evans: It is Another bugbear of mine, which you probably already know about, fast bowlers not taking enough care to not bowl no bowls in international matches.
Tom Evans: Right?
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Tom Evans: Firstly, these days, you're not going to get away with it. If you bowl a no bowl, it will cost you run, which isn't a big deal, or a wicket, which is.
Tom Evans: You know, the hardest thing in test matches is taking those 20 wickets, If you're running in and not... obviously Obviously, you can't be looking at your feet while you're... I've never bowled fast.
Tom Evans: ah
Jamie Bowman : Really tough.
Tom Evans: But... It may surprise you to know I've never bowled fast. So I don't know where you're looking or what you're head doing or what what you how you measure your run-up or where you take off or anything like that.
Tom Evans: But they these guys do. And they're pushing the line. why Why push it? Just set yourself up six inches further back. The batter, often often the batter stands out of his crease anyway.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: You know, so he doesn't, the the batter doesn't care about that extra split second. Because if if the batter was so concerned about being as far away from the bowler as possible when the bowler lets go of the ball, they'd be stood in their crease the whole time.
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Tom Evans: But they don't. They stand out of their crease because the advantage they get from, you know, throwing the bowler off his length. it outweighs the disadvantage of that extra to nano that x to nanosecond or however long it is.
Jamie Bowman : do And it does feel like you do see some pretty important wickets now, don't you? Scrubbed off because of no balls.
Tom Evans: Well, they they stick in their mind. I mean, um who was it?
Jamie Bowman : to put they The up-piging McGrath.
Tom Evans: know stokes who got
Jamie Bowman : McGrath.
Tom Evans: Stokes who sold Warner on 99 in the last Ashes in Australia, wasn't it?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. McGrath-Avon, was it?
Tom Evans: There was a few.
Jamie Bowman : McGrath.
Tom Evans: McGrath of Orn when he got his big 100 in the 2005 series.
Jamie Bowman : Bad luck, you Aussies.
Tom Evans: Hmm?
Jamie Bowman : yeah Bad luck, you Aussies, I think, was Boyd's. Yeah.
Tom Evans: Boycott, loser, get in the commentary box.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, but yeah no, you you're totally right.
Tom Evans: um I mean, you know. Yes.
Jamie Bowman : You're totally right. I mean, it does make me wonder, like, how much it used to happen, like, how many no-world people were bowling, because cause obviously, as you say, you're not going to get away with it it now.
Tom Evans: Yeah.
Tom Evans: yes yeah
Jamie Bowman : Were people bowling them all the time? I i just don't know. But i it may surprise you to know I've never bowled fast either, so I can't...
Jamie Bowman : um I can't put myself in those those size 10 boots either. But I think, i think yeah, it's pretty it's in this day and age, it's pretty ah pretty criminal to do it, isn't it?
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah. um Like i say, you know just set up that bit further back so that even if you slip forward, you're still going to be okay.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah. Creases are quite big, aren't they?
Tom Evans: um
Jamie Bowman : You know, they're quite big.
Tom Evans: There's plenty of room, yeah. yeah Sometimes the crease seems bigger than my run-up. It's... ah it's
Jamie Bowman : yeah yeah
Tom Evans: um So yeah, but that that that's my bugbear. Anyway, and anything anything to add to that? Or can I just cue up my necklace?
Jamie Bowman : wonder I wonder if, i wonder if um you know, like when you bowl a front foot no ball, you know, and you get a free hit, whether that makes it, would would make a difference in a cricket, yeah?
Tom Evans: Well, I think that's a good idea. i think that... Yes, I think that would stop the situation you sometimes got I think there was one in the summer, last summer, I can't remember the the exact situation, but where There was a no ball and then a wicket fell off the next ball.
Tom Evans: And that, it was the the seventh ball of the over that took the wicket.
Jamie Bowman : yeah yeah yeah
Tom Evans: So the bowling side got an advantage from bowling a no ball. Now, you're never going to know when that's going to happen or not. But the point of a free hit is you get the no ball rules, but you already know it's a no ball.
Jamie Bowman : or you could or you could it could be two runs i don't know it could be could be
Tom Evans: I think if one run and potentially losing a wicket isn't enough incentive for them to keep their foot back, then yeah, then two runs isn't going to make
Jamie Bowman : yeah yeah i'm all for it though tom i'll give you that one
Jamie Bowman : we've marked our own homework there tom well yeah
Tom Evans: much difference. have that each other's homework and and I've got the soundboard, so I do the i do the clicking. um Right, the next regular feature is Stump the Host. So I guess... On this occasion, it'll be stump your co-host. So do you want to go first with this one, Jamie, or shall I?
Jamie Bowman : ah Yeah, I'll go first then. I'll go first.
Tom Evans: OK.
Jamie Bowman : So I'm going to keep on the Ashes theme, Tom.
Tom Evans: ah huh
Jamie Bowman : i i did the i I tried this one myself earlier and I got... i got
Tom Evans: You're asking me what which quizzes. Is this why you're asking me which online quizzes I've been doing?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, because I've been doing a few and thinking which was a good one.
Tom Evans: Just to make sure. i
Jamie Bowman : so i'm going to So I'm going to ask you to name every England player with an Ashes Century in Australia since 2005. In Australia since 2005. Yes.
Tom Evans: Asher Century in Australia.
Jamie Bowman : Yes. Yes. since two thousand and five
Tom Evans: Okay. Paul Collingwood.
Jamie Bowman : yes
Tom Evans: Kevin Peterson.
Jamie Bowman : yes
Tom Evans: Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Jonathan Trott,
Jamie Bowman : yeah yeah Yes.
Tom Evans: Ian Bell, Matthew Pryor, Ben Stokes, David Milan, Johnny Birstow.
Jamie Bowman : Yes.
Jamie Bowman : Yes. Oh, oh you've got them all. You've got them all.
Tom Evans: In order. In order, I think you'll find.
Jamie Bowman : All right, I'll try and make this more complicated. How many has Alistair Cook got?
Tom Evans: Alistair Cook got one at Perth in 06-07. He got Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney,
Tom Evans: And that massive one in Melbourne, 2017-18, five.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. um Okay. Out of that that list of 10 players, who are the other? ah There's three others who've got more than one.
Tom Evans: Yeah, Peterson, Trot, Bairstow.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Very good. Very good.
Tom Evans: Very good, you say? Well.
Jamie Bowman : Very good. Well, see, i got i got them I got them all apart from, I'd forgotten prior got one.
Tom Evans: Right, I've got a bit of a warm-up question and then the main event for you.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, no. Go on.
Tom Evans: Okay. ah This century,
Jamie Bowman : Okay. Okay.
Tom Evans: Eight England players have made their test debut in an away Ashes test. I'm going to give you it if you can name
Tom Evans: Mason
Jamie Bowman : Okay. Debut in an away ashes test. um Okay. It's got to be Mason crane.
Tom Evans: Crane. Mason Crane.
Jamie Bowman : um There's going to be some other spinners, isn't there? They always take a random spin. Oh dear. Okay. oh dear
Tom Evans: Yes, there is one other, well, one other spinner, another one who bowls, spin when he bowls, but doesn't often bowl.
Jamie Bowman : um Scott Balfwick.
Tom Evans: Scott Bothwick.
Tom Evans: Two more in the same test as Scott Bothwick.
Jamie Bowman : Really? Really?
Tom Evans: Yes.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, wow. Scott Balfwick.
Jamie Bowman : Oh,
Jamie Bowman : Ricky. No, not Ricky. It's not a Ricky, is it?
Tom Evans: that There are no rickies, can confirm.
Jamie Bowman : No. Oh. So it's another... Am I looking at another spinner?
Tom Evans: No, no more spinners.
Jamie Bowman : No more spinning.
Tom Evans: Like said, there's another guy who bowls spin, but it's not his main suit.
Jamie Bowman : Okay. ah
Jamie Bowman : not mil Not Milan, is it?
Tom Evans: No, no. David Milan, i think you made his debut at home.
Jamie Bowman : So this century, 2000...
Jamie Bowman : Must be ones from the early ones in 2001-ish.
Tom Evans: No.
Jamie Bowman : No. Oh, right. Okay. in
Tom Evans: No.
Jamie Bowman : I'm doing well there, aren't
Tom Evans: The most recent four.
Jamie Bowman : What's that? Two out of eight.
Tom Evans: You've got two so far.
Jamie Bowman : Two out of eight.
Tom Evans: that the The most recent four of which you got one, Scott Balthwick was one of them. There are three more from the, I say the most recent, the but the the furthest to go um from 13-14.
Tom Evans: There are three more from the 13-14 series who made their debut.
Jamie Bowman : Okay. Um, thirteen 13, Sorry, this isn't very good radio, is it?
Jamie Bowman : No, you have to give us a clue, Tom, sorry.
Tom Evans: Okay. um ah Mason Crane made his debut in 1718. Yep.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: The other two from that series have something in common with one another that's based on some...
Jamie Bowman : is there an over Is there an Overton?
Tom Evans: The other two from that series have something in common with each other based on somebody else who has later gone on to play for England.
Tom Evans: So Craig Overton is indeed one of them.
Jamie Bowman : no Craig Overton. Yeah, yeah. Overton.
Tom Evans: I specify Craig Overton because not Jamie's own, but another person in a similar situation
Jamie Bowman : And not Jamie Overton.
Tom Evans: of having a brother who went on to play for England.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, Tom Curran.
Tom Evans: Tom Curran, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yes, Tom Curran.
Tom Evans: Okay, so you are missing a wicketkeeper, a seamer, a batter and an all-rounder.
Jamie Bowman : A wicketkeeper.
Jamie Bowman : James Foster?
Tom Evans: No, no, he would have, no. He would have been this century, wouldn't he? But not in away ashes.
Jamie Bowman : Wicked Keeper. It's not prior then. 21.22.
Jamie Bowman : 21.22.
Tom Evans: No, the Wicked Keepers from 21-22, the extremely unmemorable last test of that series.
Jamie Bowman : Wicked Keeper.
Jamie Bowman : and twenty two
Jamie Bowman : Not just Butler.
Tom Evans: No, I'm trying to give his county... Let's say possibly Kent. I'm not good. The southern counties all look the same to me.
Jamie Bowman : No. Mum
Tom Evans: ah Sam Billings is the wicketkeeper.
Jamie Bowman : Bellings, of course. Yes.
Tom Evans: ah The other three you haven't got from 2013-14. One of them, a very lanky fast bowler.
Jamie Bowman : Steve Finn?
Tom Evans: Never played another test.
Jamie Bowman : Have played another test?
Jamie Bowman : No. I can't.
Tom Evans: No, Boyd Rankin.
Jamie Bowman : No. Lloyd Rankin. He's Irish.
Tom Evans: The other two are probably the most well-known two. like One of them is ah Batter, who is now cancelled because of stuff that was going on at his county.
Tom Evans: Batter, an occasional leg spinner.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, um, balance.
Tom Evans: Gary Balance. Yep.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: And the other one, um
Tom Evans: Durham player.
Jamie Bowman : It's always a Durham player, isn't it? Um,
Tom Evans: All-rounder.
Jamie Bowman : oh, um, oh, I know the big lad.
Tom Evans: Possibly the most famous cricketer in the country.
Jamie Bowman : oh ben stokes and so he's made his debut in australia really god that's terrible that is terrible i didn't get that
Tom Evans: Ben Stokes, yes. He won his debut at Adelaide, yeah. Yeah, yeah. He took a wicket with a no-ball, as I recall.
Tom Evans: Let's see if you do any better with the with the main course.
Jamie Bowman : oh don't ask me another one i'm terrible at this i bet you thought mason crane was the hardest one and that was one i got straight away
Tom Evans: This century...
Tom Evans: a frankly incredible 25 England players have played their last tests for England. um ah on an Ashes tour in Australia.
Tom Evans: That is an average of more than four a series.
Jamie Bowman : Okay.
Tom Evans: So we basically lose a player pretty much every time we play a test in Australia.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Tom Evans: I was astonished by how many there were.
Tom Evans: the Ashes cycle is such a big deal, I guess, that that plays into it.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: um A few of them are names that have come up already in the course of our conversation.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: um And a few of them, I guess, that some of them maybe would say they're not done yet, but they probably are.
Jamie Bowman : Okay.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: There are 25. I will give you the Mark Nicholas seal of approval if you get...
Jamie Bowman : 25? <unk>n gra Swan.
Tom Evans: If you get...
Jamie Bowman : Graham Swan.
Tom Evans: 13. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Graham Swan.
Tom Evans: yeah Yeah, there's some very famous ones. One of them is Graham Swan, obviously retired, um injured mid-series in 2013-14.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: He did, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Um...
Jamie Bowman : I was going to say Trot, but he had a couple in the West Indies, didn't he, afterwards?
Tom Evans: He played as an opener in the West Indies that didn't work.
Jamie Bowman : That's right. Yeah. Yeah. um
Tom Evans: You mentioned a few one-test wonders in the last...
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. So a few of them.
Tom Evans: Set up.
Jamie Bowman : So like Crane.
Tom Evans: Mason Crane, yep.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. um Rankin.
Tom Evans: Boyd Rankin has since played a test match, but not for England.
Jamie Bowman : but Not for England.
Tom Evans: so
Jamie Bowman : um Collingwood he retired didn't he
Tom Evans: Paul Collingwood retired. You see, it doesn't always have to be an ignominy. Paul Collingwood was the one to step down after The
Jamie Bowman : yeah Collingwood retired yeah yeah yeah oh Harmson
Tom Evans: um the others were all long lists of all the other series. Yeah. There's Collingwood leaving with his head held high.
Tom Evans: No, no. He played against the Aussies 2009.
Jamie Bowman : He played against the Oldies. He did.
Tom Evans: He played the last couple of tests in that series.
Jamie Bowman : He did. He did. um
Jamie Bowman : Hoggard.
Tom Evans: No.
Jamie Bowman : No. He's going to go through the 05 team, trying to think.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : they yeah not They had that terrible tour, didn't they?
Tom Evans: and
Jamie Bowman : Vaughan?
Tom Evans: Yes, there are. Let me see. One, two, three of the 2005 team.
Jamie Bowman : vaughan
Tom Evans: Just calling what you've already got. No, not Vaughn.
Jamie Bowman : Triscoffic?
Tom Evans: No, no. He... ah so i think when to gothic but He didn't make the 067 tour.
Jamie Bowman : No, he wasn't well, was he?
Tom Evans: He had to pull out because he wasn't well.
Jamie Bowman : um
Jamie Bowman : Oh my God. 25. Garren Jones? Garren Jones?
Tom Evans: and messa
Jamie Bowman : gerin jones
Tom Evans: Garant Jones, yes.
Jamie Bowman : Good. Um, uh, no, not yet.
Tom Evans: start doing clues yet? Okay.
Jamie Bowman : Um, uh,
Jamie Bowman : not flint off. He played it. He played at home, didn't he? Um, yeah.
Tom Evans: Yeah, he quit after the 2009 series.
Jamie Bowman : After. Oh no.
Tom Evans: Like you said, a lot of people do time their retirements for to coincide with the Ashes, but a lot of these aren't retirements.
Jamie Bowman : ah Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Milan?
Tom Evans: David Milan, yes. He is one of four players to have played his last test in the 21-22 series.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, I've got Carberry.
Tom Evans: Michael Carberry, yes. He actually had a decent series, I think, in 2013-14.
Jamie Bowman : He's all right, wasn't he?
Tom Evans: He did very little wrong that the rest of the team didn't do. But yeah, he hasn't played since.
Jamie Bowman : Hamid?
Tom Evans: Hasib Hamid, you're motoring now. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Only 17 to go. Yeah.
Jamie Bowman : um
Tom Evans: seventeens ago
Jamie Bowman : yeah I think i mean we'll have to call it a day. have it So, yeah, sos it's like people who've had terrible, terrible tours, isn't it? um Steve Finn?
Tom Evans: No, no.
Jamie Bowman : No.
Tom Evans: um No. Not sure when he last played, but he's not on the list. There is a tall Seema. Very tall Seema.
Jamie Bowman : Tremlett?
Tom Evans: Chris Tremlett, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : he was a He's a lost player, isn't he? God, he was good.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah. That was great in 2010-11. Took again in and it didn't work.
Jamie Bowman : No.
Tom Evans: clues.
Jamie Bowman : Go on, then.
Tom Evans: ah Opening batter, weird stance.
Jamie Bowman : Burn?
Tom Evans: s Sorry. Rory Burns, yep. ah One of England's best ever white ball batters.
Tom Evans: World Cup winner, a genuine all-time great.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, Hales.
Tom Evans: No.
Jamie Bowman : Bairstow? No.
Tom Evans: No, no. um Huge, huge role in the World Cup final that we won.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, Roy.
Tom Evans: Nope. nope
Tom Evans: Wicketkeeper, occasionally.
Tom Evans: Lancashire.
Jamie Bowman : Butler.
Tom Evans: Just but, yeah. ah
Jamie Bowman : But what tour was
Tom Evans: The guy...
Jamie Bowman : Last one.
Tom Evans: Hmm?
Jamie Bowman : Was that the last tour? 20 years?
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: I was surprised by that as well, but never got he never got a go with Boswell.
Jamie Bowman : never played after that wow ah corin yeah
Tom Evans: No? You think it had suited him, but anyway. and One of the guys with the brother who we mentioned before.
Tom Evans: Yep. ah Another seamer, Nottinghamshire. um Never really looked the part at international level.
Tom Evans: Had a few tests, but his last one was on his tour.
Jamie Bowman : ronan jones
Tom Evans: No, no, not Toby Rowland-Jones. he never read He never made the tour. I think he was he was very good in the summer of 2017, but he got injured.
Jamie Bowman : yeah
Tom Evans: And this guy probably went in his in his place. Yeah. um
Jamie Bowman : no
Tom Evans: No, pretty unremorable Jake Ball.
Jamie Bowman : Jake Paul. Jake Paul.
Tom Evans: Yeah. Let's see. There are a total of...
Jamie Bowman : Oh, Ollie Robinson.
Tom Evans: Ollie Robinson? No, no.
Tom Evans: He would have played 2022, I think.
Jamie Bowman : He did, didn't he? He played at home.
Tom Evans: And he played the Ashes in 23 as well. Probably got injured.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: There are a total of one, two,
Tom Evans: three, four... Spinners.
Jamie Bowman : Four spinners.
Tom Evans: Including one from the 2005 Ashes.
Jamie Bowman : Ashley Giles?
Tom Evans: Ashley Giles.
Jamie Bowman : um
Jamie Bowman : Oh, it was the one with the specs.
Tom Evans: ah Did he wear specs?
Tom Evans: You could be right. Yorkshire, the one I'm thinking of.
Tom Evans: Famously hit for four by Steve Water, which is 100 at Sydney.
Jamie Bowman : Yeah, yeah. Our coach.
Tom Evans: Yeah, he is. Yeah, yeah.
Jamie Bowman : oh
Tom Evans: You've basically got him, Richard Dawson.
Jamie Bowman : Richard Dawson. Richard Dawson.
Tom Evans: um From that same series, there are three seamers. One um very good, long-serving seamer alongside Darren Goff, opened the bowling.
Jamie Bowman : yeah. Caddick.
Tom Evans: Caddick, yeah. um One former England coach
Tom Evans: prior to McCollum.
Jamie Bowman : That was Ashley Giles, wasn't it? No. Oh, oh um
Jamie Bowman : oh. Oh. No, go on.
Tom Evans: Chris Silverwood.
Jamie Bowman : Chris Silverwood. Cool.
Tom Evans: Yeah, let's see. There's few more. don't there's any other interesting ones. um Another left arm spinner. um Played a lot of tests. off Well, Shane Worm would say played one test a lot of times.
Jamie Bowman : Oh, Montepanita.
Tom Evans: Monty Panesar. Yeah, he took him on twenty thirteen fourteen and he never played for England again.
Jamie Bowman : Never played again. Yeah, Montepanita.
Tom Evans: Yeah. I think the most notable of all of these is England's top scorer and um ah A modern great, one of our best players of the modern era, cast aside after the ashes because he whistled and looked out of a window.
Jamie Bowman : Ian Bell.
Tom Evans: No, no. These were literally reasons that the team game for getting rid of it.
Jamie Bowman : Evan Peterson.
Tom Evans: Kevin Peterson,
Jamie Bowman : say I was going to say him straight away.
Tom Evans: Yeah. They wanted to get rid of him because they didn't like him, they had to come up with reasons anyway. um
Jamie Bowman : Yeah. Well, last that's a good... That's a challenge. I like that. I'm going to use that on my mates.
Tom Evans: Yeah, yeah. I've sort of tentatively put together two 11s. Functionally, a bit light on batting. But um that there are... You can put together teams we're there with three subs.
Jamie Bowman : You can have a lot of editing to make me look less stupid.
Tom Evans: I'm not going to do that.
Jamie Bowman : Well, we've got we've got ah an hour and 18 minutes here
Tom Evans: we have, we've gone on an awful long time, but, um, it's been a while. So, um, yeah, thank you for joining me, Jamie. Thank you for listening. Everybody hope to start doing this more regularly.
Jamie Bowman : here. Shall we speak between the tests? I think we should.
Tom Evans: I guess so. Yeah. No reason why not. Is that people be hungry for more, more cricket content at this time?
Jamie Bowman : Yeah.
Tom Evans: Um, yeah, good, good luck everyone with the the early mornings, whatever your, whatever your plans are for, for watching the ashes or following the ashes. And, uh, Yeah, good luck to good luck to England if you're if if you're listening, which you won't be.
Tom Evans: But you never know.
Jamie Bowman : Hi, England.
Tom Evans: we're we're We're rooting for you even now i think you'll lose.
Jamie Bowman : Good luck. I didn't think you'd lose. tom just Tom just hates his country.
Tom Evans: but
Tom Evans: It's often been sad. um
Jamie Bowman : Why do you hate England, Tom?
Tom Evans: but thank you but Thank you very much for listening, I say, the e-book, which has gone down really well, is available now on mergersidecricket.com. Thank you very much to everyone who's already already bought that. It means a lot. It's a big, big difference to my enthusiasm to carry on doing this. So ah thank you very much, everybody, and we'll speak to you soon.
Jamie Bowman : Bye.
Tom Evans: Bye-bye.
