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S1 E10: Ashes fever!
112 Plays19 days ago
Join Tom and Jamie for a cursory look back at the momentous end to the 2025 season, and a slightly more enthusiastic look ahead to the coming Ashes. Who will win? Who will have a good series? Why does Tom hate his country so much, and why is Jamie so bad at the "sit around naming guys" game? "Durham player... all-rounder... you know, the big lad..."
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Transcript
Intro
Chaotic Start and Podcast Introduction
00:00:51
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
Armskirk's Historic Cricket Achievements
00:01:00
Tom Evans
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?
00:01:09
Jamie Bowman
How are you doing? You're right. Good to be back.
00:01:11
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?
00:01:26
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
00:02:19
Tom Evans
how far you can go as ah as a club cricketer, I guess, Jamie.
00:02:22
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.
00:03:01
Jamie Bowman
it's just It's just brilliant for them, isn't it?
00:03:04
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.
00:03:12
Jamie Bowman
yeah
00:03:12
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.
League Competitiveness and Team Strategies
00:03:35
Tom Evans
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
00:03:58
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.
00:04:09
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.
00:04:22
Tom Evans
Because I think you're always going to get sort of the the quality concentrated in one two teams.
00:04:22
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, I suppose it's a danger. It's that Scottish thing, isn't it? Where you worry
00:04:28
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:04:40
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.
00:04:50
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.
00:05:02
Tom Evans
to help you.
00:05:08
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.
00:05:33
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.
00:06:00
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.
00:06:15
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,
00:06:20
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.
00:06:29
Tom Evans
No.
00:06:38
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...
00:06:49
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.
00:07:14
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.
00:07:26
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...
00:07:42
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.
00:07:49
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.
00:08:11
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.
00:08:29
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
00:09:13
Tom Evans
Oral Red Triangle put together a very strong run towards the end of the season as well.
League Changes and Welsh Clubs Challenges
00:09:18
Tom Evans
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.
00:09:34
Tom Evans
I think they two seasons. They came up with Safton, didn't they? And then they had two seasons...
00:09:38
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, it did. Yeah,
00:09:41
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.
00:09:50
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.
00:10:22
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.
00:10:59
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.
00:11:10
Jamie Bowman
you
00:11:19
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.
Kaldi's Promotion Efforts and Wirral's Performance Analysis
00:11:35
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.
00:12:08
Tom Evans
Captain by a former last hour guest, Mike Grealis, of course.
00:12:12
Jamie Bowman
Friend of the pod. Yeah, of course.
00:12:13
Tom Evans
Friend of the pod, listener Mike Grealis.
00:12:13
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:15
Tom Evans
and
00:12:16
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.
00:12:32
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.
00:12:48
Jamie Bowman
Anything else caught your eye?
00:12:51
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.
00:13:18
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:13:18
Tom Evans
And they wrapped up the title with that six.
00:13:21
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.
00:13:23
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:13:33
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.
00:13:43
Jamie Bowman
Mm-hmm.
00:13:47
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,
Promotional Content and Oliver Sutton's Achievements
00:14:09
Tom Evans
ah that the story of the 2025 season, which is available now from Merseysidecrickets.com.
00:14:33
Jamie Bowman
recommend it. It's very good.
00:14:35
Tom Evans
Thank you.
00:14:35
Jamie Bowman
very good read.
00:14:37
Tom Evans
Thank you, Jamie. Yeah.
00:14:39
Jamie Bowman
you can get that You can put that on the...
00:14:42
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?
00:14:56
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.
00:15:10
Tom Evans
This is unacceptable, by the way, but go on. Mm-hmm.
00:15:12
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.
00:15:33
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.
00:16:13
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.
00:16:31
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.
00:16:45
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.
00:17:04
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.
00:17:19
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.
00:17:22
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, yeah.
00:17:27
Tom Evans
um The Formby all-rounder was there first, so sorry, I don't make the rules.
00:17:28
Jamie Bowman
yeah
00:17:31
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, yeah. well I mean, at least One of them's got to become an Ollie at least, haven't they?
00:17:36
Tom Evans
Well, if i the Formby guy is known. i think on play cricket he's known as Ollie, which is helpful.
00:17:41
Jamie Bowman
Oh, is he? Right, okay. We'll let him off then.
00:17:44
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?
Ashes Series Excitement and Preparations
00:18:01
Tom Evans
don't know about you, Jamie, but I've got ashes fever.
00:18:04
Jamie Bowman
Catch it. yeah Yeah, I've got it too.
00:18:07
Tom Evans
LAUGHTER
00:18:08
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.
00:18:20
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.
00:18:34
Jamie Bowman
It's great stuff.
00:18:34
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.
00:18:55
Tom Evans
um
00:18:56
Jamie Bowman
I see you've been watching a lot the reruns of the tests, haven't you, to get you in the mood?
00:18:57
Tom Evans
But yeah.
00:19:01
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.
00:19:17
Tom Evans
so
00:19:17
Jamie Bowman
All the greatest hits.
00:19:19
Tom Evans
Yeah, yeah.
00:19:20
Jamie Bowman
that
00:19:21
Tom Evans
It's the joy of YouTube. is something If Australia won, you can just skip It's great.
00:19:24
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.
00:19:51
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.
00:20:13
Tom Evans
um So,
00:20:13
Jamie Bowman
it's it's It's a fantastic piece, isn't it? It really is a great piece.
00:20:16
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.
00:20:45
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.
00:20:55
Tom Evans
i don't think they wanted it to complain about it, but it does just sound...
00:20:57
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.
00:21:07
Tom Evans
Yeah, if if a drone flew over the hotel and caught them swimming.
00:21:08
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:21:11
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Things like that.
00:21:12
Tom Evans
And that just shows just how mentally drained they clearly were that stage of the tour.
00:21:17
Jamie Bowman
Hmm. Hmm.
00:21:19
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.
00:21:30
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,
00:21:41
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.
00:21:53
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. yeah
00:22:06
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:22:11
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:22:22
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?
00:22:24
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:22:31
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.
00:22:42
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.
00:22:57
Tom Evans
Yeah, so we've established that that wasn't that one didn't count.
00:23:00
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, so that's the account.
00:23:02
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.
00:23:21
Tom Evans
I mean,
00:23:23
Jamie Bowman
okay
00:23:25
Tom Evans
who just thought it? You know, if it if it ain't broke, don't fix it, lads.
00:23:26
Jamie Bowman
same old Aussies
00:23:31
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?
00:23:32
Jamie Bowman
yeah yeah exactly exactly yeah yeah I mean that didn't count that didn't count either but it's
00:23:41
Tom Evans
So that that didn't count on either, is what I'm saying.
00:23:47
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.
00:23:55
Jamie Bowman
So we were caught on the hop.
00:23:57
Tom Evans
We were caught on the hop. Yeah, took us by surprise.
00:23:59
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:23:59
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.
00:24:06
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Yeah,
00:24:08
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.
England's Team Strategy and Selection Dilemmas
00:24:21
Tom Evans
Let me let me just look up the score of that series.
00:24:21
Jamie Bowman
and that went quite well for us, didn't it? Yeah, yeah.
00:24:26
Tom Evans
Oh, you're not going to believe this.
00:24:26
Jamie Bowman
Free one? Yeah. okay
00:24:31
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.
00:24:41
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.
00:24:56
Jamie Bowman
Oh, it's got to be.
00:24:58
Tom Evans
Cook, Strauss, Trott, Peterson, Collingwood, Bell, Pryor.
00:24:59
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.
00:25:24
Jamie Bowman
Tremlett as well.
00:25:24
Tom Evans
yeah
00:25:25
Jamie Bowman
You know, who...
00:25:26
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.
00:25:52
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.
00:26:10
Tom Evans
The only question, I think, is whether it's five seamers or whether Sheridan Bashir gets picked. Yeah.
00:26:17
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?
00:26:22
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:26:26
Jamie Bowman
It's almost like the opposite of last time when they they rested Broad and Anderson, didn't they?
00:26:33
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:26:33
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.
00:26:47
Jamie Bowman
that's that That's what it feels like to me. um
00:26:51
Tom Evans
yeah
00:26:51
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.
00:27:29
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.
00:27:44
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.
00:27:53
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:28:00
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.
00:28:08
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. yeah
00:28:09
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.
00:28:17
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.
00:28:40
Jamie Bowman
you sort of want what because he ah he He could bat at seven and bowl a bit
00:28:42
Tom Evans
Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:46
Jamie Bowman
and um and
00:28:47
Tom Evans
He's the is the backup all rounder rather than the backup spinner.
00:28:48
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, yeah.
00:28:49
Tom Evans
isn Yeah.
00:28:50
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?
00:28:50
Tom Evans
Hmm.
00:28:57
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?
00:29:08
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.
00:29:34
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.
00:29:41
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:29:44
Jamie Bowman
Hmm.
00:29:46
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
00:30:24
Tom Evans
they're looking for those similar attributes. And, you know, a lot of their hunches have come off, you have to say.
00:30:26
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:30
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.
00:30:39
Jamie Bowman
No.
00:30:46
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.
00:30:52
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, I mean, it's a big I think it's a really big series for Crawley, isn't it?
00:30:55
Tom Evans
I think it's. Yeah.
00:30:57
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?
00:31:09
Jamie Bowman
it's not Averaging 30, 35? Something that.
00:31:10
Tom Evans
Yeah..
00:31:12
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.
00:31:23
Jamie Bowman
Cause they think he can take, take the game, take the game to the Aussies. That's the reason.
00:31:27
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.
00:31:54
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.
00:31:55
Tom Evans
Yeah. Yeah.
00:32:02
Jamie Bowman
Big big series for Pope as well. Been a lot of question marks around him.
00:32:05
Tom Evans
yeah
00:32:07
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.
00:32:22
Jamie Bowman
But you do want to...
00:32:23
Tom Evans
Yeah, up the first first test against India in the summer, yeah.
00:32:26
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, you...
00:32:27
Tom Evans
you wouldn't have won that test without that.
00:32:27
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Yeah.
00:32:29
Tom Evans
We'd have lost a series without that Honda he scored, know.
00:32:31
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.
00:32:56
Tom Evans
Yeah, yeah.
00:32:57
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.
00:33:19
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.
00:33:29
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.
00:33:45
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.
00:33:53
Jamie Bowman
quite shot he played in quite a shot he played in the practice game true
00:33:53
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:33:57
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
00:34:06
Jamie Bowman
i doubt it but yeah i'll take your
00:34:07
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.
00:34:19
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.
00:34:43
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.
00:34:46
Tom Evans
don't know.
00:34:53
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.
00:35:03
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.
00:35:19
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.
00:35:30
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.
00:35:48
Tom Evans
Speaking of the press, have you seen some of the the Western
Media Antics and Player Respect
00:35:52
Tom Evans
Australians' coverage of the last few weeks?
00:35:52
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Yeah. It's been terrible.
00:35:55
Tom Evans
ah that They've completely lost their minds.
00:35:57
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. I think they're scared, Tom. I think they're scared. I think they're genuinely worried.
00:36:01
Tom Evans
LAUGHTER
00:36:02
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.
00:36:13
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:36:14
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.
00:36:19
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. yeah
00:36:27
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, not even in the
00:36:31
Tom Evans
And yet they were saying that England was still going on about that time he got stumped at Lourdes.
00:36:36
Jamie Bowman
world.
00:36:37
Tom Evans
But in doing so, that they're still going on about it.
00:36:37
Jamie Bowman
My bugbear...
00:36:41
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:36:41
Tom Evans
And that that came less than 24 hours after Mitchell Stark pretended not to know what a catch was as well.
00:36:46
Jamie Bowman
my My bugbear was when they were calling us crybabies.
00:36:48
Tom Evans
so
00:36:50
Jamie Bowman
was thinking...
00:36:51
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:36:51
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.
00:37:09
Jamie Bowman
So, Jim Hughes, exactly.
00:37:11
Tom Evans
Kim Hughes, yeah.
00:37:13
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.
00:37:23
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.
00:37:27
Jamie Bowman
I
00:37:38
Tom Evans
Nobody's called it that at all in the past two and a half years.
00:37:40
Jamie Bowman
just, I'm sure that's just a dodgy website, isn't it? that one ah but I mean, I mean,
00:37:49
Tom Evans
and I'll take you your word for it, Jamie.
00:37:50
Jamie Bowman
yeah yeah yeah
00:37:50
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:38:03
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.
00:38:16
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?
00:38:27
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.
00:38:41
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.
00:39:00
Jamie Bowman
No, God no.
00:39:02
Jamie Bowman
I
Australia's Lineup and Squad Challenges
00:39:02
Tom Evans
You want them to?
00:39:02
Jamie Bowman
mean, we haven't we haven't really talked about the Aussies batting.
00:39:03
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:39:05
Jamie Bowman
I mean, they've got problems at the...
00:39:05
Tom Evans
Mm-hmm.
00:39:07
Jamie Bowman
Obviously, a new opener is coming in. and we've We've lost the the pantomime villain in Warner, haven't we?
00:39:11
Tom Evans
yeah
00:39:14
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.
00:39:25
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...
00:39:36
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.
00:39:43
Tom Evans
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:39:51
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.
00:40:08
Jamie Bowman
so
00:40:09
Tom Evans
yeah yeah
00:40:09
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.
00:40:17
Tom Evans
Haddon
00:40:20
Jamie Bowman
It's like we've always...
00:40:21
Tom Evans
in particular.
00:40:22
Jamie Bowman
we've always had problems with keepers and and i think I think he's pretty good as well. So, yeah.
00:40:29
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.
00:40:44
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, yeah, he was fantastic.
00:40:45
Tom Evans
And Brad Haddon just came in and
00:40:47
Jamie Bowman
He was fantastic, yeah.
00:40:47
Tom Evans
And the beta's 5-0.
00:40:49
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.
00:40:54
Tom Evans
Horrible to watch, though.
00:40:56
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, so, yeah, let's...
00:40:56
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?
00:41:00
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, let's make sure we get their keeper out. it But, yeah, I mean...
00:41:04
Tom Evans
Yeah, yeah. Fingers crossed.
00:41:06
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.
00:41:21
Tom Evans
Yeah. Yeah.
00:41:23
Jamie Bowman
I mean...
00:41:23
Tom Evans
Yeah. That's what's their system.
00:41:23
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?
00:41:37
Jamie Bowman
They're not young pups like England have been very focused on doing.
00:41:39
Tom Evans
yeah yeah
00:41:43
Jamie Bowman
They've sort of gone with the experienced Sheffield Shield players who've come in. I mean, they do.
00:41:49
Tom Evans
that that source our system maybe a bit more than the England set up to us the county championship.
00:41:54
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.
00:42:08
Jamie Bowman
i do feel like they might get after Boland a bit. He's the one I think they'll be targeting.
00:42:14
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?
00:42:15
Jamie Bowman
So...
00:42:24
Jamie Bowman
yeah
00:42:25
Tom Evans
You know, with the two senior the two other senior fast bowlers being out, lying on the ball from one end.
00:42:29
Jamie Bowman
yeah
00:42:31
Jamie Bowman
yeah
00:42:32
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...
00:42:48
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.
00:42:59
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.
00:43:01
Jamie Bowman
okay
00:43:04
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.
00:43:13
Jamie Bowman
So what are you going with then? Are we going do predictions?
00:43:17
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.
00:43:27
Jamie Bowman
Tom, that's very unpatriotic of you. I'm going to go for free one England.
00:43:34
Tom Evans
Okay.
00:43:35
Jamie Bowman
Okay.
00:43:37
Tom Evans
Okay.
00:43:37
Jamie Bowman
So that balances it out.
00:43:39
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.
00:43:47
Jamie Bowman
but
00:43:49
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
00:43:58
Jamie Bowman
Doesn't even play cricket.
00:44:02
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
Cricket Culture Gripes and Fast Bowler Frustrations
00:44:14
Tom Evans
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?
00:44:52
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.
00:45:08
Jamie Bowman
And also I like going to watch Lancashire there.
00:45:08
Tom Evans
but
00:45:11
Jamie Bowman
Also,
00:45:12
Tom Evans
for for For the record, I've got absolutely nothing against Liverpool Cricket Club. This is entirely a Jamie Bowman thing.
00:45:17
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.
00:45:39
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.
00:45:40
Tom Evans
was
00:46:13
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.
00:46:24
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.
00:46:36
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?
00:46:45
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.
00:47:00
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.
00:47:10
Jamie Bowman
and I think it's slowly gone out of the game a little bit. I understand it. I understand it.
00:47:14
Tom Evans
I think it is.
00:47:15
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.
00:47:26
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.
00:47:41
Jamie Bowman
But we...
00:47:43
Tom Evans
another cricket ground in shotting
00:47:44
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.
00:47:57
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
00:48:34
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?
00:48:43
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.
00:48:55
Jamie Bowman
um and you' you
00:48:57
Tom Evans
more more More people involved in cricket for whatever reason are non-drinkers now, though aren't they?
00:49:03
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.
00:49:16
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.
00:49:30
Tom Evans
How would you know that?
00:49:31
Jamie Bowman
I just want to do that.
00:49:32
Tom Evans
yeah I'm fed up with him. He dropped a catch off me.
00:49:35
Jamie Bowman
sp up the room yeah
00:49:36
Tom Evans
yeah
00:49:36
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
00:49:56
Tom Evans
Okay. I think it's very difficult to argue with that.
00:50:03
Jamie Bowman
yeah very good
00:50:03
Tom Evans
Mark Nicholas there, a famous moment from Ashes
00:50:07
Jamie Bowman
hear your one-on-one.
00:50:10
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.
00:50:25
Tom Evans
Right?
00:50:25
Jamie Bowman
yeah
00:50:26
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.
00:50:38
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.
00:50:50
Tom Evans
ah
00:50:51
Jamie Bowman
Really tough.
00:50:52
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.
00:51:05
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.
00:51:19
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:51:20
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.
00:51:34
Jamie Bowman
yeah
00:51:34
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.
00:51:47
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.
00:51:54
Tom Evans
Well, they they stick in their mind. I mean, um who was it?
00:51:57
Jamie Bowman
to put they The up-piging McGrath.
00:51:58
Tom Evans
know stokes who got
00:51:59
Jamie Bowman
McGrath.
00:52:00
Tom Evans
Stokes who sold Warner on 99 in the last Ashes in Australia, wasn't it?
00:52:01
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:52:04
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. McGrath-Avon, was it?
00:52:05
Tom Evans
There was a few.
00:52:06
Jamie Bowman
McGrath.
00:52:06
Tom Evans
McGrath of Orn when he got his big 100 in the 2005 series.
00:52:09
Jamie Bowman
Bad luck, you Aussies.
00:52:09
Tom Evans
Hmm?
00:52:11
Jamie Bowman
yeah Bad luck, you Aussies, I think, was Boyd's. Yeah.
00:52:15
Tom Evans
Boycott, loser, get in the commentary box.
00:52:17
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, but yeah no, you you're totally right.
00:52:17
Tom Evans
um I mean, you know. Yes.
00:52:19
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.
00:52:20
Tom Evans
Yeah.
00:52:26
Tom Evans
yes yeah
00:52:32
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...
00:52:42
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?
00:52:57
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.
00:53:04
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Yeah. Creases are quite big, aren't they?
00:53:08
Tom Evans
um
00:53:09
Jamie Bowman
You know, they're quite big.
00:53:12
Tom Evans
There's plenty of room, yeah. yeah Sometimes the crease seems bigger than my run-up. It's... ah it's
00:53:16
Jamie Bowman
yeah yeah
00:53:18
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?
00:53:25
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?
00:53:38
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.
00:53:55
Tom Evans
And that, it was the the seventh ball of the over that took the wicket.
00:53:58
Jamie Bowman
yeah yeah yeah
00:53:59
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.
00:54:13
Jamie Bowman
or you could or you could it could be two runs i don't know it could be could be
00:54:20
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
00:54:24
Jamie Bowman
yeah yeah i'm all for it though tom i'll give you that one
00:54:36
Jamie Bowman
we've marked our own homework there tom well yeah
00:54:37
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.
Engaging Cricket Quizzes and Player Performances
00:54:42
Tom Evans
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?
00:54:55
Jamie Bowman
ah Yeah, I'll go first then. I'll go first.
00:54:57
Tom Evans
OK.
00:54:58
Jamie Bowman
So I'm going to keep on the Ashes theme, Tom.
00:55:02
Tom Evans
ah huh
00:55:02
Jamie Bowman
i i did the i I tried this one myself earlier and I got... i got
00:55:09
Tom Evans
You're asking me what which quizzes. Is this why you're asking me which online quizzes I've been doing?
00:55:13
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, because I've been doing a few and thinking which was a good one.
00:55:14
Tom Evans
Just to make sure. i
00:55:18
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.
00:55:33
Tom Evans
Asher Century in Australia.
00:55:34
Jamie Bowman
Yes. Yes. since two thousand and five
00:55:39
Tom Evans
Okay. Paul Collingwood.
00:55:41
Jamie Bowman
yes
00:55:43
Tom Evans
Kevin Peterson.
00:55:44
Jamie Bowman
yes
00:55:46
Tom Evans
Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Jonathan Trott,
00:55:48
Jamie Bowman
yeah yeah Yes.
00:55:54
Tom Evans
Ian Bell, Matthew Pryor, Ben Stokes, David Milan, Johnny Birstow.
00:55:55
Jamie Bowman
Yes.
00:55:58
Jamie Bowman
Yes. Oh, oh you've got them all. You've got them all.
00:56:07
Tom Evans
In order. In order, I think you'll find.
00:56:11
Jamie Bowman
All right, I'll try and make this more complicated. How many has Alistair Cook got?
00:56:18
Tom Evans
Alistair Cook got one at Perth in 06-07. He got Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney,
00:56:33
Tom Evans
And that massive one in Melbourne, 2017-18, five.
00:56:39
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.
00:56:52
Tom Evans
Yeah, Peterson, Trot, Bairstow.
00:56:53
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. Yeah.
00:56:57
Jamie Bowman
Very good. Very good.
00:57:01
Tom Evans
Very good, you say? Well.
00:57:02
Jamie Bowman
Very good. Well, see, i got i got them I got them all apart from, I'd forgotten prior got one.
00:57:09
Tom Evans
Right, I've got a bit of a warm-up question and then the main event for you.
00:57:12
Jamie Bowman
Oh, no. Go on.
00:57:14
Tom Evans
Okay. ah This century,
00:57:18
Jamie Bowman
Okay. Okay.
00:57:19
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
00:57:29
Tom Evans
Mason
00:57:31
Jamie Bowman
Okay. Debut in an away ashes test. um Okay. It's got to be Mason crane.
00:57:40
Tom Evans
Crane. Mason Crane.
00:57:43
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
00:57:54
Tom Evans
Yes, there is one other, well, one other spinner, another one who bowls, spin when he bowls, but doesn't often bowl.
00:58:03
Jamie Bowman
um Scott Balfwick.
00:58:06
Tom Evans
Scott Bothwick.
00:58:10
Tom Evans
Two more in the same test as Scott Bothwick.
00:58:12
Jamie Bowman
Really? Really?
00:58:13
Tom Evans
Yes.
00:58:13
Jamie Bowman
Oh, wow. Scott Balfwick.
00:58:25
Jamie Bowman
Oh,
00:58:28
Jamie Bowman
Ricky. No, not Ricky. It's not a Ricky, is it?
00:58:32
Tom Evans
that There are no rickies, can confirm.
00:58:33
Jamie Bowman
No. Oh. So it's another... Am I looking at another spinner?
00:58:39
Tom Evans
No, no more spinners.
00:58:40
Jamie Bowman
No more spinning.
00:58:41
Tom Evans
Like said, there's another guy who bowls spin, but it's not his main suit.
00:58:44
Jamie Bowman
Okay. ah
00:58:47
Jamie Bowman
not mil Not Milan, is it?
00:58:50
Tom Evans
No, no. David Milan, i think you made his debut at home.
00:58:53
Jamie Bowman
So this century, 2000...
00:58:59
Jamie Bowman
Must be ones from the early ones in 2001-ish.
00:59:04
Tom Evans
No.
00:59:04
Jamie Bowman
No. Oh, right. Okay. in
00:59:06
Tom Evans
No.
00:59:07
Jamie Bowman
I'm doing well there, aren't
00:59:09
Tom Evans
The most recent four.
00:59:09
Jamie Bowman
What's that? Two out of eight.
00:59:11
Tom Evans
You've got two so far.
00:59:11
Jamie Bowman
Two out of eight.
00:59:12
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.
00:59:23
Tom Evans
There are three more from the 13-14 series who made their debut.
00:59:26
Jamie Bowman
Okay. Um, thirteen 13, Sorry, this isn't very good radio, is it?
00:59:38
Jamie Bowman
No, you have to give us a clue, Tom, sorry.
00:59:41
Tom Evans
Okay. um ah Mason Crane made his debut in 1718. Yep.
00:59:47
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
00:59:47
Tom Evans
The other two from that series have something in common with one another that's based on some...
00:59:55
Jamie Bowman
is there an over Is there an Overton?
00:59:59
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.
01:00:08
Tom Evans
So Craig Overton is indeed one of them.
01:00:08
Jamie Bowman
no Craig Overton. Yeah, yeah. Overton.
01:00:13
Tom Evans
I specify Craig Overton because not Jamie's own, but another person in a similar situation
01:00:15
Jamie Bowman
And not Jamie Overton.
01:00:22
Tom Evans
of having a brother who went on to play for England.
01:00:23
Jamie Bowman
Oh, Tom Curran.
01:00:25
Tom Evans
Tom Curran, yeah.
01:00:26
Jamie Bowman
Yes, Tom Curran.
01:00:28
Tom Evans
Okay, so you are missing a wicketkeeper, a seamer, a batter and an all-rounder.
01:00:35
Jamie Bowman
A wicketkeeper.
01:00:39
Jamie Bowman
James Foster?
01:00:42
Tom Evans
No, no, he would have, no. He would have been this century, wouldn't he? But not in away ashes.
01:00:49
Jamie Bowman
Wicked Keeper. It's not prior then. 21.22.
01:00:52
Jamie Bowman
21.22.
01:00:53
Tom Evans
No, the Wicked Keepers from 21-22, the extremely unmemorable last test of that series.
01:00:58
Jamie Bowman
Wicked Keeper.
01:01:03
Jamie Bowman
and twenty two
01:01:06
Jamie Bowman
Not just Butler.
01:01:08
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.
01:01:17
Jamie Bowman
No. Mum
01:01:18
Tom Evans
ah Sam Billings is the wicketkeeper.
01:01:20
Jamie Bowman
Bellings, of course. Yes.
01:01:22
Tom Evans
ah The other three you haven't got from 2013-14. One of them, a very lanky fast bowler.
01:01:31
Jamie Bowman
Steve Finn?
01:01:32
Tom Evans
Never played another test.
01:01:35
Jamie Bowman
Have played another test?
01:01:39
Jamie Bowman
No. I can't.
01:01:40
Tom Evans
No, Boyd Rankin.
01:01:41
Jamie Bowman
No. Lloyd Rankin. He's Irish.
01:01:45
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.
01:02:02
Tom Evans
Batter, an occasional leg spinner.
01:02:04
Jamie Bowman
Oh, um, balance.
01:02:07
Tom Evans
Gary Balance. Yep.
01:02:08
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:02:08
Tom Evans
And the other one, um
01:02:12
Tom Evans
Durham player.
01:02:15
Jamie Bowman
It's always a Durham player, isn't it? Um,
01:02:18
Tom Evans
All-rounder.
01:02:20
Jamie Bowman
oh, um, oh, I know the big lad.
01:02:27
Tom Evans
Possibly the most famous cricketer in the country.
01:02:30
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
01:02:32
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.
01:02:42
Tom Evans
Let's see if you do any better with the with the main course.
01:02:44
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
01:02:47
Tom Evans
This century...
01:02:54
Tom Evans
a frankly incredible 25 England players have played their last tests for England. um ah on an Ashes tour in Australia.
01:03:07
Tom Evans
That is an average of more than four a series.
01:03:11
Jamie Bowman
Okay.
01:03:12
Tom Evans
So we basically lose a player pretty much every time we play a test in Australia.
01:03:17
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:03:19
Tom Evans
I was astonished by how many there were.
01:03:22
Tom Evans
the Ashes cycle is such a big deal, I guess, that that plays into it.
01:03:24
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:03:25
Tom Evans
um A few of them are names that have come up already in the course of our conversation.
01:03:30
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:03:30
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.
01:03:37
Jamie Bowman
Okay.
01:03:40
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:03:41
Tom Evans
There are 25. I will give you the Mark Nicholas seal of approval if you get...
01:03:47
Jamie Bowman
25? <unk>n gra Swan.
01:03:49
Tom Evans
If you get...
01:03:49
Jamie Bowman
Graham Swan.
01:03:50
Tom Evans
13. Yeah.
01:03:51
Jamie Bowman
Graham Swan.
01:03:51
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.
01:03:55
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:03:58
Tom Evans
He did, yeah.
01:04:00
Jamie Bowman
Um...
01:04:02
Jamie Bowman
I was going to say Trot, but he had a couple in the West Indies, didn't he, afterwards?
01:04:06
Tom Evans
He played as an opener in the West Indies that didn't work.
01:04:07
Jamie Bowman
That's right. Yeah. Yeah. um
01:04:15
Tom Evans
You mentioned a few one-test wonders in the last...
01:04:17
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. So a few of them.
01:04:19
Tom Evans
Set up.
01:04:20
Jamie Bowman
So like Crane.
01:04:21
Tom Evans
Mason Crane, yep.
01:04:22
Jamie Bowman
Yeah. um Rankin.
01:04:28
Tom Evans
Boyd Rankin has since played a test match, but not for England.
01:04:30
Jamie Bowman
but Not for England.
01:04:31
Tom Evans
so
01:04:31
Jamie Bowman
um Collingwood he retired didn't he
01:04:35
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
01:04:41
Jamie Bowman
yeah Collingwood retired yeah yeah yeah oh Harmson
01:04:42
Tom Evans
um the others were all long lists of all the other series. Yeah. There's Collingwood leaving with his head held high.
01:04:58
Tom Evans
No, no. He played against the Aussies 2009.
01:05:01
Jamie Bowman
He played against the Oldies. He did.
01:05:04
Tom Evans
He played the last couple of tests in that series.
01:05:05
Jamie Bowman
He did. He did. um
01:05:09
Jamie Bowman
Hoggard.
01:05:11
Tom Evans
No.
01:05:11
Jamie Bowman
No. He's going to go through the 05 team, trying to think.
01:05:14
Tom Evans
Yeah, yeah.
01:05:15
Jamie Bowman
they yeah not They had that terrible tour, didn't they?
01:05:16
Tom Evans
and
01:05:18
Jamie Bowman
Vaughan?
01:05:19
Tom Evans
Yes, there are. Let me see. One, two, three of the 2005 team.
01:05:25
Jamie Bowman
vaughan
01:05:26
Tom Evans
Just calling what you've already got. No, not Vaughn.
01:05:29
Jamie Bowman
Triscoffic?
01:05:31
Tom Evans
No, no. He... ah so i think when to gothic but He didn't make the 067 tour.
Player Retirements and Historical Series Insights
01:05:39
Jamie Bowman
No, he wasn't well, was he?
01:05:39
Tom Evans
He had to pull out because he wasn't well.
01:05:41
Jamie Bowman
um
01:05:44
Jamie Bowman
Oh my God. 25. Garren Jones? Garren Jones?
01:05:49
Tom Evans
and messa
01:05:50
Jamie Bowman
gerin jones
01:05:51
Tom Evans
Garant Jones, yes.
01:05:56
Jamie Bowman
Good. Um, uh, no, not yet.
01:05:58
Tom Evans
start doing clues yet? Okay.
01:06:01
Jamie Bowman
Um, uh,
01:06:07
Jamie Bowman
not flint off. He played it. He played at home, didn't he? Um, yeah.
01:06:11
Tom Evans
Yeah, he quit after the 2009 series.
01:06:14
Jamie Bowman
After. Oh no.
01:06:15
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.
01:06:22
Jamie Bowman
ah Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Milan?
01:06:28
Tom Evans
David Milan, yes. He is one of four players to have played his last test in the 21-22 series.
01:06:36
Jamie Bowman
Oh, I've got Carberry.
01:06:39
Tom Evans
Michael Carberry, yes. He actually had a decent series, I think, in 2013-14.
01:06:42
Jamie Bowman
He's all right, wasn't he?
01:06:43
Tom Evans
He did very little wrong that the rest of the team didn't do. But yeah, he hasn't played since.
01:06:47
Jamie Bowman
Hamid?
01:06:49
Tom Evans
Hasib Hamid, you're motoring now. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Only 17 to go. Yeah.
01:06:56
Jamie Bowman
um
01:06:57
Tom Evans
seventeens ago
01:06:58
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?
01:07:10
Tom Evans
No, no.
01:07:10
Jamie Bowman
No.
01:07:10
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.
01:07:20
Jamie Bowman
Tremlett?
01:07:21
Tom Evans
Chris Tremlett, yeah.
01:07:25
Jamie Bowman
he was a He's a lost player, isn't he? God, he was good.
01:07:28
Tom Evans
Yeah, yeah. That was great in 2010-11. Took again in and it didn't work.
01:07:34
Jamie Bowman
No.
01:07:35
Tom Evans
clues.
01:07:35
Jamie Bowman
Go on, then.
01:07:37
Tom Evans
ah Opening batter, weird stance.
01:07:41
Jamie Bowman
Burn?
01:07:41
Tom Evans
s Sorry. Rory Burns, yep. ah One of England's best ever white ball batters.
01:07:50
Tom Evans
World Cup winner, a genuine all-time great.
01:07:51
Jamie Bowman
Oh, Hales.
01:07:53
Tom Evans
No.
01:07:56
Jamie Bowman
Bairstow? No.
01:07:58
Tom Evans
No, no. um Huge, huge role in the World Cup final that we won.
01:08:01
Jamie Bowman
Oh, Roy.
01:08:02
Tom Evans
Nope. nope
01:08:05
Tom Evans
Wicketkeeper, occasionally.
01:08:08
Tom Evans
Lancashire.
01:08:10
Jamie Bowman
Butler.
01:08:11
Tom Evans
Just but, yeah. ah
01:08:13
Jamie Bowman
But what tour was
01:08:14
Tom Evans
The guy...
01:08:15
Jamie Bowman
Last one.
01:08:16
Tom Evans
Hmm?
01:08:17
Jamie Bowman
Was that the last tour? 20 years?
01:08:18
Tom Evans
Yeah, yeah.
01:08:19
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:08:19
Tom Evans
I was surprised by that as well, but never got he never got a go with Boswell.
01:08:21
Jamie Bowman
never played after that wow ah corin yeah
01:08:23
Tom Evans
No? You think it had suited him, but anyway. and One of the guys with the brother who we mentioned before.
01:08:32
Tom Evans
Yep. ah Another seamer, Nottinghamshire. um Never really looked the part at international level.
01:08:43
Tom Evans
Had a few tests, but his last one was on his tour.
01:08:44
Jamie Bowman
ronan jones
01:08:47
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.
01:08:56
Jamie Bowman
yeah
01:08:56
Tom Evans
And this guy probably went in his in his place. Yeah. um
01:09:03
Jamie Bowman
no
01:09:04
Tom Evans
No, pretty unremorable Jake Ball.
01:09:07
Jamie Bowman
Jake Paul. Jake Paul.
01:09:08
Tom Evans
Yeah. Let's see. There are a total of...
01:09:13
Jamie Bowman
Oh, Ollie Robinson.
01:09:15
Tom Evans
Ollie Robinson? No, no.
01:09:19
Tom Evans
He would have played 2022, I think.
01:09:20
Jamie Bowman
He did, didn't he? He played at home.
01:09:22
Tom Evans
And he played the Ashes in 23 as well. Probably got injured.
01:09:26
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:09:26
Tom Evans
There are a total of one, two,
01:09:30
Tom Evans
three, four... Spinners.
01:09:36
Jamie Bowman
Four spinners.
01:09:37
Tom Evans
Including one from the 2005 Ashes.
01:09:40
Jamie Bowman
Ashley Giles?
01:09:41
Tom Evans
Ashley Giles.
01:09:43
Jamie Bowman
um
01:09:47
Jamie Bowman
Oh, it was the one with the specs.
01:09:52
Tom Evans
ah Did he wear specs?
01:09:54
Tom Evans
You could be right. Yorkshire, the one I'm thinking of.
01:09:58
Tom Evans
Famously hit for four by Steve Water, which is 100 at Sydney.
01:10:01
Jamie Bowman
Yeah, yeah. Our coach.
01:10:05
Tom Evans
Yeah, he is. Yeah, yeah.
01:10:06
Jamie Bowman
oh
01:10:06
Tom Evans
You've basically got him, Richard Dawson.
01:10:08
Jamie Bowman
Richard Dawson. Richard Dawson.
01:10:09
Tom Evans
um From that same series, there are three seamers. One um very good, long-serving seamer alongside Darren Goff, opened the bowling.
01:10:21
Jamie Bowman
yeah. Caddick.
01:10:25
Tom Evans
Caddick, yeah. um One former England coach
01:10:30
Tom Evans
prior to McCollum.
01:10:32
Jamie Bowman
That was Ashley Giles, wasn't it? No. Oh, oh um
01:10:39
Jamie Bowman
oh. Oh. No, go on.
01:10:43
Tom Evans
Chris Silverwood.
01:10:43
Jamie Bowman
Chris Silverwood. Cool.
01:10:45
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.
01:11:00
Jamie Bowman
Oh, Montepanita.
01:11:03
Tom Evans
Monty Panesar. Yeah, he took him on twenty thirteen fourteen and he never played for England again.
01:11:06
Jamie Bowman
Never played again. Yeah, Montepanita.
01:11:08
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.
01:11:26
Jamie Bowman
Ian Bell.
01:11:29
Tom Evans
No, no. These were literally reasons that the team game for getting rid of it.
01:11:32
Jamie Bowman
Evan Peterson.
01:11:33
Tom Evans
Kevin Peterson,
01:11:34
Jamie Bowman
say I was going to say him straight away.
01:11:36
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
01:11:40
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.
01:11:50
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.
01:12:01
Jamie Bowman
You can have a lot of editing to make me look less stupid.
01:12:05
Tom Evans
I'm not going to do that.
01:12:08
Jamie Bowman
Well, we've got we've got ah an hour and 18 minutes here
01:12:11
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.
01:12:22
Jamie Bowman
here. Shall we speak between the tests? I think we should.
01:12:26
Tom Evans
I guess so. Yeah. No reason why not. Is that people be hungry for more, more cricket content at this time?
01:12:31
Jamie Bowman
Yeah.
01:12:32
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.
01:12:45
Tom Evans
But you never know.
01:12:46
Jamie Bowman
Hi, England.
01:12:50
Tom Evans
we're we're We're rooting for you even now i think you'll lose.
01:12:52
Jamie Bowman
Good luck. I didn't think you'd lose. tom just Tom just hates his country.
01:12:56
Tom Evans
but
01:12:59
Tom Evans
It's often been sad. um
01:13:01
Jamie Bowman
Why do you hate England, Tom?
01:13:01
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.
01:13:22
Jamie Bowman
Bye.
01:13:22
Tom Evans
Bye-bye.