Harry Everett Ashes Diary

Harry Everett went out to The Ashes and reported the action for County Cricket Matters. His vlogs are on our & his social media, but he also wrote a county themed Ashes diary. 

https://x.com/HarryEverett_14/media

My Ashes trip started with me wangling myself into the Barmy Army pre-Ashes party in the Caulfield pub next to the Optus, where I caught up with fellow County Cricket commentators Dan Norcross and Don Topley, both working for the BA. 

The main pre-match chat was what Ben Stokes would do if he won the toss. No one’s ever won a test at Perth having won the toss and bowled, but Bazball loves the chase. Fortunately, common sense prevailed, but England’s batting was poor that they were all out in 32 overs. A decent first day’s bowling display got fans excited, but their second day bowling was drastically worse. There were no clear plans, they bowled to Travis Head’s strengths who did not try and bash it from first ball, no he got himself in then cashed in off England’s bowling gifts. 

I had a few spare days then to catch up with friends just coming out for this one test. Cottesloe beach cricket was brilliant, with poms all over the city finding different ways of entertaining themselves! I got myself a game for my old Sandford captain Richard Foan’s club and I trained with Gloucestershire’s Ed Middleton at Gosnells’ grade club, which has previously hosted Ben Green and Luis Reece amongst others. The facilities there were amazing. The ‘Indoor Training Facility’ (ITF) was free for any players to use any time with four lanes and a bowling machine – just for a club with Ed the only paid player! Their specific spin bowling coach spent an hour helping me without me even asking for it, whilst even fourth graders took 45 minutes of catches with the designated (also volunteer) fielding coach! Ex-players want to give their time up to help in Australia and it makes for brilliant, twice a week training, plus fitness nights, all of which goes some way to explaining why Australian cricket is stronger than English, right from the grass roots, despite them having less than half the population we have. 

I took the ‘redeye’ flight from Perth to Brisbane the night before the day-night test. It really did hit me for six, but what hurt me more was England’s pathetic efforts to hit Australia for six! It seems they simply are not good enough to score regularly against disciplined bowlers who don’t give much away on much larger oval venues! Steve Smith completely ‘alpha’d’ Jofra Archer in a frankly embarrassing second innings showing, these Aussie batters are used to pace and not fazed by quick long hops! Australia did their talking on the pitch with their superior cricket skills. England kept making excuses and moaning about Real Time Sniko, which was equally bad all series, but against both sides. 

Sorry to those of you stuck at home paying for TNT coverage. Such an insult to county cricket commentators that they use non-cricket specialists for main UK TV coverage! Imagine if English football coverage decided they wouldn’t use Premier League commentators promoted for football internationals; no we’ll use rugby commentators. For cricket we’ll use a cycling commentator to save money?! 

I did spend a stormy night in Brisbane with the TNT party, including Matt Prior and Steven Finn who, we were delighted to hear, were equally frustrated with England’s lack of effort, commitment and positive body language. Very satisfying to hear from two pros who have won tests with England in this country making great points as to how important it is to get the ball thrown to the wicketkeeper at the stumps every ball, do not let the batters ever coast a single and to protect bowlers from the baying crowd, getting a non-bowling batter doing the ‘Jonathan Trott role’ of fielding in front of the Aussie fans etc. Although Aussie fans are not anywhere near as aggressive and degrading as they used to be, in fact the deludedly positive Barmy Army kept outsinging the Aussies throughout the series, however poor their side’s showing. 

One TNT chat I did enjoy listening back to was between Cook and Swann regarding Crawley and co’s egos. How internationals should go back and win their counties matches. If you’re the best player, the only international test bat in the game, you should be able to adapt to slower pitches and bowling, not simply ignore being dismissed by highly skilled 70mph ‘trundlers’ because they are not as quick as some test bowlers on rock hard test pitches! 

Adelaide: the home of three of the southpaws in Australia’s top six, although Jake Weatherald has moved a bit in domestic cricket, Travis Head and Alex Carey are still best buddies, and they showed it, fighting over the man of the match gong with sublime innings. I cannot remember a better wicketkeeping performance over a series than Alex Carey’s, and this is particularly relevant when Bazball picked not even Surrey’s best wicketkeeper for the top spot in the country. Jamie Smith being cheered each time he caught even a sitter from a fielder thrown back to him, was quite appropriate as catches really do win matches and series, and he along with Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Brydon Carse, (even Will Jacks in the last), joined him in dropping dollies. 

The series was done in three tests as I sadly expected. I did stay on for the (probably more infamous than Perth’s) two-day MCG test, but only as it was cheaper to fly home from Melbourne on New Year’s Eve and I was offered free hospitality box tickets by a CEO of a sports company particularly enjoying my vlog updates he had seen on X! 

Do not let a bazball slog win on a very green pitch against an Aussie side, without three of their great four bowlers, (the state for most of the series remember) take away from England’s abysmal tour. Do not forget there was no surprise injury concerns at all for England. Wood, Archer, Atkinson and finally Stokes breaking down was no surprise when they do not play County Championship cricket to get their bowling loads and fitness up! They spend so much time being ‘managed’ and only bowling four over spells or even worse 5-ball ‘sets’ in August, so no wonder they cannot do what even Australia’s second-string attack did.  

And although Bethell is an exciting talent it just makes it more frustrating that the wrong call was made with Pope again, and that Tongue was not given the new ball earlier in the series. Stokes delusionally sticking to Division Two Durham teammate Carse and Potts. To be fair, Carse will not give up and can break partnerships bowling the donkey overs, but he is not a pitch up and swing it new ball bowler. Potts was left until the last dead rubber and fed to the lions with odd field sets and on a hiding to nothing. He bowled increasingly poorly on what had to be the flattest pitch of the series. This to ensure Cricket Australia got five days of ticket sales in after the two two-dayers! 

Extras and sundries: Stokes had a poor series with the bat. Worst Career Averages for batters with 200+ innings: Anderson, Broad, Boucher, Stokes. 

Boland (probably the least talented batter in the series) applied himself better than most of England’s tail-we too often lost 4-40 at the end. 

Brook is the most infuriating generational talent, would score so many more runs if he applied himself and thought before he swung the willow. 

Duckett had more credit in the bank pre-series than Crawley, but looked burntout and kept fiddling at balls you can get away with at Trent Bridge, but clearly not in Australia. His highest score in 10 innings was the 42 in the last on the flattest pitch. 

No fielding coach but England had a spin coach and then didn’t play a spinner! Jeetan Patel with the cruisiest job in cricket? (Or a few English employee contenders in that category!?) 

England won almost every day one, playing tests like ODIs and, as showed in New Zealand in the bizarre pre Ashes tour, play ODIs like T20s; that’s an obvious other piece having neglected the format we won the World Cup in in 2019. Imagine Bobby Moore and co being told after 1966 we’re not going to play over 90 minutes anymore, but football over 80 minutes with different rules and playing for different teams...