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Updated 23-Jul-2023 • Published 13-Jun-2023

Ashes chatter: #PoliteEnquiries: Glenn Maxwell for England!?!

By ESPNcricinfo staff

Overview

Keep up with all the news and gossip from around the men's and women's Ashes

#PoliteEnquiries: Glenn Maxwell for England!?!

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Brian Harman meet Ricky Ponting

British Open leader Brian Harman is amused that he has an unlikely sporting doppelganger - but laughs that his lookalike Ricky Ponting is one "handsome fella".
The American, who's leading the Open by five shots going into Sunday's final round, was quite amused when the social media buzz about him being a lookalike of the former Australian captain was brought up as an unlikely topic at his post-round news conference on Saturday.
But the 36-year-old from Sea Island, Georgia, evidently needs to brush up on his cricket terms as he got a rare old grilling about the game.
Asked whether he'd heard anything about being a left-handed but otherwise spitting image of Ponting, a similar diminutive, gritty golf-loving sportsman who's working in the commentary box 50 miles away at the Manchester Test, Harman smiled: "Yeah, I hear a lot of Ricky, Ricky's out there.
"Yeah, I look like him...handsome fella."
Further quizzed on what he knew about cricket, Harman continued: "Okay, on my first trip here, it was always on TV, Sky Sports Cricket.
"I think I would be the typical American cricket fan in that. What's the one where they just try to knock the hell out of the thing all the time? Over 20? I enjoy that where the guy was just knocking it over the fence."
Did Harman actually know what was going on or did he just like 'the bashing'? "Well, they're running back and forth. Is that a run every time? I'm getting there. I've got an open mind. I like it!"
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Aussie golfers engrossed in Ashes battle

From AAP
Cameron Smith has been left to daydream about an extraordinary Australian sporting double when he tees off his British Open title defence at Hoylake while his cricketing compatriots resume battle in the fourth Test across the other side of the River Mersey.
As for his compatriots at the Open, the action going on 55 miles away at Old Trafford has been an irresistible distraction, given the outlandish prospect of one of the great days for Australian sport looming for Sunday.
With the final day of the Test clashing with the denouement at the 151st Open, it was an English journalist who whetted Smith's appetite by asking him whether he fancied Australia retaining the Ashes on the same day he retained the Claret Jug.
"Yeah, that would be unreal," responded Smith, eyes lighting up.
He said he'd been watching the the first three "amazing" Tests and had been listening on the radio or watching on TV whenever the chance arose while warming up at Royal Liverpool.
"I'm a cricket fan when I'm down in Australia and the Big Bash is on, but it's been hard to watch the Ashes, given how we've been playing events through most of it. But I always manage to keep an eye on The Ashes as well.
"Hopefully, the Aussie boys can get it done this week. Going into a fifth Test with the series still undecided could be a bad thing, but I'd just like them to get it done now."
He's not the only one. Min Woo Lee got so engrossed in the series that he managed to get to Headingley to watch the opening day of the third Test and see his pal Mitch Marsh smash a century.
"It was awesome, my first time at the Ashes, and I don't know why but Mitch has batted awesome every time I've seen him play. He might need to give me a ticket every time I'm nearby," smiled Lee.
Marsh did well enough on Wednesday too, scoring another half-century on another fascinatingly-poised day in the series. When it concludes next week at the Oval, Lee hopes to be there again - hopefully as Open champion.
The golfers are not the only Australian sports personalities over in England who have been getting behind Pat Cummins' men. F1 driver Oscar Piastri visited the team at Lord's in the the build-up to the second Test, alongside Geelong's AFL legend Joel Selwood.
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McCullum set to unleash Stokes the racehorse

Brendon McCullum's two sporting interests are set to collide when a racehorse of his that he named after England's Test captain, Ben Stokes, makes its debut at a meet in Cambridge, New Zealand, on Thursday.
"Stokes", a three-year-old gelding bred by McCullum and trained by Kurtis Pertab at the England's coach's stables in Matamata in Waikato, will line up in the Cambridge Equine Hospital 970.
"He has trained on well from his trials, I couldn’t be happier with him,” Pertab told Racing News in New Zealand. “It will just come down to raceday experience and whether he is sharp enough against raceday pressure."
McCullum displayed his passion for horses during England's Test tour of New Zealand earlier this year, when he sacked off training prior to the Wellington Test, and took the players to watch another of his horses, "Defibrillate", in action in the Herbie Dyke Stakes at Te Rapa.
Ominously, on that occasion, McCullum's horse made all the early running, but was reeled in in the closing stages. He'll be hoping for a reverse of that fortunes when the Ashes conclude later this month.
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Starc using his wife Alyssa Healy's bat

A few years ago a story did the rounds that Alyssa Healy had claimed one of Mitchell Starc’s bats.
Starc has now repaid the favour by using one of Healy’s. It started last season in Australia and has continued into the men’s Ashes.
"It's a little bit lighter,” he explained. “[Anrich] Nortje was bowling pretty fast through the summer, so I used a lighter bat. She didn't know it was gone, so it was fine."
"I was cleaning out a few cricket bags at home, she was away on a tour. I said, 'you know there's three bats in this bag' and she didn't know. I said, 'there's two now, the other's in my bag'. It's one-all because she took one of mine a few years ago.”
Whereas when Healy used Starc’s bat she cut a piece off the handle, only a more minor adjustment was needed this time. "I put an extra grip on it because the handle is a bit small,” he said.
The concurrent Ashes series have enabled the pair to spend more time together than the international schedules often allows. Healy was able to watch the World Test Championship final before joining her Ashes series, while Starc spent the first couple of days of the Women’s Test at Trent Bridge.
In the gap before Old Trafford, Starc is now off to Bristol for the first ODI with Australia still needing a win to retain the Ashes after losing the T20I series 2-1.
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Barberball

An amusing story emerging this morning with Alex Carey again the centre of attention, but this time a case of mistaken identity.
It started when Alastair Cook on Test Match Special said a number of the Australians had been for a haircut in Leeds and one of them, identified as Carey, had not paid.
The Sun, in its finest tradition, went and found the barber in question who confirmed one of the players had not paid. But all is not what it appears.
Steven Smith took to Threads to defend Carey's reputation. CA clarified that the player in question was not Carey – who hasn't had a haircut since the team were in London – and the situation arose because it was a cash-only premises. The player did not have any on him and his phone was unable to be used to withdraw some. He instead paid by international transfer and would be taking the receipt in on Monday to clear up any misunderstanding.
After Carey’s role in the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, he may not have trusted anyone not to go rogue with a haircut anyway.
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Paine: England ripe for the picking

Tim Paine, Pat Cummins' predecessor as Australia captain, believes that England are "ripe for the picking" and that they have "taken it a step too far" with their approach to the series.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Paine said: "England have probably taken it a step too far, and that ultra-positive approach has actually gone outside of their cricket skills. The declaration [in the first Test], the way they are talking in the media. The whole thing has been completely taken over the top.
He added that there is "no doubt" that Australia's 2023 vintage are a better team than the one he captained to a two-all draw in England four years ago, predicting that they will win two of the last three Tests for a first away Ashes series victory since 2019.
"There’s no doubt about how desperate our guys will be to finish the job off," Paine said. "They won’t get a better opportunity than this. The truth is that England are ripe for the picking and I’m confident we’ll win the series and retain the Ashes outright.
"I’m going for 4-1 depending on if [Mark] Wood turns up because he can bowl a spell that could blow a Test wide open. The scary thing though is that I still think we’re getting better… This is a more experienced and calmer Australia team. It’s no doubt a better cricket team. One-on-one, there is only Joe Root and [Ben] Stokes that could get into the Australia side. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and we’re seeing it in this series."
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Alyssa Healy ‘more of a pro’ than Alex Carey, says Sophie Ecclestone

Last year at Lord’s, it was England’s women at the centre of a spirit of cricket kerfuffle, when Charlie Dean’s infamous run-out at the non-striker’s end by Deepti Sharma handed India a 3-0 sweep of their ODI series.
Sophie Ecclestone, however, is confident that her team won’t be thrust back into the same moral maze that the men’s Ashes combatants are currently navigating, because Alyssa Healy, Australia women’s captain and wicketkeeper, is “more of a pro” than her male counterpart, Alex Carey.
“To be honest I wasn’t really watching it. I haven’t had too much interest in that,” Ecclestone said at The Oval on Tuesday. “Jonny is obviously a bit upset about it, but if Alyssa did that… I think she’s more of a pro to not do that so we need to just move on from it now.
“Obviously it’s not ideal, personally I don’t want to win games like that,” Ecclestone said, recalling the emotions that were on display in September, when England’s gripping run-chase was ended 16 runs short of victory by Sharma’s sharp practice.
“Obviously we don’t want it to happen again but I think on both sides we’d like to think we’re more professional than to do that ourselves.”
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Carey handed iconic role

It's been a big few days for Alex Carey...he has been handed one of the iconic roles in Australian cricket: singing the team victory song - Under the Southern cross.
Nathan Lyon has had the role since it was given to him by Mike Hussey, but with Lyon's series ended by a calf injury a replacement was needed and it has gone to Australia's wicketkeeper.
Speaking before the Lord's Test, which was Lyon's 100th consecutive match, he was asked about the team song.
“'I’m not nearly as nervous as what I was when I first got it," he said. "But that's another really humbling moment when Huss gave me the honour of leading that team song. I feel like it's level pegging with the captain if you asked me to have that honour to lead the team song for each and every individual inside that team including the staff. It means everything for us to be able to celebrate."
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Prime Minister calls out Australia for spirit-of-cricket breach

The controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s on Sunday has been deemed to have contravened the spirit of cricket by the UK’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
Sunak, a cricket fan, attended the Test on Saturday – prior to the incident – and during a lunchtime interview with Test Match Special, he heaped praise on the Bazball ethos, and ESPNcricinfo’s coverage: “I love the text ball-by-ball. Whoever does that, they’re so funny,” he said. “You feel part of a community, the way they do it. It’s brilliant.”
(Obviously Sunak didn’t specify which text ball-by-ball he was referring to, but we are clearly the funniest …)
The Prime Minister was in a more serious mood, however, after England’s 43-run defeat, following Ben Stokes’ comment that he wouldn’t have wanted to win the game in such a way.
“The PM agrees with Ben Stokes,” Sunak’s spokesperson said. “He said he simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did.”
Asked specifically if he felt that the Australians had contravened the spirit of cricket, the spokesperson said: “Yes.”
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#PoliteEnquiries: Why didn’t Stokes trust Broad’s celebrappeal?

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#PoliteEnquiries: Is Stokes gaslighting his team?

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Lyon gets a taste of Piastri-ball in the Lord's nets

AAP
Never mind Bazball. Nathan Lyon has had to admit defeat in the Lord's nets to the new cricketing force that is Piastriball.
Oscar Piastri, Australia's lone Formula One driver, sped into the home of cricket on Monday, invited to have a bit of fun at the end of practice by the national team before Wednesday's second Ashes Test.
And McLaren's rookie demonstrated that he packs a punch with the bat as he took on first-Test hero Lyon, having been loaned the spinner's batting gear, and caught hold of a real beauty aimed over mid-wicket.
"Yeah, he hit it pretty well - I'll give it to him," said an impressed Lyon, when one onlooker suggested it would have been a six if it hadn't ballooned into the nets.
"Well played!"
He also liked the look of Piastri's forward defensive, laughing: "He's almost got a better defence than a Pom ... am I allowed to say that?"
London-based Piastri, who was enjoying a free day before flying off for the Austrian Grand Prix, also faced a few - thankfully gentle - deliveries from Mitchell Starc, and also looked to have some pace himself as he hurled down an over at Marnus Labuschagne.
"It's been great to watch them and I was lucky enough to face a few balls from Mitch and Nathan. It's been a really cool day watching these guys at the top of their game," Piastri told Sky Sports.
"The Astroturf's not exactly favourable for Gaz's spin and Mitch was coming in on half-a-step, I reckon. But very, very cool to have those guys coming at you; normally, I'd be terrified!"
Piastri, who recently posted on Instagram a photo of himself as a wide-eyed six-year-old gazing admiringly at his childhood hero Ricky Ponting, was also thrilled to meet the former captain at the Aussie practice.
"It's been a full circle moment in some ways. It was nice to see him again and actually be able to speak to him and not just be in awe of him. It's been very special."
Piastri says he returned just in time from the Canadian Grand Prix to see the thrilling conclusion to the first Test after regularly checking the scores over race weekend.
"I was able to watch it in all its glory, pretty nerve-wracking few hours, so glad we got it done," he enthused.
Piastri wasn't the only star visitor hanging around the nets, with the team also meeting up with Geelong's AFL legend Joel Selwood.
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The long and short of it

Notice anything unusual about England's team photo before the Lord's Test?
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Head tucks in

Travis Head has laughed off England's attempts to unsettle Australia in the media, telling 9 News Sydney: "We're only going [to Lord's] for the lunch, apparently."
He added: "They've got this sort of mantra that they're going at - not just on the field, but off the field. They're throwing some nice chat out. But this team's truly just worried about what we need to do to win this second Test, to go 2-0 up and to put pressure on them."
Head briefly played with Ollie Robinson - the main protagonist of the verbal battle - at Sussex in 2021 and said that he found his war of words "pretty funny". Head said: "I had a few quiet words, jovial words, to him out there.
"It all makes for good fun. We'll see where the next four Tests go - it didn't go his way in the first one but he's very competitive. He'll want to step up but if he doesn't, I think there's a few people at home who might want to get up his back."
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Ricky Ponting ‘was offered England role before McCullum’

Ricky Ponting, Australia’s former captain, has stirred the pot ahead of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s next week, by claiming it could have been him, not Brendon McCullum, overseeing England’s fortunes as head coach.
In the wake of Chris Silverwood’s sacking last year, Ponting was known to have been one of a number of candidates for the role that Rob Key, England’s director of men’s cricket, had approached for the job. However it was reported at the time that Ponting had “ruled himself out”.
Speaking this week to Guerilla Cricket, however, he claimed that the approach had been more formal than a mere enquiry.
“I actually got asked before Brendon took the job,” Ponting said.
“I did take some calls from Robert Key as soon as he took over that job. But I’m just not ready for a full-time international coaching job, where I’m at in my life. Having travelled as much as I have, with young kids now I just don’t want to be away as much as I was.”
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An unlikely crossover

Merv Hughes was spotted looking anxious in the stands during Australia's run chase at Edgbaston. Will he be Galvanized at Lord's after their win?
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First Test breaks Sky records

The gripping finale to the first men's Test at Edgbaston broke records for the highest peak audience for a Test shown on Sky Sports, with 2.12 million viewers recorded in the UK.
Sky said in a media release that an average audience of 1.17 million tuned in on the fifth day, with a combined average of 877,000 across all five days. That made it the most-watched Ashes Test on Sky ever, ahead of the decisive 2009 Oval Test.
Jonathan Licht, Sky's managing director, said it was "great to see such a thrilling start to the Ashes series", adding: “The Women’s Test gets underway tomorrow [Thursday] at Trent Bridge, where we are set and excited to see fans get behind England’s campaign against a fierce Australian team."
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Born To (Hit The Winning) Run

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England football manager Southgate looks to Bazball

It’s not often cricket makes cuts through into football. But fresh from overseeing England’s 4-0 win in their Euro Qualifier away to Malta on Friday night, Gareth Southgate fielded questions on events at Edgbaston after pulsating first day of the Ashes.
Southgate is a big cricket fan. The Official ECB Programme for the first Test against Australia carries an interview with Southgate on his love of cricket. Derek Randall and Ian Botham are two heroes and Alec Stewart has been a close friend for 20 years. He revealed that during his playing days at Aston Villa, Brian Lara would often come down to visit striker and fellow Trinidadian Dwight Yorke.
Southgate spoke on Friday of meetings with ECB managing director Rob Key to discuss their respective ideas and how they might translate across sports. Southgate has previously had similar conversations, most recently with white ball coach Matthew Mott. In 2019, he gave a motivational speech to the England squad ahead of their ODI World Cup opener against South Africa, with Eoin Morgan returning the favour later that year.
“There's definitely been this shift in how they're playing and I imagine it's the first first-team in my lifetime to declare on 393 for eight on day one,” said Southgate on Friday. “That'll be an interesting decision because in the end people will judge that on the outcome, as they do the decisions we make as a coach. But that's a clue as to the mindset they're going into the series with.
“It's hard to align it [to football] because they have a lot more games and time together. Whenever we've done cross-sport things, you're always mindful of, 'OK what are the bits we can pick off, what are the bits that might be unique to the different sport', and in the end you're looking at things that can help you to win.
“There, the alignment between the captain and coach is really strong, the alignment with the head of cricket is really strong which in any sports organisation is really crucial and this summer is going to tell us a hell of a lot.
“They're going to be judged on an Ashes series in the same way we're judged on European Championships and World Cups.”
Football fans have yearned for Southgate to adopt a more attacking approach and will be encouraged to hear he is paying close attention to Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. Perhaps they are rubbing off on him after he named full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold as his No.10 against Malta. Gazball, anyone?
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England to wear black armbands

England and Australia will wear black armbands on day one of the Edgbaston Test, as will the players for next week's women's Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, following the incidents in Nottingham this week that left three people dead. There will also be a moment's silence before the start of both matches.
"The deeply distressing scenes witnessed in Nottingham this week have brought immense sorrow to everyone, particularly the cherished friends and families of the victims," England Men's Test captain, Ben Stokes, said. "It is impossible to express how much their lives and futures have been tragically disrupted.
“These events sadden the England cricket teams, and we are thinking about those affected at this harrowing time. As a gesture of respect, we will honour them by wearing black armbands."
England Women's Captain, Heather Knight, said: "It was incredibly saddening to learn about the events that took place in Nottingham, and it felt a bit closer to home to learn that two of the victims had been cricket players. All of our thoughts are with the families and friends of everyone affected by the tragedy, and with the city of Nottingham."
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Ponting: 2023 series has 2005 vibes

Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, believes that this summer's series has a similar feel to the 2005 series that his side lost 2-1 - and says that he cannot remember a Test series with a bigger build-up.
"Anticipation and build-up-wise, this is as big a Test series as I can remember," Ponting told The Times. "That particular series [2005] has got a bit of a feel about this one, to be honest, with maybe the importance of it and what that series ended up doing for Test cricket.
"I really think 2005 reinvigorated the Test game around the world, certainly for a couple of years anyway. 2005 was probably the best series of cricket that I ever played - but we didn’t win."
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MOBEen

Moeen Ali missed England's training session on Wednesday - because he was receiving his OBE at Windsor Castle.
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Grealish in the Hollies?

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A sunny English beer garden

Pat Cummins said that Australia would find "a nice sunny English beer garden" after their victory over India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval, and Steven Smith was asked at Edgbaston on Wednesday if he had delivered on his promise.
"Yep, delivered. Yep," Smith replied deadpan, prompting laughter at his press conference. "They were alright," he laughed. "We obviously know how big this week is but yeah, we're all ready to go for this week."
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Langer: Australia must get on top of Stokes

Justin Langer, Andrew McDonald's predecessor as Australia coach, believes that his old side must limit Ben Stokes' influence in the Ashes and thereby create "a ripple effect right through" the rest of the England team.
“It’s a battle of two intriguing captains,” Langer told the Telegraph's Vaughany and Tuffers podcast. “As Aussies, for as long as I’ve been playing the game the philosophy has been that you have to target the opposition captain. You have to get on top of the opposition captain as early as you can and keep him down. If you get on top of him, it has a ripple effect right through.
“I’m not talking about the theatre, the hype and the talking, that’s all crap. I’m talking about getting on top through skill. He is so important to the balance of England’s attack with his overs, especially without what you might call a specialist spinner in Moeen Ali, and I say that respectfully.
"The same with his batting. They have to get on top of Stokes with skill. You have to keep him out of the game, with runs and wickets."
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First Test drawn? Edgbaston gets Special Olympics treatment

There might not be many draws during the upcoming Ashes, but a member of the Special Olympics Great Britain team has got into the swing by drawing Edgbaston, venue for the opening men's Test of the summer.
Niall Guite, who started drawing sports stadiums in his distinctive style during the Covid-19 lockdown, will compete as part of the cycling team at the Berlin 2023 Special Olympics World Games later this week.
Guite uses his illustrations to raise money for Special Olympics GB and has seen his work showcased at the Royal Academy of Arts.
“I’ve been working very hard in training in recent weeks to prepare for my second Special Olympics World Games, but my drawing has been a great way to take time out," Guite said.
“Edgbaston was the perfect venue to focus on, with the Ashes coming up, and I’ll be following events from there very closely from Berlin on Friday, in the hope that England can take an early lead in the series.
“Given the recent form of both teams, this year’s Ashes could be one of the most entertaining ever and Edgbaston is a great place to open the series, given the brilliant atmosphere and support that England always get from the fans in attendance.”
To watch full coverage of the Special Olympics, sign up to ESPN Player.
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Hazlewood 'surprised' by pitch directive

Josh Hazlewood says he was "surprised" to see Ben Stokes' request "fast, flat wickets" for the Ashes, suggesting that England would be better served asking for green tops.
"It surprised me," Hazlewood told AAP. "It might have been a furphy, who knows. But if I am England, I am probably going the opposite way.
"You are probably going green wickets that are doing a fair bit, and then back yourself to make more runs than us on those types of wickets.
"They come to Australia and the wickets are harder, flatter and faster. And we've seen the results."
But the man responsible for preparing the pitch for Friday's first Test at Edgbaston, Warwickshire groundsman Gary Barwell, says that he has not had any specific requests beyond Stokes' comments.
“I was on holiday in Miami and I got sent the clip,” Barwell told the Observer. "I can 100% tell you I have never been told that. I know they want good pitches, that’s all I’ve heard, and I don’t think that’s unusual.
"I’ve never been asked to produce a pitch for England in all the time I’ve been here. I get asked to produce a good cricket wicket and that’s it.”
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Australia greats back Boland

Former Australia captains Allan Border and Steve Waugh are backing Scott Boland to have a major impact on the Ashes summer.
Boland's spot is not quite guaranteed with Josh Hazlewood returning to fitness, but Border believes he should be an automatic selection. “Boland has to stay," Border told News Corp. "He was threatening all the time against India.
“Boland’s style of bowling and his general accuracy makes him the prototype English bowler," he added. "In those conditions Boland is just about first picked. They have to keep the same team that beat India."
"He is a great Test match bowler," Waugh said, quoted by AAP. "He can be the most successful of our attack in this Ashes series. I just love the way he bowls. He is always at the batsman and hits the pitch really hard."
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Bairstow not concerned by gruelling schedule

Jonny Bairstow only returned from his career-threatening leg injury last month and now faces the prospect of keeping wicket in five Tests before the end of July.
He told Sky Sports News that he was not overly concerned by the gruelling Ashes schedule. "To be honest with you, I've not really looked at it that way," he said.
"You just prepare and you play the games. It's something that doesn't really even cross your mind. It's a series that you just crack on with, and take each day as it comes."
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Anderson: 'No reason' I couldn't play Ashes in 2025/26

James Anderson will feature in his tenth Ashes series this summer - but sees no reason why he shouldn't play an 11th in Australia in 2025/26.
"We’ve got about six months off after this series, so there’s a huge gap to be able to recover and get fit," he said in an interview for the Sunday Times magazine. "There’s no reason I couldn’t get to the next Ashes.”
Anderson has also spoken to the Daily Telegraph in the build-up to Friday's first Test, telling the newspaper that he revels in "not being mates" with the Australia squad. Unlike most of his team-mates, Anderson has never played in either the Big Bash or the IPL.
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