The Ashes; First Test, Cardiff, July 8-12

[Dr Cricket]

Did someone say Lyth is playing for his place? Didn't he get a ton in his last Test?

Steely's out.

Funky 1-0 Steely.

Arthur remember only the ashes count everything else is meaningless.

[budgetmeansbudget]

If cooks fails in this test does he get dropped for having a poor ashes record and being *modded* in the only series that matters. (sarcastic tone).

I agree with you about it being the only series that matters!

[Arthur Crabtree]

Cook can go two years without a ton and not get dropped, so he's fine until 2017.

He's not looking as poor at the moment as he did during the two years, and I fancy him to have an ok series.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Did someone say Lyth is playing for his place? Didn't he get a ton in his last Test?

Steely's out.

Funky 1-0 Steely.

Arthur remember only the ashes count everything else is meaningless.

And... relax!

[Dr Cricket]

If cooks fails in this test does he get dropped for having a poor ashes record and being *modded* in the only series that matters. (sarcastic tone).

I agree with you about it being the only series that matters!

you not really a cricket fan then are you.

[Aidan11]

I go out for half an hour and we lose wickets.

Suddenly Gary Barlow going around the boundary edge in his Popemobile doesn't seem so bad.

[Aidan11]

This is what happens when you play test cricket on outgrounds.

[Aidan11]

Maybe we should have made the opening ceremony last the full 5 days.

[yorker_129-7]

Ian Bell is an interesting dilemma. Sending him away to Warwickshire clearly isn't a solution as he scores runs for fun even when out of form, as he showed last week, but he then comes into the test arena and looks all at sea. Jonny Bairstow has to be in with a shout of replacing him.

[Aidan11]

I think Bell is on borrowed time now.

[Aidan11]

Raining.

[backfootpunch]

Australia's nice shiny ball getting all wet

What a shame

[Aidan11]

Go Root.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Don't think England will change the top seven for the first three Tests.

Would have been nice to have KP available, as there isn't really an obvious replacement.

[Aidan11]

We could drag Barlow out of his Popemobile and get him padded up.