The creekit

[dirty leeds]

So, if you’d been given the choice at the start of your Summer, that you could win the WC or the ashes but not both, which would you have gone for?

Ashes. Always.
But it's not a real choice, just a conversation.
You can win both.

[rss1969]

So, if you’d been given the choice at the start of your Summer, that you could win the WC or the ashes but not both, which would you have gone for?

Good question.

For me it is the World Cup all day and without doubt. It has been a monkey on our backs since its inception, we have made 3 finals and lost them all.

Remember that we won the World Cup having a team ready to smash batting records only to find a lot of the pitches more bowler friendly (due to ICC intervention and rightly so) than we wanted in our own back yard, so it was made a harder task.

I have seen us win quite few Ashes over the last 40 years but never the World Cup.

[kennyb41]

Agree ^

[London_White]

So, if you’d been given the choice at the start of your Summer, that you could win the WC or the ashes but not both, which would you have gone for?

Ashes all day, for me Test cricket has always been the pinnacle of the game - a proper examination of technique and mental strength.

[eric olthwaite]

Ashes. Always.
But it's not a real choice, just a conversation.
You can win both.

I take the point others have made that it was good to get a WC win on the books, but would generally agree that the Ashes is more important in the overall scheme of things. On the 'can' win both thing, it seems increasingly clear that we just didn't seriously prepare to compete in this Ashes series. Hey ho.

[the flying pig]

So, if you’d been given the choice at the start of your Summer, that you could win the WC or the ashes but not both, which would you have gone for?

World Cup all day long, we needed that monkey off our back...

i think that's right, it was very good to win it once. but from here on in, ashes every time.

[AndyPaul]

Ashes for me.

How about you Vamps?

[Eddies Boots]

In most years I would say we want the Ashes, but not his year - it had to be the WC.

[kennyb41]

Where's that Shrimp weasel cunt Mitty and his Magnificent 7 alias 'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAbulance' twatting comments gone huh ????.....straight into the woodwork that twat....take Brett on at cricket ya feeble twat...and me at footie ya microbiotic laboratory dense twat.

Must dash.

...................Hey and don't be shy bring out ya little again fert laugh....coz all i thought was......suits you sir lol

[Tycipa]

Where's that Shrimp weasel cunt Mitty and his Magnificent 7 alias 'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAbulance' twatting comments gone huh ????.....straight into the woodwork that twat....take Brett on at cricket ya feeble twat...and me at footie ya microbiotic laboratory dense twat.

Must dash.

...................Hey and don't be shy bring out ya little again fert laugh....coz all i thought was......suits you sir lol

Hunter S Thompson is alive and well and posting from outer space!

[Blackwhite]

WTF is this ladyboy-pegged cunt on about now

[kennyb41]

Oh and the attack back flies in with the pretentious - I don't understand huh ? .....You fool no one bigot about your imaginary foes list

To all, there is absolutely no need at all to repeat my posts, Walt has at least fcking 7 chances to see it, so just leave be and rest assured he's fcking blazing in his bedsit with the imaginary Mrs Walt..(picture in head now a certain mother fixated Mr Bates)

TAKE BRETT ON YA SOFT CUNT.



Must dash.

[dirty leeds]

Sir Geoffrey Boycott, then. And Sir Andrew Strauss.

[Tycipa]

Sir Geoffrey Boycott, then. And Sir Andrew Strauss.

Geoffrey Boycott Honoured or GBH for short.

[dirty leeds]

Sir Geoffrey Boycott, then. And Sir Andrew Strauss.

Geoffrey Boycott Honoured or GBH for short.

Amusingly, he really didn't see it coming when what'sherface on Radio 4 asked him why he thought it had taken so long to get his knighthood. 'Might it have anything to do with your conviction for domestic violence?' Right into his corridor of uncertainty.

[Vampire]

Ashes for me.

How about you Vamps?

Yeah I think the ashes.

I’ve a lot of affection for the World Cup as the only ODI tournament that counts for anything - and certainly have enjoyed our five World Cup wins.

I do fear a little for the future of the tournament though. One of the things that makes it a credible part of cricket history for mine is the way the greats of test cricket have graced the tournament with magical performances - especially in the final. The likes of Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist have all made memorable tons in the final - and we’ve seen great bowling in the final too from the likes of Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath.

I just fear a little that the influence of T20 is pushing the WC more towards a longer version of T20? And that future finals will more likely be “graced” by one day specialists and agricultural techniques rather than the greats of test cricket? Perhaps and perhaps not - but it is a worry.

Added to which the ICC finally getting its act together for a world championship of test cricket adds importance to any test series over the WC. The “world champions” tag of the future will more likely be applied to the winner of that rather than any ODI tournament.

[Bobbycollins]

The biggest disappointment from the current Ashes series is that it's no surprise how poor England have been. There doesn't appear to be any strategy or accountability as regards improving the standard of county cricket, with the result that there isn't a queue of players capable of playing Test cricket. The Championship fixture list is too stop/start to enable players to find form and over-reliance on T20 with short boundaries and overseas guest players does not encourage batsmen to build an innings or bowlers to concentrate on taking wickets. The Hundred will attempt to make county cricket even less attractive. As Vamps says, the World Cup is in danger of becoming a longer version of T20 and it's difficult to be positive about the future of anything but T20 cricket in this country.

[dirty leeds]

Yeah I think the ashes.

I’ve a lot of affection for the World Cup as the only ODI tournament that counts for anything - and certainly have enjoyed our five World Cup wins.

Heh-heh. Nicely done.

I do fear a little for the future of the tournament though. One of the things that makes it a credible part of cricket history for mine is the way the greats of test cricket have graced the tournament with magical performances - especially in the final. The likes of Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist have all made memorable tons in the final - and we’ve seen great bowling in the final too from the likes of Wasim Akram and Glenn McGrath.

I just fear a little that the influence of T20 is pushing the WC more towards a longer version of T20? And that future finals will more likely be “graced” by one day specialists and agricultural techniques rather than the greats of test cricket? Perhaps and perhaps not - but it is a worry.

Added to which the ICC finally getting its act together for a world championship of test cricket adds importance to any test series over the WC. The “world champions” tag of the future will more likely be applied to the winner of that rather than any ODI tournament.

You might say that our only victory [so far] in the current Ashes series came about partly because Stokes managed to change that final day into a one-day game - his adventurous approach to stroke making was very ODI/20-20.

[Vampire]

You might say that our only victory [so far] in the current Ashes series came about partly because Stokes managed to change that final day into a one-day game - his adventurous approach to stroke making was very ODI/20-20.

I don’t mind that because he batted very responsibly for the first three hours (when I was watching before lunch he was striking at less than 50). He only really went T20 when running out of partners and had no choice (and BTW was very lucky not to get out on several occasions taking all those risks).

But TBF The Thug has always had a fairly decent technique - I remember watching his first test ton at Perth in 2013 when he must have been what 22/23? He looked pretty solid that day in a series in which you may recall England being badly mauled by Mitchell Johnson - whitewashed 5-0.

So I don’t mind a genuine test batsman changing gears when the situation suits - but I’m less interested in a format that promotes only one gear and allows batsmen without a decent technique to be successful. I just worry the influence of T20 might be moving the ODI WC more that way - which would be a shame given the tournament’s history.

[Clacton white]

The biggest disappointment from the current Ashes series is that it's no surprise how poor England have been. There doesn't appear to be any strategy or accountability as regards improving the standard of county cricket, with the result that there isn't a queue of players capable of playing Test cricket. The Championship fixture list is too stop/start to enable players to find form and over-reliance on T20 with short boundaries and overseas guest players does not encourage batsmen to build an innings or bowlers to concentrate on taking wickets. The Hundred will attempt to make county cricket even less attractive. As Vamps says, the World Cup is in danger of becoming a longer version of T20 and it's difficult to be positive about the future of anything but T20 cricket in this country.

I'd agree , though only one player as performed consistently throughout the series , unfortunately not an English one .
I think nowadays the emphasis in cricket has moved away from test cricket to the shorter games , there's more money in it and you don't need a long attention span ( something youngsters these days completely lack ) to watch or be involved . test cricket , being the oldest form should really be the most important , but I guess there isn't a real structure to it other than playing touring sides or country cricket . Having said that if in football the most important competition was the oldest one , the FA Cup would be far more important than it is now . A lot of these historical competitions are losing their status .