What we’ve learned from England’s last cricket Test before the Ashes
England quite simply swept aside Ireland at Lord’s this weekend. Their 10-wicket win came inside three days and showed how impressive England are right now. But with the Ashes on the horizon, what did we learn?
Records for stokes
There will come a point where we must simply stop calling the current England Test regime a new era, but while its elongated and successful start continues there will be few plans to suggest the honeymoon period is over.
The win was Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s 11th in 13 Tests, an incredible feat.
It was also the first time in history a captain had won a Test match without bowling, batting or keeping wicket.
Amid concerns over Stokes’s fitness, this result will be one of comfort to England with the Ashes on the horizon.
England were dominant, and could have been aggressive and declared early on day two, but they stuck with their batting order and gave their hitters some much needed practice given it had been three months since their last Test.
And while all eyes were on Zak Crawley, the opener delivered – albeit he was a little bit lucky to reach his 56 in the first innings and left runs on the Lord’s pitch.
He will take a lot of confidence from the last couple of days.
Impressive Tongue for the Ashes?
Four years ago, in the Test against Ireland ahead of a home Ashes series, England blooded Olly Stone. The now 29-year-old took three wickets at Lord’s and made 19 runs.
Stone was not picked for two years, until the 2021 tour of India. Josh Tongue will be hoping he doesn’t face the same fate.
The Worcestershire bowler got a five-for at Lord’s on debut and has since been named in the squad for the Ashes.
The injury to Jofra Archer could be the best thing that’s happened to Tongue, giving the youngster a chance to win only his second Test cap in the Ashes opener.
With James Anderson set to come back, and the likes of Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Matthew Potts in the mix, it is a tough wall to breach for Tongue.
But being part of the Ashes squad will be as much a learning curve as having another good season with Worcestershire, so the 25-year-old will undoubtedly be relishing every moment of the coming weeks.
England’s Ashes squad
The squad for the opening two Ashes Tests was announced over the weekend and it was unchanged from the side which faced Ireland.
That means Tongue remains in the group alongside the likes of Crawley and Ben Duckett, while Ben Foakes misses out.
Foakes is widely seen as the best wicketkeeper in England and his exclusion, at the expense of Jonny Bairstow, will see the Ashes hosts without a key keeper-batsman.
There were discussions as to whether there could be room for both Bairstow and Foakes in the same side but that would see the former potentially moved up to being an opener,
Stokes and McCullum are confident in their side and will be keeping an eye on Australia as they take on India in the World Test Championship final at the Oval this week.
England are on a run of 11 wins in 13, but the biggest test is on the horizon. An Ashes series, at home, against the holders. Is there anything better?