Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

[rd]

Hello All.

Here’s my variation on how this summer’s English Tour should have been fixtured.

England chose to have a camp amongst themselves and compete against friendly B-Grade English opposition prior to the First Test.

Look at how they batted, bowled and caught in the opening 3 Tests – clearly not match hardened.

Remember the five (sometimes six) P’s of life statement that is drummed into all of us at some stage in our learning years - Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.



England should have reverted to the tour schedule used by their touring teams over half a century ago which enabled them to provide much tougher opposition to Australia than this summer’s easybeats.

Play at least 4 Australian State Teams leading up to the First Test and play the other 2 State Teams before the 2nd and 3rd Tests.

Meanwhile the Australian players would be playing at least 2-3 Sheffield Shield matches leading up to the First Test – so all players for both sides are match hardened and ready to go – no excuses for dropping catches or playing get-out batting shots.

To ensure that the Australian States do not rest the star players against England in the lead up games which often occurred in the past – make these games count as Sheffield Shield matches – in essence England are the 7th Shield team and the State teams will be chasing as many Shield points in these games as they do in matches against the other Australian States.

My other big change is for England to join the Big Bash after the completion of the 5th Test. They join the Big Bash as the 9th team and play everybody else once for the remained of January and play in the BBL finals if they make the top 4.

There are at least 8 instantly sold out BBL games around the country as the Barmy Army would swarm to these games. The Barmy Army would also provide decent crowds for the matches against the state teams.

Cricket Australia loves money and sold-out cricket matches – they’d be all over this and a CA offer to the English team to stay a bit longer and earn an extra quid is a given.

So, my suggested English Tour Fixtures for 2025/26 was this:

October 24 – October 27 v NSW, in Sydney

October 31 – November 3 v VIC, in Melbourne

November 7-10 v TAS, in Hobart

November 14-17 v WA, Optus Stadium in Perth

November 21-25 First Test, Optus Stadium in Perth


November 28- December 1 v QLD, Gabba in Brisbane

December 4-8 Second Test, Gabba in Brisbane

December 11 – 14 v SA, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide

December 17-21 Third Test, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide

December 26-30 Fourth Test, MCG in Melbourne

January 4-8 Fifth Test, SCG in Sydney



Then a few days after the SCG Test, England will then play one of the Sydney BBL teams as their opening BBL game and then play the other 7 teams over the rest of January.



Overall, it’s a long tour but all is needed is commitment from the best Australian and English players to devote themselves to first class cricket (with the appropriate financial inducements) for a few months and the Ashes would be a genuine hard-fought contest.

These fixtures could be used for a 5 Test India tour of Australia as well.

[DOC]

A touring side will not come here for four months

Sheffield Shield teams are completely disbanded for the BBL so not available come December.

[whufc]

Whilst i don't think anyone would disagree with the premise of the post the reality is that's a by gone era and never going to return.

[Lightning McQueen]

The Barmy Army wouldn't attend the tour matches or probably the BBL matches that they are involved in.................unless they are multi-millionaires. They sink copius amounts of piss and at $15 a cup they'd need to have a fair budget just for the tests. A lot don't stay for the duration, they join in or depart along the way and they like to sight see aswell.

As DOC said, as lovely as our country is the players/officials wouldn't want to spend 4 months here, most will be on the plane tomorrow to head back home, as commoners, even we start loooking forward to going home at the arse end of a two week overseas holiday.

You make sense though, probably just over-doing it a little, perhaps a tour match against WA and one against either NSW or QLD to get exposure to pitches from each end of the spectrum and of course the PM XI.

Obviously it was a bit different back in our day, we'd have the 5 test series and then the WSC, it was pretty well compacted though and there were less "nothing" series' going on in between, like we'll go to the sub-contintent for a 2 match ODI or T20 series, back in the day it was one tour to get the tests and ODI's out of the way with wherever you went, then the ODI World Cup every 4 years.

[am Bays]

You're missing a "P" rd

[Lightning McQueen]

He's taken the Piss.

[wenchbarwer]

He's taken the Piss.

The irony of not planning the thread title correctly...

[whufc]

The Barmy Army wouldn't attend the tour matches or probably the BBL matches that they are involved in.................unless they are multi-millionaires. They sink copius amounts of piss and at $15 a cup they'd need to have a fair budget just for the tests. A lot don't stay for the duration, they join in or depart along the way and they like to sight see aswell.

As DOC said, as lovely as our country is the players/officials wouldn't want to spend 4 months here, most will be on the plane tomorrow to head back home, as commoners, even we start loooking forward to going home at the arse end of a two week overseas holiday.

You make sense though, probably just over-doing it a little, perhaps a tour match against WA and one against either NSW or QLD to get exposure to pitches from each end of the spectrum and of course the PM XI.

Obviously it was a bit different back in our day, we'd have the 5 test series and then the WSC, it was pretty well compacted though and there were less "nothing" series' going on in between, like we'll go to the sub-contintent for a 2 match ODI or T20 series, back in the day it was one tour to get the tests and ODI's out of the way with wherever you went, then the ODI World Cup every 4 years.

Yep i reckon every cricket fan on the planet would agree to do away with those pointless 2 game ODI type series where we fly over there just play them and then head somewhere else.

Every ODI or T20 series that's played should be an add on from a test series that's just been played. You would presume if the ODI and T20 followed the test series then everyone would play everyone over the course of the 3 years(?) that the world test championship runs from.

Maybe that's how the schedule should be with a ODI and T20 following each Test champions series within 2 weeks of the tests being completed. Over the course of the 3 years, you could have a 'world cup' year where you have the WTC Final, a southern hemisphere ODI world cup and northern hemisphere T20 world cup in the one year.

Otherwise use the 3-year cycle to determine the teams that make the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup.

That might not be the answer but there has to be a way to schedule better.

[rd]

You're missing a "P" rd

I wanted to put the extra 'P" word in my topic title but wasn't sure it would get past the censors of this site!

I'm accepting everyone's various responses to my opening post.

I'm seeing cricket eating itself in its desire to be on tv 52 weeks a year with the majority of those weeks showcasing meaningless ODIs and T20s.

I'm simply trying to point out to CA that pretty soon fans will treat cricket as just another tv show chasing ratings and it will have become boring unless CA makes an effort in restoring quality to the first class and Test matches scene.

[Aerie]

Is it giving the English too much of a leg up? I do like the idea. Remembering many of our players have County contracts and I'd continue to encourage that as preparation in all formats. Form some sort of AUKNZ.

Split our cricket season in three parts:

Part A - Oct-Dec - Red ball cricket
Include the England Lions (England A) as a permanent fixture in the Shield and also add a team from ACT. Have the Shield run over 7 rounds beginning in October and the Shield Final in the gap prior to the Adelaide Christmas Test. With interest high in red ball cricket - I think the Shield Final broadcast over the weekend free between Test 3 and 4 of the summer could be popular. I'd also make the MCG Boxing Day Test the last of the summer. Brisbane > Sydney > Perth > Adelaide > Melbourne.

Part B - January - BBL
Start the BBL Christmas Eve, with the Final on Australia Day and all Australian players available throughout January. No need for international T20's until the lead up to a World Cup.

Part C - February - 50 Over Cricket
International Tri Series between Australia, New Zealand and England. Besides the lead up to a World Cup, this can be our 50 over preparation.
State One Day Series played at same time.

[Lightning McQueen]

You're missing a "P" rd

I wanted to put the extra 'P" word in my topic title but wasn't sure it would get past the censors of this site!

I'm accepting everyone's various responses to my opening post.

I'm seeing cricket eating itself in its desire to be on tv 52 weeks a year with the majority of those weeks showcasing meaningless ODIs and T20s.

I'm simply trying to point out to CA that pretty soon fans will treat cricket as just another tv show chasing ratings and it will have become boring unless CA makes an effort in restoring quality to the first class and Test matches scene.

Traditional cricket is dying and the short game is the saviour for it whether we like it or not. I think we just have to appreciate test cricket where we can and hope for battles that last until the final day.

At least other nations are putting up some battle and we won't always have the stranglehold on our opposition once we have a few retirements, even the Windies put up some resistence.

When were the last time the shaggers came here? Seems like years ago when it used to be a regular thing.

[Jim05]

When were the last time the shaggers came here? Seems like years ago when it used to be a regular thing.

The sheep diddlers were here in 19/20 and are baaack this year

[Lightning McQueen]

When were the last time the shaggers came here? Seems like years ago when it used to be a regular thing.

The sheep diddlers were here in 19/20 and are baaack this year

OK, cheers. Was that the Short Ball Wagner vs Body Blow Wade series?

[Lightning McQueen]

Just looked it up.

1st test XI
Warner
Burns
Lab
Smith
Wade
Head
Paine
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood

Hazlewood was replaced by Pattinson after bowling 8 balls in the first innings, he did get 1/0 though, I'd take a zero bowling average.

[rd]

Is it giving the English too much of a leg up? I do like the idea. Remembering many of our players have County contracts and I'd continue to encourage that as preparation in all formats. Form some sort of AUKNZ.

Split our cricket season in three parts:

Part A - Oct-Dec - Red ball cricket
Include the England Lions (England A) as a permanent fixture in the Shield and also add a team from ACT. Have the Shield run over 7 rounds beginning in October and the Shield Final in the gap prior to the Adelaide Christmas Test. With interest high in red ball cricket - I think the Shield Final broadcast over the weekend free between Test 3 and 4 of the summer could be popular. I'd also make the MCG Boxing Day Test the last of the summer. Brisbane > Sydney > Perth > Adelaide > Melbourne.

Part B - January - BBL
Start the BBL Christmas Eve, with the Final on Australia Day and all Australian players available throughout January. No need for international T20's until the lead up to a World Cup.

Part C - February - 50 Over Cricket
International Tri Series between Australia, New Zealand and England. Besides the lead up to a World Cup, this can be our 50 over preparation.
State One Day Series played at same time.

Good point re the suggested schedule gives England too much of a leg up.
CA love the Barmy Army and their money visiting every 4 summers and filling up the Test venues.
How many times in the future will the Barmy Army continue to tour Australia in such large numbers when England continue to lose at least 4 Tests per visit?
Much cheaper to stay home and be with your pals in an English pub watching Brook and Smith throw their wickets away.
England need to be competitive to ensure that Ashes meetings retain their iconic status forever or there won't be another Centenary Test type celebration in 2077.
My idea has England in Australia from late October to early February. This summer they were in Australia from early November to early January. In October 2025 they were in New Zealand getting into trouble in nightclubs whilst playing meaningless T20 and 50 Over matches. So, it's not as if they were home sitting on the couch.
They could have bypassed the NZ tour and simply arrived In Australia in late October to play the Aust states as per my schedule.
The Australian and English cricket execs need to realise that Ashes events are sacred and ensure that the best players from each country are available and perfectly prepared to play 5 tough Test matches. If a player is chosen to be part of a 17-man English squad to tour Australia, then he should be financially rewarded for the occasion and not be swayed by a meaningless T20 comp somewhere else in the world. Likewise for Australian players chosen to tour England every 4 years for an English Ashes series.

[Aerie]

Is it giving the English too much of a leg up? I do like the idea. Remembering many of our players have County contracts and I'd continue to encourage that as preparation in all formats. Form some sort of AUKNZ.

Split our cricket season in three parts:

Part A - Oct-Dec - Red ball cricket
Include the England Lions (England A) as a permanent fixture in the Shield and also add a team from ACT. Have the Shield run over 7 rounds beginning in October and the Shield Final in the gap prior to the Adelaide Christmas Test. With interest high in red ball cricket - I think the Shield Final broadcast over the weekend free between Test 3 and 4 of the summer could be popular. I'd also make the MCG Boxing Day Test the last of the summer. Brisbane > Sydney > Perth > Adelaide > Melbourne.

Part B - January - BBL
Start the BBL Christmas Eve, with the Final on Australia Day and all Australian players available throughout January. No need for international T20's until the lead up to a World Cup.

Part C - February - 50 Over Cricket
International Tri Series between Australia, New Zealand and England. Besides the lead up to a World Cup, this can be our 50 over preparation.
State One Day Series played at same time.

Good point re the suggested schedule gives England too much of a leg up.
CA love the Barmy Army and their money visiting every 4 summers and filling up the Test venues.
How many times in the future will the Barmy Army continue to tour Australia in such large numbers when England continue to lose at least 4 Tests per visit?
Much cheaper to stay home and be with your pals in an English pub watching Brook and Smith throw their wickets away.
England need to be competitive to ensure that Ashes meetings retain their iconic status forever or there won't be another Centenary Test type celebration in 2077.
My idea has England in Australia from late October to early February. This summer they were in Australia from early November to early January. In October 2025 they were in New Zealand getting into trouble in nightclubs whilst playing meaningless T20 and 50 Over matches. So, it's not as if they were home sitting on the couch.
They could have bypassed the NZ tour and simply arrived In Australia in late October to play the Aust states as per my schedule.
The Australian and English cricket execs need to realise that Ashes events are sacred and ensure that the best players from each country are available and perfectly prepared to play 5 tough Test matches. If a player is chosen to be part of a 17-man English squad to tour Australia, then he should be financially rewarded for the occasion and not be swayed by a meaningless T20 comp somewhere else in the world. Likewise for Australian players chosen to tour England every 4 years for an English Ashes series.

I agree - I don't want to see the excuse of piss poor preparation be trotted out time and again. When it comes to The Ashes, each country must do what they have to do and in the last two Ashes series, we've been far better prepared and clinched The Ashes before England have had a chance to blink. So it is up to the English administration to ensure they have enough time in the future, whether that is by requesting particular fixtures or prioritising practice games over white ball matches in the lead up.

Certainly, despite that little urn having a permanent place at Lords and despite England not necessarily being the strongest of opposition, the concept of us holding it lets Australian cricket breathe easy and go about climbing mountains in India and other parts of the world, chasing tournament silverware and largely dominating home summers. But the moment we don't have it in our hands it's calamity. Reviews. Sackings. The cricket world is shifted off its axis and in an uncomfortable place until the urn is regained. Such is its importance.

[stampy]

Hello All.

Here’s my variation on how this summer’s English Tour should have been fixtured.

England chose to have a camp amongst themselves and compete against friendly B-Grade English opposition prior to the First Test.

Look at how they batted, bowled and caught in the opening 3 Tests – clearly not match hardened.

Remember the five (sometimes six) P’s of life statement that is drummed into all of us at some stage in our learning years - Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.



England should have reverted to the tour schedule used by their touring teams over half a century ago which enabled them to provide much tougher opposition to Australia than this summer’s easybeats.

Play at least 4 Australian State Teams leading up to the First Test and play the other 2 State Teams before the 2nd and 3rd Tests.

Meanwhile the Australian players would be playing at least 2-3 Sheffield Shield matches leading up to the First Test – so all players for both sides are match hardened and ready to go – no excuses for dropping catches or playing get-out batting shots.

To ensure that the Australian States do not rest the star players against England in the lead up games which often occurred in the past – make these games count as Sheffield Shield matches – in essence England are the 7th Shield team and the State teams will be chasing as many Shield points in these games as they do in matches against the other Australian States.

My other big change is for England to join the Big Bash after the completion of the 5th Test. They join the Big Bash as the 9th team and play everybody else once for the remained of January and play in the BBL finals if they make the top 4.

There are at least 8 instantly sold out BBL games around the country as the Barmy Army would swarm to these games. The Barmy Army would also provide decent crowds for the matches against the state teams.

Cricket Australia loves money and sold-out cricket matches – they’d be all over this and a CA offer to the English team to stay a bit longer and earn an extra quid is a given.

So, my suggested English Tour Fixtures for 2025/26 was this:

October 24 – October 27 v NSW, in Sydney

October 31 – November 3 v VIC, in Melbourne

November 7-10 v TAS, in Hobart

November 14-17 v WA, Optus Stadium in Perth

November 21-25 First Test, Optus Stadium in Perth


November 28- December 1 v QLD, Gabba in Brisbane

December 4-8 Second Test, Gabba in Brisbane

December 11 – 14 v SA, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide

December 17-21 Third Test, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide

December 26-30 Fourth Test, MCG in Melbourne

January 4-8 Fifth Test, SCG in Sydney



Then a few days after the SCG Test, England will then play one of the Sydney BBL teams as their opening BBL game and then play the other 7 teams over the rest of January.



Overall, it’s a long tour but all is needed is commitment from the best Australian and English players to devote themselves to first class cricket (with the appropriate financial inducements) for a few months and the Ashes would be a genuine hard-fought contest.

These fixtures could be used for a 5 Test India tour of Australia as well.

when the poms won 3-1 in 2010/11 they played 2 three day games and wa and sa, then vic between the 2nd and 3rd tests, worked then, your programme will never happen

[RB]

While I agree that it was silly not to play any proper matches to warm up and get acclimatised to the conditions, especially when you factor in England's improvement over the course of the series, it's not necessarily the case that prior preparation does prevent poor performance.

I'm looking at the 1977 Wisden, which covers the 1975-76 West Indies tour of Australia (i.e. exactly 50 years ago). The Windies played 13 first class matches, and 21 matches in total (so the 6 tests plus another 7 matches against state sides etc. that were scheduled for 3+ days), including four-day matches against SA, Victoria, NSW and Queensland, before the first test (as well as one day games against PNG Combined XI, PNG, SA Colts, Victoria County, Western NSW Country, and Queensland Country). That is a lot of cricket prior to the first test.

The Windies went on to lose the test series 5-1. (However, they did beat England comfortably in England six months later.)

The same Wisden contains the schedule for Australia's 1977 tour of England. I've posted a picture. A heck of a lot of cricket prior to the first test (and throughout the tour). Australia lost the Ashes 3-0.

[rd]

While I agree that it was silly not to play any proper matches to warm up and get acclimatised to the conditions, especially when you factor in England's improvement over the course of the series, it's not necessarily the case that prior preparation does prevent poor performance.

I'm looking at the 1977 Wisden, which covers the 1975-76 West Indies tour of Australia (i.e. exactly 50 years ago). The Windies played 13 first class matches, and 21 matches in total (so the 6 tests plus another 7 matches against state sides etc. that were scheduled for 3+ days), including four-day matches against SA, Victoria, NSW and Queensland, before the first test (as well as one day games against PNG Combined XI, PNG, SA Colts, Victoria County, Western NSW Country, and Queensland Country). That is a lot of cricket prior to the first test.

The Windies went on to lose the test series 5-1. (However, they did beat England comfortably in England six months later.)

The same Wisden contains the schedule for Australia's 1977 tour of England. I've posted a picture. A heck of a lot of cricket prior to the first test (and throughout the tour). Australia lost the Ashes 3-0.

Thanks RB - I remember the 75/76 series very well. It was 1-1 after the first 2 Tests and the Windies provided a contest for the 3rd and 4th Tests until the batting of Greg Chappell, and the bowling of Lillee and Thomson broke them and so they were easybeats for the final 2 Tests. But they had an excellent preparation prior to the first Test and learnt how to tour Australia and endure Australian conditions and consequently triumphed on subsequent Australian tours until the mid 90s.
Test Cricket needs 2 good teams to make a series worthwhile.
I would love Australia to play at least 4 of the stronger English Counties prior to the opening Test of 2027 - hopefully they get better weather than the 1977 Australian tourists who set new records for the highest number of lost playing hours due to rain - as well as dealing with the off-field distractions of the World Series Cricket controversy and the team had also been severely weakened by the absence of Dennis Lillee.

[rd]

Hello All.

Here’s my variation on how this summer’s English Tour should have been fixtured.

England chose to have a camp amongst themselves and compete against friendly B-Grade English opposition prior to the First Test.

Look at how they batted, bowled and caught in the opening 3 Tests – clearly not match hardened.

Remember the five (sometimes six) P’s of life statement that is drummed into all of us at some stage in our learning years - Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.



England should have reverted to the tour schedule used by their touring teams over half a century ago which enabled them to provide much tougher opposition to Australia than this summer’s easybeats.

Play at least 4 Australian State Teams leading up to the First Test and play the other 2 State Teams before the 2nd and 3rd Tests.

Meanwhile the Australian players would be playing at least 2-3 Sheffield Shield matches leading up to the First Test – so all players for both sides are match hardened and ready to go – no excuses for dropping catches or playing get-out batting shots.

To ensure that the Australian States do not rest the star players against England in the lead up games which often occurred in the past – make these games count as Sheffield Shield matches – in essence England are the 7th Shield team and the State teams will be chasing as many Shield points in these games as they do in matches against the other Australian States.

My other big change is for England to join the Big Bash after the completion of the 5th Test. They join the Big Bash as the 9th team and play everybody else once for the remained of January and play in the BBL finals if they make the top 4.

There are at least 8 instantly sold out BBL games around the country as the Barmy Army would swarm to these games. The Barmy Army would also provide decent crowds for the matches against the state teams.

Cricket Australia loves money and sold-out cricket matches – they’d be all over this and a CA offer to the English team to stay a bit longer and earn an extra quid is a given.

So, my suggested English Tour Fixtures for 2025/26 was this:

October 24 – October 27 v NSW, in Sydney

October 31 – November 3 v VIC, in Melbourne

November 7-10 v TAS, in Hobart

November 14-17 v WA, Optus Stadium in Perth

November 21-25 First Test, Optus Stadium in Perth


November 28- December 1 v QLD, Gabba in Brisbane

December 4-8 Second Test, Gabba in Brisbane

December 11 – 14 v SA, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide

December 17-21 Third Test, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide

December 26-30 Fourth Test, MCG in Melbourne

January 4-8 Fifth Test, SCG in Sydney



Then a few days after the SCG Test, England will then play one of the Sydney BBL teams as their opening BBL game and then play the other 7 teams over the rest of January.



Overall, it’s a long tour but all is needed is commitment from the best Australian and English players to devote themselves to first class cricket (with the appropriate financial inducements) for a few months and the Ashes would be a genuine hard-fought contest.

These fixtures could be used for a 5 Test India tour of Australia as well.

when the poms won 3-1 in 2010/11 they played 2 three day games and wa and sa, then vic between the 2nd and 3rd tests, worked then, your programme will never happen

Yes, I agree my programme will never happen under the current leadership of world-wide cricket leaders who love money and aren't seeing the long vision. Pretty soon people will tire of T20 stuff as it would have become just another tv show and if Test Cricket has been killed off during the T20 craze.... then what?