Pointless nostalgia post

Time was when just about the biggest game in the English cricket calendar, short of a test match, was the biannual clash between Lancashire and Yorkshire. Now it rates less attention than a 20/20 farce between Derbyshire and Northants. In case (ha!) you hadn't noticed it's currently in its third day. Needless to say no current test players are involved in a fixture that would once have seen Trueman bowling to Washbrook or Statham to Hutton. The only recognisable names are England rejects like Andersen and Cork or furriners like Kruis and Symons. It's all as obsolete as manufacturing. There's no place for real cricket in the post-industrial tourist theme park (Clogworld) that was once the workshop of the world.

Ultimate Ashes challenge

Just for fun, an ultimate Ashes line up. My best England and Australia teams. Qualification is that each player must have played at least one test post WW2. See if you can do better.

England

Hutton
Boycott
Hammond
Compton *
Barrington
Botham
Flintoff
Knott +
Laker
Statham
Tyson

Australia

Hayden
Gilchrist +
Bradman
Ponting
Chappell (GS)*
Waugh
Miller
Warne
Davidson
O'Reilly
Lindwall


Unluckiest not to be selected: Trueman, Higgs, Dexter, McGrath, Walters, Marsh