Starting to get really excited by the Ashes now. Good to see the Aussies having to toil away against our 2nd string side but gutted to see Hussey score some runs yesterday when ha had been struggling for form. Still, their bowlers aren't really firing yet. So come next week, I'll br frothing at the mouth getting excited about the first ball of the series.

My team for Cardiff will be as follows:

Strauss (c)
Cook
Bopara
Pieterson
Collingwood (his reputation has got him a spot, he could make way though as he isn't scoring runs)
Prior
Flintoff
Broad
Swann
Anderson
Panesar (if they go with two spinners which I think they will)

And I think the Aussies will go with the following:

Hughes
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
North
Haddin
Johnson
Jauritz
Siddle
Clark

Think Brett Lee will miss out but it is 2 from 3 of Siddle, Lee and Clark.

I shall be there at Edbaston and blagged my way for tickets to Lords for one day as well. Hope its good, I know it won't be as good as 2005 but still very excited.

Just seen that Rashid is playing for the Lions, so that presumably means he won't play the first test, so I guess it will be Panesar if we play two spinners.

I'd be very surprised if Australia go in without Hauritz. Not playing a spinner, that would be crazy. North and Clarke bowl a bit as well as can Katich. But Hauritz hasn't been bowling well and is their only out and out spinner so maybe they will go with 4 seamers. If thats the case, make Cardiff a bunsen burner !!!

Yeh I can hardly wait.... oh the excitement... why else would I come back to England!?

I see. I thought Eakes wanted it to be really hot or something. Bunsen burner is already used as slang for "nice little earner" though, so I don't think cricket should be allowed to use it.

Incidentally, if anyone wants to play Fantasy Ashes, create a team here, and sign up to the BCFA competition, the key for which is 1245845186.

Fantasy team added. Ieu, I would suggest that you make your team "non-public". These Slip boys will look to Woodies guys for inspiration and we shouldn't help them.

Woodies nets on Wednesday night to brush up on the skills and review plans for individual Slip batsmen and the "areas" to be bowling in.

(cricket) BALLS! - I'll have to sub out Brett Lee.

It's finally here then. I'm hoping England play Onions rather than Monty. I don't understand why we're considering him when spin hasn't taken that many wickets on the pitch in Cardiff so far this season, and Monty isn't in good form. Lee's injury will hopefully mean that Hauritz plays. I kind of hope we bowl first and Jimmy Anderson sends his first ball right at the throat of Phil Hughes, just to welcome him and all that....

Hope you've all got your teams finalised for the Fantasy Ashes.

I've seen a stat a couple of times about the number of wickets taken by spinners this season and the number of overall wickets taken. The spinners hadn't accounted for all that many, think it might have been something like 20%.

He was thinking that he's used the sweep a lot of times in the past and been very successful with it. It throws the spinners off their game a bit, and he'll continue to use it in the future. Anyway, it was only because it hit his helmet that he didn't get away with it.

Waits for Dan to go mental.