Phil Walker

And they remain the monuments to this very interesting, audacious, and often quite thrilling reinterpretation of how to play test cricket.

If they can find a third way, if you like, then Australia will be coming to England next year concerned that that mad record that no one would have ever imagined of not being able to win over here for a quarter of a century.

It will probably carry on because England did have their number in 2023.

And if they can just adjust it slightly ahead of next summer, if they can refine it a little bit this summer and pick one or two players whose chances are probably overdue.

They brought back Ollie Robinson, which is an interesting development.

That's a whole psychodrama in itself.

then then, yeah, I still think there is a way that this this this idea has its has its its final validation.

I still have a lot of I've had more fun covering English English test cricket in the last three years than I have had in 20 years.

Right.

So and that can't be underestimated in an era where a lot of blokes, they don't want to play the thing anymore.

They certainly would rather go and do something else.

and people have played a lot of money not to play test cricket.

So there is virtue and value in it, in and of itself.

But if it blows up in their face, again, in the ashes, then it gets... It's only seen as hubristic.

It's only seen as full of your own steam.

And that narrative...

took root in Australia, and that's what they're fighting for.

They're fighting for the future, really, of this whole idea.

It will either be laughed out of town or it will be seen as ultimately a brilliant thing for the game.

And that's what's at stake.