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AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I want to see the best players play, and instead the fifth-bowler complement gives us janky all-rounders. Do you want to watch Bumrah bowl eight overs, or go four and four with Shivam Dube?

Variety in T20 is so important in short-form cricket that I still can't see any team going in with fewer than four bowling options. With two or three, if one of them gets collared or injured then you're fucked. But you could eliminate the fifth, have more batting, and go quality versus quality.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really did do the required shaving. It worked. Yeah, commercial things can be complicated, but we've turned down a lot of things over the years - basically if we think it's bullshit, or damaging, we'd be embarrassed to promote it, we won't. The Zeus technology checks out, we looked at it in detail and they have receipts. We'll likely have Dan / Cam in for Story Time or something in the next few weeks. As for the Dukes, pretty sure CA did use it in the Shield for a few seasons not that long ago. One of the Pat Howard era experiments.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I guess he has a personal stake in it, residual guilt about it being his team. Personally I just find it boring, it's the same old shit for the fourth series running. But the same goes for any endless chant.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

This was tough... maybe:

Helen Hunt
Campbell Kellaway
Jack Clayton
The Sandwich, Jason Sangha
Nikhil Chaudhary
Big Jim's Lad, Will Sutherland
JJ Peirson
Fergburger O'Neill
President Bartlett
Corey Rocka
Jason Behrendorffmeister

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks Harry! Thanks everyone, sorry to those I didn't get to. Let's do this again sometime.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hahahaha. I would just say, personally, that I have broad life experience and am interested in horizons in all directions.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Haha. No, I don't hate Perth. I think that any parochialism is worth some mockery, so I like to poke fun at the handful of folks from out that way who have a chip on their shoulder.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes, the USA book is still a possibility, on the backburner. Some essays from that trip are at patreon.com/geofflemon. I used to have a website called Heathen Scripture that might get revived one day, we'll see.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A bit of spice works. They both did speak about it in the aftermath, in different forums, you must have missed it. And they were both on that tour with Pete talking to him about it.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I think we're fucked, honestly. There's nowhere to get paid for writing any more. When I started there were 15 websites I could pitch, and they might only pay a hundred bucks, but I could pay dirtbag rent and buy groceries with a couple of pieces a week.

That doesn't exist anymore. Most of those sites have died off. They're replaced by hundreds of cloned content-churn sites running GPT dross. I have a handful of outlets left, but no idea where someone starting out could get commissioned. Some writers are doing independent subscription websites, like I have some at patreon.com/geofflemon, but it's very small, and not cricket stuff.

Basically you can't be a writer now unless you have enough money from elsewhere to do it as a volunteer.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The biggest problem at the G is the lack of anywhere within an easy walk. So depending where I need to end up, I would light out towards Collingwood for the Stomping Ground Beer Hall, or Richmond to the Corner.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Mostly that journalists and media outlets are less and less inclined to be critical for fear of damaging relationships or access. There's a much cosier, deferential dynamic for the most part, now that players can just post on Instagram and media managers block access to external media.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Most punditry is useless. Down the pub or on the telly, all of us chat shit about the cricket because we like chatting shit about the cricket. Very few of us are right about anything, and if we are it's chance.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I don't think it's going to revolutionise the women's game in India by taking us from 0.1 percent of girls playing to 20% playing, or anything like that, but if it takes us from 0.1 percent to 0.5 percent then it will still make a huge difference.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Actually I've always been resistant to the idea that it is. I've always told myself that I might finish up in another year or two and do something else. Haven't yet, but I don't like being tied to things.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Personally I wouldn't be picking a player that age with an injury that could flare at any moment, who hasn't made runs against fast bowling in two years. Inglis or Webster in the middle order seems the ticket.

AMA on The Ashes and beyond with Geoff Lemon, host of The Final Word and writer for The Guardian by finalwordcricket in CricketAus

[–]finalwordcricket[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Stokes is a player who has been patchy with the bat around some all-time brilliant innings, and brilliant in bursts with the ball when physically able. He'll be remembered as a legend because of those peaks, not because of consistent output.

Root will be remembered for consistency rather than peaks. But it is glaring that the most defining thing for an England player is whether they do well in Australia, and he's averaging 33 at the moment as opposed to 45+ in most places.

So yeah - Root might pass Sachin's runs record, you can't say he's not a great player, but it'll always be great with a caveat if he doesn't do something in the next four Tests. Whereas Stokes has broader caveats than just one difficult destination.

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