Doesn’t say much about England when 1 Aussie player retained the Ashes on his own. Say what you like about Smith but he’s a fabulous batsman.
Can’t see much knocking about in the Counties to bolster a rather lame top order. Maybe there’s a batting Archer we can nick from somewhere.
Smith is a UK passport holder....
Trouble is that there is zero incentive as a young player to make it as a old skool bat. It's the biffers who get the contracts and the Test spots.
One who did look likely Hameed has been released by Lancs. There's nothing wrong with the idea that you have the 2 Divs of CC, and maybe 16 games a season.... it should be an event. But it's the shunting of the menu off to the beginning and end of the season which causes problems.
April/May, it's seaming everwhere, and no good for spinners.... anybody in form then either does nothing or plays white ball, when England might be looking for a replacement for the Test team. Prime summer, next to no red ball then some stuck on in Sept.
If England want Test batsmen, they'll have to pay for them.