England Selection, Ashes & Cricket in America

**Triggered at Midwicket** is back! This week, Posh Girl **Sophie** and everyone's favourite **teamless nomad Rob** welcome TikTok's **SRC Sam Cook**, a sports writer from Manchester, for another packed episode of cricket chat, heated debates and some seriously difficult selection questions! With England looking ahead to their upcoming Test against **South Africa**, the big question is: **who actually deserves a place on the plane?** With **Jacob Bethell** recovering from injury, could he return and take the No. 3 spot from the impressive **Jordan Cox**? Or should England be looking elsewhere? Could **Emilio Gay** or **Ben Duckett** pay the price for underwhelming performances against Pakistan? Will **Dan Lawrence** make way? Or could England leave **Jamie Smith** out and hand the wicketkeeping gloves over to Cox? There are plenty of options — but only so many spaces! **Listeners, we want your England XI:** 🏏 Who gets on the plane? ✈️ Who stays at home? 🧤 Who should be England's wicketkeeper? 🔥 Who deserves the No. 3 spot? Rob and Sam get stuck into one of the biggest debates in English cricket: **Is Harry Brook genuinely a generational talent, or is he simply an incredibly good batter who knows how to swing the willow?** Does Brook have the maturity and consistency required to eventually take over from **Joe Root** as England's batting leader? And speaking of Root... With his incredible run-scoring record continuing, could he actually chase down **Sachin Tendulkar's Test run record** by the time England head to India in 2028? That's a HUGE question — and the boys aren't necessarily on the same page! We then look ahead to England's battles with **South Africa** and, further down the road, next year's **Ashes**. Will England be able to handle the pressure when the Ashes arrive? Could England dominate the series, or will the weight of expectation become a problem? And what about Australia? Will the Aussies arrive fit, firing and ready to defend the Ashes, or will their current crop of underperforming players be replaced before the series begins? Should Australia stick with experience, or is it time for some fresh blood? **Sam gives us his verdict — now we want yours!** Finally, Rob asks Sophie and Sam one of the biggest questions facing cricket: **Can cricket genuinely become a major sport in America?** Or will **baseball** always remain the favourite when Americans have grown up with a sport where someone eventually has to win? Could cricket's longer formats and the possibility of draws hold it back? And then we get into a fascinating sporting crossover: **Could a professional cricketer actually transition into baseball?** Could someone like **Liam Plunkett** make the switch? Or would it actually be easier for a baseball player to pick up cricket? Different skills, different techniques, different rules — but how much crossover is really there? And finally, we have something very special to celebrate. **Triggered at Midwicket has hit 500 downloads and plays!** 🎉🏏 That's also **more than 100 hours of our podcast listened to** — something we genuinely couldn't have achieved without everyone who's downloaded, streamed, shared, commented and supported the show. From Rob, Sophie and everyone involved with **Triggered at Midwicket**: **THANK YOU! ❤️** And we're only getting started... 🎧 **Listen to us on Spotify** 🍎 **Now streaming on Apple Podcasts** 🎵 **Also available on Amazon Music** As always, get involved and tell us what YOU think! **Who makes your England squad?** **Is Harry Brook a generational talent?** **Will Root break Tendulkar's record?** **Who wins the next Ashes?** **And can cricket really conquer America?**