Well, with the Ashes currently going on and my non-Test draft just one pick away from being completed, I reckoned now would be a good time to start this. There have been one or two Ashes drafts on this site a few years back IIRC, but I doubt they've covered some of the more recent series in 2013/14, 2015, 2017/18 where we've seen some truly incredible performances from the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Brad Haddin, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Steve Smith etc which would undoubtedly affect any all-time Ashes XIs.
Player selection rules
The rules are quite simple for this one. Only players that have appeared in Ashes contests i.e Test matches between England and Australia starting from the year 1882 are eligible for selection. The first few Tests played between the two countries between 1877 and 1880 have been excluded because that famous obituary that started the legend had yet to be written during this period. And just FYI, the Tests played between England and Australia in the 1912 Triangular Tournament do for all intents and purposes count as Ashes contests.
Also, beware that only Ashes statistics are taken into account for players that are picked in this draft, not their overall Test career records. So I would suggest you think twice before picking someone like Brett Lee (62 wickets at 40.61) who had a woeful Ashes record despite picking over 300 wickets in Test cricket.
Draft guidelines
I will post the ordered draft once I get the sufficient amount of signups. The same rules apply as in other drafts i.e the next person may pick if it's been more than 24 hrs and the person before hasn't picked their player, the player picked is invalid, and that you have to tag the person coming after you. It would also be appreciated if you can post a sentence or two about why you're picking a certain player.
Draft order:
1. @Survivor - Shane Warne
2. @CerealKiller - Don Bradman
3. @VC the slogger - Sydney Barnes
4. @Sinister One - Herbert Sutcliffe
5. @Aislabie - Steve Waugh
6. @blockerdave - Allan Border
7. @blockerdave - Ian Botham
8. @Aislabie - Steve Smith
9. @Sinister One - George Lohmann
10. @VC the slogger - Jack Hobbs
11. @CerealKiller - Glenn McGrath
12. @Survivor - Ken Barrington
13. @blockerdave - Wally Hammond
14. @CerealKiller - Dennis Lillee
15. @Sinister One - Billy Barnes
16. @Survivor - Arthur Morris
17. @VC the slogger - Keith Miller
18. @Aislabie - Jim Laker
19. @Aislabie - Ben Stokes
20. @VC the slogger - Adam Gilchrist
21. @Survivor - Justin Langer
22. @Sinister One - Maurice Leyland
23. @CerealKiller - Len Hutton
24. @blockerdave - Hedley Verity
25. @Aislabie - Brad Haddin
26. @CerealKiller - Mark Waugh
27. @blockerdave - Kevin Pietersen
28. @Sinister One - Charlie Turner
29. @Survivor - Michael Hussey
30. @VC the slogger - Bill O'Reilly
31. @VC the slogger - Ray Lindwall
32. @Survivor - Alec Bedser
33. @Sinister One - Bob Simpson
34. @blockerdave - Bob Willis
35. @CerealKiller - Andrew Flintoff
36. @Aislabie - Charles Macartney
37. @VC the slogger - Ricky Ponting
38. @Survivor - Michael Vaughan
39. @Sinister One - Monty Noble
40. @Aislabie - Jack Iverson
41. @blockerdave - Mitchell Johnson
42. @CerealKiller - Hugh Trumble
43. @CerealKiller - Alan Knott
44. @blockerdave - Simon Jones
45. @Aislabie - Frank Tyson
46. @Sinister One - Jim Parks
47. @Survivor - Terry Alderman
48. @VC the slogger - Stan McCabe
49. @Sinister One - Bobby Peel
50. @blockerdave - John Edrich
51. @Survivor - Jack Russell
52. @CerealKiller - Bill Lawry
53. @Aislabie - Bill Lockwood
54. @VC the slogger - Sid Barnes
55. @VC the slogger - Wilfred Rhodes
56. @Aislabie - Bill Woodfull
57. @CerealKiller - David Gower
58. @Survivor - Jeff Thomson
59. @blockerdave - Michael Slater
60. @Sinister One - Dean Jones
61. @Survivor - Warwick Armstrong
62. @CerealKiller - Stuart Broad
63. @Aislabie - Geoff Boycott
64. @Sinister One - Peter May
65. @VC the slogger - Denis Compton
66. @blockerdave - Ian Healy
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