England’s Ben Stokes has not played any competitive cricket for four months
(Picture: Getty Images)England were forced to train indoors once more after rain ended their first Ashes warm-up with a total of just 29 overs bowled.
Thursday saw the second successive totally washed-out day of their three-dayer against England Lions.
The opening day was shortened by rain, meaning only Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed have played any cricket of England’s likely XI at the Gabba on December 8.
“We will be a good indoor cricket team,” joked Stuart Broad on Instagram.
The lack of meaningful practice cricket is a concern for England. Broad and Ben Stokes have not played competitively for four months, while others face being undercooked, too.
They have an intra-squad four-day match next week, by which point their T20 World Cup players will have joined them.
The damp, subdued build-up sits in stark contrast to previous Ashes tours. Last time, in 2017/18, England played 10 days of cricket, while before their triumph in 2017/18 – held up as the gold standard of Ashes prep – they played three first-class matches.
