Barmy Army Planning To Go Down Under As 15,000 England Fans Are On Waiting List For Ashes

Oct 10, 2021 at 6:06 PM

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Barmy Army Planning To Go Down Under As 15,000 England Fans Are On Waiting List For Ashes

Barmy Army, the England cricket team’s fan club, is planning to go Down Under in droves, with reports suggesting that 15,000 are on the waiting list. The development followed the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) “conditional approval” to the Joe Root-led side to tour Australia for the Ashes this December.

Despite Australia’s stringent Covid-19 protocols and quarantine rules — the sore point among England players before the issue was resolved by the ECB and Cricket Australia recently — the Barmy Army is expected to have a significant presence during the fourth and fifth Tests in January.

England players applauded the Barmy Army before leaving the field. (Photo Source: Twitter)
England players applauded the Barmy Army before leaving the field. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Barmy Army Planning To Go Down Under

At first, the Barmy Army was an informal group, which was later turned into a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. The company provides tickets and arranges touring parties to follow the English cricket team in the UK and overseas. The name is also applied to team followers who join in with match day activities in the crowd, but do not necessarily travel as part of an organized tour.

The Australian media gave the group’s name during the 1994–95 Test series in Australia, reportedly for the fans’ hopeless audacity in travelling all the way to Australia in the near-certain knowledge that their team would lose and the fact that they kept on chanting encouragement to the England team even when England was losing quite badly. Paul Burnham co-founded it.

“The overseas touring group, formed as a result of the mockery they received in the Australian media on the 1994-95 trip, have over 15,000 England supporters on the waiting list for travel packages this winter, although far fewer are expected to head Down Under due to the uncertainty surrounding travel restrictions,” a report said on Sunday.

Barmy Army © Getty Images
Barmy Army © Getty Images

“The Australian government are planning to reopen their borders for international travel next month on a state-by-state basis depending on vaccination levels, although foreigners are unlikely to be admitted until next year. England’s Barmy Army group are hoping to head out to Australia to support at the Ashes,” added the report.

The fourth Test is scheduled to commence at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on January 5. England team supporters are hopeful they will be given permission as New South Wales has the “highest vaccination rate in the country”. The fifth Test, scheduled in Perth, could also be moved to Sydney, as the “vaccine program in West Australia is lagging behind other states”.

England Picks Experienced Squad For The Ashes

England has named a 17-man squad for this winter’s Ashes 2021/22 tour, with head coach Chris Silverwood leaning on familiar faces for the trip. However, Chris Silverwood and captain Joe Root cannot call on a full-strength group due to the continued hiatus of star all-rounder Ben Stokes and injuries to Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, and Sam Curran fears over players opting out due to concerns over Australia’s travel restrictions have not materialized.

File image of Sam Curran | Reuters
File image of Sam Curran | Reuters

As a result, the squad has a tried and trusted feel, with no uncapped test players selected. That means potential selections such as Lancashire trio Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson, and Saqib Mahmood have all been overlooked. Still, they can expect to form part of the England squad for later tour stages. The 17-man squad is almost as expected, with Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence the spare batsmen and Dom Bess the second spinner to Jack Leach.

England’s full squad for The Ashes: Joe Root (captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

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