The Buzz

As Flintoff tells it, the journey began after a premature retirement left him unmoored. "I fell out of love with cricket. I genuinely thought my best years were ahead of me at 31. Especially as a bowler, I was bowling quicker, my batting was coming back and I was thinking the next three years are my years, but I never got that.

I couldn't be around it. When you retire, everything moves on and you're left behind."

Lyon went up to greet the ten-year-olds, Ollie and Max, who were sporting "Nice, Garry" t-shirts with his picture on them. Ollie told Lyon he was an opening batter and Lyon asked him for some tips.

"We might need some runs tomorrow," Lyon said. "Don't get out," was Ollie's sound advice. "That's pretty hard for me," exclaimed Lyon (Test batting average 12.6). Max informed him that he's a legspin bowler.

Inglis will be playing in the first Test against West Indies in Barbados, starting today, June 25, as a replacement for Steven Smith, out due to a finger injury sustained during the WTC final against Australia at Lord's earlier this month.

Inglis didn't feature in the WTC final, but had made his debut earlier this year on Australia's tour of Sri Lanka. In this breezy Q&A, he tells fans a bit more about himself, starting with the fact that he grew up in Leeds. He moved to Australia at the age of 14.

"Final Destination is one of those childhood - sounds a bit rogue - films you watch," Stokes said. "Threw it out there if anyone wanted to go and there were seven of us who went down. Interesting watch."

Stokes revealed that fast bowler Brydon Carse had a few uncomfortable moments while watching the film. The franchise is known for the gruesome ways in which it kills off its characters.

What's in the box...?

But that only means she got to have a ceremony for herself, officiated by another England great, Andrew Flintoff, who is the Lions' head coach.

"She's going to hate me for this, but they are also inducting a legend of the game, Sarah Taylor," Flintoff said to Taylor while surrounded by the Lions players. "I knew you were a good cricketer, Sarah, but I've had a little dive into your career. I didn't realise how good you were - three times World Cup winner with England [the 2009 and 2017 ODI World Cups and the 2009 T20 World Cup], a pioneer and trailblazer for the women's game, also inspired so many boys and girls over your career. And at the epicentre of a successful England Women's team. "She scored 36 fifties and seven hundreds in international cricket. And the one thing which I looked at which I'm staggered about - and she'll say, 'Oh that's because I stood up to the stumps' - she had over a hundred stumpings in international cricket. That to me suggests probably one of the best ever to wear the wicketkeeping gloves in any form of the game."

For his openers, he picks Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne over Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickleton. His middle order is: Aiden Markram (over Cameron Green), Steven Smith (over Temba Bavuma) and Travis Head (over Tristan Stubbs). The wicketkeeper's position goes to Alex Carey (over Kyle Verreynne). At No. 7 is Wiaan Mulder over the Aussie allrounder Beau Webster, and he picks Pat Cummins over Marco Jansen.

The choice that is the hardest for Anderson is among fast bowlers: Mitchell Starc or Kagiso Rabada. He agonises over it, saying, "Oh no, you can't do that to me," but eventually picks Rabada. His spinner of choice is offspinner Nathan Lyon (over Keshav Maharaj). And finally, the bowling attack is finished off by choosing Josh Hazlewood over Dane Paterson. That's eight Australians in an Englishman's XI - wow! Not what you expect to hear in an Ashes year.

So what were his first impressions?

"The change rooms are really small, to be honest, and they do a very good lunch," said Konstas. "I'm very grateful to be at such an iconic ground."