Stick To Cricket: Ashes memories before first Test in Perth

• Panel vote Stokes' Heaingley heroics greatest Ashes performance

• Tuffers' recalls his Ashes rude awakening Down Under

• Vaughan's brush with the law in Australia

• Read the Ultimate Guide to the Ashes 2025

• Betfair Predicts is your guide to winter Ashes predictions

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Betfair and The Overlap proudly present Stick to Cricket, the weekly show featuring England cricket legends Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, David 'Bumble' Lloyd and Phil 'Tuffers' Tufnell, joined by special guests to talk cricket's biggest stories.

This week, the panel share their Ashes memories, discuss some of the finest performances in history and look ahead to the first Test which begins next week in Perth.

Watch the episode and read a selection the panel's quotes below.

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Stick To Cricket panel's best ever Ashes moments

1. Ben Stokes miracle at Headingley

2. Ian Botham's heroics at Headingley

3. Stuart Broad tears the Aussies apart in 2015

4.  Shane Warne ball of the century

5. Flintoff's over at Edgbaston

6. Steve Smith's double century

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Phil Tufnell: My first Ashes game in 1990 was rude-awakening

My first Ashes game was in 1990. I'd gone over there. All the boys told me that I'd really know I'd be involved in a battle. I was thinking to myself: 'Crikey, it's only a game of cricket.'  

I bowled the first couple of overs. I don't particularly remember too much about it but then I used to have a little tick. After about four balls in the over, I'd ask the umpire how many were left in the over and I said it to a bloke called Peter McConnell, who just turned around and said 'count them yourself, you pommy bas**rd.' 

I went: 'F*cking hell, I think we are in a bit of a match here!' 

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Michael Vaughan: In 2003 we were pulled over by the police

I remember 2003 the last game in Sydney. We drank with the Aussies in their dressing room all in our whites. We were there a few hours and then we're going out of the ground, and everything's shut down. 

Remember the Gatorade truck that comes out onto the pitch? I'm walking out with Butch, John Crawley and Rob Key. Crawley gets in the buggy and drives us out of the SCG. We're going down the road and at the lights when suddenly the coppers pulled in and said: 'Mr Crawley, you better just take that back please!'

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 Alastair Cook: I will never forget the first time I sledged someone in my professional career

The first time I sledged someone, I sledged Mark Boucher. I remember he was moaning about something, and I just said: 'Why don't you just let the f**king umpires umpire.'  

Anyway, he then turned around and just abused the hell out of me. My a*se fell out and I didn't have a comeback. 

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England's best cricketers - north v south

Phil Tufnell: I'll say the south is better than the north because it all starts with captaincy. A team is driven on by the captain and I think the south has had more England captains than the north - and that's also where the home of cricket is. 

David Lloyd: I've never heard such a stupid question. There's only one answer - the north. It's where it breeds cricketers. The north is full of cricketers, and it produces all the greatest cricketers. Let me give you three great all-rounders. Sir Ian Botham, Ben Stokes, Andrew Flintoff. 

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Lloyd and Vaughan's best ever northern England players

Michael Atherton

Sir Geoffrey Boycott

Michael Vaughan 

Joe Root

Harry Brook

Ben Stokes

Jonny Bairstow

Andrew Flintoff

Stuart Broad

Steve Harmison

Sir Jimmy Anderson

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Cook and Tufnell's best ever southern England players

Graham Gooch

Sir Alastair Cook

David Gower

Kevin Pietersen

Graham Thorpe

Alec Stewart

Graham Dill

Graeme Swann

Bob Willis

Jofra Archer

Sir Ian Botham

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Bookmark Betting.Betfair Ashes 2025 blog for the best tips and predictions

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