Having watched many an Ashes battle over the years, Chriss Crowell can't wait to be involved in one of his own on his home deck.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Tamworth batsmen will lead the Northern NSW side against the touring England over-60s side at No.1 Oval on Saturday, which he said will be a huge honour.
"It's always an honour to captain your team, especially a combined team, and also playing against the Englishmen, which is a great honour again," he said.
Crowell played against a few touring sides in his younger days but said he never thought he'd have the chance to play against an English team or team of that calibre.
He has faced the Poms before - with the Australian side in a one-dayer in Adelaide in 2016, his Aussie side claiming the win on that occasion.
"The English won the first two games and it was a three-game series, and we won the last one," he recalled.
"I only played in the last one so that's a feather in my cap I suppose."
READ ALSO:
Crowell said he doesn't know a lot about their opponents other than they beat the Aussie boys over in England.
"They'll be competitive, they'll be strong. If we're going to win we'll all have to perform at our best," he said.
Cricket has been a life-long passion, something he inherited from his father.
Love sport? Subscribe today and receive a sports fan discount."It's just something that's been in the family for a long time. Dad (Doug Crowell) played cricket for a long time," he said.
"I just enjoy it. I enjoy the friendships that you make with your team-mates and the opposition, especially in this over-60s veterans cricket."
"It's very competitive on the ground but once you're off you have a couple of beers and a good yarn."
He is just back from the over-60s national championships in Adelaide where he played for NSW in Division 1.
The game gets underway at 3pm at No.1 Oval.
