It's in the bag! Harmonicas, darts and poems - what the England players are packing for their Ashes defence Down Under

By LAWRENCE BOOTH, CRICKET CORRESPONDENT

Published: 19:34 EST, 23 October 2013 | Updated: 06:27 EST, 28 October 2013

When England won the Ashes Down Under in 1970-71, their fast-bowling hero was John Snow, a feisty character who used his spare time to write poetry.

It turns out Snow has a spiritual successor: step forward Tim Bresnan, whose luggage on the flight that left Heathrow last night included a ‘poem pad’.

Bresnan, travelling with the main 17-man party as he recovers from a stress fracture of the back, told Sportsmail: ‘I might take my harmonica this year. As well as my poem pad — I’ve started writing.’

Jetting out: England stars Jonathan Trott, Matt Prior and Jonny Bairstow wait for their flight tickets

 

Yorkshire’s famous poets include Ted Hughes, from Mytholmroyd, Yokefleet Hall’s William Empson, and Simon Armitage, of Marsden. But Bresnan of Pontefract could yet give them a run for  their money.

Perhaps the most honest admission of extra-curricular packing came from Jonathan Trott, who is usually at the centre of the team’s hotel-room showdowns on the Xbox — not least where the Fifa football game is concerned.

Trott, a Spurs fan, said: ‘I’ll take a few extra controllers because I tend to throw them and break them when I lose at Fifa. I play whoever’s willing to take me on. Stuart Broad’s pretty good, but I’d say I’m the best.’

There are even rumours of reading material featuring among the 122 bags checked in. Fast bowler Steven Finn says he will take the new autobiography by Sir Alex Ferguson, while Trott has started reading books on his iPad, ‘because at night time you don’t need a light’.

Kitted out: Pietersen with his various adidas kit and his Oakley sunglasses as he prepares for the Ashes

Lost luggage: Ben Stokes tweeted that although he was in London, his bags were still in Newcastle

ENGLAND'S TOUR SCHEDULE

Oct 31: Three-day warm-up game against Western Australia (Perth).
Nov 6: Four-day warm-up against Australia A (Hobart).
Nov 13: Four-day warm-up against New South Wales (Sydney).
Nov 21-25: First Test (The Gabba, Brisbane).
Dec 5-9: Second Test (Adelaide Oval).
Dec 13-17: Third Test (WACA, Perth).
Dec 26-30: Fourth Test (MCG, Melbourne).
Jan 3-7: Fifth Test (SCG, Sydney)

Broad, who usually takes a book with a military angle, admitted to packing his ‘lucky socks’, while Alastair Cook followed the precedent he set as captain on last winter’s tours of India and New Zealand and packed his dartboard, which has proved especially popular with Jimmy Anderson.

Wicketkeeper Matt Prior’s luggage did not want for carbohydrate gel, although Graeme Swann complained on Twitter that he had been unable to find his ‘budgie smuggler’ swimming trunks.

An even worse fate befell first-time tourist Ben Stokes, who tweeted on Wednesday in a panic: ‘Great start to the tour. BA have left all 3 of my bags in Newcastle and I’m in London #goodone #donkeys’.

Getting shirty: Steven Finn struggled with packing but at least he had put some of his kit in piles

A Broad range: England bowler Stuart Broad tweeted this picture of his bats, pads, batting gloves and spikes

Liquids and Carbs: Matt Prior posted what will keep him hydrated (left) and Michael Carberry is all packed

Tight squeeze: Boyd Rankin (left) and Ian Bell struggle to fit in with their luggage on their way to the airport