The Aussie Ashes squad is in and the countdown is well and truly on. We dive into one of the great unspoken pillars of elite sport: feedback, and how the best in the world learn to live with it.

Across early-morning entries, late-night reflections and a couple of classic check-ins, Mitch Starc and Alex Carey take us inside the mental side of cricket at the absolute highest level.

Mitch opens up about the flood of external attention and how he’s learned over his journey to sort the white noise from the gold. From the best feedback he’s ever received, to the lessons that have shaped a decade of international cricket, Mitch is honest, raw and razor sharp.

Then it’s Alex Carey’s turn. Kez walks us through the aftermath of that Bairstow moment, the noise that followed, and the feedback that mattered most. He shares how he processed it all.

And just when you think the boys are cruising toward Ashes camp… chaos. Mitch takes us into a crucial Sheffield Shield hit-out - a key milestone in his final prep - only for the match to unravel with hamstring injuries to Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott. It’s the full reality of elite cricket one week out from the biggest series on earth.

Lock in. The final countdown is on. And we are in seat 1A!

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Ashes Diaries release schedule. Subscribe to the Howie Games feed so you don’t miss an episode!

Monday October 20 - Episode 1 - Rivalry

Friday October 24 - Episode 2 - Ouch

Monday October 27 - Episode 3 - A Numbers Game

Friday October 31 - Episode 4 - Lights, Camera, Action

Monday November 3 - Episode 5 - Dad

Friday November 7 - Episode 6 - Do What You Love

Monday November 10 - Episode 7 - Nice Garry

Friday November 14 - Episode 8 - Roulette

Monday November 17 - Episode 9

Tuesday November 25 - Episode 10

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