ParkedTheBus
International Coach
Where.The.Hell.Is.Nicholas.Richard.Denis.Compton?!?!
I'd like to see Finn and Rankin in the next test, as we really have got nothing to lose, so we may as well give them some experience.
Is Bairstow expected to take over as w/k from prior and to bat at 6?
Because then Stokes at 7, broad 8 and 3 pure bowlers would be fine for the next few years. I'm not particularly sold on Bairstow yet, though.
Well I only said I thought Stokes could bat about 5 pages ago but I'm still going to pat myself on the bat about it.
Jaffa to bowl Clarke as well.
Flintoff is a difficult guy to assess, really. A genuinely awesome 95+mph bowler with a huge heart, never went round the park, but didn't get a lot of wickets either. A fearsome hitter of the ball, but a batsman who rarely made hundreds and whose technique was fundamentally compromised by years of clubbing everything for 6 at the lower levels of the game ; he was literally seen as a Viv Richards-level prodigy by many prior to his arrival in first class cricket, as they mistook his sheer physical strength for genius level batsmanship.
A massive personality beloved by the fans, but often unpopular in dressing rooms, and reportedly largely disliked by those in the game these days.
I think something dramatic needs to happen or else Cook wont remain as captain after the Ashes, he looks like a man on borrowed time and yesterday's delivery just made him look ordinary.
That was an absolute jaffa. Absolutely no disgrace in missing it, especially first ball. In fact, the only way you could hit it is by playing down the wrong line, effectively.
He had more chance of hitting the Mitchell Johnson jaffa in the first test, because if he'd really pressed forward he might just have got a little bit of bat on it. No disgrace there either though.