Pick your England team for the first test next summer

[SpitfiresKent]

1. Cook
2. Root
3. Trott
4. Bell
5. Ali/Morgan/Ballance
6. Stokes
7. Prior
8. Bresnan/Finn
9. Broad
10. Tredwell
11. Anderson

^I'm going to change this for obvious reasons...

1. Cook
2. Robson
3. Ali
4. Bell
5. Root
6. Ballance
7. Prior
8. Broad
9. Jordan
10. Finn
11. Anderson

^This is the team i'd like to see face Sri Lanka. 4 seamers & 2 spinners

 

[NoLeName]

I know shit all about English cricket, but I did watch a fair chunk of the tour over here so I will say two things. Anderson's gotta be watching his back, and I'm not sure Jordan is ready for test cricket.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

I'm not sure Jordan is ready for test cricket.

Well if he isn't then i'd just replace him with either Stokes or Bresnan it's a win win situation

 

[NoLeName]

Well if he isn't then i'd just replace him with either Stokes or Bresnan it's a win win situation

He just looks a bit too raw. He just needs another season of FC cricket to continue to mature, and presuming he performs well I'd bring him in then.

 

[ParkedTheBus]

Looks like Compton's career is over , along with that of Carberry. He (Comps) has got into a sort of rough relationship with the ECB. I do feel there is a lot of favoritism in the ECB. Other than the home series vs Kiwis , he performed very well. I feel he should replace Root. Root may have a lot of potential , but right now , he is not better than Comps. Even during the 180 at Lords , he was very lucky to have been given 2 or 3 reprieves.

 

[El Loco]

Compton has been knocking on the door for some time now, definitely deserves the nod.

 

[barmyarmy]

Right, we're closer now so my first test team:

Cook
Robson
Root
Bell
Ballance
Morgan
Prior
Stokes
Broad
Anderson
Onions

You don't pick a spinner in May in England; even against Sri Lanka. Root can tweak it if required. I'm possibly putting too big a bowling load on Stokes, using him in a 4-man attack but our batting order absolutely needs shoring up after the Ashes.

 

[IceAgeComing]

Here's what I'd do: not based at all on the county championship because I haven't been following it a great deal, bar the fact that Finn's apparently back in the wickets.

1. Cook
2. Carberry
3. Bell
4. Morgan
5. Root
6. Stokes/Ballance
7. Prior
8. Jordan
9. Broad
10. Finn
11. Anderson

If we end up with a dry spinner for... some reason, then I'd go for Monty as spinner since he's the best thing that England have right now. If I picked a spinner; then I'd go for Stokes as an all rounder; but I don't think that he'd be good enough as a fourth bowler...

 

[King Pietersen]

Right, we're closer now so my first test team:

Cook
Robson
Root
Bell
Ballance
Morgan
Prior
Stokes
Broad
Anderson
Onions

You don't pick a spinner in May in England; even against Sri Lanka. Root can tweak it if required. I'm possibly putting too big a bowling load on Stokes, using him in a 4-man attack but our batting order absolutely needs shoring up after the Ashes.

Morgan? What has he done to deserve a Test place? Has a terrible technique for Test cricket, has been found out in International cricket, and isn't scoring runs in FC cricket for Middlesex. If you're going to pick a team without a spinner, and don't want to put Ben Stokes at 6, then surely Moeen Ali is a better option? Morgan should be nowhere near the Test side.

 

[barmyarmy]

Yup. I've been batting with Moeen Ali a lot in DB14 (!) and he seems to have decent technique although not totally convinced by his shot selection...

 

[dp458]

Morgan? What has he done to deserve a Test place? Has a terrible technique for Test cricket, has been found out in International cricket, and isn't scoring runs in FC cricket for Middlesex. If you're going to pick a team without a spinner, and don't want to put Ben Stokes at 6, then surely Moeen Ali is a better option? Morgan should be nowhere near the Test side.

Morgan has to be close though as i cant see him giving up that ipl contract to be nowhere near

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Also Taylor must be close with consistently getting runs in div 1

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and ali/borthwick is the decision that has to be made imo

 

[ParkedTheBus]

Why is no one speaking about Will Gidman ? He has similar stats to , if not better than , Chris Woakes , albeit in Division 2. I feel he should be given a chance.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

Why is no one speaking about Will Gidman ?

You're only mentioning him because of that article the BBC had up a couple of days ago.

 

[ParkedTheBus]

You're only mentioning him because of that article the BBC had up a couple of days ago.

Haha , no. I rarely read the BBC for cricket news , man. My only source of cricket news and stats is Cricinfo.

 

[dp458]

Gidman
Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
First-class 45 68 11 1997 143 35.03 4010 49.80 2 13 252 6 9 0
List A 38 23 4 379 76 19.94 0 1 12 0
Twenty20 8 7 1 78 40* 13.00 90 86.66 0 0 5 0 2 0
Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
First-class 45 76 7276 3543 169 6/15 10/43 20.96 2.92 43.0 10 8 1
List A 38 1266 1044 30 4/36 4/36 34.80 4.94 42.2 1 0 0
Twenty20 8 5 48 76 1 1/18 1/18 76.00 9.50 48.0 0 0 0

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Woakes

Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 1 2 1 42 25 42.00 83 50.60 0 0 6 0 0 0
ODIs 13 10 4 141 36 23.50 192 73.43 0 0 10 0 5 0
T20Is 4 3 2 37 19* 37.00 30 123.33 0 0 1 2 1 0
First-class 92 128 33 3696 152* 38.90 8 15 40 0
List A 80 51 17 630 49* 18.52 736 85.59 0 0 41 10 17 0
Twenty20 69 39 22 459 55* 27.00 342 134.21 0 1 36 16 30 0
Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 1 1 144 96 1 1/96 1/96 96.00 4.00 144.0 0 0 0
ODIs 13 12 590 557 15 6/45 6/45 37.13 5.66 39.3 0 1 0
T20Is 4 4 66 113 2 1/29 1/29 56.50 10.27 33.0 0 0 0
First-class 92 159 15503 7887 308 7/20 11/97 25.60 3.05 50.3 13 14 3
List A 80 76 3094 2842 82 6/45 6/45 34.65 5.51 37.7 2 1 0
Twenty20 69 67 1284 1731 67 4/21 4/21 25.83 8.08 19.1 1 0 0

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Why is no one speaking about Will Gidman ? He has similar stats to , if not better than , Chris Woakes , albeit in Division 2. I feel he should be given a chance.

so apart from older, less games WORSE batting stats, only marginally better bowling stats, more helpful ground to seamers (edgbaston has become a turning road in the last few years- look at J.Patel's bowling stats and he is only average) and div 2, he has everything going for him