The Ashes (Australia tour of England)

[Jalen]

This chat about Paine being dropped is utter rubbish. Definitely one of the best keepers in the country and for test cricket, you want a genuine keeper who can bat, not the other way around.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Time for Mo to prove his worth with the bat.

One innings / test match / season doesn't make him a bad player. England are clearly suffering from white ball cricket hangover. It's not rocket science. I might be wrong, but I don't think Roy has played much red ball cricket in county cricket and his selection is proof how much they've been influenced by his white ball batting pedigree. If Bairstow wants to keep, then he has to keep and bat at 4. Otherwise, Buttler should keep and bat 7. For starters, Buttler is the better wicketkeeper and I'd rather he have the freedom and liberty to bat at 7 than Bairstow. When Bairstow had come in, he was/is a proper red ball batter. He seems most hungover in the World Cup euphoria. My personal opinion is-

Burns
(A proper red ball opener who has cut his teeth in county cricket) - I saw this kid called Hameed bat and he looked like a proper test match opener. I have no clue where he is now.
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Ali
Buttler
Woakes
Curran
Leech
Broad

 

[LiveLoveABD]

This chat about Paine being dropped is utter rubbish. Definitely one of the best keepers in the country and for test cricket, you want a genuine keeper who can bat, not the other way around.

To hell with the keeping and batting. Any bloke than can come into test cricket and lead the way he has in the circumstances that he did merits to be selected on that basis alone. Tim has shown character and resolve during a very tough period and knowing the Aussies, they attach a huge value to that and the rest of the world has learnt that from them. It would be madness to even think of asking him to step down, let alone drop him!!!

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Lyon's making this pitch look completely different to the one Mo bowled a day earlier. Tough to justify his and Bairstow's selections after these shambolic performances.

The whole world had said this about Giles in 2005 and Moeen is a far better cricketer. This is the time England should back him even more. They are playing with X people here and don't need to go crazy but some of the selection is clearly white ball hangover as I mentioned in an earlier post.

I think Sam Curran is a good replacement for Jimmy although you need to get god to have a like for like replacement. They need to sort out their batting order and if Joe Root is going to be captain and their mainstay then he needs to make daddy hundreds when they matter.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Lyon's making this pitch look completely different to the one Mo bowled a day earlier. Tough to justify his and Bairstow's selections after these shambolic performances.

If Mo does nothing with the bat I'd go with Leach. Woakes looks a better number 8 than an Ali.

 

[swacker]

"England's strength is in their middle order" is a bit of a myth.

In 2019

Buttler: 4, 26, 1, 24, 67, 56, 1 and 5
Bairstow: 12, 30, 52, 14, 2, 0, 0, 8 and 6
Moeen: 0, 0, 60, 4, 13, 0, 9 and 0

Either out of nick or not up to it. A combination of the two I would say.

 

[Yorkshireman]

Woakes making a mockery of our top order. Ali as I type this is out.

For the next test I would line up with -

1. Burns
2. No clue - Sibley? Zak Crawley?
3. Root
4. Roy
5. Buttler (?)
6. Stokes
7. Foakes
8. Woakes
9. Archer
10. Broad
11. Leach

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Woakes making a mockery of our top order. Ali as I type this is out.

For the next test I would line up with -

1. Burns
2. No clue - Sibley? Zak Crawley?
3. Root
4. Roy
5. Buttler (?)
6. Stokes
7. Foakes
8. Woakes
9. Archer
10. Broad
11. Leach

1. Burns
2. Woakes
3. Root
4. Woakes
5. Stokes
6. Buttler
7. Foakes
8. Woakes
9. Archer
10. Broad
11. Leach

 

[Willoughby63]

1. Burns
2. Sibley
3. Root
4. Malan
5. Stokes
6. Buttler
7. Foakes
8. Woakes
9. Broad
10. Archer
11. Parkinson/Leach

 

[wasteyouryouth]

What a comeback. Congratulations to Australia. Winning by 250 runs is some effort after the first morning.

 

[Bevab]

Woakes making a mockery of our top order. Ali as I type this is out.

For the next test I would line up with -

1. Burns
2. No clue - Sibley? Zak Crawley?
3. Root
4. Roy
5. Buttler (?)
6. Stokes
7. Foakes
8. Woakes
9. Archer
10. Broad
11. Leach

This would definitely be my lineup for the next game, Roy has looked okay for a player who is absolutely inexperienced as a test opener and deserves a better chance in a more familiar position. Denly was picked due to his ability to bat at three but now that Root has agreed to be the number three, Denly's role is a bit redundant as Root can also bowl part-time spin. Foakes and Leach over Bairstow and Mo are fairly obvious selections too. A fully fit Woakes is the best replacement for Anderson and Archer adds the X-factor that would be invaluable on pitches like this.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Knee jerk reactions here on Bairstow and Ali. People on the bench always play better when on the bench. Archer to play ahead of Olly Stone and more importantly Sam Curran? That's a joke to me. It's one thing bowling 4/10 overs when batsmen are coming at you, quite another pelting down 15-20 overs a day when people are willing to let you bowl at them all day. Archer was leaking bad balls in white ball cricket and that isn't even a game of patience. Steve Smith and co. would welcome him over someone like Sam Curran who nibbles it around and is a proven test cricketer![DOUBLEPOST=1565016602][/DOUBLEPOST]There is one question I really want to ask my British friends here? From the first day, Bairstow has looked like a poor WK. From the first day. Secondly, he's a tremendous outfielder or fielder in general. What is this logic or obsession of him keeping over Buttler in particular? Buttler' feet move much better and is the more natural WK. Feel bad for Foakes, he himself is a tremendous talent.

 

[Yorkshireman]

There is one question I really want to ask my British friends here? From the first day, Bairstow has looked like a poor WK. From the first day. Secondly, he's a tremendous outfielder or fielder in general. What is this logic or obsession of him keeping over Buttler in particular? Buttler' feet move much better and is the more natural WK. Feel bad for Foakes, he himself is a tremendous talent.

Good question, answer I’ve no idea. Ben Foakes is the best English wicket keeper, definitely. Bairstow apparently kicks up a fuss if he’s dropped as wicket keeper, which is odd. It seems he’s in the team due to reputation, not form. For me, the gloves should be passed on to Foakes, and he should train as a specialist batsmen. His batting in red ball cricket recently has been nothing short of abysmal. I feel he should be dropped at least for the next test.[DOUBLEPOST=1565017530][/DOUBLEPOST]Serious questions need to be asked of roots captaincy too.

 

[wasteyouryouth]

Knee jerk reactions here on Bairstow and Ali. People on the bench always play better when on the bench. Archer to play ahead of Olly Stone and more importantly Sam Curran? That's a joke to me. It's one thing bowling 4/10 overs when batsmen are coming at you, quite another pelting down 15-20 overs a day when people are willing to let you bowl at them all day. Archer was leaking bad balls in white ball cricket and that isn't even a game of patience. Steve Smith and co. would welcome him over someone like Sam Curran who nibbles it around and is a proven test cricketer![DOUBLEPOST=1565016602][/DOUBLEPOST]There is one question I really want to ask my British friends here? From the first day, Bairstow has looked like a poor WK. From the first day. Secondly, he's a tremendous outfielder or fielder in general. What is this logic or obsession of him keeping over Buttler in particular? Buttler' feet move much better and is the more natural WK. Feel bad for Foakes, he himself is a tremendous talent.

Bairstow's record in the last two years is poor, worse when he's keeping. It seems accepted he's not a better keeper than Foakes and probably Buttler, so it's a mystery as to why he keeps the gloves. If he's one of the best seven English batsman, which he probably is (I agree players out of the side always seems better), then they should say you're in the team as a batter but not a keeper. If he doesn't like it then tell him to go back to Yorkshire and find some form. I'd probably stick him at four, bad luck Denly.

England's selection for test matches in the last twelve months seems based on hope that it'll work out. Buttler got in the side off the back of a good IPL as a specialist number seven, he's now at five (Woakes has twice as many first class centuries, the same number of test centuries and and a better first class average). Roy is in off the back of a good World Cup having never (certainly never regularly) opened in first class cricket.

As for the bowlers, England were missing pace. Curran won't give them that at 80mph and with the ball Broad and Woakes have looked good in the last two matches. So, it has to be Archer or Stone in my opinion.

 

[blockerdave]

The whole world had said this about Giles in 2005 and Moeen is a far better cricketer. This is the time England should back him even more. They are playing with X people here and don't need to go crazy but some of the selection is clearly white ball hangover as I mentioned in an earlier post.

I think Sam Curran is a good replacement for Jimmy although you need to get god to have a like for like replacement. They need to sort out their batting order and if Joe Root is going to be captain and their mainstay then he needs to make daddy hundreds when they matter.

I'll give that for Ali on the bowling side, he bowled poorly yesterday and it was an off-day. He's still our best spinner and with so many left-handers he should be given another shot.

But your suggestion of putting him at 6 is a joke - he is not and never will be a test-class top-6 batsman. that's not about form, he's just not that good. he's always been better as a 7/8 attacking with the tail.