lapal_fan Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I wonder what Alistar's skull looks like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dAVe80 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Hard to disagree. Ali to open with Robson maybe? Try a frontline spinner (Kerrigan I'm guessing). Who do you make captain, Anderson? Root? Swallow your pride and bring back KP (very unlikely)? Someone else? I would disagree (have done above!) with dropping five of the side. England have lost/discarded Trott, Pietersen and Swann over the past year and I really don't think that getting rid of a further five players in one go would help matters. It wasn't long ago that Root was dropped for a test after people wanted him dropped for a long time or that Ballance was being rubbished and Stokes was being lauded. I thought Stokes didn't bowl badly and whilst his batting is appalling at the moment he is coming in at 8 so he's hardly in for his batting (drop him below Plunkett to 9). I can see that a bowler or two may be dropped/'rested' for the next game or two for the reasons spoken about before (5 test matches in 6 weeks) but, other than that, I can't see that much is likely to be changed (or that it would do much). Edit: Having seen Moeen's pretty successful start in the middle of the order and his real problems against the short ball then it would seem crazy to push him up to open. That would be a change ripe for people wanting him dropped to 'find form' should he not score in the next couple of games. In all honesty I was suggesting stuff as it came into my head. When I thought about picking a side for the next test, Broad and Bell stayed in the team (so I wouldn’t drop 5 players). Ali opens for me, as I’d like to see how he does. Maybe he’d thrive, maybe not, but it’s worth having a look at, as he seems to have the temperament to be able to hack it at the top of the order (although his dismissal today kind of disagrees). If it doesn’t work, then put him back down the order. Stokes came back into the side for Jordan based on what he did in Australia, but since that knock has consistently failed with the bat, and bowled no better than Jordan did in my opinion. I’m not wanting to get rid of Stokes, but I’d like to see him earn his place back in the team, especially as Jordan didn’t do anything to warrant getting dropped in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Time for change. Cook Prior Stokes Bell?? Broad?? Maybe all 5 out? Broad and Bell have had appalling summers. Drop Cook as captain and his form will improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colhint Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I think drop Cook as captain and quite a few players form will improve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) In all honesty I was suggesting stuff as it came into my head. When I thought about picking a side for the next test, Broad and Bell stayed in the team (so I wouldn’t drop 5 players). Ali opens for me, as I’d like to see how he does. Maybe he’d thrive, maybe not, but it’s worth having a look at, as he seems to have the temperament to be able to hack it at the top of the order (although his dismissal today kind of disagrees). If it doesn’t work, then put him back down the order. Stokes came back into the side for Jordan based on what he did in Australia, but since that knock has consistently failed with the bat, and bowled no better than Jordan did in my opinion. I’m not wanting to get rid of Stokes, but I’d like to see him earn his place back in the team, especially as Jordan didn’t do anything to warrant getting dropped in the first place. Fair enough.The problem with the bit about Moeen, for me, is similar to what happened to Root (though Root should have coped with it) and knocked Root back quite a bit.I think Stokes was brought back in having been told that he needed some cricket under his belt after his injury (and then his seven wicket haul showed that he was back on track). Tbh, if I were to drop/rest anyone then I'd probably tell Broad to take a blow and play Jordan and Stokes.Also, Jos Buttler was unlucky not to be included in the first place and I can't think that his keeping is any worse than Prior's at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if he struggled batting wise in the test arena, though. Edited July 21, 2014 by snowychap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunRickyRun Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 When Root came into the side he was playing in a good team and was under pressure to perform to the same standard. When things started going south, he was under more pressure to try and bail England out. England can drop a lot of players as long as the coaches give them assurances to the new players that they will be given a long stretch in order to prove themselves and to encourage them to learn from the experience rather than try and get a result. Some wont make it but hopefully we will unearth 3 or 4 batsmen that will form the spine of the England team going forward. I don't want to see a repeat of the mid to late nineties when any county player in form was given one or two tests then dropped if they did not perform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dAVe80 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Consistency is the key to building for the future, I agree with that completely. The future batting spine of the side is there, it's just a case of giving them time to become world class players, then finding the right combination of bowlers to compliment them, and finally finding the right man to lead the side. I believe the elements are there, it's just a case of putting them together and then nurturing them and watching them grow into a good side, full of potential match winner, like we've had in the recent past. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I don't want to see a repeat of the mid to late nineties when any county player in form was given one or two tests then dropped if they did not perform.Nor me - late nineties or '88. That's what I would be fearful of (though I'm not trying to suggest that anyone here is after that) and that we'd end up being skippered by the 2014 equivalent of Chris Cowdrey and featuring today's Martyn Moxon and David Capel (amongst others whom I can't remember). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Moeen has never opened in his life has he... He could bat at 4 though but personally he looks comfortable where he is especially with him having the extra duties with the ball as well..i'm not sure about Butler he's another of these agressive batsmen and his first class record isn't very good/ Also i don't rate his keeping. The best keepers are Foster or Reed but maybe time has past them by...Same with Ambrose. A good keeper but his batting is not where it was i don't think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Someone I think could do a really good job for England is Keith Barker. Gives us variety of left arm seam which we need against the righthanders, and India have 9 of them and he's back in form.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) I don't suppose he plays for Warwickshire, does he? Edited July 21, 2014 by snowychap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 How did you guess Honestly though we have no left arm seamers... We bring in Woakes and Jordan, its like for like.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dAVe80 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 What is it that Finn has done (or not), to be so unceremoniously dropped from contention? He had a couple of bad games granted, and goes for a few runs, but he's a wicket taker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) What's happened to that lad whom they took a look at on the Ashes tour in the nets. Left armer who was supposed to bowling at around the 90mph mark? Edited July 21, 2014 by snowychap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 He was unselectable because his bowling action had gone to pieces. I don't know where he is at now.. if they could pick him they would!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 What's happened to that lad who they took a look at on the Ashes tour in the nets. Left armer who was supposed to bowling at around the 90mph mark? Has he even played a first class game.... Pace isn't everything. Its about putting the ball in the right place and being able to swing the ball back into the right handers which Welch taught Barker to do and since he did he's been a revelation in county cricket... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 What is it that Finn has done (or not), to be so unceremoniously dropped from contention? He had a couple of bad games granted, and goes for a few runs, but he's a wicket taker. From what I gather, bowl how the England set up required him to and thus failed to get wickets, i.e. they've knocked some of his spark from him - he was bowling in the high 80s and low 90s a couple of years ago and was bowling low 80s by the time they cast him aside, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowychap Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) Has he even played a first class game....Tymal Mills.His cricinfo page.Edit: Article last month said that he'd had a side strain and was on his way back so perhaps not dropped. Edited July 21, 2014 by snowychap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dAVe80 Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 What is it that Finn has done (or not), to be so unceremoniously dropped from contention? He had a couple of bad games granted, and goes for a few runs, but he's a wicket taker. From what I gather, bowl how the England set up required him to and thus failed to get wickets, i.e. they've knocked some of his spark from him - he was bowling in the high 80s and low 90s a couple of years ago and was bowling low 80s by the time they cast him aside, I think. Yeah, unfortunately you're right (unfortunate for England, rather than you being right!). Michael Holding really rated him very highly for a time, and I'd hoped he was the future leader of the England attack. On a similar note, Graham Onions would have been a great option to bowl on that wicket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) Onions has only just come back from injury and Warwickshire crushed Durham last week.. Jordan out for 4 against Warwickshire... interesting contest between Jordan and Woakes in this Warwicks v Sussex match...The ecb will be looking closely Edited July 21, 2014 by PaulC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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