England tour of South Africa
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:37 pmI guess a similar squad will go to SA but with Moeen back for Parkinson and maybe Bairstow returning. Wood and Stone for Mahmood, if available. That's my guess rather than my squad.
Arthur Crabtree wrote:I guess a similar squad will go to SA but with Moeen back for Parkinson and maybe Bairstow returning. Wood and Stone for Mahmood, if available. That's my guess rather than my squad.
Can I repeat my prediction that Mark Wood will break a nail at some point, and will be written off injured? Moeen wrote himself off from touring South Africa, and said he will indefinitely be unavailable after. Would be typical of England to strip him of a central contract, then put him straight back into the team after one bad test from his replacement.
I think we need to look forward rather than backwards. Too many players arent given a hard lesson for their failures. Bairstow needs to go and score mountains of runs before he deserves another chance. Wood needs to prove he is fit enough. Moeen needs a long period of finding his form. Bringing them all back is to just accept continued mediocre returns.
Arthur Crabtree wrote:Not sure Stokes is flattered by being the fifth bowler in an all seam attack. It's not the best opportunity out there.
In terms of the amount of overs he's bowling, he'd have been his top yearly amount almost certainly if he played an extra 4 matches. In terms of workloads, he's per test right up there at his peak of his career (disregarding his first few tests). Its actually his SR that has plummeted more than anything, he's simply not taking enough wickets when given the opportunity.
I think personally, he's bowling type and its main strengths makes him perfect as a partnership breaking style guy when the 5th bowler is needed more. And he seems to have that little bit of x-factor where, if you dont mind him giving away a few runs to get a set batsman out, he can pose a lot of questions with how he can swing the ball, and how he can get an extra half a yard of pace that most of our attack lack.
But rather than beat up Ben again, I think this is more purposeful in approach rather than a lack of him executing. I think at this current point, the bowling is becoming more of an afterthought, and the team now see him as a crucial batter; in the results on the field, you see a guy who works hard to improve as a batter, and who is declining as a bowler.... I dont think its a fluke, I think the team want him to work and focus on the former.
I guess it will continue that way, and his bowling rather than being something he works on a lot, will have to live through his inherent natural ability. Which is a shame because, if the team was in a much more healthy position, that bowling trump card really does boost the rest of the attack in key moments in tests, to lose that would be to the whole attacks detriment.