Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Geez, this is starting tomorrow, looks as if we'd all forgotten with the excitement of the Euros and Olympics (and the hundred, right? Anyone?).

Any takers for a fantasy comp?

Hi. I see ENgland's tour of BD proposed later this year has been put back a couple of years.

Wonder if the current changes will be used as cover to shuffle out inconvenient series.

This will allow England players to participate in the IPL.

I guess England should win this series coming up. They usually do against India. Even though they lost to NZ. That was their first home series defeat for 7 years.

BBC journos are all saying India to win though, apart from Captain Steely.

No Stokes of course.

England squad for first two Tests: Joe Root (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Mark Wood.

Bairstow is back! This is India:

Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad. Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

4-8 August 1st Test, Trent Bridge
12-16 2nd Test, Lord's
25-29 3rd Test, Headingley
2-6 September 4th Test, The Oval
10-14 5th Test, Old Trafford

No day/nighters.

I'm guessing: Burns/Sibley/Crawley/Root/Lawrence/Pope/Buttler/Robinson/Wood/Leach/Anderson.
Haseeb/Bairstow/Curran/Bess/Broad/Overton.

My pick- bring in Curran and Broad for Pope and Robinson.

A bit late in the piece, so I might cancel it if there is minimal interest, but I started a fantasy comp:
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22146

Bumrah strikes straight away. Burns not much of stride there, wrapped on middle

England recovering again.

Yet again, no spinner. Dry, hot weather too.

Slow going!

Seen an interesting stat on twitter that Crawley played over 20 false shots in that innings. He really isnt great at defending his wicket

And he's out. Joe playing with more fluency.

Sibley out too. England wobbling.

Hadn't spotted Bairstow was back in the side as a batter. He's become the new Ramps. He's always either getting dropped or getting recalled.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Hadn't spotted Bairstow was back in the side as a batter. He's become the new Ramps. He's always either getting dropped or getting recalled.

Must be close to his last chance in tests.