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

The Professor wrote:Are we chalking Livingstone up as a failure now?

nah, you cant let a couple of games of t20 cancel out why he was being picked in the first place especially when its not really his best format

the only worrying thing for me was he didn't look like he ahndled the pressure very well on Friday

bring back Ravi !

Never given enough time to prove himself in LOIs...

Bit worrying Bayliss saying this attack is good for all conditions. When asked about playing 5 fast bowlers he said if 3 aren't getting the wickets there must be something wrong with them. So never going to play 5 fast bowlers but 6 bowlers is too much. Ali should be the only spinner in England and I am sure Root is dying to bowl himself. What would have happened if Root wasn't dropped on 14 and a few other escapes?

1 Cook
2 Jennings (still think Hameed will end up here)
3 Specialist batsman (Lawrence or Westley)
4 Root
5 Ballance (we will see, but Livingstone developing)
6 Stokes
7 Bairstow (46.50 at 7 and 30.11 at 5)
8 Ali
9 Broad
10 Wood (Woakes at 9 when fit) would take Wood to Australia to play at Perth and Brisbane instead of Anderson, who is good at the other 3 grounds.
11 Anderson

Looks like Wood can't play back-to- back Tests yet but so little bowling for the seamers means another game.

Jennings, if he plays all summer, will be less than 10 games into a career come Brisbane. In all likelihood - Hameed, Westley, Lawrence & Livingstone will have even fewer caps than that between them. Not sure Root will want a trio of novices/rookies/debutants in his top 5 for an away Ashes series.

ianp1970 wrote:Jennings, if he plays all summer, will be less than 10 games into a career come Brisbane. In all likelihood - Hameed, Westley, Lawrence & Livingstone will have even fewer caps than that between them. Not sure Root will want a trio of novices/rookies/debutants in his top 5 for an away Ashes series.

We had Hameed, Jennings, Dawson, Ansari, Duckett making their debuts in Ban/India and Ball 1 Test.

I just want more batsmen and less bowlers, especially facing Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Pattinson.

Slipstream wrote:

ianp1970 wrote:Jennings, if he plays all summer, will be less than 10 games into a career come Brisbane. In all likelihood - Hameed, Westley, Lawrence & Livingstone will have even fewer caps than that between them. Not sure Root will want a trio of novices/rookies/debutants in his top 5 for an away Ashes series.

We had Hameed, Jennings, Dawson, Ansari, Duckett making their debuts in Ban/India and Ball 1 Test.

I just want more batsmen and less bowlers, especially facing Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Pattinson.

rich1uk wrote:

Slipstream wrote:

ianp1970 wrote:Jennings, if he plays all summer, will be less than 10 games into a career come Brisbane. In all likelihood - Hameed, Westley, Lawrence & Livingstone will have even fewer caps than that between them. Not sure Root will want a trio of novices/rookies/debutants in his top 5 for an away Ashes series.

We had Hameed, Jennings, Dawson, Ansari, Duckett making their debuts in Ban/India and Ball 1 Test.

I just want more batsmen and less bowlers, especially facing Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Pattinson.

Hey I agree with that too ... Just have to identify those batsmen...

I'm in the extra batsman camp too my point was more along the lines that he/they need to be in the team this summer, not thrust straight into action at Brisbane in November!

I wonder if England are taking the view that Stokes and (now) Moeen are batter-first, so England have a four man attack plus seven bats (two of whom helpfully can bowl). Then Woakes can come back in who is arguably an all rounder. Then you have to wonder if you want Dawson as your spinner at nine, or is there a better pure spinner out there?

I suspect the side would be more effectively strengthened by a convincing number three. Are there better pure batters in CC who would make more convincing 5-6-7s than Mo, YJB and Stokes? There's no one tearing up the CC. Maybe Livingstone? But from the 2015 home season, Bairstow averages 48.8, Stokes averages 35.8 and Mo averages 38.1 and most times in England's history they would be healthy averages for a middle order, especially with Woakes to follow (28.9).

In this period, Ballance averages 19.4 and the opener spot has rotated (mostly) unproductively, which might be bigger problems. Though, I've said before, I'm not against an extra bat,.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:I wonder if England are taking the view that Stokes and (now) Moeen are batter-first, so England have a four man attack plus seven bats (two of whom helpfully can bowl).

if they are doing that then imo its pretty stupid that after years of searching for a test quality all-rounder to balance the side, we get 2 then decide not to take advantage of having them in the team as all-rounders and play 4 bowlers anyway

Still not convinced by Gary Ballance...everytime i watch him i think he's gonna get out....Patel has been in the runs recently, pick him as a batsman? Tom Westley been in the runs... Livingstone etc...anyone surely better than Ballance...he strikes me as someone who will be like Hick and Ramps..dominate county cricket, but struggle to make the step up to test cricket reugarly.

Samit's time has gone. Should have played more LOIs. Not really a Test player for me.

The problem for England is the extent to which their top picks have failed. You can excuse a player failing a little and consider them as a second chancer, but Vince, Duckett, Lyth, Hales.... these are names that even did well enough to warrant further wonder. They all looked well out their depth.

The only one that didnt was Sam Robson, who surely must have done enough to warrant a selection, both on county form and on his test record, in the low 30s after a handful of games its something to work on.

England probably kept Dawson in for TB thinking well he won't have much bowling to do so his batting will be a big help.
I think Agnew asked Root if Dawson was going to be in the team going to Australia and Root said probably not. What a relief, after hearing Bayliss saying this was a team for all conditions.