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

A diiference now is that if a spinner goes for a few, Stokes will keep him on. Under Flower-Cook, any spinner going for four an over would be banished for the rest of the game.

Moeen has accepted the call.....surprisingly negative from stokes and MC cullum in my opinion

I had a feeling he might

maybe the least worse option?

there was a time when Stokes Bairstow Mo were the best 6,7,8 in test cricket

now they've put the band back together

Durhamfootman wrote:
maybe the least worse option?

But the most depressing one?

undoubtedly

we can debate it all we like, but they were remarkably short of options that didn't involve taking an even bigger punt than this one

Maybe Bazball will turn out to be just what Mo needs to turn his averages v Australia around

Maybe the Aussies will see this as an England weakness and target Mo from the off. Mo ends up with a 5fer in his first outing, Aus show him more respect and Stokes gets the control he wants from his spinner for the rest of the series

And they call me an optimistic fool.......... pfft!

I don't know what to make of this. It's a huge call, and feels like a step backwards, but it's not like there's any benefit in 'looking to the future' when the Ashes are on the line. There are five test matches to win here and now, so you pick your strongest XI every game. They clearly think that Mo is part of the strongest XI if Leach can't play. It's not as though there was any obvious alternative - all the names that have been bandied around, Ahmed, Dawson, Jacks, Bess, Parkinson, would all come with huge risks attached as well.

England have made some big calls and got them right in the last twelve months, so maybe we'll look back on this and call it genius too. Or deranged.

I think we'll see Rehan back for the India tour.

This really does seem like a bit of a wild punt on England's part. Baz and Ben have got a lot right so far ; so I guess they are entitled to try something a bit unconventional - but is there much reason to believe this one could be a winner ?

Points in favour :

1/ Moeen has a lot of experience ; and a solid enough overall record as a spin bowler.
2/ He is an off spinner who might theoretically match up well with the Aussie left handers.
3/ He can bat - or at least he used to be able to. Record at seven/eight suggests he might strengthen an otherwise fragile England tail.
4/ His style suits the current "fix bayonets , charge " team philosophy.

Points against :

1/ Long time since he bowled with a red ball. And in these last two years of short format cricket only , he has bowled more than 4 overs in a day on just eight occasions.
2/ Record against Australia is frankly awful. 11 Tests (6 home 5 away) . In the very first of these , Cardiff 2015 , he did well : 5 wickets for 130 in the match - and 77 runs in the first innings. But subsequently : 15 wickets in ten games. At huge cost and poor economy rate. And just one more score over 40.
3/ All those Test centuries are a long way in the past .2017 to be precise. And just one ODI fifty in the same time frame...
4/ He is clearly attracted by the idea of playing with freedom under Stokes. But how will he cope with the pressure if the Aussies successfully "target" him - as they will certainly try to do - at the first meeting ? He has previously lost confidence fast when mauled - especially by this opponent.

Look it may possibly come off. We won't know until the action starts. But looking at the above , it seems to me that the odds aren't all that good.

Maybe he is , as DFM suggests , the "least worst" option - which doesn't say much for the state of English spin bowling ! But I'd have thought it would have been better to try one or other of the players who have actually been in red ball action for their counties - and be ready to swap around as needed. Rather than settling what appears (from the whole "please come back" business) to be a locked in deal for at least the first two Tests ?

Really hope he justifies the call up. But I am struggling to bring my normal optimism to the fore with this call...

I guess we all have to wait and see.

I imagine it won't be boring whichever way it goes

Since back from the IPL Moeen has bowled 11 overs, not going to Scotland but playing in the Blast last night. I suppose those extra 4 overs matter.

he'll be rubbing Dr McAvenee's world famous patented red snake oil balm in those fingers for the next week and a half

Going to need to toughen up the skin on his fingers sharpish

Durhamfootman wrote:I guess we all have to wait and see.

I imagine it won't be boring whichever way it goes

This list of predictions is almost comical in how no-one seems to have the faintest idea https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/65560507

About the only thing they all agree on is that there won't be many draws...

bigfluffylemon wrote:This list of predictions is almost comical in how no-one seems to have the faintest idea https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/65560507

With good reason, because I have literally no idea.

I can see England winning lopsided, I can see bazball being blazed by a disciplined, quality attack.... I can see Australian batters struggling vs Anderson in English conditions, I can see some of them making mountains of runs.

Any prediction would be 100% guess work.

ain't that a wonderful thing