England tour of the Caribbean 2015, April 13-May 5

[westoelad]

hmm intresting squad...

Good to see Trott back, he will probably open, meaning Lyth will carry the drinks.. Ballance to sit at 3, exceptional start to his test career. Glad that Stokes is in there, think he will bat 6, and be the 4th seamer. Dissapointed that Bairstow is there, thought Billings should have gone... don't see the point of Tredwell being there, should have took Riley as the 2nd spinner, Happy that Rashid is in, make or break time for him, can he make the step up?.. Intresting that Wood is there, but i dont expect him to get a game... also hugely dissapointed that James Taylor isn't in there.. think this will be the side..

Cook
Trott
Ballance
Bell
Root
Stokes
Buttler (wk)
Rashid
Broad
Plunkett
Anderson

Totally agree but middle order will be
Bell
Root
Ballance

[mikesiva]

Given the recent spate of West Indian retirements from Test cricket, four-day cricket, and "indefinite breaks" taken, this could end up being the Test team for the first Test....

1) Kraigg Brathwaite
2) Devon Smith
3) Darren Bravo
4) Marlon Samuels
5) Shiv Chanderpaul
6) Jermaine Blackwood/Leon Johnson
7) Denesh Ramdin
8) Jerome Taylor
9) Kemar Roach
10) Suleimann Benn
11) Shannon Gabriel

What about Lendl Simmons?

Will WI be using the Dukes ball?

Simmons retired.

Quite right, but just to clarify what Dan's saying...Simmons has retired from Test cricket, but still available to play ODI and T20 cricket for the West Indies.

I think it's the Kookaburra, but I'm not sure. It doesn't what it is, the WI bowling will be crap....

[Making_Splinters]

Knowing England, I wouldn't be suprised if Ballance is moved from 3 to accommodate Trott.

[Gingerfinch]

Knowing England, I wouldn't be suprised if Ballance is moved from 3 to accommodate Trott.

And open with Root, and lob Lyth at five.

[hopeforthebest]

hmm intresting squad...

Good to see Trott back, he will probably open, meaning Lyth will carry the drinks.. Ballance to sit at 3, exceptional start to his test career. Glad that Stokes is in there, think he will bat 6, and be the 4th seamer. Dissapointed that Bairstow is there, thought Billings should have gone... don't see the point of Tredwell being there, should have took Riley as the 2nd spinner, Happy that Rashid is in, make or break time for him, can he make the step up?.. Intresting that Wood is there, but i dont expect him to get a game... also hugely dissapointed that James Taylor isn't in there.. think this will be the side..

Cook
Trott
Ballance
Bell
Root
Stokes
Buttler (wk)
Rashid
Broad
Plunkett
Anderson

Totally agree but middle order will be
Bell
Root
Ballance

As far as I'm aware Trott has never opened the batting in his life and with Lyth there I shall be amazed if he ends up there.

[mikesiva]

I would think it would be a good idea to field two spinners in Antigua and Grenada, but one in Barbados....

That said, I'm sure neither side will do that.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Trott has opened for England before, and he has expressed interest in doing so in the future. But it would be odd.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Lyth would give Steely another notch on his belt as far as partners go, as the skipper and Trott were an item once in BD.

[hopeforthebest]

Lyth would give Steely another notch on his belt as far as partners go, as the skipper and Trott were an item once in BD.

Yes I forgot BD when Strauss was absent due to mental fatigue! but when they were discussing the replacement of Strauss after retirement the discussion raged about Root, Compton and maybe Trott, at which time Trott was very cool toward the idea. Not surprising after being a great success at three for so long. Also, he's been pretty much a fixture at 4 for Warks even when they've scratched around for an opener on a number of occasions.

[Aidan11]

We're going to have too many middle order players in the side.

[Arthur Crabtree]

And Trott didn't open on the Lions tour. I don't see him as an opener, but there has been press talk, and he did suggest he'd do it. but, of course he would.

Carberry was opener in BD for the first Test, and they got a fifth bowler/second spinner in for the second Test by moving up Trott.

[Aidan11]

I think it would be a mistake for Trott to open but I don't see any other option.

[KipperJohn]

Trott has opened for England before, and he has expressed interest in doing so in the future. But it would be odd.

As far as I'm aware Trott has opened once in a full Test, against Bangladesh, exactly 5 years ago. A desire to open merely puts him in the frame for selection, rather than opening on merit.

We have 3 specialist openers going - Cook, Lyth and Root (well he was one) - so to pick a non-specialist to open at this stage of his career would be typical of current cock-eyed thinking. If he plays I wouldn't bat him higher than 5 or even 6 if there's 6 batsmen. He should be able to provide some robustness in the middle order.

Taking Lyth to carry the drinks would again be pretty typical and quite wrong in my view. If Cook's technical deficiencies persist and his luck doesn't hold we may be looking for 2 openers soon!

[bigfluffylemon]

The middle order does seem difficult, with four undroppable players in Trott, Root, Ballance and Bell fighting it out over what will be three spots if England play an allrounder at 6. I don't see Trott opening - forcing a player in out of position, especially in his situation, is a recipe for disaster. If Trott plays, it has to be in his natural position.

I think Lyth over Robson is a good call, time will tell.

Rashid is surely there as a genuine allrounder? Not sure if I see him and Stokes both squeezing in, although you could bat very deep if that's the case, and just play three frontline bowlers - probably Anderson, Broad and Plunkett. I'm not convinced Stokes could play if England go with four bowlers, but Rashid arguably could. I'd have him ahead of Tredwell in the long form in any event.

[backfootpunch]

from what i have seen of cricket in the west indies recently the pitches have little or nothing in them for the seamers and picking two front line spinners would be a good idea

very glad that rashid has been given a chance, i hope he takes this chance and can begin to establish a place across all the formats, i feel we need his wicket taking potential in both tests and ODIs

my team would be

cook(c)
lyth
ballance
bell
root
stokes
buttler (wk)
rashid
tredwell
broad
anderson

3 seamers an offie and a leggie seems like a well balanced bowling attack

though with tredwell not getting picked in the world cup would suggest they will be picking four seamers, which will be one dimensional