Fourth Test: India v England, 8-12 Dec.

[hopeforthebest]

The sad fact is that when the team is picked in England there's ho place for Buttler. With the arrival of Jennings and Hameed there's no middle order place open for him.

[rich1uk]

The sad fact is that when the team is picked in England there's ho place for Buttler. With the arrival of Jennings and Hameed there's no middle order place open for him.

must be reading my mind hope as i was just thinking is he doing enough here to maybe stake a claim to get the gloves back and just have bairstow at #4/#5 as a batsman


might be a deciison for him about whether he goes to the IPL before the champions trophy or not

assuming the ECB will let him go anyway

[Arthur Crabtree]

Cook/Haseeb/Root/Jennings/Bairstow/Stokes/Buttler/Moeen/Woakes/Broad/Anderson

Alternative is Rashid for Buttler or Mo.

[backfootpunch]

Can add jake ball to the list of better batsmen against spin than duckett

[Gingerfinch]

I was going to say that there's no place for Bairstow and Buttler if Hameed and Jennings continue to score runs, but this line up looks fine on paper.

Cook
Hameed
Jennings
Root
Bairstow
Ali
Stokes
Buttler
Woakes/Rashid
Broad
Anderson

[backfootpunch]

Cook/Haseeb/Root/Jennings/Bairstow/Stokes/Buttler/Moeen/Woakes/Broad/Anderson

Alternative is Rashid for Buttler or Mo.

Think I'd move root back to 4

[Arthur Crabtree]

Or a batter for Buttler and Bairstow batting at seven. A barrier to Buttler is Bairstow will want to, and probably will, keep the gloves. If Buttler had played more CC he might have made himself a plausible top five bat by now, which would have helped him.

[rich1uk]

the question is going to be if we continue with stokes and ali in the top 6 are we going to continue picking 4 bowlers at 8-11 or just say to one of buttler or ali "we know you are better than a #8 but we think this is our best side"

[rich1uk]

been a good partnership this, didn't expect ball to survive this long, getting us close to the 100 runs i thought we needed today to really be in a good position

[hopeforthebest]

Strange though it may seem you were correct AC Ball is in for his batting, he must be narcked that he's not higher in the order.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Where would Gary Ballance bat in this side if he came in for Batty, as was mooted. Eight, or after Woakes at nine?

[Arthur Crabtree]

For me though, either Buttler proves himself a plausible top five batter at Lancs, or he remains Bairstow's understudy. Lots of good stumpers have been unlucky to have been born at the same time as a must-pick.

Fifty partnership. Well done to these two.

[alfie]

Very useful partnership . Guess even spinners get tired ; and Ashwin and Jadeja have done a lot of work...these two have cashed in.
New ball possibly might have been taken earlier , but guess Kohli thought a wicket was always due...

Fifty stand - Ball doing an excellent job. And (after a very scratchy start - vividly described by our own Sussex ) Buttler has played the best innings I've seen from him in Tests.

[rich1uk]

Where would Gary Ballance bat in this side if he came in for Batty, as was mooted. Eight, or after Woakes at nine?

based on what he has shown on the tour would have been hard to bat him above woakes anyway

but i still believe if you are going to pick him you have to back him to succeed and not just treat him as an afterthought

with the gap between tests they could have just sent ballance and duckett home and called up someone else tho as the only way either were going to play was if there was a last minute injury

[alfie]

For me though, either Buttler proves himself a plausible top five batter at Lancs, or he remains Bairstow's understudy. Lots of good stumpers have been unlucky to have been born at the same time as a must-pick.

Fifty partnership. Well done to these two.

Agree with that. Could Buttler make that transition ? He won't if he goes off freelance t20 ing...

Lunch at 385/8 . morning , in the end.