Eng tour of Pakistan T20s 21 Sep - 3 Oct

[bigfluffylemon]

England come back to take the win, not sure how many questions it has answered though.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Probably shouldn't be underestimated that they did ok in Asia.

[Durhamfootman]

Australian pitches must be a more familiar proposition for the England team. Plus Stokes and Buttler will be back for the WC.

[bigfluffylemon]

Lots of questions over the team make-up, although apart from maybe one bowling slot, it's really the question of 'who the hell do you leave out', which is a good problem to have in many ways.

I do wonder if Stokes should play. On the one hand, he has the potential to win matches with bat, ball and in the field, but on the other, he hasn't played a T20I since March 2021. With Moeen, Woakes, Livingstone etc. it's not as though we're short allrounders (although the latter two might not be fit).

Also assume Buttler is going to come back in, so who opens with him? Hales, Bairstow (if fit), Salt? Hales has the advantage of having played several big bash seasons with consummate success so knows the conditions well, but Salt has made a strong case.

I have been wondering if we'll ever see Archer back in an England shirt, or if he'll be yet another name in the annals of England's fast bowling history who had a lot of potential, burned brightly for a short time then lost a promising career due to injury after injury.

[Durhamfootman]

Stokes will play, I think. A bit of a talisman and I suspect you'll never notice it's been so long since last he played a T20I.... he's been playing T20 all through the test series. Livingstone is an injury concern, of course, but regardless of that I'd rather have Stokes' bowling than Livingstone's

[Arthur Crabtree]

Absence of Bairstow and Roy and retirement of Morgan has opened batting places up. Presume Stokes and LL will both play. Question is Salt or Hales?

[Durhamfootman]

harsh on Brook if LL walks straight back in to the side at his expense. He topped the run scoring charts against Pakistan and averaged 80, so LL might have to work hard to get back in.

I guess Salt is a straight swap for Buttlerfingers

Buttler, Hales, Malan, Brook, Stokes, Moeen, Curran, Jordan, Wood, Rashid, Topley would be my guess atm

I suppose England might opt to pinch 4 overs from Ali, LL and the gentle one (which look like they could be 4 very expensive overs to me), with Curran dropping out and LL slotting in somewhere between 4 and 6, but it wouldn't be my preferred option

[Arthur Crabtree]

Plenty of bowling options.

[alfie]

Think DFM is pretty close to the mark there... the Livingstone or Curran choice might vary from game to game depending on conditions and opponents - and that is assuming LL's injury issues are overcome in time. They have Dawson as a travelling reserve.

Salt or Hales is close , I think : Hales wasn't even in the squad until YJB got injured , so arguably Salt was "ahead" ; and he played the most impressive innings in Pakistan in a series in which both had a rather mixed record. But on the other hand Hales has a fine BBL record in Australia so might be first choice on that basis.

I get the reservations re Stokes - who doesn't have a great t20 record. But I think he offers the chance of the odd big performance - and certainly boosts the fielding , which is generally a bit weaker than usual in the absence of the likes of Bairstow and Roy...one or two of the likely selections aren't great in the field.

Hope Rashid is on song , after a slightly disappointing series in Pakistan. His bowling is key , I think.

[DiligentDefence]

I'm really not convinced by Stokes as a T20 bowler and would prefer to keep him as a test and ODI player and not risk him damaging himself in this. Would pick LL, if fit, instead. Hales ahead of Salt for me.