Gingerfinch wrote:I fear England may come unstuck this summer. The openers may struggle against Cummins and co, add to that our potentially injured bowling attack. Then there's Ali, who will chip in with bat and ball but I doubt will cause too many sleepless nights for Smith and co.
Talking of bowling, is Stokes fit enough to bowl? I take it he will bowl short burst, if so.
At least the sun is out so we will see a positive result in 5 days time!
alfie wrote:Reckon Australia will play the WTC XI and keep Hazlewood on ice for now. Have to play Boland , surely ? And Starc brings a point of difference - and rather stands out in a slightly dodgy tail.
England might have picked Wood I guess , for extra pace. But have gone for three very reliable seamers to start. As you say , BFL , Australia prevailed here four years ago : but the fact that Anderson broke down in the first twenty minutes had a lot to do with that I think.
In 2015 , A & B did Australia over nicely , with a bit of help from Finn. Though perhaps a slight cause for anxiety in that Anderson actually broke down in that match too - albeit well into the Australian second innings. I know things are sometimes thought to happen in threes ; but surely lightning couldn't strike again , could it ?
bigfluffylemon wrote:On the subject of Anderson breaking down, I know we have this debate now and again and I fail to convince anyone, but I still think there should be some form of substitution allowed for injuries. We have concussion subs now with the approval of the match referee, could that not be extended to stress fractures, muscle strains etc.? It has always seemed unfair to me that a team that has a player break down before lunch on day 1 then effectively has to play with 10 men for the best part of five days. There can't be that many wins for teams that lose a player in the first innings. To me it diminishes the competition if one team is at such a disadvantage due to nothing more than bad luck.
alfie wrote:But obviously there are a lot of things that could swing either way : imagine (not for a moment wanting it to happen , I hasten to add ) Smith breaking an arm early in the series.
alfie wrote:Reckon Australia will play the WTC XI and keep Hazlewood on ice for now. Have to play Boland , surely ? And Starc brings a point of difference - and rather stands out in a slightly dodgy tail.
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