Ashes squad

Fantastic news for England, and the series. An England team with Stokes AND Woakes in it, can include not only a specialist spinner where conditions demand it, but also a genuine pace bowler like Mark Wood. It will allow Wood to bowl targeted, short spells flat out.

If I was picking a side to play tomorrow:

Burns
Hameed
Malan
Root
Stokes
Pope/Bairstow
Buttler
Woakes
Leach/Robinson
Wood
Anderson

Still underdogs, but by no means hopeless (at least on paper).

I appreciate many others would pick Robinson nailed on, rather than Wood. Robinson's obviously been brilliant since he came in to the side, in English conditions. Maybe I'm biased but I think on those pitches with a kookaburra ball, we will need some extra pace.
 
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Sweeper said:
Fantastic news for England, and the series. An England team with Stokes AND Woakes in it, can include not only a specialist spinner where conditions demand it, but also a genuine pace bowler like Mark Wood. It will allow Wood to bowl targeted, short spells flat out.

If I was picking a side to play tomorrow:

Burns
Hameed
Malan
Root
Stokes
Pope/Bairstow
Buttler
Woakes
Leach/Robinson
Wood
Anderson

Still underdogs, but by no means hopeless (at least on paper).

I appreciate many others would pick Robinson nailed on, rather than Wood. Robinson's obviously been brilliant since he came in to the side, in English conditions. Maybe I'm biased but I think on those pitches with a kookaburra ball, we will need some extra pace.
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I’d pick Robinson over Woakes myself

Burns
Hameed
Malan
Root
Stokes
Pope
Bairstow
Robinson
Wood
Leach
Anderson
 
Sweeper said:
I appreciate many others would pick Robinson nailed on, rather than Wood. Robinson's obviously been brilliant since he came in to the side, in English conditions. Maybe I'm biased but I think on those pitches with a kookaburra ball, we will need some extra pace.
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My worry (perhaps unfounded) is that we know the pitches out there have changed a lot in recent years though. They're all drop in now, and have lost any pace and bounce - look at recent scores in Australia, its just a batters dream pretty much. I'm not sure how great Wood will be, just because we need someone with complete durability to go again and again, as opposed to out and out pace.
 
HarrogateMackem said:
My worry (perhaps unfounded) is that we know the pitches out there have changed a lot in recent years though. They're all drop in now, and have lost any pace and bounce - look at recent scores in Australia, its just a batters dream pretty much. I'm not sure how great Wood will be, just because we need someone with complete durability to go again and again, as opposed to out and out pace.
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Fair point. If there's no pace in the pitches then Robinson obviously plays ahead of Wood.
chunkylover53 said:
I’d pick Robinson over Woakes myself
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Woakes has to play for me (even if not at the expense of Robinson). Fantastic all round cricketer - and we need extra runs down the order with our penchant for a collapse.
 
Sweeper said:
Fair point. If there's no pace in the pitches then Robinson obviously plays ahead of Wood.


Woakes has to play for me (even if not at the expense of Robinson). Fantastic all round cricketer - and we need extra runs down the order with our penchant for a collapse.
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His record outside of England is crap mind

Chris Woakes - Test Cricket - Performance Analysis by Country

Woakes, C R - Test Cricket - Summary of performances in each country
www.howstat.com
 
Jack Torrance said:
Woakes doesn’t play now we have Stokes. Barring injury attack for first game should be:
Jimmy
Robinson
Leach
Wood
Stokes
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That's a long tail mind. I know you don't pick a side to collapse, but surely with England you have to pick a side with one eye on a collapse in the middle order. I would prefer a proper, capable batsman at 8.
 
Sweeper said:
That's a long tail mind. I know you don't pick a side to collapse, but surely with England you have to pick a side with one eye on a collapse in the middle order. I would prefer a proper, capable batsman at 8.
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I get the argument, but Robinson and Wood can both bat

They both have first class records as good as Cummins, who will bat 8 for them I assume
 
Sweeper said:
That's a long tail mind. I know you don't pick a side to collapse, but surely with England you have to pick a side with one eye on a collapse in the middle order. I would prefer a proper, capable batsman at 8.
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Robinson is fine to bat at 8. Pick the bowling attack you think will take 20 wickets.
Woakes probably plays later in the series but for the first 2 or 3 tests I think they need to gamble with that attack assuming they remain fit and look potent enough
 

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