Needs Robbo to get a spell in before the classic lords lunch as well tbf
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First Test Squad Announced & North Confirmed
- Thread starter The Breen Machine
- Start date
scotch
Striker
Interview on BBC Sport
Well done Sarah
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The Breen Machine
Striker
The landmark being she is England's first fielding coach in the McCullum era.
Jokes aside, congrats to her, she will do a great job.
chopsfc007
Striker
Hopkinson was in odis
whoever gets injured in the first
The Breen Machine
Striker
I knowwwww.
This
The Breen Machine
Striker
If they all perform well in the first test and are fit for the second, he should replace no one. He will have still had no red ball cricket come then anyway.
Turner the Cat
Midfield
Two positives I take.
First, Crawley dropped and Gay in. Something of a positive signal that CC form can matter.
Second, perhaps the obsession with pace has waned with the selection of Fisher and Robinson.
My sentiment is the same as others. I dont see that Bashir or Fisher deserve to be in the squad. Im pleased that Bashir is getting a run of games for Derbyshire and doing reasonably well. I dont think being in the England squad over the last year or so has done his confidence any good. I would have thought he would have been better off staying at Derbyshire and getting more time playing in the CC.
Ahmed I really like when I've seen him but I dont know if anyone knows what his role is. And if England were thinking of selecting him for the test squad then why go off and play in the IPL. He'd have been much better off staying in the CC in prep playing 4 day cricket on English wickets. Adds further questions about his identity.
First, Crawley dropped and Gay in. Something of a positive signal that CC form can matter.
Second, perhaps the obsession with pace has waned with the selection of Fisher and Robinson.
My sentiment is the same as others. I dont see that Bashir or Fisher deserve to be in the squad. Im pleased that Bashir is getting a run of games for Derbyshire and doing reasonably well. I dont think being in the England squad over the last year or so has done his confidence any good. I would have thought he would have been better off staying at Derbyshire and getting more time playing in the CC.
Ahmed I really like when I've seen him but I dont know if anyone knows what his role is. And if England were thinking of selecting him for the test squad then why go off and play in the IPL. He'd have been much better off staying in the CC in prep playing 4 day cricket on English wickets. Adds further questions about his identity.
Interesting post.
On the first; Rew as well. Shame Bethell, Archer and Rehan are in India
On the 2nd; maybe. They’ve picked Baker (and I can’t think of anyone fast they haven’t picked) over Cook. Cook deserves more than a single test surely, in a world where Crawley gets 64
scotch
Striker
He won't play the 2nd test, probably only plays the 3rd test if we have to win it
Olly Stone looks to be picking up wickets, I thought they might have looked at him. But maybe they want him to have a good period of fitness.
The Breen Machine
Striker
Good post. I like Ahmed but can't see how can he play any test cricket over the next couple of months. He hasn't even played an IPL game and his bowling is a huge work in progress, he is a strange pick in current circumstances and Bashir needs to be left alone this summer to build up some confidence and experience at Derbyshire. The spin cupboard is quite bare unfortunately with even Leach having a nondescript start to the season, but if they want someone to chip in with lower order runs and bowl tidy spells whilst the seamers rotate, I wouldn't be against another look at Dom Bess as a bit of a stop gap until Ahmed and Bashir have developed.
Agree on Cook. Although he did look pretty poor in that test last year, it was a road and he deserves more than one shot. We lack variety in our attack, more so with Woakes now retired and Cook is the most reliable swing bowler on the circuit with the exception of a certain Mr. Anderson.
Stone would have been a better pick than Baker IMO. The latter isn't ready yet and should be eased into the short format sides whilst playing regular CC cricket for Hants.
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Turner the Cat
Midfield
Yeah I may have been hasty in seeing positives in the bowling call ups to the squad. Baker may may be another one picked purely for raw pace rather than form. I see he has only played 11 FC matches although a pretty good average. He was tonked for his only T20I match and didnt do well in his single ODI game.
I'd agree that more CC time might be better for him and possibly England in the longer run. A Test match is a pretty unforgiving format if not ready.
Gower is irked that Archer & Bethell aren't in the squad, espicially Bethell who's sitting on the bench at the IPL
Turner the Cat
Midfield
He can bat as well. Scored 42 against Surrey in Yorkshire's first innings. Has a test average of 33 bowling so no good reason to shoot you down
