Voice of fair play
Striker
Imo I am making the top 7 stronger overall, as opener after opener and number 3 after 3 have failed consistently over the last 5 years.
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Ashes Team/Thread
- Thread starter The Rat
- Start date
Imo I am making the top 7 stronger overall, as opener after opener and number 3 after 3 have failed consistently over the last 5 years.
We appear to have a real dearth of batting talent in the county game. We spent 7 years trying to replace Strauss and failed by which time Cook had retired
FWIW I'd be begging Cook to come back for a series - we are so far away from a settled Top 7 that Cook would be a welcome addition
Cook
Roy
Root
Ali
Stokes
Buttler (c)
Bairstow (w)
Woakes
Archer
Anderson
Broad
FWIW I'd be begging Cook to come back for a series - we are so far away from a settled Top 7 that Cook would be a welcome addition
Cook
Roy
Root
Ali
Stokes
Buttler (c)
Bairstow (w)
Woakes
Archer
Anderson
Broad
HeroHurley
Midfield
Bring back Ian Bell. 
Roy
Jennings
Bell
Root
Buttler
Stokes
Ali
Wood
Archer
Broad
Anderson
Roy
Jennings
Bell
Root
Buttler
Stokes
Ali
Wood
Archer
Broad
Anderson
Ali at 4??????
6 bowlers?
Cook back
No offence but this is mad
Eh? Why?
Bring back Ian Bell.
Roy
Jennings
Bell
Root
Buttler
Stokes
Ali
Wood
Archer
Broad
Anderson
Where’s bairstow? He obviously gets in
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The Breen Machine
Striker
Difficult to pick a top order batting line-up due to lack of options but also difficult to pick 4 bowlers due to having so many good options!
Roy is worth picking to open based on his ODI record and lack of credible alternatives. I think he'll probably struggle against the moving ball but has the temperament to cope and the shots to come off every so often. I'd have him opening with Burns who should be a decent foil as someone more circumspect, although he's still got to prove himself at test level.
Can't understand the cries for Vince to come back in at 3, tried and failed a couple of times and whilst he's pleasing on the eye he's not shown enough to suggest he'd cope against a good bowling attack. Traditionally a team's best batsman bats at number 3 - Smith and Williamson are common examples of this and as a result I feel Root must bat at 3. This is even more important as there's no suitable alternatives to bat there.
That does however leave a bit of an issue at number 4. One option is Bairstow but still have concerns about his technique up the order, same for Ballance who's tearing the championship up again this season. There really is a poor field of alternatives to pick from here so I'm going to go a bit left field and give Hildreth a well-deserved and overdue chance.
Bairstow at 5, Stokes at 6 and Buttler at 7 as I feel he's better batting with the tail. There could be fluidity in those positions with those 3 too.
Moeen is out of form and I can see him struggling against Starc, Cummins and Hazelwood. Wood keeps his place as the man in possession after the WIndies tour. Anderson picks himself, Broad comes in as he's got overs in his legs and should be dangerous if the pitches have something in them. Based on having a long tail without Moeen, he keeps his place for the first test almost by default.
Burns
Roy
Root
Hildreth
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Ali
Wood
Broad
Anderson
Roy is worth picking to open based on his ODI record and lack of credible alternatives. I think he'll probably struggle against the moving ball but has the temperament to cope and the shots to come off every so often. I'd have him opening with Burns who should be a decent foil as someone more circumspect, although he's still got to prove himself at test level.
Can't understand the cries for Vince to come back in at 3, tried and failed a couple of times and whilst he's pleasing on the eye he's not shown enough to suggest he'd cope against a good bowling attack. Traditionally a team's best batsman bats at number 3 - Smith and Williamson are common examples of this and as a result I feel Root must bat at 3. This is even more important as there's no suitable alternatives to bat there.
That does however leave a bit of an issue at number 4. One option is Bairstow but still have concerns about his technique up the order, same for Ballance who's tearing the championship up again this season. There really is a poor field of alternatives to pick from here so I'm going to go a bit left field and give Hildreth a well-deserved and overdue chance.
Bairstow at 5, Stokes at 6 and Buttler at 7 as I feel he's better batting with the tail. There could be fluidity in those positions with those 3 too.
Moeen is out of form and I can see him struggling against Starc, Cummins and Hazelwood. Wood keeps his place as the man in possession after the WIndies tour. Anderson picks himself, Broad comes in as he's got overs in his legs and should be dangerous if the pitches have something in them. Based on having a long tail without Moeen, he keeps his place for the first test almost by default.
Burns
Roy
Root
Hildreth
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Ali
Wood
Broad
Anderson
The Breen Machine
Striker
If Wood is fit he plays ahead of Archer in the first test. Dropping Wood after how he performed in the WIndies would be very harsh.
brandon
Striker
- Ashes is a lot of cricket away
- Selectors are verily all cocks
- I don’t expect it’ll be picked on merit
- Nobody is really banging the door down with one exception.
- Ashley Giles
- FTECB
- I’m sick of pointless lists
Voice of fair play
Striker
You seem in a cheerful mood mate!
Selectors are smith and Taylor
Are they that bad like?
It’s not just about picking top run scorer every year
Buttler good example
They’ve only been in the job a year, you’re being harsh
Yeah fair point like
I’ve no doubt he will be a success but you’re right it’s a bit carried away
Wood has to play after the windies
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brandon
Striker
Don’t get so defensive and don’t take it personal. I said how disinterested I am in Test Selection at present and gave you the reasons because you wanted to know. I’m not being harsh, it’s just an opinion.
I’m in a cracking mood, I just don’t see the point worrying about Test selection when we’re so far away and there’s a World Cup on.
I’m not being defensive
Just the selectors have been here under a year so not sure what sure you’re basing it on, sounds like you are talking about the previous selectors
brandon
Striker
I’m not listing all their selections and whether they were a success or not - I’m simply saying I have no faith in them until proved otherwise.
I suggested this last summer and I stand by it now, get Curran to focus on his batting and play him at 3. His temperament with the bat is ideal for batting there and his bowling will only ever be truly effective in England. We have enough good bowlers not to need to pick him for his, but if he's in the side for his batting, he's always there as an option.
.
Aye, you might be right.
Cook coming back is a bit extreme but none of the openers we have tried since 2012 have come even close to being good enough and now we have to find 2 of them!
Overkill on the bowlers maybe, but again am struggling for batsmen. If Ginger Jonny didn't spit his dummy out, then I'd bring Foakes in and play Bairstow at 4
Can Foakes play as a specialist batsman?
Roy
Burns
Root
Bairstow (w)
Foakes
Stokes
Buttler (c)
Ali/Leach/Rashid
Woakes
Anderson
Broad
Injured mate
was doing decent too
Its actually not a bad shout long term but bit soon
