Dom Bess Dropped

R

Roker End 1976

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How can England selectors drop Bess when he took 5 wickets in total in First Test.?
I believe that DB has a bit of an attitude problem and that is why he is being dtopped.Thats my theory.
I think Ali is past his best at test match level and would be a bad replacement.Would rather go with Leach - Root as spinners and Woakes and Stone come in.

Burns
Sibley
Lawrence
Root
Pope
Stokes
Foakes wk
Woakes
Broad
Leach
Stone
 
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Ali probably done enough to keep his place. I would have Bess in for Broad or Stone if they serve up another bunsen though.
 
smoker said:
Ali probably done enough to keep his place. I would have Bess in for Broad or Stone if they serve up another bunsen though.
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Really? His 21-2-94-1 was pretty much game defining. Got some daft wickets after but it's no better than Bess's 8 overs 1-50 or whatever it was. Bess also actually scored some runs and bowled well in the first innings to set the game up in England's favour rather than India's. At that point, just before Moeen's got a wicket that was basically Leach's, England's odds of winning were 20-1 (India were 1-200).

We know Bess can bowl better. We know Moeen will always bowl a load of dross, you can't afford it in lower scoring games. Bring Virdi/Parkinson in if you want a third spinner.
 
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scaly_piscine said:
Really? His 21-2-94-1 was pretty much game defining. Got some daft wickets after but it's no better than Bess's 8 overs 1-50 or whatever it was. Bess also actually scored some runs and bowled well in the first innings to set the game up in England's favour rather than India's. At that point, just before Moeen's got a wicket that was basically Leach's, England's odds of winning were 20-1 (India were 1-200).

We know Bess can bowl better. We know Moeen will always bowl a load of dross, you can't afford it in lower scoring games. Bring Virdi/Parkinson in if you want a third spinner.
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I agree that selecting Ali and dropping Bess was a mistake and that Ali in the first innings was a game defining poor performance. I wasn't against it at the time so I cant be too critical of the selectors now. Bess' figures have flattered him throughout and he was just bowling too many poor balls and it was going to catch up with him eventually unfortunately Ali bowled the same full tosses that Bess had been bowling on a;itch that gave him plenty. The waters are muddied now by picking him though because he did bowl much better in the second innings and has more bowling in the tank which he needed. I don't agree with the highlighted bit tbh Moeen can bowl much better and Bess is still learning his trade.
 

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