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England XI for the Summer

chunkyshanhawk53 said:
Right now I’m going

Crawley
Duckett
tbd
Root
Brook
Stokes
Robinson
Ahmed
Wood
Tongue
tbd (Anderson for Lords obviously)

Assumes fitness for Tongue, which isn’t looking likely.
Don’t think Woakes is available either

Rationale:
Pope - he’s not a 3. Ever. If there was a space at 5 I’m picking him. There isn’t
I’m not picking Robinson the bowler, he’s such a talent but the application isn’t there.
Ahmed isn’t the best spinner but he’s got a high ceiling and can bat. A good summer to give him a run

Bowling wise we look buggered
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Had a career of being crocked and they've put no timescale on his recovery.

Setback was 3 weeks ago as well.
 
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Parkside said:
He's a very promising talent but Dan Lawrence is probably 1st reserve for the middle order.
I'd have Keeton Jennings at 3 who is a much improved technically since his last England games and the team needs a more conservative batsman to bat around the bazballers.
So
Crawley
Duckett
Jennings
Root
Brook
Stokes
Robinson
Woakes
Hartley
Wood/Archer
Anderson/Pennington
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Personally and I know it’s been done to death, would move Root to 3 tell him to bat his normal way that has been successful for years, and not try to bat any other way than he has his whole career then Brook 4 and Pope 5.

Pope should never have been put at 3 imo, he has shown moments of brilliance but is a middle order player not a 3.

Root is probably not a 3 either, but he far by a long way, the player in the middle order who is most capable of moving up one place.

Wouldn’t happen like, but that what I would do with the batting.

I think they will give Smith a go at keeping, but close call between him and Robinson.
 
Voice of fair play said:
Personally and I know it’s been done to death, would move Root to 3 tell him to bat his normal way that has been successful for years, and not try to bat any other way than he has his whole career then Brook 4 and Pope 5.

Pope should never have been put at 3 imo, he has shown moments of brilliance but is a middle order player not a 3.

Root is probably not a 3 either, but he far by a long way, the player in the middle order who is most capable of moving up one place.

Wouldn’t happen like, but that what I would do with the batting.

I think they will give Smith a go at keeping, but close call between him and Robinson.
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Agree with that order but Root doesn't want to bat at 3 and he's big mates with the skipper so it's not going to happen.which is why I selected Jennings but that's not going to happen either.
As for Smith, how can you select him to keep for his country when he's not keeping for his county?
Reality is Pope will be selected at 3-just have to hope he comes good.
 
Parkside said:
Agree with that order but Root doesn't want to bat at 3 and he's big mates with the skipper so it's not going to happen.which is why I selected Jennings but that's not going to happen either.
As for Smith, how can you select him to keep for his country when he's not keeping for his county?
Reality is Pope will be selected at 3-just have to hope he comes good.
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Because they could care less about the actual keeping part.

We saw that when we picked Bairstow last summer and he could hardly use his left leg.

Smith is everything they wanted Buttler to be as a red ball player and view him as that natural successor in the white ball I think. Hence why they didn't take him on lions tour and let him play the T20 league.

However Robinson has done everything he can this season to make it more difficult. I think room for both in the years to come anyway.

I still think they will pick Bairstow this summer though and Foakes in Pakistan. I hope I'm wrong as Jimmy should still be in the side and would be rank hypocrisy if they pick Jonny.
 
Parkside said:
Agree with that order but Root doesn't want to bat at 3 and he's big mates with the skipper so it's not going to happen.which is why I selected Jennings but that's not going to happen either.
As for Smith, how can you select him to keep for his country when he's not keeping for his county?
Reality is Pope will be selected at 3-just have to hope he comes good.
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Yeah that why I think they wouldn’t do it, which I don’t agree with as players should bat where the team needs them most imo and the team needs Root at 3.

Don’t get me wrong not saying I would select Smith, but think they will as he suits the style they going down
 
Voice of fair play said:
Yeah that why I think they wouldn’t do it, which I don’t agree with as players should bat where the team needs them most imo and the team needs Root at 3.

Don’t get me wrong not saying I would select Smith, but think they will as he suits the style they going down
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Or our best bat should bat where he is most effective and Root averages 50 at 4 but only 36 at 3. It's,a dilemma.
 
Parkside said:
Agree with that order but Root doesn't want to bat at 3 and he's big mates with the skipper so it's not going to happen.which is why I selected Jennings but that's not going to happen either.
As for Smith, how can you select him to keep for his country when he's not keeping for his county?
Reality is Pope will be selected at 3-just have to hope he comes good.
Click to expand...
Buttler was picked despite not keeping for Somerset, then picked again after not keeping for Lancs. After moving to Lancs specifically to keep, but losing the gloves to a youth teamer.
 
chunkyshanhawk53 said:
How many Championship games has he played for Lancashire? Any idea?
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He was a regular at the start as that was the deal as he was trying to become the Test keeper, so I'd say it's north of 50 at a guess.

Maybe only 3 or 4 in the past few seasons though, including a disgraceful performance where he was booed by the fans at OT.
 
Parkside said:
Or our best bat should bat where he is most effective and Root averages 50 at 4 but only 36 at 3. It's,a dilemma.
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It is and there is good arguments either way, personally I think he should bat at 3 rather than others who keep failing, and others like Pope for example bat 5.
 
Top order picks itself really

Crawley
Duckett
Pope
Root
Brook
Stokes
Probably Foakes

Then the problems come. Broad and Anderson finished. Robinson should never play another test if he keeps plodding in at 70 odd miles an hour.

Wood and Archer fitness massive question mark. Would play them but not excessively, with an eye on the ashes down under.

Who does that leave us with? Potts looks decent but he's not rapid and looks like another suited to home conditions. Woakes is 35 and can't take wickets abroad so he has to go. Tongue, Mahmood, Fisher...

Spinner I have no idea, not convinced that Leach is actually better than Root, I think I'd just put Rehan in and hope that with guidance and experience he can reach his potential.
 
Right. The bowling attack isn’t our first choice but it’s for this game and will rotate

Crawley
Duckett
Pope
Root
Brook
Stokes
Smith
Atkinson
Potts
Leach
Jimmy

My team. Pennington to come in for Jimmy.
Or Woakes

I’ve gone off Robinson
 
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