Burns
Roy
Root
Foakes (WK)
Stokes
Buttler
Curran
Woakes
Broad
Archer
Leach
I really don't think JRoy will crack Test cricket, but you have to give him a fair crack of the whip.
The bizarre Denley experiment should now be consigned to the dustbin of history.
Play Stokes for his batting, and at absolute most a few four over bursts if needed.
Bairstow has been an embarrassment on and off the field for a while now, and we can't afford to carry anyone in case they throw a sulk. Foakes gets runs more consistently, and is a better gloveman. Foakes will add, IMO, a bit of solidity to the middle order.
Curran was excellent in English conditions last year, and deserves another chance at Test cricket. Gets vital runs and wickets.
Unfortunately, Ali is too unreliable with the ball, and the Aussies know unless he's absolutely on his game, he can be easily milked. Leach can apply pressure and help Root keep us in the game. His batting can't be any worse, either.
It's not about wholesale changes as a knee-jerk reaction to one Test defeat - it's looking at the performances of certain players over a period of time, and acting accordingly.
I think this is the team, absolutely.
Pains me to say it, but I think Ali needs to be taken out again. He's a confidence player and he's very low on confidence. If he goes back to country level and bags some runs his bowling will improve - how he bats determines his confidence. Then maybe he can be brought back, but he's such a confidence player and he seems genuinely scared of the Aussies.
I would caution not to expect too much from Leach. Nothing about his performances so far have indicated he can be a match-winner, like an on-song Ali or - more importantly - Nathan Lyon. Leach may be able to hold down an end better and offer a bit more control, but he got walloped about by the Irish, so I'm not expecting great shakes. If we get turning wickets like Edgbaston we are done for - it is as simple as that. Their batsman are better against the turning ball and clearly Lyon is the premier spinner amongst both sides. But Leach deserves his shots, to that's that.
Bairstow too should be peddled. The whinging will be unbelievable but he was nothing short of dire in that match, with the gloves too. Moreover, the balance of the side dictates bringing in a top order batsman to accommodate Curran whose competitiveness and character will hopefully be infectious. I can see him getting right up the Australian noses and I think he's the sort of bowler who might pick up a couple of arrogance wickets as they try and smash him out the attack. He's not a test class bowler, but he's good enough to require respect, so that should be fun. His presence also allows us to manage Stokes, Woakes and Archer - although that requires skilful captaincy and we've just witnessed perhaps the worst display from an English captain in my life. Not sure what the answer to that is - we can hardly demote our best batsman mid-series, but that was utterly woeful. There is of course one excellent English (Irish) captain knocking around who might be able to do a passable number four impression and much more of that from Root and it shall have to be considered. Seriously.
I am not sure who to bring in at four. It is true that this is Foakes's country position and I like the cut of his jib - and, to be frank, his conservative technique. He may be just about the best batsman in England - certainly one of, though Jennings is also up there - against spin as well. But that might be a kneejerk reaction - as I say, if the wickets are turning, we are stuffed and surely playing pace and seam is the more necessary quality for Lords. The challenge is: who else would you bring in if you gave Buttler the gloves instead? Sad fact is that of available middle order batsman, only Northeast and Ballance are ahead of the in-form Denly in the Division one averages this year, and only Sibley ahead if looking for a top-order alternative (and Roy moving down, say?). You can't, surely, put Ballance in against Mitchell Starc - we know what would happen. And I'm not sure about Northeast, so it's either Sibley or Foakes for me - and you've probably got to give Roy a chance at the top of the order first. I think he'll be a success at test cricket myself, but I'm just not sure where - perhaps number three. We shall see.
I guess as another OP said - Malan is an option, but he is more of a South African or Australian pitch specialist. Not sure at all about him in England versus the moving ball. Would definitely take him down under next time we go, but not here.
One thing I am looking forward to - perhaps wrongly, given he will probably look comfortable anyway - is seeing Jofra on a greentop aiming for Smith's gullet. Would love to see him crash one into his head.
