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West Indies Test Series


Aidan11 said:
Is that what the selectors call planning for the Ashes? Replacing a fit and active 41 yo with a 34 yo who is blighted by injuries?

I'm sorry but as much as I'm a big fan of Woody I feel that his place should have gone to a young upcoming prospect. Otherwise why not just stick with Anderson?
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Nail on head. Disgusting treatment of one of our greatest players.
 
Wood in the XI replacing Jimmy. Should have been Potts or Pennington IMO, especially when you build all the talk around Jimmy's retirement as an opportunity to blood youngsters before the next Ashes.
 
Aidan11 said:
This article suggests Pennington may play in the 2nd test.

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Nope Wood comes in so a big pile of shite about preparing for the Ashes.

Wood and Woakes were our best bowlers last summer. So it's not any slight on them.

But if you retire Jimmy and claim it's because of the Ashes then one of Pennington or Potts should be playing.

Jimmy could have easily been rotated alongside the other experienced players instead of being forced out.

Key, McCullum and Stokes have got this all wrong it's a disgrace.
 
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SAFC11 said:
Only Australia and India are worthwhile series nowadays. If they want to he seen as the Hest then winning in Australia and India are the bench mark. Every series is important and nice to win but for the most part won't be remembered long after like an away ashes etc. We can beat most teams still while building towards a bigger objective still.
I should add I don't agree with their handling of anderson though, certainly when they have kept woakes for the full home series
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It’s a dangerous game though. Turning domestic cricket into a series of practice matches for the internationals has more or less discredited it as a serious sporting spectacle. Turning the bulk of the international programme into a series of practice matches for the Australian series (it’s not even “and India” plenty were saying Anderson shouldn’t go last winter because he wouldn’t be going to Australia) will discredit the bulk of the international programme in the same way.

But I don’t see the ashes surviving as a standalone, credible thing in that world. If three summers in four don’t matter, then everyone plays franchise cricket three summers in four. And suddenly, they’re not free for the fourth either.
 
Aidan11 said:
Is that what the selectors call planning for the Ashes? Replacing a fit and active 41 yo with a 34 yo who is blighted by injuries?

I'm sorry but as much as I'm a big fan of Woody I feel that his place should have gone to a young upcoming prospect. Otherwise why not just stick with Anderson?
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If you’re going to make comparisons, you should probably add that along with the 7 year age gap there’s around a 12mph gap too - which is quite important given England’s obvious attempts to quicken the collective pace of their bowling attack.
 
brandon said:
If you’re going to make comparisons, you should probably add that along with the 7 year age gap there’s around a 12mph gap too - which is quite important given England’s obvious attempts to quicken the collective pace of their bowling attack.
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Until last summer Wood averaged over 40 in England though?

He got it down to 34.85 as he bowled excellently last year.

Nobody is begrudging picking Wood and Woakes they were our best bowlers last summer.

The problem is they didn't need to retire Anderson. They could have just rotated him with the experienced players while giving Atkinson,Pennington,Potts and Cook a go this summer.

To claim it's cos they are preparing for the Ashes is frankly bollocks. Woakes won't be there and surely wrapping Woody in cotton wool is a better thing to do than playing him. If that's all the plan was.

Anderson is more likely to be fit and capable in Australia than any other seamer we have. The decision is absolutely appalling.

I wouldn't be shocked if none of these guys are available come November 2025. Wood,Archer,Stone, Tongue, Atkinson, Robinson, Woakes. Throw in Stokes as a bowler too.

It would be horrendous luck but their all massively injury prone/as much use as a chocolate fireguard away in Woakes case.

So we better hope whoever is left Pennington,Cook,Potts,Carse,Turner,Lawes get enough game time between now and then. Otherwise we might be unretiring Jimmy.
 
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mackembhoy said:
Until last summer Wood averaged over 40 in England though?

He got it down to 34.85 as he bowled excellently last year.

Nobody is begrudging picking Wood and Woakes they were our best bowlers last summer.

The problem is they didn't need to retire Anderson. They could have just rotated him with the experienced players while giving Atkinson,Pennington,Potts and Cook a go this summer.

To claim it's cos they are preparing for the Ashes is frankly bollocks. Woakes won't be there and surely wrapping Woody in cotton wool is a better thing to do than playing him. If that's all the plan was.

Anderson is more likely to be fit and capable in Australia than any other seamer we have. The decision is absolutely appalling.

I wouldn't be shocked if none of these guys are available come November 2025. Wood,Archer,Stone, Tongue, Atkinson, Robinson, Woakes.

It would be horrendous luck but their all massively injury prone/as much use as a chocolate fireguard away in Woakes case.

So we better hope whoever is left Pennington,Cook,Potts,Carse,Turner,Lawes get enough game time between now and then. Otherwise we might be unretiring Jimmy.
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Well said
 
mackembhoy said:
To claim it's cos they are preparing for the Ashes is frankly bollocks.
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It isn’t bollocks though, it’s exactly what they’re doing. I mean, they’re even telling us that’s their plan 🤷‍♂️. Forget Wood’s career figures and look instead at what he’s done against Australia (specifically in Australia).

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I’m not saying I agree with the tactic, but in Wood’s case (and as a more general forward planning case) they know that the only real way to hurt Australia in Australia is with relentless pace and bounce.

They’d love to be able to go to Australia with a bowling attack containing Archer, Wood and Atkinson (and Stokes) and it would be the stuff of dreams for them if they could get another genuine fast bowler in the rotation whether that’s a Pennington, Turner or Hull.

The Woakes thing is baffling and I agree Anderson should’ve been given the full summer - if anyone of those two were being pushed out it made far more sense to tell Woakes he isn’t part of the long term plan. Anderson could’ve ‘fathered’ the bowling corps through the next 6-12 months and then moved aside for the India home series (or at the latest the trip to Australia).

It seems England have decided to give the next generation a full year of in-game development, on their own without Jimmy, to prepare for the monster year that follows of India at home and an away Ashes.

Whether that is the right decision will remain to be seen.
 
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brandon said:
It isn’t bollocks though, it’s exactly what they’re doing. I mean, they’re even telling us that’s their plan 🤷‍♂️. Forget Wood’s career figures and look instead at what he’s done against Australia (specifically in Australia).

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I’m not saying I agree with the tactic, but in Wood’s case (and as a more general forward planning case) they know that the only real way to hurt Australia in Australia is with relentless pace and bounce.

They’d love to be able to go to Australia with a bowling attack containing Archer, Wood and Atkinson (and Stokes) and it would be the stuff of dreams for them if they could get another genuine fast bowler in the rotation whether that’s a Pennington, Turner or Hull.

The Woakes thing is baffling and I agree Anderson should’ve been given the full summer - if anyone of those two were being pushed out it made far more sense to tell Woakes he isn’t part of the long term plan. Anderson could’ve ‘fathered’ the bowling corps through the next 6-12 months and then moved aside for the India home series (or at the latest the trip to Australia).

It seems England have decided to give the next generation a full year of in-game development, on their own without Jimmy, to prepare for the monster year that follows of India at home and an away Ashes.

Whether that is the right decision will remain to be seen.
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Woakes is Poundshop Jimmy Anderson. Picking him over Anderson is the most ridiculous selection in living memory, and there have been a few from this zany crew. Matty Potts could do an equally decent job and, unlike Woakes, doesn't need a green top.
 
Which idiot is making these selections?

Rob Key will be wanking himself silly though given he seems to think bowling really fast is all we need to do to win games. :rolleyes:
 
Only issue I have is keeping woakes in, when anderson is still a better bowler than him. Only reason he can be keeping a place is his batting, which England want everyone to be able to do usually
 
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