1st Test England v Australia - Edgbaston

Mo not Test standard anymore and Denly never has been. Both have to be dropped. I don't think we can continue with Bairstow and Buttler. Both really are flat track bullies and struggle when there is something in the pitch for the bowlers. Also, neither are specialist W/K in the longer game. Foakes would have stumped Wade yesterday before he had a score. Roy could play but no higher than 4/5. They will give him another chance.
Archer will play. Woakes record at Lords is top notch. I think he averages about 6/7 per wicket there.
It may be time to give Ballance another chance. Has made 5 tons so far this season. Or perhaps Sam Northeast who is going well.
And Dom Sibley at opener, best average for an English opener this season. Pick players on form, especially batsmen.
I suspect though we won't see many changes!!

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As said exact that, the two you mentioned
Are flying in CC cricket and have to be selected purely on form and not emotion (Roy)

So,

Burns,
Sebly,
Northeast,
Root,
Stokes,
Buttler
Foakes
Curran
Woakes / Archer with everyone moving up one
Leech
Broad
 
Just f*****g caved in.
No one seemed capable of just leaving a wayward delivery.
We needed a blocker/ frustrater like Boycott today.
Old sandpaper Steve now feels vindicated.
Still I suppose you can’t expect a convict to be honest can ya?
"frustrater". That's a new one on me, but it sums it up nicely.
 
Pretty tame from England today. They just kind of rolled over and let the Aussies dictate the pace of the game after Smith's hundreds. It was a typical start to a test series under Trevor Bayliss.

Big test at Lords if they want to the win the Ashes back.
 
Have faith! Jason Roy to hit 180 and win us the game.

Or Lyon to take 6-40 and roll us over 150 all out.

One or the other.
Ok it was 6-49 and 146. It's a sad indictment of English test cricket over the last few years that I could predict it that closely. Just no backbone in this side at all, absolutely pathetic. And worst of all I'm now dreading the next 6 weeks...
 
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Ok it was 6-49 and 146. It's a sad indictment of English test cricket over the last few years that I could predict it that closely. Just no backbone in this side at all, absolutely pathetic. And worst of all I'm now dreading the next 6 weeks...


Don't say that! I'm off to Lord's next Wednesday.
 
I was defending Mo before the Test began - he was, after all, the leading wicket taker in Test matches worldwide for the past 12 months.

But on a turning pitch that was offering little for the seamers, and with England at least one, if not two bowlers short (I assume something was wrong with Woakes as well?) he had to be England's #1 threat on Sunday, and he wasn't. Lyon showed him how it's done today.

Plus, he obviously no longer offers you anything with the bat either.

Need to get Leach in at Lord's. Then the rest of the bowling attack will likely pick itself based on fitness.
Archer, Woakes & Broad - with Curran if one of those can't make it, and Stone if two can't.

The batting? I've still no idea. I guess the only positive coming out of this Test is that Burns showed he can play, so at least that's a little more confidence in one of the top order. But I've very little confidence in the Test batting acumen of our Denly/Buttler/Bairstow middle order at the moment.
 
Roy...might be a test player, difficult to say. Not a test opener by any stretch of the imagination
Root...great batsman, awful captain
Bairstow...needs one of those centuries that make him undroppable (again). Would have Foakes any day of the week
Denly...not good enough
Ali...needs to be dropped for his own sake

But apart from that we're OK.
 
Lyon is a top bowler; I’m actually not going to be too critical of the batting. Day 5 scores at Edgbaston are always low.

Really missed Anderson. If he had been fit and firing it would have been very different.

Mo needs to be chopped though: the Aussies have sussed him.

Smith is an extraordinary batsman: so unorthodox yet so effective. One of the all time batting greats to be fair. But would you pay to watch him?
 
Lyon is a top bowler; I’m actually not going to be too critical of the batting. Day 5 scores at Edgbaston are always low.

Really missed Anderson. If he had been fit and firing it would have been very different.

Mo needs to be chopped though: the Aussies have sussed him.

Smith is an extraordinary batsman: so unorthodox yet so effective. One of the all time batting greats to be fair. But would you pay to watch him?
Rather watch Ted Dexter.
 
The only changes will be enforced ones due to injury: Archer for Anderson.

Any ‘more daring’ changes won’t happen until the 4th test. When we’re 3-0 down.

This test has been a real mess from top to bottom - Gambling on Anderson. Players apparently ‘shot’ after the World Cup (not entirely sure why that is to be honest..?) Too much emphasis on white ball cricket over the last couple of years.

Ashley Giles worries me. I think we need somebody tougher and more astute running things.
 
I really do think Mo is at a point in his career where he will either kick on again or this is it. It would be a shame as he has played a big part in Rashid looking comfortable in international cricket and his general demeanour around the team brings some calmness to some other more petulant team mates.

England have to make changes - Anderson and Moeen out, Archer and a spinner in, at minimum. I'd be looking at making a changing to the 7 batsmen too, depending on form and fitness of other players. Lords is the game that will make or break the summer, and England need to show some sustained urgency in it.
 
Lords is the game that will make or break the summer, and England need to show some sustained urgency in it.

Accchhhhh....whatever are you worrying about....?

We ALWAYS win at Lords...don’t we....?

Unfortunately, that was an absolute hammer blow against a transitional Australian team carrying four passengers but buoyed by a batsman on his way to the echelons of the greatest (cheats).

They could give the gloves to either Wade or Bancroft, the captaincy to Wade - pick an extra bowler and be unassailable - as they sure as heck don’t need seven batsmen.

I’d drop Moeen, Denly, Roy and pick Boycott, Tavaré and a concrete statue of Godfrey Evans.

Not even joking.
 
Accchhhhh....whatever are you worrying about....?

We ALWAYS win at Lords...don’t we....?

Unfortunately, that was an absolute hammer blow against a transitional Australian team carrying four passengers but buoyed by a batsman on his way to the echelons of the greatest (cheats).

They could give the gloves to either Wade or Bancroft, the captaincy to Wade - pick an extra bowler and be unassailable - as they sure as heck don’t need seven batsmen.

I’d drop Moeen, Denly, Roy and pick Boycott, Tavaré and a concrete statue of Godfrey Evans.

Not even joking.
until yesterday Edgbaston was a fortress for England
 
Accchhhhh....whatever are you worrying about....?

We ALWAYS win at Lords...don’t we....?

Unfortunately, that was an absolute hammer blow against a transitional Australian team carrying four passengers but buoyed by a batsman on his way to the echelons of the greatest (cheats).

They could give the gloves to either Wade or Bancroft, the captaincy to Wade - pick an extra bowler and be unassailable - as they sure as heck don’t need seven batsmen.

I’d drop Moeen, Denly, Roy and pick Boycott, Tavaré and a concrete statue of Godfrey Evans.

Not even joking.
Forget Evans. Alan Knott for me...……..and he was handy with the bat.
 
Out: Denly, Moeen, Anderson

In: Archer, Leach, Curran

Move Roy to 4, promote Woakes up the order

No idea who to open with Burns though!
 
Forget Evans. Alan Knott for me...……..and he was handy with the bat.

Evans 10 not out in 133 minutes at the Adelaide Oval 1947 to enable Wally Hammond to make a suitable declaration ...scored his first run in the 98th minute.

Would’ve given my left pod for an innings like that yesterday...
 
Evans 10 not out in 133 minutes at the Adelaide Oval 1947 to enable Wally Hammond to make a suitable declaration ...scored his first run in the 98th minute.

Would’ve given my left pod for an innings like that yesterday...
Just been looking up Godfrey's Test Match stats and he was handy with the willow. So its an unreserved apology from me!
 
I'd love to think that the team picked by Junior 1 will be the line-up for Lords, but the England selectors are always horribly conservative...it seems to be a requirement for the job.
Thus Denly will not be dropped until he's failed in another couple of Tests.
They might drop Moeen because his failure as the one specialist spinner was so very obvious.
Anderson has been confirmed as unfit...I just hope that Archer has genuinely recovered from his injury.
And what is all this crap about exhaustion after the World Cup? If you can't get fired up for an Ashes series after more than 2 weeks rest it's a poor show. They are highly paid professionals who should be on top of their own physical amd mental preparation.
 
Surely one of the good things about selection in recent years is that there is not whole scale change after one defeat and players are given a chance (like Burns has had)
So drop Roy after one Test ( and replace with WHO?)
Before the game people were saying that with time he could become a Sehwag/ Warner. Now drop him!
I hope that the selectors aren't as fickle.
 
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Just been looking up Godfrey's Test Match stats and he was handy with the willow. So its an unreserved apology from me!

He stood up to the wicket, pre-helmet era, to Alec Bedser and other opening bowlers as well...which must take some doing.
 
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