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Post by Balladeer on Aug 17, 2016 9:21:49 GMT
For discussing, predicting, and criticising prospective Test team/squad selections when the next Test series is more than, ooh, two months away. The nature of this particular beast/forum means that there'll be a lot of England talk, but other teams (Sri and India spring to mind) more than welcome. Obviously this will start with the tossing up of names for England's subcontinental tour, including the perpetual questions of spinner and opener, and the only slightly less perpetual question of the middle order. At least Bairstow kept okay. Here's some longlists: - Openers: Hales, Lyth, Robson, Ansari, Stoneman, Bell-Drummond, Roy (please no), Gubbins, Browne, Westley, Duckett, Hameed
- Numbers four and five: Ballance, Bairstow, Moe, Borthwick, Ansari, Hildreth (hahahaha)
- Spinners: Moe, Rashid, Ansari (for the third time), Batty, Leach, Rayner (hey, why the hell not?)
As well as including several incredibly sceptical possibilities, I'm sure I've missed out your favourite. Let me know.
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Post by nemouk on Aug 17, 2016 12:03:20 GMT
What I expect the next test team to be:
1. Cook 2. Hales 3. Root 4. Bairstow 5. Moeen 6. Stokes 7. Rashid 8. Woakes 9. Broad 10. Anderson 11. Finn
What I'd *like* the next team to be:
1. Cook 2. Hameed (throwing a prodigy in to open in the subcontinent worked with #1 after all) 3. Borthwick 4. Root 5. Hildreth 6. Bairstow 7. Stokes 8. Moeen 9. Woakes 10. Broad 11. Anderson
But then again I can see arguments for Rashid, Ansari and a few others. Not an easy job this selection lark.
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Post by Balladeer on Aug 18, 2016 8:09:54 GMT
I reckon you've got one too many pacers in your 'what will happen' team, Nemo; and that they'll drop Finn, and probably keep Gary Ballance.
This was the team I gave in the liveblog:
1. Cook 2. Robson 3. Borthwick/Ansari depending on form 4. Root 5. Moeen 6. YJB 7. Woakes 8. Rashid 9. Wood 10. Spinner 11. Anderson/Broad depending on... tiredness probably
The opener at the time was Robson, and I think I'd probably stick with him. He hasn't done a whole lot wrong this season, admittedly on batting paradises but isn't that what you get in India? My second pick would probably be DBD - averaging >75 has to be worth something, even in the second division. I'd give Hameed one more season in case of Second Season Syndrome, but might well include him in the squad.
No Stokes because I don't think his bowling will be that useful and he's not great at playing spin. Again, in the squad.
Wood, Anderson, Broad, whoever would need to rotate to stave off fatigue. First choice would be Wood for pitch-negating pace and Anderson for reverse swing.
The spinner at the time was Rayner, but I've since been told by a Middlesex fan that he thrives on bounce, of which there isn't a lot in the subcontinent. So Batty or Leach then.
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Post by nemouk on Aug 18, 2016 9:49:45 GMT
Probably right about my 'will go for' team, could see them making Vince the only batting casualty.
Would agree with you on rotating the quicks in India. Can't see Woakes and Stokes doing much with the ball out there but then again, both have surprised me before.
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Post by nemouk on Aug 23, 2016 6:44:32 GMT
Bell and Batty in line for call ups... That would be a very Australian approach to selection
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Post by Balladeer on Aug 23, 2016 8:07:26 GMT
Oh God not Bell. Please not Bell! Or rather, can we have him in for the first Test of the series where he'll score his big hundred, then drop him immediately before he can hit a series of pretty twenties?
Batty is fine. Sad, but fine. Hope he can cope with long days in the Indian sun at his age...
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Post by Srihari on Aug 23, 2016 17:27:04 GMT
While I'm enjoying the selections just so you know it will all be rank turners And the final test is in chennai. Need I say more? I'd say u need good batsmen of spin, good combination of blockers and fast scorers and at least two spinners. I can assure you that India will be going in with three spinners and just one fast bowler. Maybe two pacers if they are feeling generous. All of ur teams have too many fast bowlers.
Not that I particularly care, this is what I'd pick Cook Hameed (know he is young but why not start with two blockers) Badger Root Stokes Bairstow all-rounder or batsman Moeen Rashid Wood Broad/ Woakes
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Post by Balladeer on Aug 24, 2016 9:06:52 GMT
My team has the same number of pacers as yours Sri! Sadly Badger picked the wrong time to have a form dip, I know what you think about him and the ECB but I'm convinced that he'd be in the squad if he hadn't taken a turn for the worse recently. Who do you think will be the top three for India? Even Kohli can't play Rohit again, can he? Presumably the rest will be Kohli Jinx Ashwin Saha Jadeja Mishra Shami Bhuvi, fitness permitting.
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Post by Srihari on Aug 25, 2016 20:42:57 GMT
Kohli loves Rohit so he will continue to play him as much as possible. I'd say Vijay Mukund (partly because he and vijay could make a great combination from their Tamil Nadu days and Mukund bats left and is very good in turners better than Dhawan at least) KL Rahul Kohli Rahane Ashwin Saha Jadeja Mishra Shami Bhuvi. Or perhaps another batsman in for bhuvi depending on how much of a raging Turner the pitch is. But knowing kohli it would be more closer to this Dhawan KL Rahul Kohli Rahane Rohit Ashwin Saha Jadeja Mishra Shami Ishant
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Post by Balladeer on Aug 30, 2016 8:32:18 GMT
I've not heard of Mukund, I presume he's TN? Please no more Ishant while the other two are fit... Meanwhile Hameed for the SC?
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Post by Srihari on Aug 30, 2016 11:49:56 GMT
He is from TN, left-hander and a bit like Vijay in that he plays the long game and has good technique. He even came to play in England in 2011, on the back of the only year in which he didn't score runs and failed unsurprisingly as a 21-year-old would if he is thrown to the wolves.
Go Hameed, my fav England player who hasn't played yet, still waiting on Keaton to qualify and Borthwick to get another chance.
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Post by Humair on Aug 30, 2016 12:14:51 GMT
My squad for the Sub continent:
1. Cook 2. Hameed 3. Root 4. Bairstow 5. Moeen 6. Stokes 7. Foakes (k) 8. Rashid 9. Wood/Woakes 10. Spinner- Leach or Ansari batting up the order 11. Anderson/Broad
Wood/Woakes, Anderson/Broad, Ballance, Finn and Leach/Ansari
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Post by nemouk on Aug 30, 2016 12:44:04 GMT
If your choices went Woakes/Ansari/Broad then you'd have the batting line up of dreams.
Gonna be really interesting to see this squad, and the complicating factor of player(s) not wanting to tour Bangladesh
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Post by Mattzo on Aug 30, 2016 12:57:16 GMT
Will be interesting to see which (if any) players decide against touring.
Morgan doesn't seem convinced, but Cook has confirmed he will go.
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Post by Balladeer on Aug 30, 2016 13:10:34 GMT
If your choices went Woakes/Ansari/Broad then you'd have the batting line up of dreams. Jimmy > Broad at the moment.
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