Anyone watching the cricket

[Leicesterbaggie]

Excellent victory! Chris Woakes has always been one of my favourite current players, a proper all-rounder. Butler is not an international 'keeper but is worth his place as a batsman. Foakes of Surrey is the best 'keeper who is also no mug with the bat. I realise that getting the balance of the side correct is difficult but as far as I'm concerned you should always pick the best wicket-keeper.

[TipperaryBaggie]

Totally agree about Foakes, we should have a proper wicketkeeper in a test match. I still think that we need a spin bowler who can spin the ball. I don't think Bess is the answer.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Totally agree about Foakes, we should have a proper wicketkeeper in a test match. I still think that we need a spin bowler who can spin the ball. I don't think Bess is the answer.

Tough one this. Agree about the best wickie so that's Foakes in at 7. Buttler has done enough with bat to keep his place at 6. Also agree about Bess but who else is there? Even with Stokes fit to bowl I find it difficult to select an X1 that has both the right quality and balance.

Anyone brave enough to play selector?

[mickd1961]

Tough one this. Agree about the best wickie so that's Foakes in at 7. Buttler has done enough with bat to keep his place at 6. Also agree about Bess but who else is there? Even with Stokes fit to bowl I find it difficult to select an X1 that has both the right quality and balance.

Anyone brave enough to play selector?

I agree with what Bazid Khan said on The Verdict last night in regards to “balance”.

We get too hung up on this and it should always be a case of picking the best side to win that game on that pitch and not about finding a place for the spinner for example.

Bess has bowled very few overs in the last couple of matches and so has been largely pointless but that’s not to say he’s not a valuable squad member for other matches.

Buttler is infuriating,even yesterday he couldn’t be there to get us over the line........I never feel we can rely on him like we could Matt Prior.

I don’t rate Burns and his twitches and Sibley is very one sided in his pay.

That said they’re probably the best option to open at present.

I like Sam Curran both for his bowling and batting.

I’m really unsure about Archer,looks like he can’t be a r s e d a lot of the time and Jimmy seems to have faded a tad.

This is my team for the next test,

Burns

Sibley

Crawley

Root

Stokes

Pope

Buttler ( although I prefer Foakes )

Moen Ali ( he won’t play though )

Curran

Woakes

Broad

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

My X1 if Stokes can bowl

Burns
Sibley
Root
Stokes
Pope
Buttler
Foakes
Woakes
Archer
Broad
Anderson

A lot I'm not content with

No front line spinner relying on Root
Not convinced by either opener, best of a bad bunch?
3 4 5 6 all batting 1 too high

Never happy are we.

[wba13]

Doesn’t matter what our first choose side is at present because Stokes is out of the rest of the Pakistan series on compassionate grounds. He has flew to New Zealand to be with his Mother and Father. So does that mean we can play Butler as a batter and bring in Foakes. We will know come Thursday.

[mickd1961]

Stokes being out may have saved Anderson from the chop.

Pope may have to bat at 5 now but he looks our best batsman anyway.

I can see a recall for Bairstow.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

With Stokes out it will simply be Crawley in.

For me our only quality spinner is Adil Rashid. He only plays white ball cricket but I bet he goes to India this winter.

[mickd1961]

With Stokes out it will simply be Crawley in.

For me our only quality spinner is Adil Rashid. He only plays white ball cricket but I bet he goes to India this winter.

Our quality spinner and only proven test performer is Moen Ali but he seems to have flounced off which surprises me.

A fantastic cricketer and one of the most attractive with the bat especially at 7 or 8.

Rashid in India and sub continent though alongside Moen is a must.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Our quality spinner and only proven test performer is Moen Ali but he seems to have flounced off which surprises me.

A fantastic cricketer and one of the most attractive with the bat especially at 7 or 8.

Rashid in India and sub continent though alongside Moen is a must.

Moen Ali from a few seasons back would be a shoe in to this present squad as he was both a good spinner and an excellent No.7 but I'm think those days are behind him. In 2019 he was dropped from the Ashes series after 1 match (off I think a bad run of form prior) and dropped from the World Cup team. This year he wasn't considered good enough for the Test Squad with Bess and Leach in front of him. In the one dayers v Ireland he scored 0 and 1 and took 0 wickets having bowled in all 3.

For me the only way he makes the tour is lack of spinning alternatives.