MM Ali c Younis Khan b Ehsan Adil 4 (6) AD Hales c Sohaib Maqsood b Shahid Afridi 31 (47) GS Ballance c Sohaib Maqsood b Yasir Shah 57 (81) JE Root c Ehsan Adil b Sohail Khan 85 (89) EJG Morgan* c Younis Khan b Yasir Shah 0 (3) RS Bopara b Yasir Shah 11 (25) JC Buttler† b Sohail Khan 13 (20) CJ Jordan not out 31 (27) SCJ Broad c Misbah-ul-Haq b Wahab Riaz 0 (1) JC Tredwell not out 1 (1) DNB JM Anderson
Extras (lb 5, w 12) 17 Total (8 wickets; 50 overs) 250 (5.00 runs per over)
Cheers Callum, i see Ballance got a fifty and Bopara failed AGAIN - seems obvious to me.
I suspect, unfortunately, they won't drop Bopara because they don't want Root as their 6th bowler despite the fact that they use Bopara very sparingly.
Of equal concern is Morgan's form. His last four innings have been 0, 2, 0 and 0.
Having had Pakistan 10-2 and 78-4, they now need just 32 runs in 5 overs with 5 wickets in hand.
Bopara bowled two overs and had figures of 0-14. Such a shame we don't have another serious bowling option which would free up a place for Hales or Ballance,
I think 10 of the starting 11 for the 1st world cup game is set. Just between Ballance & Bopara for the 11th spot. I'd go with Ballance but I think England will pick Bopara
Bell made 187 in the end. Against more than respectable opposition too.
Unless something untoward occurs and/or they decide to go in without a spinner, this will be the starting WC X1:
Bell Ali Taylor Root Morgan Bopara Buttler Woakes Broad TredwellFinn Anderson
.
I think the starting X1 has been sorted for some 3 or 4 weeks now ;-(
I agree that will be the starting XI. Out of interest AA, what would be your starting XI?
That's a really hard one because the guy that would actually give us the balance we are missing (Stokes) isn't even there! It would then be a straight swap with Stokes coming in for Bopara and moving Buttler up one.
Without Stokes I would probably gamble with just the five front line bowlers, open with Hales and move Ali down to five.
Hales Bell Taylor Root Ali Morgan Buttler Woakes Broad Finn Anderson
BUT I would be fairly flexible with the line up from three downwards. If the circumstances were right, I would move Ali up to three e.g. we were 80-1 off 14 or 15 overs and Hales is out - in order to keep the momentum going.
Equally, if we were 220-3 off 40 overs I would be tempted to sling Buttler in for the last 10 overs.
I think sometimes we are just too rigid and don't always send the right batsmen in according to the circumstances of the game.
Very well thanks for asking MOL. They've had four of the eight indoor sessions (which are followed by two outdoor sessions) and he seems to have done everything that's been asked of him so far.
We won't know for another seven or eight weeks whether he makes the playing squad again but hopefully he will get picked - and in an ideal world as back up keeper so he can carry on bowling and batting in the top six but also take the gloves on occasions.
That will just help him to delay which way to go because at the moment the greedy so and so loves doing them all.
Not a bad team... Though I still have my doubts about Hales - in 50 over, not 20 - and Ali has proved his worth as an opener. We just lack a decent all rounder or two. I'm tempted to play Jordan instead of woakes
Very well thanks for asking MOL. They've had four of the eight indoor sessions (which are followed by two outdoor sessions) and he seems to have done everything that's been asked of him so far.
We won't know for another seven or eight weeks whether he makes the playing squad again but hopefully he will get picked - and in an ideal world as back up keeper so he can carry on bowling and batting in the top six but also take the gloves on occasions.
That will just help him to delay which way to go because at the moment the greedy so and so loves doing them all.
Buttler has proved himself capable of not only batting with aggression but also holding an innings together if the top order should fail. I'd have no problems shifting him up to 6 and putting an in form Stokes in at 7 (obviously post-World Cup).
I'll watch some of it, particularly when it gets to the knockout phase but at some 6 weeks in total the tournament is far too long to hold my interest throughout.
We have a chance if our batsmen perform but they can't do it on their own if the bowlers down turn up, as the tri series showed.
They need to play the percentages when bowling (full and straight to encourage to batsmen the longer boundaries) as well as more forethought when bowling in the final 10 overs.
We can do it but it has to come together all on one day.
We have a chance if our batsmen perform. They can't do it if the bowlers down turn up, as the tri series showed.
They need to play the percentages when bowling (full and straight to encourage to batsmen the longer boundaries) as well as more forethought when bowling in the final 10 overs.
We can do it but it has to come together all on one day.
Agree, if everyone fires as they have almost all have shown they can do, we can play as well in these conditions as anyone and win, despite being fairly old fashioned in our approach. There just isn't the consistency though
Comments
MM Ali c Younis Khan b Ehsan Adil 4 (6)
AD Hales c Sohaib Maqsood b Shahid Afridi 31 (47)
GS Ballance c Sohaib Maqsood b Yasir Shah 57 (81)
JE Root c Ehsan Adil b Sohail Khan 85 (89)
EJG Morgan* c Younis Khan b Yasir Shah 0 (3)
RS Bopara b Yasir Shah 11 (25)
JC Buttler† b Sohail Khan 13 (20)
CJ Jordan not out 31 (27)
SCJ Broad c Misbah-ul-Haq b Wahab Riaz 0 (1)
JC Tredwell not out 1 (1)
DNB JM Anderson
Extras (lb 5, w 12) 17
Total (8 wickets; 50 overs) 250 (5.00 runs per over)
Of equal concern is Morgan's form. His last four innings have been 0, 2, 0 and 0.
Bopara bowled two overs and had figures of 0-14. Such a shame we don't have another serious bowling option which would free up a place for Hales or Ballance,
Without Stokes I would probably gamble with just the five front line bowlers, open with Hales and move Ali down to five.
Hales
Bell
Taylor
Root
Ali
Morgan
Buttler
Woakes
Broad
Finn
Anderson
BUT I would be fairly flexible with the line up from three downwards. If the circumstances were right, I would move Ali up to three e.g. we were 80-1 off 14 or 15 overs and Hales is out - in order to keep the momentum going.
Equally, if we were 220-3 off 40 overs I would be tempted to sling Buttler in for the last 10 overs.
I think sometimes we are just too rigid and don't always send the right batsmen in according to the circumstances of the game.
We won't know for another seven or eight weeks whether he makes the playing squad again but hopefully he will get picked - and in an ideal world as back up keeper so he can carry on bowling and batting in the top six but also take the gloves on occasions.
That will just help him to delay which way to go because at the moment the greedy so and so loves doing them all.
The essential rules of cricket for anyone who's looking to use the World Cup to get into a new sport. :-)
27 hours to go until it all starts.
They need to play the percentages when bowling (full and straight to encourage to batsmen the longer boundaries) as well as more forethought when bowling in the final 10 overs.
We can do it but it has to come together all on one day.