Need to be careful we don't revert back to the 90's culture of dropping players en masse, only for their replacements to prove just as ineffective.
However, there are exceptions to every rule, and it sounds like Ballance is shot of all confidence, so possibly bring Bairstow into five and Bell and Root both move up one.
I find the calls to drop Bell laughable, as we have just lost one batsmen with twenty odd test centuries, so to jettison another one so soon would be foolish indeed.
Different case for Lyth, who is only four tests in, and lets face it there is hardly a plethora of different options looking to take his place as an opener - stick with for now.
With the bowling, it would be interesting to see what they could do with Mark Footit, be is supposed to be sharp, and as a left armer would give a different angle of attack at least - particuarly at their openers.
The Aussies have shown that it is possible to bounce back from a disastrous defeat, the time for cool heads and logical thinking beckons methinks.
All this wanking off about fast run rates in tests is all well and good some of the time but on occasions ,like the last test , just being able to stay there and cherish your wicket rather than slashing it away is required , too many unnecessary shots played giving cheap wickets away doesn't help our cause
Need to be careful we don't revert back to the 90's culture of dropping players en masse, only for their replacements to prove just as ineffective.
However, there are exceptions to every rule, and it sounds like Ballance is shot of all confidence, so possibly bring Bairstow into five and Bell and Root both move up one.
I find the calls to drop Bell laughable, as we have just lost one batsmen with twenty odd test centuries, so to jettison another one so soon would be foolish indeed.
Different case for Lyth, who is only four tests in, and lets face it there is hardly a plethora of different options looking to take his place as an opener - stick with for now.
With the bowling, it would be interesting to see what they could do with Mark Footit, be is supposed to be sharp, and as a left armer would give a different angle of attack at least - particuarly at their openers.
The Aussies have shown that it is possible to bounce back from a disastrous defeat, the time for cool heads and logical thinking beckons methinks.
However, after 4 Tests, it is quite clear that Lyth doesn't have 'it'. He's a walking wicket.
Never been convinced by Lyth at all. Always looks nervous. Even when he walked to the wicket with Cook in the 2nd innings, the steadicam operator zoomed up to him and cook and he nervously put his fist out to fist bump a focused looking and slightly annoyed looking cook.
It would be nice if we actually had our own fast bowlers. By fast I mean consistently bowling 90mph+. It is a fact acknowledged by the pros that the extra 5mph or so over at 88mph is a massive difference. But what do we do with any kid who has the build and ability to bowl fast and hostile? We muck about with his action to make him into yet another line and length 80mph bowler. We did it with Finn and Tremlett and others. Remember Harmison's aggression to Langer and Ponting in 2005? A young raw fast bowler can be expensive for sure but wouldn't be great to have one, to at least shake up the opposition?
We have to have the pitches too. Because otherwise the line and length merchants remain king. Fast bouncy tracks would also help spinners too.
Pitches are not an issue. Can be sorted tomorrow. It doesn't matter how slow a pitch is, it's speed through the air that matters. Holding at the Oval in 76 and Johnson at Lords 2015 prove that.
"Pitches are not an issue. Can be sorted out tomorrow".
The likes of Kent, with 39 year old Darren Stevens opening the bowling and Essex, with David Masters doing the same job, aren't going to prepare fast tracks to suit the opposition's 90 mph bullet train - unless a directive comes out that they have to do so.
You're talking about county cricket which has nothing to do with Test cricket anymore.
But it is county cricket that produces England cricketers. They don't grow on trees you know.
No they grow in south Africa, Australia, new Zealand etc...
The Aussies ditched Watson instantly knowing full well we have his number. Put it this way: Who would the Aussies rather see in our front 4, the same or new players brought in. Lyth, Ballance and Bell are walking wickets ATM
Bairstow is in fantastic form .. Bell (should not be in the team, but there you go) at 3 is the only logical place in the line up as fragile as he is lately .. None of Root, Stokes, Bairstow looks to be a natural 3 .. however, if Bell is a failure again, and that is unfortunately very likely, number 4 becomes de facto number 3 and it's back to the drawing board
Lyth doesn't look up to it either, would have brought Hales in, but I do think that keeping Bell in and dropping Ballance are the right calls, as is Bairstow in.
Ballance needs to go away and work on his technique against genuine fast bowling in the same way as Strauss, Cook, Root, Bell etc etc did and hopefully he will find a way of sorting it out. But, unlike the other batsmen mentioned, Ballance will have to make some radical changes as it isn't as simple with him as just working out which balls to play and which to leave.
Bell and Lyth are just playing at the wrong balls - and will need to sort that out pretty rapidly if they aren't going to follow Ballance.
Lyth scored a ton against New Zealand .. he is dodgy outside the off stump .. BUT .. he has gone to some decent bowling and is man enough to take first ball instead of bottler skipper Cookie wookie
I think Lyth deserves another chance. He is also lucky that the form player in county cricket at the moment is a middle order player, rather than an opener!
To be quite frank you all sum up England - So negative.
It's 1-1 guys.
Yes Ian Bell is in terrible form but he had to move to no.3. He has 22 test hundreds and we need to say to him 'Ian, step up. prove what you can do', and as a senior player has has to respond to that.
I don't agree with dickplum about Ballance. Yes he is struggling and Yes I agree he should be dropped now, he is going to be a top class player. Remember he doesn't bat 3, England made him bat 3.
Agreed - I think most people would have taken 1-1 after two tests, so no need for panic just yet.
Bell needs to make No 3 work, as a senior player with TEN years of test experience, this is the time when we need him most of all.
All to play for at Edgbastson, where I can't help thinking we may need to change the bowling a bit as well - can we risk the extra pace of Finn at the expense of Wood I wonder?
Edgbaston is a good ground for reverse though, and Harmison reckons that Stokes and Wood are highly skilled at reverse swing.
When I first saw Finn, I thought he was going to be a world beater, but have become less convinced over time.
It has been said that Wood struggles with the workload of consecutive matches, so if anything he possibly should have been rested for Lord's!
Perhaps that's why he's only played 28 career first class matches. Root and Stokes, both a year younger, by comparison have played 76 and 79 times respectively.
Agreed - blimey if Lincsaddick had had his way, we would be dropping Cook and Bell, as well as Ballance!
The whole point is that by and large, if these guys were the best players at the start of the series then surely they must still be the best now?
keep Cook .. but Anderson and Buttler would go for this test at least .. Bairstow is a keeper .. Buttler is out of form and doesn't look like regaining it in this series .. why pick 2 keepers ? when there is an obvious need for a new batsman ? .. Bell would defo be rung off ... Hales might not be in the best form but he deserves a run out
Agreed - blimey if Lincsaddick had had his way, we would be dropping Cook and Bell, as well as Ballance!
The whole point is that by and large, if these guys were the best players at the start of the series then surely they must still be the best now?
keep Cook .. but Anderson and Buttler would go for this test at least .. Bairstow is a keeper .. Buttler is out of form and doesn't look like regaining it in this series .. why pick 2 keepers ? when there is an obvious need for a new batsman ? .. Bell would defo be rung off ... Hales might not be in the best form but he deserves a run out
Yes he can keep wicket but he has, or had until recently if no longer, a batting average for the season of more than 100. He has earned his place as a batsman irrespective of any other cricketing abilities he may or may not have.
Buttler simply needs to be told to play his natural game and he will then start scoring runs again.
Read article in Times about first Australian tour to Englnad was a team of Abo's ! - and that Jason Gillespie is first person to play for OZ from Abo descent - didn't know that !
Comments
However, there are exceptions to every rule, and it sounds like Ballance is shot of all confidence, so possibly bring Bairstow into five and Bell and Root both move up one.
I find the calls to drop Bell laughable, as we have just lost one batsmen with twenty odd test centuries, so to jettison another one so soon would be foolish indeed.
Different case for Lyth, who is only four tests in, and lets face it there is hardly a plethora of different options looking to take his place as an opener - stick with for now.
With the bowling, it would be interesting to see what they could do with Mark Footit, be is supposed to be sharp, and as a left armer would give a different angle of attack at least - particuarly at their openers.
The Aussies have shown that it is possible to bounce back from a disastrous defeat, the time for cool heads and logical thinking beckons methinks.
Ps sorry about the cliches
and England have to bat on that Lively wicket ?
That's just not fair.
Put it this way: Who would the Aussies rather see in our front 4, the same or new players brought in. Lyth, Ballance and Bell are walking wickets ATM
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Bell at 3 - not so much
Needs to score big runs or that's the end of his Test career for the time being at least...
Bell and Lyth are just playing at the wrong balls - and will need to sort that out pretty rapidly if they aren't going to follow Ballance.
Blimey - how many points did he earn and what sort of "increment" must they have given to Joe Root?
The whole point is that by and large, if these guys were the best players at the start of the series then surely they must still be the best now?
It's 1-1 guys.
Yes Ian Bell is in terrible form but he had to move to no.3. He has 22 test hundreds and we need to say to him 'Ian, step up. prove what you can do', and as a senior player has has to respond to that.
I don't agree with dickplum about Ballance. Yes he is struggling and Yes I agree he should be dropped now, he is going to be a top class player. Remember he doesn't bat 3, England made him bat 3.
Bell needs to make No 3 work, as a senior player with TEN years of test experience, this is the time when we need him most of all.
All to play for at Edgbastson, where I can't help thinking we may need to change the bowling a bit as well - can we risk the extra pace of Finn at the expense of Wood I wonder?
Edgbaston is a good ground for reverse though, and Harmison reckons that Stokes and Wood are highly skilled at reverse swing.
When I first saw Finn, I thought he was going to be a world beater, but have become less convinced over time.
Buttler simply needs to be told to play his natural game and he will then start scoring runs again.