Think we should probably fix the opening spot at the other end, that has been an issue since Strauss retired, before we start worrying about England's leading Test run scorer.
No, he really needs to go. He looks tired and technically flawed. You don't keep picking people because they have scored the most runs, otherwise Gower would still be playing. We need two new openers sorted by August 1st 2019.
Our top three have been poor for a while and we can’t keep clinging onto Cook just because the guy at the other end is rubbish.
Trying him at three is a last ditch attempt to prolong his international career. I can’t see him hanging around as an opener.
Burns and Pope MUST be given their opportunities in their preferred positions now - there is no better time to blood new players.
I don’t like Bairstow opening in Test matches as a long term solution but it’s a dead rubber so everyone should be willing to give it a try.
I would also rest Anderson & Broad and opt to go with Woakes & Overton for the Oval.
Burns Bairstow Cook Root Stokes Pope Buttler Ali Woakes Curran Overton
Burns, Pope, Woakes, Overton in for Jennings, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.
I think people who have paid good money for tickets at the Oval, would not be happy to see Jimmy Anderson not playing, he is fit, it's he's last game of the summer, so why does he need to be rested?. There wont be many more chances to see one of the greatest bowlers to have played for England, lets make the most of it while we can
Burns is the obvious choice to open and we need a right hander at the top for balance. So I would back the experienced Hildreth to work as a stop gap solution for a couple years in the absence of anyone else. It could well be a masterstroke - look what Rogers and Voges did for Aus coming into the side in their late 30s.
In those 2 we have 2 'proper' test openers. Players who know how to build an innings and who will not give their wicker away cheaply. Hopefully with cook in the top 3 we would always have some sort of platform. In Hildreth and root we have experience Burns is still fairly young but has been around long enough to know his game and crucially has captaincy experience.
Root Bairstow Stokes is the backbone of the middle order. A specialist keeper at 7 - for me if the keeper is batting 7 you have to pick the best keeper and that is Foakes by far. The bowlers pick themselves wirh Woakes and Rashid as your next in line. Buttler and Clarke/Gubbins as backup bats.
You're all losing the plot, even Canters. Cook at three? Drop Buttler?
Cook Burns Root Bairstow Stokes Buttler Ali Curran Woakes Broad Anderson
To be fair (to myself) dropping Buttler wasn't really for the next test. More thinking long term. I don't see Buttler as the solution to keeping in tests and I don't see him as a test batsman either long term. Foakes is a far superior gloveman and is a better red ball batsman too.
As for cook. There is a growing school of thought that is is very difficult to bat with at the top of the order and instead of leading he is putting pressure in his more inexperienced partner. If that is true, even to any extent, then it's worth shifting him to 3. Not only does it allow us to bring in 2 players and say build a partnership together it also give cook and incentive to make one last go of test cricket.
You're all losing the plot, even Canters. Cook at three? Drop Buttler?
Cook Burns Root Bairstow Stokes Buttler Ali Curran Woakes Broad Anderson
To be fair (to myself) dropping Buttler wasn't really for the next test. More thinking long term. I don't see Buttler as the solution to keeping in tests and I don't see him as a test batsman either long term. Foakes is a far superior gloveman and is a better red ball batsman too.
As for cook. There is a growing school of thought that is is very difficult to bat with at the top of the order and instead of leading he is putting pressure in his more inexperienced partner. If that is true, even to any extent, then it's worth shifting him to 3. Not only does it allow us to bring in 2 players and say build a partnership together it also give cook and incentive to make one last go of test cricket.
Has to be worth a try in my view.
Accept that foakes is better keeper and a good bat but have been surprisingly impressed with his application to batting in this series from buttler...I'd be happy to see cook at 3 but if it fails over the winter I'd suggest he should go to live on his farm ( latter not a euphemism for unwanted pets)
Buttler is our top run scorer in this series, it seems very strange to me, to drop him, when our batting problems are 1 to 4, if Foakes is that good a batsman, play him in the top 4
You're all losing the plot, even Canters. Cook at three? Drop Buttler?
Cook Burns Root Bairstow Stokes Buttler Ali Curran Woakes Broad Anderson
To be fair (to myself) dropping Buttler wasn't really for the next test. More thinking long term. I don't see Buttler as the solution to keeping in tests and I don't see him as a test batsman either long term. Foakes is a far superior gloveman and is a better red ball batsman too.
As for cook. There is a growing school of thought that is is very difficult to bat with at the top of the order and instead of leading he is putting pressure in his more inexperienced partner. If that is true, even to any extent, then it's worth shifting him to 3. Not only does it allow us to bring in 2 players and say build a partnership together it also give cook and incentive to make one last go of test cricket.
Has to be worth a try in my view.
Cook is not at his best and, as @Riviera and others have said, there is an argument for dropping him for that reason.
However dropping him or shifting him in the order because of the inadequacies of others, as you seem to be suggesting, is definitely NOT a reason in my view!
Our top three have been poor for a while and we can’t keep clinging onto Cook just because the guy at the other end is rubbish.
Trying him at three is a last ditch attempt to prolong his international career. I can’t see him hanging around as an opener.
Burns and Pope MUST be given their opportunities in their preferred positions now - there is no better time to blood new players.
I don’t like Bairstow opening in Test matches as a long term solution but it’s a dead rubber so everyone should be willing to give it a try.
I would also rest Anderson & Broad and opt to go with Woakes & Overton for the Oval.
Burns Bairstow Cook Root Stokes Pope Buttler Ali Woakes Curran Overton
Burns, Pope, Woakes, Overton in for Jennings, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.
I think people who have paid good money for tickets at the Oval, would not be happy to see Jimmy Anderson not playing, he is fit, it's he's last game of the summer, so why does he need to be rested?. There wont be many more chances to see one of the greatest bowlers to have played for England, lets make the most of it while we can
Agreed. It's been an easy series for the bowlers too, it's not as if both batting lineups have been racking up 400s and 500s on a flat surface, and England have always had at least 5 bowlers as well.
There's no question (other than injury) of Anderson and Broad not playing in the Ashes next summer either, both have been bowling well. Jimmy is the number 1 in the world, while Broad has regained his zip and threat.
Our top three have been poor for a while and we can’t keep clinging onto Cook just because the guy at the other end is rubbish.
Trying him at three is a last ditch attempt to prolong his international career. I can’t see him hanging around as an opener.
Burns and Pope MUST be given their opportunities in their preferred positions now - there is no better time to blood new players.
I don’t like Bairstow opening in Test matches as a long term solution but it’s a dead rubber so everyone should be willing to give it a try.
I would also rest Anderson & Broad and opt to go with Woakes & Overton for the Oval.
Burns Bairstow Cook Root Stokes Pope Buttler Ali Woakes Curran Overton
Burns, Pope, Woakes, Overton in for Jennings, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.
I think people who have paid good money for tickets at the Oval, would not be happy to see Jimmy Anderson not playing, he is fit, it's he's last game of the summer, so why does he need to be rested?. There wont be many more chances to see one of the greatest bowlers to have played for England, lets make the most of it while we can
Fair enough, it would be rubbish for those going but I know the selectors want to keep Jimmy going as long as they possibly can.
If there is a time to rest him, now would be that time to say “thanks Jimmy see you in Sri Lanka in November”.
Our top three have been poor for a while and we can’t keep clinging onto Cook just because the guy at the other end is rubbish.
Trying him at three is a last ditch attempt to prolong his international career. I can’t see him hanging around as an opener.
Burns and Pope MUST be given their opportunities in their preferred positions now - there is no better time to blood new players.
I don’t like Bairstow opening in Test matches as a long term solution but it’s a dead rubber so everyone should be willing to give it a try.
I would also rest Anderson & Broad and opt to go with Woakes & Overton for the Oval.
Burns Bairstow Cook Root Stokes Pope Buttler Ali Woakes Curran Overton
Burns, Pope, Woakes, Overton in for Jennings, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.
I think people who have paid good money for tickets at the Oval, would not be happy to see Jimmy Anderson not playing, he is fit, it's he's last game of the summer, so why does he need to be rested?. There wont be many more chances to see one of the greatest bowlers to have played for England, lets make the most of it while we can
Fair enough, it would be rubbish for those going but I know the selectors want to keep Jimmy going as long as they possibly can.
If there is a time to rest him, now would be that time to say “thanks Jimmy see you in Sri Lanka in November”.
It's the younger bowlers, Stokes and Woakes, who've had the injury problems this series though. Jimmy looks pretty fresh to me, especially as him and Broad are effectively professional Test bowlers now, playing no white ball cricket and hardly any county championship matches.
In which case I hope he goes after the oval test as he deserves one last chance to get a score and a chance to get the sort of send off he deserves for being the world class player and man that he is.
Cook retiring after the Oval test. Probably the correct decision, but leaves England with a big problem. We're struggling to find 1 opener, now we need 2!
We will miss Alastair Cook, a world class opening batsman, an excellent captain and a good guy, but it is time for him to go now, as he has not been the same player for a couple of years, give or take the odd big score
Totally the right thing as I have been saying for a while. Maybe should have done it yesterday to enable new blood on Friday. Time for people to step up to the plate.
Our top three have been poor for a while and we can’t keep clinging onto Cook just because the guy at the other end is rubbish.
Trying him at three is a last ditch attempt to prolong his international career. I can’t see him hanging around as an opener.
Burns and Pope MUST be given their opportunities in their preferred positions now - there is no better time to blood new players.
I don’t like Bairstow opening in Test matches as a long term solution but it’s a dead rubber so everyone should be willing to give it a try.
I would also rest Anderson & Broad and opt to go with Woakes & Overton for the Oval.
Burns Bairstow Cook Root Stokes Pope Buttler Ali Woakes Curran Overton
Burns, Pope, Woakes, Overton in for Jennings, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.
I think people who have paid good money for tickets at the Oval, would not be happy to see Jimmy Anderson not playing, he is fit, it's he's last game of the summer, so why does he need to be rested?. There wont be many more chances to see one of the greatest bowlers to have played for England, lets make the most of it while we can
Fair enough, it would be rubbish for those going but I know the selectors want to keep Jimmy going as long as they possibly can.
If there is a time to rest him, now would be that time to say “thanks Jimmy see you in Sri Lanka in November”.
I would not take Jimmy to Sri Lanka, the wickets will not be helpful for him, I would take him to the West Indies,to get him ready to hammer the Aussies next August
Comments
Trying him at three is a last ditch attempt to prolong his international career. I can’t see him hanging around as an opener.
Burns and Pope MUST be given their opportunities in their preferred positions now - there is no better time to blood new players.
I don’t like Bairstow opening in Test matches as a long term solution but it’s a dead rubber so everyone should be willing to give it a try.
I would also rest Anderson & Broad and opt to go with Woakes & Overton for the Oval.
Burns
Bairstow
Cook
Root
Stokes
Pope
Buttler
Ali
Woakes
Curran
Overton
Burns, Pope, Woakes, Overton in for Jennings, Rashid, Broad, Anderson.
There wont be many more chances to see one of the greatest bowlers to have played for England, lets make the most of it while we can
We have also got to look around for a proper pacey strike bowler
As for cook. There is a growing school of thought that is is very difficult to bat with at the top of the order and instead of leading he is putting pressure in his more inexperienced partner. If that is true, even to any extent, then it's worth shifting him to 3. Not only does it allow us to bring in 2 players and say build a partnership together it also give cook and incentive to make one last go of test cricket.
Has to be worth a try in my view.
However dropping him or shifting him in the order because of the inadequacies of others, as you seem to be suggesting, is definitely NOT a reason in my view!
EDITED: Misread initial post first time!
Look at his slip fielding recently.
There's no question (other than injury) of Anderson and Broad not playing in the Ashes next summer either, both have been bowling well. Jimmy is the number 1 in the world, while Broad has regained his zip and threat.
Tell him to go and score loads of runs foe Essex before August next summer. He will then know if he still wants it enough.
Change in the captaincy?
If there is a time to rest him, now would be that time to say “thanks Jimmy see you in Sri Lanka in November”.
Cook to retire.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/45388727
I really hope he goes out in style