I see that Notts have been on a Chelsea type raid in signing both Josh Tongue and Dillon Pennington from Worcestershire. To lose one quick is bad enough but to lose two for a county like Worcestershire is hard to take.
I was always tempted to post of Tongue that I couldn't support a future Warwickshire player. This might somehow be even worse
You're always gonna have bad sessions or sessions where the other side put you under pressure or are better than you. That's test cricket. The issue this series seems to be that when we have a bad session it's really bad. Heads seem to drop, we compound our own issues by dropping catches and giving away extras. We look less threatening and energy levels drop off so far.
It's something Stokes needs to address. It seems like he's waiting for a session break to reset and give a fresh team talk. Things can just drift if left. He needs to find a way to get into his players and change the momentum within sessions.
Brook at 3 sounds dubious. If part of the reason for having 5 bowlers PLUS Stokes is because he's knackered after that long spell at Lord's, then surely Stokes if he's going to be playing as a batsman should move up the order himself, not hide at 6. He's good enough to play at 3.
A massive difference between bashing around tired bowlers and a 40 over ball, than having to face a virtually new ball bowled at 85-90mph
It pisses me off that he won't bat at three all the time. Pope is a natural batting at 4 or 5. Brook is just finding his feet at Test cricket. Root has over 100 caps and is averaging about 50. If I was captain I'd tell him he has to play at three .
Obviously it won't happen under Baz and Ben but there is a strong argument to bat Woakes right up the order. He has got a much better technique than 3 of our top 6.
He can't play the all the shots they can but if shine off the ball and overs in the legs was the aim...
Then you could have Brook, Stokes, Bairstow to pick up the pace lower down.
Is it possible that, should Warner go cheaply in the second innings, Australia will push Head up the order (averages 55.75 from admittedly limited opportunities opening) in order to bring Green back in and retain Marsh too? It would also give them that extra bowling option too with Marsh becoming the 5th seamer.
Comments
It's something Stokes needs to address. It seems like he's waiting for a session break to reset and give a fresh team talk. Things can just drift if left. He needs to find a way to get into his players and change the momentum within sessions.
Come on Root.
Already two down.
Pope is a natural batting at 4 or 5.
Brook is just finding his feet at Test cricket.
Root has over 100 caps and is averaging about 50.
If I was captain I'd tell him he has to play at three .
He can't play the all the shots they can but if shine off the ball and overs in the legs was the aim...
Then you could have Brook, Stokes, Bairstow to pick up the pace lower down.
But there is an obvious candidate for who should be playing that role.
Someone who opens for England in ODI cricket. Someone who can play a Crawley-like innings and someone who’s biggest strength is his batting.
Unfortunately he’s standing behind the stumps and dropping catches.