We just have these 4 ODIs to nail down the team and tactics, seeing that a completely different "B team" will play against Ireland, so a bit of pressure on Buttler and the management to get it right. At the moment it seems we have too many options, rather than an obvious first 11 that picks itself.
I would suggest that we will try to play our best side, as seen by Buttler and Mott, for the next game that will include Roy, who might now be in a "shoot out" with Malan to open but perhaps resting Rashid who seemed to be really struggling with his fitness today. It could be something like this:
Come India, we might have to sacrifice one of the seamers in order to get three frontline spinners into the side but that rather depends on the nature of the early season wickets out there. Stokes not bowling really doesn't help in that respect. The important thing is that they all get time in the middle especially the likes of Root who didn't look like he had the pace of the wicket at all - he has faced less balls in total in the last seven weeks than Devon Conway did today and has also bowled just 39 balls in that time. We know the reason for that.
What's the point of a Willey if he doesn't take the new ball?
I might be miss remembering but before the world cup in 2019 he used to bowl about 5 overs up front then Stokes and Root would normally bowl the other 5.
Morgan said on TV the other day that the reason they picked Archer, over Willey, is he could bowl at the start, in the middle, and at the end. He never mentioned Willey by name though.
I can't see him playing in the world cup tbh.
But I think he should have been given the new ball and that he might in preference to Woakes if he plays on Sunday as the latter doesn't need to open and is effective at other times. That said, if we do want to go in with Rashid, Moeen and Livingstone then he would almost certainly be the sacrificial lamb. It's difficult to envisage us having Rashid plus Moeen or Livingstone with Root as back up but if early season decks dictate that we need four seamers then one of Moeen or Livingstone has to go. Topley was appalling today and that might have been a blip and Atkinson probably wasn't utilised to the best of his ability either but having Wood and him with the new ball would just be too similar imo.
I really hope you're wrong and we don't decide to ditch Brook. That would be a wrong-headed and substantial error in my view.
That is certainly not what I want. It's not my side. It's the one based on the squad they've picked and he only played yesterday because of Bairstow's shoulder niggle and Roy's back spasm. If we play him on Sunday then that is indicative that we are trying to get him into the final squad but to do that would be a massively embarrassing admission that we got it wrong in the first place. Which we did.
I hope they decide against taking Roy
Even if they did, they will probably play Malan instead. There is only room for four non full time bowlers in their side of which Root, Bairstow and Stokes will be three of them.
I imagine Buttler would put forward a strong case for selection too, no?
He would have been a big part of the original selection as Morgan would have been in picking Archer ahead of Willey. Brook was sacrificed for Stokes. A number 4 batsman for a number 4 batsman.
You suggested we will pick four non full time bowlers and said Root, Bairstow and Stokes would be three of them.
I think Buttler will also be included.
Buttler is an all rounder. It's so unlike you to be pedantic but next time I will say "four batsmen/batters, not including Buttler who will keep wicket".
I'm going to the game at Lord's on Friday. I'd forgotten how irritating "day/night" ODIs are for the actual spectator, as instead of sensible 11-7pm hours, you end up with 12:30 to 8:30 ish instead. All so that Sky get a couple of hours in the evening
Well we can't say they aren't giving Brook a chance.
They are and he will give it a good go but I'm sure that he would have preferred to have been at 4. That said, I would expect him to possibly go a bit harder in the PP today than he did in the last game.
I'm going to the game at Lord's on Friday. I'd forgotten how irritating "day/night" ODIs are for the actual spectator, as instead of sensible 11-7pm hours, you end up with 12:30 to 8:30 ish instead. All so that Sky get a couple of hours in the evening
England heard my complaint, and on Friday will get bowled out cheaply so that the game finishes by 7
Now I might have this wrong as I heard them mention on Sky how long it is since Livingstone faced 50 balls in a match but, by my calculations, it is 136 games and goes back to 17th June 2021. As the saying goes, why be there for a long time when you can be there for a good time!!!
And you can't do that at 6 in 50 over games, you could easily be batting in the 25th-30th over.
Watching the kids instead. An absorbing fightback from Kelly, who's batting very well, and Rehan Ahmed's 15 year-old brother Farhan, whose technique is looking extremely good for a number ten
Is it right that Root has only played 12 ODIs since the last World cup?
This is his 17th since then and these are his first 50 over matches in any form since July last year. Of those 17, just three were in foreign conditions - the South African series in Feb 2020.
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Looks like they are giving him every chance to prove me wrong though.
was appalling. Be T5 next- even worse….