*Official* 3rd Test at Edgbaston

[Bahnz]

Taylor to 3.

I've been saying that for years but no one listens. Anyway now that KW has come into his own I don't really see the need for it anymore.

 

[Antihippy]

You know one great thing about finally moving on from lords?

Not having to hear the Ch 9 team talk about the ****ing slope.

 

[Gob]

As an Australian I hope Moeen goes up the order. He looks an absolute world beater at 8. Some of his shot making is pleasing to watch. But he's about as loose as it gets.

****ing hate to see a batsman walking out at 8. Once you get 6 wickets you should be bowling to tail enders and having fun times

 

[hendrix]

I've been saying that for years but no one listens. Anyway now that KW has come into his own I don't really see the need for it anymore.

Ryder?











































For England

 

[Bahnz]

Ryder?











































For England

Nah, Wood's proved to be a decent 3rd seamer so far.

 

[Antihippy]

****ing hate to see a batsman walking out at 8. Once you get 6 wickets you should be bowling to tail enders and having fun times

You must hate watching australia then.

 

[Hurricane]

I think the ideal order would be Bell 3 Root 4 Ballance 5. Ballance has the technique least suited to seeing off the new ball, but has previously seemed capable of cashing in if he's not facing the best of the bowling.

I wouldn't move Root while he's in such good form but switching Bell and Ballance might be worth a go, if neither player has any objection. It's a very minor change but even rearranging the deckchairs shifts the boat's centre of gravity very slightly.

Yeah, even if this isn't the perfect solution. At least do something in response to this loss.

I would put Root at 3 btw. He used to be an opener. He should have the game for handling 3. Sink or swim England. Go all in.

 

[Pothas]

Don't get the Ali hate tbh. Think he's bowled reasonably and his batting down the order is more than very handy. Yesterday's dismissal showed he mustn't be moved up the order too high.

I'd be tempted to move Stokes up the order to four and let him have a license to play the way he has been at six, and move Root to three. Yeah it weakens a strength, but Bell ATM is doing bugger all at four and Ballance is a walking wicket at three. If he's to stay in the side, I'd change the order around a bit:

Cook
Lyth
Root
Stokes
Bell
Ballance
{keep the rest the same}

Might be deck chairs on the titanic type of stuff, but I like Stokes' mojo and reckon if he comes off up the order he could set Australia back on their heels a bit.

Can't say I'm too familiar with a lot of the alternatives to the incumbents who are playing fc cricket atm.

I actually quite like this. I never even thought about moving Stokes from 6, he seems perfect there, but he has usually batted higher for Durham and he looks plenty good enough right now. Bell if he stays needs to be at 5 or lower. You could then maybe bring Bairstow in for Ballance, still obvious doubts about him but given their current form I think it is hard to imagine that he would score less than Ballance at 6.

 

[Hurricane]

I actually quite like this. I never even thought about moving Stokes from 6, he seems perfect there, but he has usually batted higher for Durham and he looks plenty good enough right now. Bell if he stays needs to be at 5 or lower. You could then maybe bring Bairstow in for Ballance, still obvious doubts about him but given their current form I think it is hard to imagine that he would score less than Ballance at 6.

I think that although Ballance's average is very very healthy, on the basis of some dismissals he doesn't look test match standard. Perhaps he can get back to what made him successful previously. I doubt he is enjoying reading the newspapers at present however. He is probably shacked up somewhere atm underneath a duvet and eating comfort food.

 

[Uppercut]

Bairstow has a horribly flawed technique too, but with a lot less initial test success. I would tend to stick with Ballance for now, but if he gets dumped it should be for someone else. Taylor would be fine.

 

[GIMH]

I actually quite like this. I never even thought about moving Stokes from 6, he seems perfect there, but he has usually batted higher for Durham and he looks plenty good enough right now. Bell if he stays needs to be at 5 or lower. You could then maybe bring Bairstow in for Ballance, still obvious doubts about him but given their current form I think it is hard to imagine that he would score less than Ballance at 6.

Moving Stokes up is fine provided we don't increase his bowling workload. IMO. I'd bin Ballance, bump the rest of the top six up one (or maybe put Root at 3 and leave Bell where he is) and bring Bairstow at 6.

 

[Shady Slim]

bopara swansong

 

[Compton]

Moeen isn't good enough to bat up the order. He's an excellent shot maker, but he's far too loose to expect to consistently score runs up the order.

Keep him where he is, he's doing a good job.

 

[Hurricane]

bopara swansong

Brilliant. Your post only would have been better had you factored his handy bowling into your rationale.

 

[adub]

I agree that Moeen seems to be an asset for you guys where he is. Having Stokes and Moeen (or even Stokes and Buttler) in the top 6 seems very thin, but having Stokes-Buttler-Moeen at 6-8 looks pretty good. He's no world beater with the ball, but as part of 5 man attack performs a role and has the happy knack of getting wickets. Your third seamer and Jimmy finding a way to be affective against us more than once in a blue moon are more pressing concerns in your lower order.

 

[theegyptian]

Moeen can bat a different way. The year or two before he debuted for England he became a lot more disciplined batting at 3 for Worcester. He put away a load of the big drives on the up that used to get him out loads.

With England he's batted 6-8 and so played a lot looser and personally I feel like he enjoys that.

I don't really think he is good enough to bat 3 in test cricket but he can play differently and more selectively that he has batting at 6-8.


Think if Taylor was selected to bat 3 he'd probably get more abuse and technical destruction than even Ballance. Would get knobbled lbw every time or knick off to the keeper. He's a middle order bat not top order.

 

[hendrix]

I would just have Moeen bat above Buttler. Harsh on Jos I know.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Bairstow is in form at least and that counts for something. Ballance, technical issues aside, just looks like he's really struggling and has no confidence. He might benefit from some time out of the side.

Personally I think Lyth is the least likely to make a significant contribution during the series but there doesn't seem to be a ready made replacement for him, aside from putting a non-opener up the order. England would benefit from someone who could occupy the crease for an hour and make 10 even, but Lyth just looks like throwing his wicket away and exposing the out of form 3 and 4. Given that Lyth is probably staying at the very least I think a batting order reshuffle has to happen, and maybe bringing in Bairstow down the order somewhere. Bell at 3 and Root at 4 with an unknown quantity in at 5 is surely better than Ballance and Bell both in and looking poor.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I don't think you can have any faith in Ballance; he's just a different batsman to the guy who was making runs 12 months ago.

 

[Pothas]

I would just have Moeen bat above Buttler. Harsh on Jos I know.

Got no problem with this, I think if Moeen is batting better than Buttler he should go up to 7. Buttler at 8 may free him up as well.