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**Official** Pakistan and England in the UAE 2015/16

9

91Jmay

International Coach
Hales
Cook
Root
Taylor
Ali
Stokes
Buttler
Rashid
Broad
Wood
Anderson.

If Bell retires that could be a line up we look at if people really don't fancy Ali to open.
 
theegyptian

theegyptian

International Vice-Captain
grecian said:
Pick someone else, rather than someone you think will fail will be my radical idea. Ansari maybe a terrible pick, but at least he bowls too, or Borthwick, who bats at number 3 for Durham on one of the trickiest pitches around. Or take a punt on a youngster, or go for Mitchell, go back to Compton there really isn't just one option.

Not someone who may thrash it about on benign pitches but then will fail as soon as it doesn't. BTW i'm not convinced he would suceed even on benign tracks.
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That's the thing though. I assume most of us think that Hales is the most likely to suceed. We may not be very confident in it but at this point in time I don't there is anyone better they should be selecting.

Mitchell is a solid county pro but without the talent to step up.
Ansari at this point is a better bowler than bat and is very limited at present.
Borthwick debuted and looked awful with the bat but I wouldn't be opposed if the selectors thought he was good enough.

Hales at least has scored 3 big hundreds (vs Yorkshire, Notts, Hampshire) this year in div 1 and is the only top 3 bat averaging over 50 this year (and also averaged 50 last year). He also has already had exposure to top level cricket and hasn't looked overawed. You talk about bandwagons but like Lyth and Robson before you score runs and there will be a buzz about your name.



I still feel like Lees and Robson both have a good chance of opening for England in the future but both seem to be working through issues with their game at the moment and now would be an inopportune time to pick them.


Otherwise unless the selectors are going to pluck someone based a little on scoring runs but a lot on a punt on character/talent (say Rory Burns) there really aren't any options I like better than Hales.
 
GIMH

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Furball said:
Stokes and Buttler can both **** off after their dismissals against Lyon at the Oval. Any half decent spinner would be desperate for a crack at batsmen who drive at balls not full enough to drive with zero footwork.
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So who you replacing them with?
 
Prince EWS

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Yeah it's possible to think Hales is likely to fail but still think he's less likely to fail than the alternatives.

Moeen opening sort of makes sense, but I'd be very wary of sending him the wrong signals. I think he's got a lot more to work with with his bowling than his batting despite the fact that the former is a bit less developed at the moment, certainly in the context of England's resources, so I'd be encouraging him to work on that by actually selecting him in a primarily bowling role. Letting him know that he's in the frame to be selected as an opening batsman who bowls a bit for tours to Asia will just confuse him as to what he should be working on, particularly if he fancies the idea of being a Test opener in general.
 
Last edited:
grecian

grecian

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
theegyptian said:
That's the thing though. I assume most of us think that Hales is the most likely to suceed. We may not be very confident in it but at this point in time I don't there is anyone better they should be selecting.

Mitchell is a solid county pro but without the talent to step up.
Ansari at this point is a better bowler than bat and is very limited at present.
Borthwick debuted and looked awful with the bat but I wouldn't be opposed if the selectors thought he was good enough.

Hales at least has scored 3 big hundreds (vs Yorkshire, Notts, Hampshire) this year in div 1 and is the only top 3 bat averaging over 50 this year (and also averaged 50 last year). He also has already had exposure to top level cricket and hasn't looked overawed. You talk about bandwagons but like Lyth and Robson before you score runs and there will be a buzz about your name.



I still feel like Lees and Robson both have a good chance of opening for England in the future but both seem to be working through issues with their game at the moment and now would be an inopportune time to pick them.


Otherwise unless the selectors are going to pluck someone based a little on scoring runs but a lot on a punt on character/talent (say Rory Burns) there really aren't any options I like better than Hales.
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Well then I just disagree with your view, it's just some keep on saying he'll probably fail lets pick him. The three big 100s are funny, in that without them he's had an awful season, but that's nit-picky stats-bolox. Yet whats not nit-picky is he hasn't stepped up to the top level at ODI level at all, in fact he's struggled.

T20 is his game, that is where he should stay IMHO.
 
9

91Jmay

International Coach
I don't really understand this 'it will confuse him' argument. He is being asked to bat up the order not bowl left arm seam.
 
Prince EWS

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
91Jmay said:
I don't really understand this 'it will confuse him' argument. He is being asked to bat up the order not bowl left arm seam.
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The amount of time Moeen has to work on his cricket is zero-sum. If you pick him to open it'll send him the signal that he's actually a chance of being picked as a batsman or batsman-who-bowls-a-bit, which I suspect is his preference, and he'll devote more time to his batting and less time to his bowling. Long-term, or even just medium-term beyond this one series, I don't that'd be a good outcome.
 
GIMH

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Prince EWS said:
The amount of time Moeen has to work on his cricket is zero-sum. If you pick him to open it'll send him the signal that he's actually a chance of being picked as a batsman or batsman-who-bowls-a-bit, which I suspect is his preference, and he'll devote more time to his batting and less time to his bowling. Long-term, or even just medium-term beyond this one series, I don't that'd be a good outcome.
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Well you'd hope the coaching staff actually talk to the players rather than just letting them get signals from the teamsheet
 
Viscount Tom

Viscount Tom

International Debutant
grecian said:
Pick someone else, rather than someone you think will fail will be my radical idea. Ansari maybe a terrible pick, but at least he bowls too, or Borthwick, who bats at number 3 for Durham on one of the trickiest pitches around. Or take a punt on a youngster, or go for Mitchell, go back to Compton there really isn't just one option.

Not someone who may thrash it about on benign pitches but then will fail as soon as it doesn't. BTW i'm not convinced he would suceed even on benign tracks.
Click to expand...
Borthwick probably isn't that bad a shout just on his batting alone.

Although my personal preference is bring back Colly who shouldn't have retired in the first place.
 
LegionOfBrad

LegionOfBrad

International Debutant
A top order of

Moeen/Hales
Cook
Bell
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Rashid/Moeen

Is taking the balance of aggression too far the other way. Which is why the loss of Ballance (and the way he was playing before he was found out) has been such a big miss. I like the idea of a smasher opening with Cook. But we can't be going Bairstow - Stokes - Buttler with the way they play imo.
 
ImpatientLime

ImpatientLime

International Regular
i'm majorly worried about this tour. ali/rashid has the potential for absolute carnage. bairstow, stokes, buttler batting on those tracks fills me with dread. bell looks shot to bits.

ballance has to play imo. his technique stands up well to spin and we need a little less of this overly macho bull**** that seems to be running through the side at the moment with the bat, for that reason i'd probably try to shoehorn taylor in as well.

anderson and broad were fantastic last time england went there, they will need to be at that standard again for england to have any sort of hope.

am willing to make a six month avatar bet that england don't win a single test this winter in the uae and south africa.
 
Cabinet96

Cabinet96

Hall of Fame Member
With Davies not keeping anymore and Kieswetter retired there really are suddenly very few keeping options. Don't see the point in dropping Buttler. Stokes will obviously play.
 
TheJammyTurtle

TheJammyTurtle

U19 Cricketer
They probably won't but England really do have to play James Taylor on this tour.He's one of the best players of spin in the country and proved it on that tour to Lanka last year.If Bell retired,a 3-4-5 of Root and Taylor (interchangeable) and Moeen at 5 would at least give the English some hope.
 
ImpatientLime

ImpatientLime

International Regular
cook
hales
ballance
root
taylor
stokes
ali
buttler
broad
anderson
batty/kerrigan/tredwell

bairstow
rashid
wood
finn

is how i'd go. if we go in with ali and rashid we'll get btfo. i want someone who can hold an end.
 
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