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

flibbertyjibber

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There are at the very least two players that should be dropped before Stokes.
Clearly. Stokes isn't great in these conditions but as he is set to be in for a long time he should play to learn to adapt his game in future. No problem with him in the side and think a couple of the guys who have names beginning with B should be the ones to go.

Rashid clearly doesn't play outside away tours to asian sides unless Moeen is injured but he is still a better bet than Fatit Patel. We have no spinners not the ones in the sides fault they happen to be our best at present.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
I think a 5,6,7 of Bairstow, Stokes and Buttler is piss poor in any conditions. They're all Number 7's at best and certainly not middle order Test batsman.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Clearly. Stokes isn't great in these conditions but as he is set to be in for a long time he should play to learn to adapt his game in future. No problem with him in the side and think a couple of the guys who have names beginning with B should be the ones to go.

Rashid clearly doesn't play outside away tours to asian sides unless Moeen is injured but he is still a better bet than Fatit Patel. We have no spinners not the ones in the sides fault they happen to be our best at present.
I'd genuinely rather see Tredwell there than Rashid. What this sort of performance shows is how underrated Ashley Giles was. A spinner has to be able to keep it tight and one four ball an over doesn't do that.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
I'd genuinely rather see Tredwell there than Rashid. What this sort of performance shows is how underrated Ashley Giles was. A spinner has to be able to keep it tight and one four ball an over doesn't do that.
Nah i seriously doubt Tredwell would be able to do a similar job to Giles did in such conditions against good players of spin in PAK/SRI 2001, IND 2001, SRI 03.

PAK would blaze Tredwell too, but at least we know Rashid is more likely to pose a wicket-taking threat in the right circumstances.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
I think a 5,6,7 of Bairstow, Stokes and Buttler is piss poor in any conditions. They're all Number 7's at best and certainly not middle order Test batsman.
Bairstow is a # 6 to be fair - but Stokes/Buttler yes not fully as yet. Overall many people would have obviously played Taylor in 1st test & of course Pietersen would be very useful right now.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Pakistan combination revives rich memories | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

A steaming 90 minutes in the hands of Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah was reminiscent of the rich history of Pakistan cricket with a fast bowler and legspinner working in unison to wreak havoc. It was an evocative sight in Dubai as Pakistan rattled England's batsmen, inspiring in them awe and fear.

The thrill of the Wahab-Yasir combination was a peep into history, recalling Imran Khan-Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram-Mushtaq Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar-Danish Kaneria. It brought back memories alive as both fought, and narrowly failed, to take five wickets.


Was thinking this watching the spell this morning, if it is Aamir will indeed comback a Aamir/Shah combo might be even more majestic.
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Bairstow is a # 6 to be fair - but Stokes/Buttler yes not fully as yet. Overall many people would have obviously played Taylor in 1st test & of course Pietersen would be very useful right now.
Stokes is a better Test batsman than Bairstow by quite some way IMO, his problem is his inconsistency.

As for Pietersen, don't talk bollocks.
 

theegyptian

International Vice-Captain
I'd genuinely rather see Tredwell there than Rashid. What this sort of performance shows is how underrated Ashley Giles was. A spinner has to be able to keep it tight and one four ball an over doesn't do that.
I think there was a lot of merit in taking a Tredwell/Batty on this tour as I've said in the past. They may not be the greatest spinners but they know their own game, are experienced, and can bowl 6 deliveries in basically the same spot. You can see with Ali today his confidence draining and not really understanding how to counter Pakistan sweeping him off his length. Rashid I feel knows that bit more about his game and how he can gets batsmen out but he gives you one bad ball an over and is a bit slow for really good players.

Rashid I think actually bowled all right this test even though he's only taken 1 wicket. A little better than I expected.

Ali bowls some good balls but doesn't seem to have the consistency or guile to really work over good batsmen. It feels like ideally he needs 3 or 4 years in county cricket to really work on first landing the offbreak in the same place ball after ball, and then learning about the subtle variations needed to work over good batsman - and how to counter opposition attacking him.

Today was a thankless task. They both in essence look like international class 'occasional bowlers' or stretching it '2nd spinners'. Both are overexposed here. Isn't there fault that they're the best we've got, but not quite good enough.

India next year should be fun.
 

theegyptian

International Vice-Captain
I think Stokes has done slightly better than I expected as a bowler in this series. Has bowled consistently at a decent pace and his lines and lengths have been as consistent as they ever have imo. Think if they had a spinner they trusted they could certainly go back to the 5 man attack. Unfortunately they don't and so they're probably stuck with 6.

As a bat he's had one decent innings, one slog in a 10 over slog, and the first innings here which was poor. He's also been excellent in the field again.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
one four ball an over reminds me of Ian Salisbury (I should say Rashid reminds me of Ian Salisbury, similar bowling actions as well).
 

Niall

International Coach
Ashwin :D

Ashwin Ravichandran ✔ @ashwinravi99
This spell from Wahab Riaz is gold.Could be match defining.#highquality
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
I think a 5,6,7 of Bairstow, Stokes and Buttler is piss poor in any conditions. They're all Number 7's at best and certainly not middle order Test batsman.
Yeah, I'd go with this, there's **** all balance in the middle order. If both Root and Cook are back in the shed I don't have any faith in the guys below them to actually stick around and rebuild an innings. They'll either blaze away and destory the opposition or collapse.
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Yep, Ballance at 5 long term makes a lot of sense, then Stokes and Bairstow or Buttler with the gloves, probably got to be Bairstow for now.
 

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