*Official* Pakistan in England and Ireland 2016

[Howe_zat]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_cricket_team_against_Pakistan_in_the_UAE_in_2013–14

was this a return leg of sorts then or?

Er, sure. That's the season after.

All Pakistan's test series Team records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Black_Warrior]

Will any of the warm up games be televised?

 

[flibbertyjibber]

No, might get a stream from somewhere in the world but won't be on tv over here.

 

[Furball]

This is huge

Jimmy Anderson could miss England's first Test with Pakistan due to shoulder injury | Daily Mail Online

Just means Pakistan will be bowled out for 200 instead of 150.

Broad usually steps it up hugely without Jimmeh anyway. Might be a bit of confirmation bias at play here but I'd reckon in the last couple of years Broad's record without Jimmeh/not fully fit Jimmeh eclispses his record when they're both in the side.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Well TB last year helps.

 

[Daemon]

Just means Pakistan will be bowled out for 200 instead of 150.

Broad usually steps it up hugely without Jimmeh anyway. Might be a bit of confirmation bias at play here but I'd reckon in the last couple of years Broad's record without Jimmeh/not fully fit Jimmeh eclispses his record when they're both in the side.

Really? I've always felt Anderson not doing well or being absent has coincided with the rest not being at their best.

 

[Howe_zat]

Really? I've always felt Anderson not doing well or being absent has coincided with the rest not being at their best.

I'd have said so too 18 months ago, but since then we've seen the opposite.

 

[Furball]

Really? I've always felt Anderson not doing well or being absent has coincided with the rest not being at their best.

Just focussing on Broad, he was excellent Down Under when Anderson was playing with a broken rib, got his 8/15 when Jimmeh was missing and wrecked South Africa when he was getting back to fitness. And some of Anderson's best recent series have been ones where Broad hasn't done particularly well (Windies away and Pakistan in the UAE immediately spring to mind)

 

[Burgey]

Pakistan will fold like a deck of cards. Nothing more certain.

 

[GIMH]

Pakistan will fold like a deck of cards. Nothing more certain.*

*except Jono posting drivel throughout the series

 

[Daemon]

*except Jono posting drivel throughout the series

And weldone becoming more active when England have rough sessions

 

[smash84]

Quite an entertaining read this in The Telegraph

Mickey Arthur rises to challenge of bringing order to Pakistan's mercurial chaos

Micky Arthur certainly has work to do

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Not enough time to do it either, I don't see a change as Australia witnessed with Lehmann, though naturally I hope the Poms lose

 

[Bijed]

Stokes and Buttler apparently being considered as specialist bats for the upcoming series - is it just me that can't see any reason why this should be done?

Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler could make the XI as batsmen, says England coach Trevor Bayliss | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

I mean, I could live with Buttler playing as keeper and Bairstow going back to being a specialist bat, though I wouldn't have high hopes of it going especially well, but Stokes? As I think I've said before, he's just too inconsistent with the bat for my liking so (not that I didn't love his 258), whilst I feel his bowling is moving forwards, if he's not going to be doing it, he should stay out of the team. Not sure I'd want Vince at 3 either, as the article suggests - tbh, not too keen on Root at 3, but I'd imagine that will happen sooner or later

That said, I though Compton at 3 would go well, so what do I know?

 

[theegyptian]

Buttler playing as a bat is incomprehensible at this point, at least to me. Hopefully he's just being sensitive to Bairstow and his keeping (and Buttler), rather than any hairbrained scheme to get Buttler batting 5 or 6.

Think he's right to suggest Buttler bats like he does in ODI cricket in test cricket (although I wouldn't be going back to Buttler at this point) but he's best off doing that at 7 or better yet 8 and whilst wicketkeeping, rather than at 5/6 and not keeping. Buttler batting 5 with Bairstow keeping and batting at 7 would just make no sense.

Stokes is a relative non-issue imo as it will be a one off. I wouldn't have any great problem with him playing as a bat this one test because I'd back him to be a better bat than any one-off replacement.

 

[MW1304]

Buttler hasn't played a First Class game since he was dropped, it's a laughable suggestion really. It would be more comforting to think he was just saying it as a confidence boost for Jos rather than anyone seriously considering that a viable option.

 

[FBU]

So is Bayliss suggesting

Cook Hales Root Vince Stokes, Buttler Ali Woakes Broad Finn Anderson?
So apart from Cook, Broad and Anderson we will play the ODI team. Then when Stokes is fit to bowl again we will have 6 bowlers.

 

[Cabinet96]

Just thinking, the Pakistan 3-6 has basically been the same for just under six years. Can't imagine there's been many examples of such prolonged middle order stability (and excellence).

 

[Daemon]

Younis, Yousuf and Inzi not too long before them but yeah, they didn't have a good number 6 (Malik was ok I guess). Shafiq and Ali have been pretty good supports to Younis-Misbah.

 

[Niall]

Unlikely Hafeez will be able to be retested for chucking before the test series, he was never going to run through England with his bowling, but would have been a useful 5th bowling option, big test for Azhar now, he will be expected to see off the new ball after the openers fail every test and contribute more with the ball than he is used to.

https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/749863325383716864