*Official* Pakistan in England and Ireland 2016

[Bijed]

Ballance is more likely to make runs than Bell IMO, plus Bell at 4 is useless, and do you really want the new guy to come in at 4?

Anyway, glad that Root is now moved up to no.3, should have been done ages ago.

I would agree that Ballance is more likely to make a big score than Bell, but I'd back Bell to generally make some runs, whereas I can see Ballance having one good innings and a lot of wretched failures (I know Bell has past form in this too, I'm just going on gut feeling here). That said, if I wasn't clear, I wouldn't actually want either of them in the team right now.

Anyway, Vince at 4 can't really go much worse than he has at 5 so far and tbh I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up coming in at 5 about 3 balls later than he would have at 4.

 

[Scaly piscine]

borthwick batting on a minefield then completes discounts rushworths claims for selection.

especially when you consider TRJs home ground is an utter road.

Rushworth has great figures away from home too. And Chester-le-Street isn't a minefield, it's a result pitch. Or at least it was, it is a lot flatter this season.

 

[Shady Slim]

say amir doesn't come back as well as planned and for some reason spuds up

does he get any more chances than any other player in regards to leniency before being dropped since he's been out so long?

 

[smash84]

say amir doesn't come back as well as planned and for some reason spuds up

does he get any more chances than any other player in regards to leniency before being dropped since he's been out so long?

I don't think he'll get extra matches for mon performance. Heck him getting matches at all is much more so than he deserves and he knows it

 

[mr_mister]

On the back of his good domestic/T20 form I reckon they'll allow him a few chances

 

[fredfertang]

say amir doesn't come back as well as planned and for some reason spuds up

does he get any more chances than any other player in regards to leniency before being dropped since he's been out so long?

Based on this I think there's as much chance of Amir spudding up as of Tony Blair getting the Nobel peace prize this year

 

[Black_Warrior]

say amir doesn't come back as well as planned and for some reason spuds up

does he get any more chances than any other player in regards to leniency before being dropped since he's been out so long?

Depends on the format.

He'll definitely get the full test series irrespective of the performance mainly because the squad (bowling attack) was picked very heavily around him.

ODI and T20 Pak have other options and if I can see him being dropped for the odd T20/ODI is he is getting hammered.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Amir will be in the team for another 3 series even if he's bowling piss (which he won't).

 

[Gob]

Amir will **** **** up

 

[smash84]

Why is Amir being superb in the test format being talked about as a foregone conclusion?

He's returning after almost a 6 year layoff from test cricket. It's a different ballgame altogether.

 

[Niall]

Why is Amir being superb in the test format being talked about as a foregone conclusion?

He's returning after almost a 6 year layoff from test cricket. It's a different ballgame altogether.

Exactly.

I know he did well in the 4 day Pakistan stuff, but pretty much every quick bowler worth anything average in the low twenties

This is a big test for him, and also for Pakistan to have a chance the other pacers need to step up immensely.

Hafeez failed today as he did against Somerset, expecting very little of him v England, also sadly it seems Misbah has struggled with pace in the warm up games, I suppose at 42 after years playing on docile UAE pitches its to be expected.

I love the guy, but I think like Hazeez he will struggle this summer.

The likes of Younis, Azhar and Shafiq are going to need to perform out of their skins if Pakistan are serious about winning this series,because I don't expect many runs from the rest and only so much the bowlers can do.

 

[smash84]

quite agree with this. Misbah unfortunately is now way past his prime. I wonder how he will last until the Aus tour? An 8 month break hasn't done him any favors either at his age.

Secondly I can't see Yasir being overly effective in England. He'll have to do a Shane Warne if pak want to be competitive along with the batter.s (as you mention, yk, azhar and shafiq)

 

[Black_Warrior]

^ No one is going to be effective. Hafeez and Masood are walking wickets. Amir is going to spud up. Sohail and Rahat are average. Wahab is overrated. Yasir won't be effective. Misbah is too old. Azhar and Shafiq are flat track bullies. Younis is too old. Sarfraz will drop catches and won't be able to handle the swing.

0-4. Foregone conclusion. Glad we got that out of the way.

 

[Black_Warrior]

My major concern for this series was for Misbah, mainly because he himself expressed concern over the lack of FC cricket had played since January. Guy tried desperately to play some county cricket before the series but didn't work out. From the 2015 series, it was Mark Wood who troubled him more than the other according to him and I expect Finn to hurt Pakistani batsmen this time, especially YK and Misbah with his extra pace and bounce. Glad Misbah got some time today..however if he finds himself struggling in the series, I wouldn't mind him doing a swap with Shafiq for batting positions. Shafiq has batted at 6 all his life and given that he is set to lead the batting order after Misbah and YK, it might be a good idea to have him bat at 5 and Misbah at 6 and slowly promote him up the order.

 

[Dan]

Finn's been bowling consistently slower than Woakes ffs. His 'extra pace' is slowly becoming an absolute myth.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Sorry I missed the SL series for most part. Woakes was pretty average in SA when I last saw him. How has been bowling this season?

 

[Dan]

Better than he was, that's for sure.

 

[Bijed]

I'm sure this will have been discussed to death before, looking at the tour match scorecards, I wondered why they aren't 5-day matches? Should give the touring batsmen more time in the middle and also give the team a bit of an idea of how pitches wear over the course of a game wherever they are (I know this would be highly dependent on the pitch itself). Also, from the host country's point of view, they get to see how 11 of their county players fare in essentially test match conditions.

 

[smash84]

Pakistan being fed 3rd rate opposition. Will get a rude shock when they go in on Wednesday

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Finn's been bowling consistently slower than Woakes ffs. His 'extra pace' is slowly becoming an absolute myth.

He is a strange one, on the rare occasions he gets some rhythm he is 88-90 if not he barely breaks 80 and looks the weak link of the line up. I have faith in him but it is wearing thin now.