Road to the 2017-18 Ashes in Australia

[TheJediBrah]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if all of Australia's meme 4 ended up injured at the time of the first Test and they went in with a bowling attack of Bird, Sayers and Faulkner

 

[flibbertyjibber]

How many top 5 batsmen do you think we'll take? If it's only six of them, then maybe Hales gets the gig as he could conceivably do a job as spare middle order batsman or spare opener.

Root
Cook
Westley
Hameed
Stoneman/ AN Other opener
Malan/Hales

 

[Gnske]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if all of Australia's meme 4 ended up injured at the time of the first Test and they went in with a bowling attack of Bird, Sayers and Faulkner

Bet Moeen couldn't even play Sayers's bouncers

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Root
Cook
Westley
Hameed
Stoneman/ AN Other opener
Malan/Hales

That is frightening. I must admit that Bairstow and Stokes have kicked on better than I thought they would, and it's just as well or we'd be right in the klartz (is that a word?)

 

[ImpatientLime]

think westley looks gash tbh but what choice do we have?

i'm on board with LTs suggestion, just take buttler and hales and hope for the best. both players with higher ceilings than any of malan, westley, ballance etc.

 

[Howe_zat]

I'd take a batting squad of Cook, Root, Hameed, Hales and whichever two of Stoneman, Westley and Malan do well in this series. All three if Hameed doesn't get any runs in the second half of the season.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Guess Ballance may yet go though.

 

[stephen]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if all of Australia's meme 4 ended up injured at the time of the first Test and they went in with a bowling attack of Bird, Sayers and Faulkner

Substitute Faulkner for Behrendorf (or however you spell his name) and you'd still have a better attack than the English.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Hales has reconfigured himself as a (first-class) number 4 or 5 apparently at Notts, so it will be the Malan spot he would be grabbing.

 

[GIMH]

I'd take Buttler tbh, purely because I want him to be good enough

 

[TheJediBrah]

I'd take Buttler tbh, purely because I want him to be good enough

I'd have Buttler in the 11 for sure. He can't be any worse than Stoneman, Jennings, Whiteley and all those other batsmen that seem pretty ordinary. I don't know if Bairstow insists on keeping but he definitely doesn't have to to keep his spot.

 

[Adders]

I'd have Buttler in the 11 for sure. He can't be any worse than Stoneman, Jennings, Whiteley and all those other batsmen that seem pretty ordinary. I don't know if Bairstow insists on keeping but he definitely doesn't have to to keep his spot.

It's been a while since I've seen Butler keep......but unless his glove work has come on a lot then Bairstow would be comfortably a better keeper now. YJB really has done a Matt Prior for us in terms of massively improving his keeping and becoming a very reliable middle order bat.

I'm not against Butler making the squad purely as a batsmen but afaic if Barstow wants the gloves he's got them.

 

[TheJediBrah]

It's been a while since I've seen Butler keep......but unless his glove work has come on a lot then Bairstow would be comfortably a better keeper now. YJB really has done a Matt Prior for us in terms of massively improving his keeping and becoming a very reliable middle order bat.

I'm not against Butler making the squad purely as a batsmen but afaic if Barstow wants the gloves he's got them.

I had a feeling that was the case, and wonder if Buttler being a keeper is holding him back because selectors just don't consider him because they already have Bairstow, even if Buttler would be a better specialist bat than others that are getting selected.

 

[GIMH]

Won't he go as reserve wicket keeper anyway?

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Won't he go as reserve wicket keeper anyway?

Would imagine so but i'd like Foakes to go so we get the meme team if Bairstow gets ill/injured.

 

[91Jmay]

I'd have Buttler in the 11 for sure. He can't be any worse than Stoneman, Jennings, Whiteley and all those other batsmen that seem pretty ordinary. I don't know if Bairstow insists on keeping but he definitely doesn't have to to keep his spot.

If we are taking Ross Whiteley we are in trouble.

I don't necessarily disagree Buttler probably a better option than a few of others who have played but his FC record has consistently been bad and not shown much signs of improvement.

 

[Firebreaker]

Sam Northeast might be a good option

 

[S.Kennedy]

Sam Northeast might be a good option

Putting his name forward for selection sends certain segments of the forum into hysterics. Be warned.

 

[grecian]

If we are taking Ross Whiteley we are in trouble.

I don't necessarily disagree Buttler probably a better option than a few of others who have played but his FC record has consistently been bad and not shown much signs of improvement.

The meme team has been my main reason for picking him for years, but honestly he's a decent option.

Look Bairstow wants to keep, he's improved massively, he scores better when he keeps so there seems no sane reason whatsover to pick anyone else as 'keeper but a reserve.

Love Jos but can't see any reason to pick him at all, keeping and batting in first-class cricket is average at best.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

You wouldn't pick Buttler based on his first class record or even having seen him bat in Test Cricket. But given the lack of options he might just make a difference with an innings or two somewhere in a five match series. The rest of the candidates might graft out a 40 somewhere against a decent attack but what's the point.