***Official*** 5th Test at Old Trafford, Manchester - 10th-14th of September

[kevinw]

Drop Ali, keep Bairstow, bowl Root.

Bairstow has some middling scores in the better innings and crucially, failed in the second innings of the defeats. That's still better than Buttler, who hasn't gone past 25 in five innings. Surely both can't play. Depending on who keeps wicket, the other doesn't deserve to play as a batsman only. Given their ages and their modest records, neither should be playing Tests beyond the Ashes.

Agreed that Mo hasn't had a good series and this hasn't really paid off. Root is a very effective bowler now, but is a second spinner - if Mo is left out, Leach should come in.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

The England selection a bit all over the place right now. Two games ago Bairstow was selected ahead of Pope as a specialist bat, last game we were told he should get a decent run with the gloves with Buttler presumed out of this series and likely not playing the next one. Now Bairstow may be out of the side for the next game to accommodate both Buttler and Pope. Jack Leach started the summer as our first choice spinner with Dom Bess as his back up, but neither played a game and then Moeen leapfrogged them and was made vice captain.

Agree with Flem above that Hameed and Malan don't entirely convince but need to be given a bit longer as they haven't been completely terrible and we have to pick someone.

If I were to try to guess the line up for OT now I'd expect the same top 5, Buttler for Bairstow and no idea who bowls. I presume Wood for Overton and Anderson, Robinson and Woakes play again would be preferred (providing the duck tape holding them all together doesn't give out entirely before the coin toss). Mo probably plays again too and Leach only gets a game if we literally can't field enough seamers to fill the remaining spots.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

I don't think England should do what the SC teams do, chopping and changing only does more harm in the long run. Pick the best 15 and give them a long rope. The numbers of some of the batsmen have gone down after England toured India and had to deal with rank turners. Their home conditions aren't ideal for batting either, giving the batsmen some time is the best option.

 

[White Ball]

Given we are 2-1 up this is the team I would pick

1.Rohit
2. Rahul
3. Pujara
4 Kohli
5 Sky
6 Vihari
7 Agarwal
8 Jadeja
9 Ashwin
10 Shami
11 Bumrah

 

[Shri]

Given we are 2-1 up this is the team I would pick

1.Rohit
2. Rahul
3. Pujara
4 Kohli
5 Sky
6 Vihari
7 Agarwal
8 Jadeja
9 Ashwin
10 Shami
11 Bumrah

bumrah should be rested. maybe prasidh krishna instead. and maybe thakur for shami too.

 

[honestbharani]

Given we are 2-1 up this is the team I would pick

1.Rohit
2. Rahul
3. Pujara
4 Kohli
5 Sky
6 Vihari
7 Agarwal
8 Jadeja
9 Ashwin
10 Shami
11 Bumrah

Who will keep?

 

[sunilz]

Given we are 2-1 up this is the team I would pick

1.Rohit
2. Rahul
3. Pujara
4 Kohli
5 Sky
6 Vihari
7 Agarwal
8 Jadeja
9 Ashwin
10 Shami
11 Bumrah

You dropped Thakur who is easily better batsman than both Agarwal/Vihari in these conditions.

 

[Noumenon]

India would get more out of KL at 3 than having him open. Pujara can play at 5 and if he feels like it's a demotion then have S Waugh call him up. Rohit could open with Shaw with KL, Kohli, Pujara, Pant, Jadeja, Ashwin, and Shardul to follow. Batting all the way down to number 9 for that notional sense of security. Bumrah and Umesh to bring up the rear.

Of course, this isn't even remotely plausible because Rahane is needed to deflect attention away from Virat's own little shitshow.

 

[harsh.ag]

India would get more out of KL at 3 than having him open. Pujara can play at 5 and if he feels like it's a demotion then have S Waugh call him up. Rohit could open with Gill with KL, Kohli, Pujara, Pant, Jadeja, Ashwin, and Shardul to follow. Batting all the way down to number 9 for that notional sense of security. Bumrah and Umesh to bring up the rear.

ftfy

 

[Noumenon]

ftfy

Gill is back home injured providing moral support to agitating farmers. So you aren't really fixing anything above.

Even in the long term, Gill is better suited as a number 4. But once he's fit, he can play at 5/6 before he eventually replaces Kohli at 4.

 

[harsh.ag]

Gill is back home injured providing moral support to agitating farmers. So you aren't really fixing anything above.

Even in the long term, Gill is better suited as a number 4. But once he's fit, he can play at 5/6 before he eventually replaces Kohli at 4.

Ah thought you meant in the long run. Yeah, good side but Shaw is a no-no as an opener if Old Trafford is going to be swing friendly, which it should. Keep the top 3 as is now that Pujara is finnnaaalllllyy scoring runs. The 4th test was the ideal place to play Shaw at 5 but they messed it up. Vihari/Sky/Shaw at 5 in this test are all probably just as bad, but would prefer Vihari by a small margin given his recent experience.

 

[Noumenon]

Shaw is a no-no as an opener

Don't agree. Having seen Shaw bat against the likes of Ollie Robinson and other ENG test bowlers in 2018 A tour, he can play. Was easily India's best batsman against the Windies A and ENG Lions.

 

[harsh.ag]

Don't agree. Having seen Shaw bat against the likes of Ollie Robinson and other ENG test bowlers in 2018 A tour, he can play. Was easily India's best batsman against the Windies A and ENG Lions.

Dunno what to tell you, he seems to have regressed a bit. Wouldn't mind him at 5 ahead of Vihari though

 

[Shri]

wtf prithvi shaw played against a lions team in 2018 that had a bowling attack of woakes, curran, leach and bess

LIONS vs IND-A Cricket Scorecard, Only unofficial Test at Worcester, July 16 - 19, 2018

Get cricket scorecard of Only unofficial Test, LIONS vs IND-A, India A in England 2018 at County Ground, New Road, Worcester dated July 16 - 19, 2018.

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made 62 and a 2 ball duck in the second innings

also played against windies A and got a golden duck in the first ball of the match. then followed it up with a huge hundred - 188 off 169 balls

IND-A vs WI-A Cricket Scorecard, 1st unofficial Test at Beckenham, July 04 - 07, 2018

Get cricket scorecard of 1st unofficial Test, IND-A vs WI-A, India A in England 2018 at Kent County Cricket Ground, Beckenham dated July 04 - 07, 2018.

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diabolical

like if he had failed in both first innings, i'd have guessed he didn't like movement but idk what to think

 

[Blenkinsop]

Starting to legit think England should be looking to the top run scorers in the County Championship,

We tried that with Bracey against NZ. Didn't go well.

England missed Wood in the second innings of the fourth Test and Coverton looked unthreatening, so I hope they make that change. Also hope Robinson and Anderson are both fit as I've got tickets for day 3 and want to see Anderson bowl in real life one last time.

Not really sure what to do about the spin option. Still not convinced Leach is significantly better than Mo, though having been dicked around by the selectors so much he probably deserves a game. Don't see much point in tinkering with the batting. Malan and Hameed did OK. Pope probably deserves a run ahead of Buttler or Bairstow.

 

[kevinw]

We tried that with Bracey against NZ. Didn't go well.

England missed Wood in the second innings of the fourth Test and Coverton looked unthreatening, so I hope they make that change. Also hope Robinson and Anderson are both fit as I've got tickets for day 3 and want to see Anderson bowl in real life one last time.

Not really sure what to do about the spin option. Still not convinced Leach is significantly better than Mo, though having been dicked around by the selectors so much he probably deserves a game. Don't see much point in tinkering with the batting. Malan and Hameed did OK. Pope probably deserves a run ahead of Buttler or Bairstow.

Bracey was probably the most 'out of his depth' selection we've had for a while. He may come again but he needs to be scoring more runs at a higher level really. Expect Notts or Surrey to tap him up.

Leach seems to have been written off as a subcontinent bowler only for England. He's only played the Ireland test and four of the 2019 Ashes at home and performed well enough in those. Root has no idea what to do with a spinner anyway. But I think Leach has been treated pretty poorly by England in the last couple of years. I'm sure his batting will be a reason but he can do a job at nine, and he's hardly a 'making up the numbers' bat like Broad and Anderson - both of whom seem offended that they're even asked to go out there.

From what's available, it's a toss-up between the two keepers, but you surely can't play them both. Buttler no form for this series to justify returning. I would be very disheartened to see the guys the wrong side of 30, who've underperformed for years, playing next Summer but I suspect they still will, even after an Ashes shellacking. I'd rather see Lawrence in the side than whichever of Bairstow/Buttler isn't keeping.

 

[Apex Predator]

India should look to hand out a debut to SKY.. A strokemaker at 5 would be nice. Plus he has solid backfoot play & isn't hurried by pace at all which Wood is likely to bring.
Shami will be back that's for sure.

 

[Starfighter]

Still not convinced Leach is significantly better than Mo

Uh, not sure what you're watching, but Leach is.

 

[Arachnodouche]

Leach showed so much heart in India after that mauling from Pant. But those pitches aided spin, to put it mildly. I'm not sure if Indian batsmen won't just milk him dry out here; the source of all their troubles has been the seamers and any spin will most likely be a welcome break.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Root has said that Buttler is definitely playing and keeping wicket, so either Bairstow or Pope will be out. Buttler is also resuming the vice captaincy. It would be interesting for Ali if he's left out after being vice captain in the previous match.