*Official* First Test (Edgbaston, Birmingham) 16–20 June

[trundler]

I rate Saqlain Mushtaq a better spinner than Jedaja. In terms of fast bowlers in the past ten years - they are good collectively but not as good as the fast bowlers from the 1990s to 2005.

The batsmen were better because they faced better bowlers who were better because they faced better batsman. Sounds a lot like a logical fallacy involving a 2D shape.

 

[Spark]

I had him down as a HTB for a while, but he's proved himself to be a genuinely very good player imo. Flaws in his record, yeah, but virtually all good (and even great) players do

I think most people did. His string of away performances in the last 18 months really feels like it's come from nowhere, the way he batted in India in particular was incredibly impressive given he was considered a walking wicket against spin ten years ago.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Shambles

 

[Prince EWS]

The batsmen were better because they faced better bowlers who were better because they faced better batsman. Sounds a lot like a logical fallacy involving a 2D shape.

Langer was better than Khawaja because Khawaja never seen a bowler like Hoggard.

 

[Nintendo]

Carey feels like a massive improvement on paine as a player but their batting averages are fairly similiar and I don't think carey is a better keeper. Don't know where i'm getting that feeling from, but it's nice to see carey do well after that horror india series.

 

[ashley bach]

Not playing your best keeper in a 5 test series is simply asking if not begging for trouble, no point blaming Jonny for the blunders.

 

[Spark]

Carey feels like a massive improvement on paine as a player but their batting averages are fairly similiar and I don't think carey is a better keeper. Don't know where i'm getting that feeling from, but it's nice to see carey do well after that horror india series.

Carey is an enormous improvement over Paine against spin (as a keeper, that is) - the latter was genuinely incompetent against Lyon and that well may have cost us the 2021 BGT series. But Paine's more reliable against pace due to that technical problem Carey has with catches to his right.

 

[CartyDurham]

This innings by Khawaja is very much old school test match cricket at its best

bar that no ball wicket, I can’t remember a chance given by him

England will rue those ten mins when Carey was dropped and the no ball

I think when we look back they will be huge moments in this match

 

[Croadymeister]

Not playing your best keeper in a 5 test series is simply asking if not begging for trouble, no point blaming Jonny for the blunders.

Can't we fit both into the team somehow but just play Bairstow as a batsman

 

[G. S. Kohli]

Cummins is refusing to pick Inglis because he's so woke, obviously. Disgusting bias.

Carey is best in Australia, aus must need him

 

[Prince EWS]

Not playing your best keeper in a 5 test series is simply asking if not begging for trouble

I definitely would have picked Foakes but this idea that you always have to pick your best keeper does take the principle a bit far. I think Manou was probably better than Gilchrist but picking him would have been insane.

 

[Croadymeister]

This innings by Khawaja is very much old school test match cricket at its best

bar that no ball wicket, I can’t remember a chance given by him

England will rue those ten mins when Carey was dropped and the no ball

I think when we look back they will be huge moments in this match

Yeah like I say we react badly to mistakes unfortunately and fear the same happening

 

[CartyDurham]

Can't we fit both into the team somehow but just play Bairstow as a batsman

Drop Crawley. Can’t see any other way but then who opens ?

 

[Prince EWS]

Drop Crawley. Can’t see any other way but then who opens ?

If Stokes is going to bat like a cowboy and barely bowl then he should do it. He can do all the tone-setting he likes there too.

 

[CartyDurham]

.

another beauty from Broad just misses the edge and stumps

 

[trundler]

Carey feels like a massive improvement on paine as a player but their batting averages are fairly similiar and I don't think carey is a better keeper. Don't know where i'm getting that feeling from, but it's nice to see carey do well after that horror india series.

Paine was an ok player who was unfairly maligned because he wasn't alpha enough to lead Australia. Without him, Australia get rolled over at Adelaide in 2021 and go down 1 behind after the series opener.

 

[CartyDurham]

.

umpires call at absolute best. But missing fifth stump imo

 

[Nintendo]

Drop Crawley. Can’t see any other way but then who opens ?

Pope could, stokes could given that he's not doing amazing with the bat right now anyway. I don't really like any of those options and YJB's batting is probably worth the occasional chance he misses. It's not like it's buttler 4 years ago where he was dropping as many of YJB off spin and also averaging less than foakes with the bat in test and FC.

 

[Spark]

Paine was an ok player who was unfairly maligned because he wasn't alpha enough to lead Australia. Without him, Australia get rolled over at Adelaide in 2021 and go down 1 behind after the series opener.

That's, like, his only memorable Test innings though. I genuinely can't remember another one other than maybe his 92 ages ago.

 

[Nintendo]

N

That's, like, his only memorable Test innings though. I genuinely can't remember another one other than maybe his 92 ages ago.

Made an important 80 odd vs NZ in the boxing day test a few years back when trav got his second test ton.