*OFFICIAL* England in Pakistan 2024

[King Kane]

Yeah, and he's worse than Bairstow.

At least he doesn't walk out of his crease and get stumped, cheating Aussie keepers don't need to resort to those tactics with Pope,.

 

[BazBall21]

Jonny would have had a field day in 2022 and on this double test pitch.

He had a great time at 3 in Sri Lanka.

Pope is still looking shoehorned in at 3 despite his improvement since promoted there. Boom and bust will continue to be his game I fear, nobody is particularly banging the door down to replace him. But he shouldn't remain an automatic pick like he is currently.

Bohannan has a good record at 3 but they're not interested because he's slow

 

[Johan]

Pope is just technically bad tbh.

 

[Starfighter]

Naseem. He bowled with no luck and lots of skill on a pudding

Not surprised it was him.

Naseem bowled very well in the circumstances. Deserved far more reward.

Shaheen looked like he was phoning it in.

Still mental they dropped both and Babar from the series completely.

I knew they'd been dropped for the test. Didn't know they were gone for the series. That is mental.

Naseem is not as fit as he should be and it shows in his reduced pace compared to his debut, and he seems to have lost his conventional outswinger. That I think is partly on him and partly on Pakistan's dark ages player management (like when he got injured playing LPL right before the Austraia tour). But even with that I think he's Pakistan's best fast bowler. He'd be doing better on this drier, more abrasive surface.

Shaheen has not been right since his knee injury, which was terribly managed. But if it's not actually still causing physical trouble right now, then it's something else. Might be that he doesn't trust it - saw someone say something about him maybe carrying a 'mental niggle', or could be a bad mindset. Either way he's turned into a trundler.

 

[slowfinger]

No, that's worse. You have no ****ing idea what's happening in someone else's head from your sofa.

He's not even that good.

are you not allowed to comment on mental strength or mentality? I think making a habit of pretty 20's and 30's is a telltale sign of mentality

 

[Chin Music]

It's clearly a technical issue. As we know, Pope averages a heck of a lot at the Oval (in county cricket) and largely accumulated ahead of the last few years when they've left a lot of grass on the wicket. Facing medium paced seamers or non-large rev inducing finger spinners there, isn't really an appropriate challenge as what you might face in test cricket.

 

[Howe_zat]

i think Dan Lawrence might have done well.

1. Crawley
2. Duckett
3. Stokes
4. Root
5. Brook
6. Jamie

looks better to me

I don't find either of these suggestions close to convincing. We need to have talk about selection when there's an actual good idea for replacement, not just when some guy doesn't score as many as you want.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Duckett in his give it away period now.

Please ton up.

 

[Johan]

@BazBall21 Root playing slowly, no bazball shenanigans looks like

 

[slowfinger]

I don't find either of these suggestions close to convincing. We need to have talk about selection when there's an actual good idea for replacement, not just when some guy doesn't score as many as you want.

i mean i hope it doesn't cost us the match but he's been unreliable especially in the big series' for a while. i don't fancy him for the ashes one bit

 

[Howe_zat]

are you not allowed to comment on mental strength or mentality? I think making a habit of pretty 20's and 30's is a telltale sign of mentality

I'm letting you know that's horse ****. That isn't even his habit, and even if it were, it's not a sign of mental anything. Just put the idea to bed because you'll always sound like an armchair blatherer when you bring out this crap.

 

[Starfighter]

I suppose I'm spoiled having watched Lyon and Ashwin bowl about a million overs, but it really is jarring when Sajid lets the batsmen rotate the strike by bowling one a good two feet off the line of his perfectly fine previous delivery.

 

[Johan]

I don't find either of these suggestions close to convincing. We need to have talk about selection when there's an actual good idea for replacement, not just when some guy doesn't score as many as you want.

Stokes can't be worse than Pope

 

[mackembhoy]

@BazBall21 Root playing slowly, no bazball shenanigans looks like

As much as he's not admitted it. He's definitely realised that Bumrah dismissal/India series was moronic from him and gone back to his game.

He brought the shot out again in the summer and got out. But I think he already had a ton at that point.

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

@BazBall21 Root playing slowly, no bazball shenanigans looks like

Happy with that approach. Aim to bat once and bat big and hope the pitch starts to break up late on day 9.

 

[Johan]

As much as he's not admitted it. He's definitely realised that Bumrah dismissal/India series was moronic from him and gone back to his game.

He brought the shot out again in the summer and got out. But I think he already had a ton at that point.

Yeah he really has impacted since that test, averaging 90 since then

 

[Starfighter]

I thought that hit him well outside the line.

 

[Starfighter]

Dreadful review.

 

[ashley bach]

155-2(30) a good ODI score, looking at 310+

 

[Daemon]

I wouldn't miss Pope very much, but the notion that just anyone could walk in and do better than he has over the last few years in that position is one that isn't supported by anything.

Most of bazball doesn’t exactly have much precedence