Former England Players Who You'd Transplant into the Current Side

[grecian]

lathwell played two tests

You literally said in your first post pretty much everyone batsman who played for England would make this team . This is what I argued against, when I then mentioned a bunch of dud players including Lathwell, you didn't backtrack you just said they'd mostly make the team too. Talk about moving the ****ing goalposts mid-discussion.

Mind you I'm just realising the sentence I'm arguing against never made much sense anyway.

 

[ma1978]

Ok - since you are asking me to ridiculously precise with my language for a f@cling internet message board, I will

“Other than Joe Root, every specialist batsman in the present team or who has been recently considered for selection is worse than the specialist batsmen who played a comparable amount of cricket in the 1990a.

even those specialist batsmen who were found wanting and therefore did not have sustained runs in the 1990s team would find themselves comparable to the present specialist batsmen, excepting Joe Root.”

 

[SteveNZ]

Here's another angle on the question - how many players would it need from the past to make this side competitive in this Ashes series?

I say three. Peak Cook and Strauss, and Swann. I'm not saying they'd win, but it would give Root, Malan, Stokes and even Buttler a much better platform to perform, then obviously the seamers can do a job and Swann means they have a wicket-taking spinner.

 

[grecian]

Ok - since you are asking me to ridiculously precise with my language for a f@cling internet message board, I will

“Other than Joe Root, every specialist batsman in the present team or who has been recently considered for selection is worse than the specialist batsmen who played a comparable amount of cricket in the 1990a.

even those specialist batsmen who were found wanting and therefore did not have sustained runs in the 1990s team would find themselves comparable to the present specialist batsmen, excepting Joe Root.”

Not really asking for a ridiculously precise term is it, if you'd put comparable matches rather than everyone, I'd agree, but then Ramps still is worse, Stokes is better than most of the others. So even trying to be precise you ain't. Gawd when was Richard born, 1978 was it?

 

[ma1978]

Specialist batsmen, ie not Stokes
Would still take Ramps over this lost

 

[Pothas]

I definitely think the first three picks should be two openers and Graeme Swann.

I rate Cook and Strauss a little higher than the other opening options so I'll roll with those. Strauss was a good captain too which solves that problem.

Flintoff was obviously a gun but less of an upgrade on anyone when Stokes is already playing so I'd probably give him a miss to beef up the batting and keeping a bit from there. Knott debuted over 50 years ago so I don't think we can really call him "modern era" - so peak Prior it is. Pietersen's the best remaining bat but the last thing this team needs is internal discontent so I'd probably go with Gower instead. That'd leave:

Strauss *
Cook
Gower
Root
Stokes
Malan
Prior +
Swann
Wood/Robinson
Broad
Anderson

EDIT: Maybe Gooch ahead of Strauss?

Yeah if you are going that far back you go Gooch and Gower. If we are going last couple of decades my first 3 would be Cook, Swann and Trott. First two pretty obvious but Trott is by miles the best 3 England have had in my time of watching cricket, would make a huge difference. KP and another opener can take the 4th and 5th spot.

Was tempted by Gough because he deserves a mention but the batting is more important.

Prior was great but honestly Buttler, Bairstow or Foakes would be fine with a good top 6 ahead of them. Would be nice to have Thorpe in there but can't really pick him over KP and we can't have Root at 3 can we.

Trescothick
Cook
Trott
Root
Pietersen
Stokes
Buttler
Swann
Robinson
Broad
Anderson

 

[Chrish]

I mean England won ashes in Australia, series in South Africa and even series in India in 2010s! That side can’t be half as bad..

 

[ma1978]

The early 2010s England side was brilliant - no weaknesses and 4 or 5 players who could destroy you.

 

[andruid]

Utterly ridiculous, Anderson is having one of his best series in Oz. We are terrible but this is hyperbolic nonsense that ignores how bad we where for much of the 80s and 90s.

The 80s and 90s are a different century from the time period I am on about.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

Simon Kerrigan

 

[karan_fromthestands]

Simon Kerrigan

For real though, it was idiotic to just pick him and drop him forever. 8 overs is all he got. Ridiculous. Would have been better if he wasn't picked in the first place, what a way to demotivate a youngster.

 

[Flem274*]

I was thinking of a current England/Bangers hybrid today, assuming you pointed a gun at the Bangladeshi players and told them to cool their egos.

Tamim (c) (does all the real captaining for Bangers)
Burns (yes)
Mominul (ewwww but...)
Root
Shakib
Stokes
Mushfiqur (wk) (he'll keep again if it saves his life)
English bowlers, maybe Miraz. Taskin joins the Lions, Ebadot and Shoriful return to club cricket.

 

[Aritro]

Mushfiq's a shitter keeper than Buttler but definitely a better test bat. He's been a much better bat since he abandoned the gloves tbh, but was also performing above Buttler levels with the bat for a good number of years even when he was still a keeper.

Wouldn't be the worst thing picking Mushfiq as a specialist batsman given he's maintained a 40 average for the last 10 years or so and giving Liton Das the gloves. He's started to look like an international standard batsman in the tests we've played in the last 24 months and is a tier above both Buttler and Mushfiq with the gloves.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Adrian Shankar couldn't do any worse than some of the batsmen

 

[The Rock]

Specialist batsmen, ie not Stokes
Would still take Ramps over this lost

Why? He averaged less than this lot.

The best English county batsman i've ever seen but he was a failure at test level.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Adrian Shankar might be a chance to get an opening spot

 

[ma1978]

Why? He averaged less than this lot.

The best English county batsman i've ever seen but he was a failure at test level.

yes I know. But he looked so good when failing. Always left you thinking he was one inning away from proving his talent. This lot doesn’t have the FC record even

 

[honestbharani]

yes I know. But he looked so good when failing. Always left you thinking he was one inning away from proving his talent. This lot doesn’t have the FC record even

James Vince says hi.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Anyone who's ever played a Test for England could improve the current side - with the exception of Derek Pringle and James Bracey.

 

[Coronis]

Let us always remember Ramps managed to play 52 matches with a 27 average honestly rose-tintedness for that decade, nah I'm not having it.

This is what Harris is aiming for, no?