Mistakes in selection on this tour by England

[eempyrean]

Moeen going great again.
6-0-35-0. Fantastic stuff again by the front-line spinner. 3 wickets in 4* tests. Top stuff. No need for the front-line spinner Crane yet. Moeen is going too well for that.

 

[ImpatientLime]

fun mason crane facts - part time leggie dawid malan has a superior first class bowling average, strike rate and economy rate.

 

[Compton]

Crane isn’t Test standard, obviously.

Moeen’s issue is that he can’t contain. He’s either taking wickets or haemorrhaging runs.

 

[eempyrean]

fun mason crane facts - part time leggie dawid malan has a superior first class bowling average, strike rate and economy rate.

I know. I said in the OP I'd have played Leach in test 1. But since England have taken Crane they need to play him as they have given themselves no other option (other than Malan as the spinner) and Moeen has embarrassingly bad series figures (in all senses).

Moeen bowls off-break with hardly any turn. Crane brings in something different at least. He's also very young and improving. He isn't a world beater, but it would have brought something different to the attack. I already mentioned Malan's bowling too, so your comment is redundant. Obviously Rashid would have been an option too if in squad for a leg spin option.

 

[ImpatientLime]

agreed, crane would bring something different.

instead of watching an off spinner get thrashed around the ground we'd get to watch a leg spinner get thrashed around the ground.

the sad reality is that the players england are picking really are the best available. you're shuffling deckchairs on the titanic.

 

[eempyrean]

agreed, crane would bring something different.

instead of watching an off spinner get thrashed around the ground we'd get to watch a leg spinner get thrashed around the ground.

the sad reality is that the players england are picking really are the best available. you're shuffling deckchairs on the titanic.

Ali certainly isn't the best available spinner in the form he's in. If you think he is then you've watched no cricket this series, nor read about it.

 

[Adders]

Ali certainly isn't the best available spinner in the form he's in. If you think he is then you've watched no cricket this series, nor read about it.

I can only think you've never watched a touring spinner in Aus mate.

 

[fredfertang]

Crane was a poor choice - he may or may not turn into a decent spinner but Australia was never going to be the place to try him in a Test - the Aussie batsmen would have set out to hammer him out of the game and would almost certainly have succeeded, and the same goes for Bess and Leach. Mo was a decent choice based on what he's done in the past, and I can't see how the selectors were to know he'd turn out so woefully on this tour.

I do wonder about the way we coach our spinners though - I mean if Bangladesh or Afghanistan toured Australia I have a feeling Khan, Zadran and Mehedi Hasan wouldn't have their careers ruined in the way Kegga did, and Crane will if he plays

 

[Blain]

Watching this series sparingly, but England seem to pick the same 4 types of bowlers time after time. 130km right armers on flat decks with no swing, along with an off spin who can't turn it, no wonder Mitch Marsh scored 180.

Aussie on the other hand have a very nice mix of bowlers, although will be interesting to see how they go without Starc. I'm not convinced on Cummins, but with the current mix he's good enough to do a job.

 

[marc71178]

Ali certainly isn't the best available spinner in the form he's in. If you think he is then you've watched no cricket this series, nor read about it.

**** off was he not the best available spinner when the squad was selected. He's not bowled well but in all honesty, he was ever likely to. You cannot drop him for an untested spinner at the start of the series (such as Leach that you seem to be suggesting) and as soon as you pick a back up spinner who is pure and utter filth and most of the season didn't get into his county team then there's no way you can drop him for Crane.

 

[Burgey]

Watching this series sparingly, but England seem to pick the same 4 types of bowlers time after time. 130km right armers on flat decks with no swing, along with an off spin who can't turn it, no wonder Mitch Marsh scored 180.

Aussie on the other hand have a very nice mix of bowlers, although will be interesting to see how they go without Starc. I'm not convinced on Cummins, but with the current mix he's good enough to do a job.

England would kill to have Cummins in their side.

 

[S.Kennedy]

England would kill to have Cummins in their side.

There is a crude joke there but I'll not be the one to say it!

 

[stephen]

Last time Leach was in Australia playing grade in Brisbane he took 18 wickets at 27. That's pretty good for a spinner in Brisbane. He's improved since then so he could be worth a run going forward.

 

[TheJediBrah]

There is a crude joke there but I'll not be the one to say it!

What the English players like to do amongst themselves inside the dressing room is none of our business

 

[andruid]

We did indeed. There was talk of our 2nd choice pace attack being better than some sides' 1st choices.
Thinking back, we had Anderson, Broad, Tremlett, Finn, Bresnan and Onions all pretty much at their peak, so it wasn't such a silly claim, albeit slightly hubristic.
And I've probably forgotten someone.

Which leads me to ask. What happened to the likes of Onions, Bresnan, Finn, and especially Tremlett?

 

[ImpatientLime]

tremlett broke down to injury and lost a yard.
bresnan had a troublesome elbow injury which caused him to completely lose his zip. he put it through at some good clicks on that tour.
onions i suspect was never quite an international bowler. decent with the new ball but fairly ineffective when it lost its shine.
finn, eh who knows? confidence? over coached? had legit speed in his first few years and is now a trundler. could lose his middlesex place this year.

 

[cnerd123]

Jack Leach, for all his domestic success, was reported for a dodgy action, is still relatively young and inexperienced, and Australia is not the place to debut a new spinner.

There are no obvious stand out candidates to replace Moeen. People are just hating on Moeen to hate on Moeen. It's ridiculous.

 

[Daemon]

It's fair to criticize his performances because he's been garbage, but pretty daft to suggest he shouldn't have been picked.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Still think that Rashid being looked over for the trip to Australia was an error - tough gig in India bowling leg spin, he should have been the reserve spinner on this trip in my opinion, especially for the Melb/Sydney tests where two spinners might have been an option. Finger spin is very hard here to do successfully - even Swann on 10/11 averaged over 40 IIRC.

And, going back to an earlier point, these wickets have been roads - maybe aside from Adelaide, helped by the grass left on to protect the pink ball.

 

[Daemon]

Don't think two spinners would've made sense in any of the games but yeah, he should have definitely been on tour ahead of Crane.

Finished as the 3rd highest wicket taker in India, only losing to Jadeja/Ashwin. Took 23 wickets while the others combined took 31. Averaged 37 to Ashwins 30 which was not that bad considering he couldn't bowl at his own teammates.

He did have some crap spells and lucky wickets in there though.