Road to the 2017-18 Ashes in Australia

[SeamUp]

Just putting the name out there because it seems to be an option especially with spots up for grabs. We've seen 100+ average in Ballance look like turgid ****. But I do agree with your general point. Just be interesting what watching selectors thoughts are.

Selected main English County Championship run-getters in Div 1 are mainly openers bizarrely.

Rory Burns (Surrey) 847 @ 52.93
Mark Stoneman (Surrey) 828 @ 59.14
Gary Ballance (Yorkshire) 827 @ 91.88
Nick Browne (Essex) 792 @ 46.58
Alex Davies (Lancashire) 761 @ 44.76
Sam Robson (Middlesex) 681 @ 48.64
Alastair Cook (Essex) 667 @ 66.70
Liam Livingstone (Lancashire) 624 @ 52.00
James Vince (Hampshire) 524 @ 34.93
Dan Lawrence (Essex) 480 @ 40.00
Tom Westley (Essex) 478 @ 53.11
Dawid Malan (Middlesex) 425 @ 42.50

* The Haseeb Hameed story

Div 2 (bar Jennings the main guys bat 3-6 so would probably need to look at these options)

Sam Northeast (Kent) 878 @ 54.87
Samit Patel (Notts) 847 @ 60.50
Joe Clarke (Worcs) 759 @ 44.64
Ben Duckett (Northants) 735 @ 49.00
Alex Hales (Notts) 424 @ 47.11

 

[flibbertyjibber]

I'd have picked Livingstone ahead of Malan earlier in the summer but in fairness Malan has done ok after a terrible start and I would be happy if Clarke was picked. The rest don't inspire much confidence and I can see Ballance getting picked and batting at 3 and going under the helmet.

Think the bats we take will be

Cook
Stoneman
Hameed
Root
Ballance
Malan

Can't see more than 6 being picked given we use all rounders from 6-8 so with a spare keeper, Stokes, Woakes, Moeen and Bairstow that leaves 5 or 6 spaces for a 2nd spinner and the quicks.

 

[SeamUp]

I'd have picked Livingstone ahead of Malan earlier in the summer but in fairness Malan has done ok after a terrible start and I would be happy if Clarke was picked. The rest don't inspire much confidence and I can see Ballance getting picked and batting at 3 and going under the helmet.

Think the bats we take will be

Cook
Stoneman
Hameed
Root
Ballance
Malan

Can't see more than 6 being picked given we use all rounders from 6-8 so with a spare keeper, Stokes, Woakes, Moeen and Bairstow that leaves 5 or 6 spaces for a 2nd spinner and the quicks.

When you think about. It will probably be only 6 front-line batsmen.

Squad of 16. Reserve batsman, reserve keeper, Crane, Woakes/Roland-Jones (1 will be in the XI) , Wood/Finn (shoot-out between ?)

Reserve keeper Ben Foakes ? Jos Buttler ? They may even be funky and say Clarke or A.Davies combines batsman and keeper back-up to leave another spot for a batsman.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

I think the Lions are out in Australia too so they may pick 15 and add the best players in form from the Lions to the squad once there.

 

[Firebreaker]

Haseeb would most probably fail as well

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Haseeb would most probably fail as well

They have two choices. They either select provan failures or new batsman who haven't yet had the opportunity to fail. I'd still settle for Buttler and Hales based on the fact that they have a modicum of international pedigree.

 

[theegyptian]

Can't see there being many surprises in England's squad.

I'd take Foakes (or A Davies) as reserve keeper over Buttler, but I guess they'll select Buttler.

Bowling will just be all the guys who've played over the last year minus 1 or 2, + Crane. Say Broad, Anderson, Woakes, TRJ, Wood, Finn/Ball, Stokes, Ali, Crane
Can't see anyone from outside like Coverton getting past Finn/Ball. Bayliss wasn't exactly effusive about TRJ yesterday and kinda dismissed the impact he could have in Aus - so whilst he will make the squad, I can't see him playing unless he does really well in tour games.

Batting is most up in the air. I'd take Ballance to bat 5 (although Malan has begin to show some improvement imo). Stoneman (and Malan) I think will go. Backup opener likely to be Hameed/Hales. Maybe room for one surprise/random pick in the batting.

Best guess is Cook, Stoneman, Root, (2 out of Hales, Ballance and Hameed), Malan, Stokes, Bairstow, Ali, Anderson, Broad, Woakes, TRJ, Wood, Finn, Crane, Buttler

 

[Firebreaker]

I'd take Foakes as well as reserve keeper and Buttler can go as a reserve batsmen

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Think they all but admitted today that Buttler is reserve keeper given Bayliss says no new names to be selected.

 

[zaremba]

It could be the worst combined Ashes teams since the 78/79 tour.

I expect you could select an excellent combined XI, but the 2nd XI would be pretty bad.

 

[mr_mister]

I expect you could select an excellent combined XI, but the 2nd XI would be pretty bad.

forreal

Cook
Warner
Smith
Root
Stokes
Ali
Bairstow+
Cummins
Broad
Anderson
Hazlewood

 

[flibbertyjibber]

forreal

Cook
Warner
Smith
Root
Stokes
Ali
Bairstow+
Cummins
Broad
Anderson
Hazlewood

That would be a very very strong side. Add in Lyon, Pattinson and Starc to the bowling mix and it would be a hell of a squad. The reserve batting would be a tad dodgy though.

 

[mr_mister]

Usman is hopefully still a gun at home

 

[Firebreaker]

Think they all but admitted today that Buttler is reserve keeper given Bayliss says no new names to be selected.

Bayliss should be removed as the coach.He has no idea about CC and Test cricket that's why he is selecting proven LOI players like Malan and Buttler.I love Buttler but he's not cut in Test as a keeper

 

[mackembhoy]

My side

Ansari
Cook (cap)
Taylor
Root
Ballance
Ali
Stokes
Buttler
S Curran
Cove
Broad

Who the hell is Cove?

Was he a youngun who has faded into nothing?

 

[flibbertyjibber]

C Overton

 

[mackembhoy]

C Overton

Doh ?

 

[JRC67]

Bayliss should be removed as the coach.He has no idea about CC and Test cricket that's why he is selecting proven LOI players like Malan and Buttler.I love Buttler but he's not cut in Test as a keeper

Not sure how important knowing county cricket is in terms of the coach. The selectors seem to be the main decision makers. The problem is most county batsman do have obvious faults. With so many batting failures it's very hard to come up with a 16 man squad with any confidence. I think there are 9 players most people think should go, 2 more most think will go with reservations. That leaves 5 spots which really come down to personal hunches. Ask 100 spectators and you'd probably get 100 variations for those 5 slots.

 

[marc71178]

Bayliss should be removed as the coach.He has no idea about CC and Test cricket that's why he is selecting proven LOI players like Malan and Buttler.I love Buttler but he's not cut in Test as a keeper

I'm assuming you intended this post as being ironic?

 

[marc71178]

forreal

Cook
Warner
Smith
Root
Stokes
Ali
Bairstow+
Cummins
Broad
Anderson
Hazlewood

Lyon for Ali and a batsman in at 5 for Broad to move Stokes et al down one.