Jack Leach out of the Ashes

[Prince EWS]

Shami reverting to mean

Thanks Spark.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

This is going to be like that time everyone was hyped up for Sehwag to come and smash the English bowlers and then he swiftly got a pair.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah, this is where I'm at I think. I'm definitely in the 'love Mo' camp but not confident in him returning to Tests here.

If we're picking him as the 4th bowler then I really hope Stokes is up to putting in a bowling shift. Aus will surely try and hit Mo out the attack.

I don’t think any decent human being could have anything against Moeen as a bloke, he seems a very good fella. It’ll be a big ask for him with the ball though, for sure.

 

[Molehill]

I don’t think any decent human being could have anything against Moeen as a bloke, he seems a very good fella. It’ll be a big ask for him with the ball though, for sure.

There was a fella on the C247 Board who literally despised Mo.....it almost certainly had racist overtones mind.

 

[honestbharani]

He was getting good drift when he bowled in the IPL. Feel like he might go far better than expected with the ball at least.

 

[grecian]

The Beard has been a player I fluctuated on quite a bit, when he came in I was sceptical like most, but was open-minded. For awhile I was an huge defender of his, against some repeated criticism. Then his problems with pace bowling, made his batting less productive, and my obvious Somerset bias was to put the best spinner in if Mo wasn't going to be a proper all-rounder.

I also rejected all this he's been badly treated by England, look he hasn't had a settled position, but compared to practically every other spinner apart from John Emburey, he's been treated pretty well. England did muck his batting order around, but they did that with a lot of people, and vitally they kept picking him, even when he went through droughts. swann was dropped for 8 years FFS. He'll now have the second most Tests of any spinner in England's history, and obviously by far the most appearances for england, but obviously as one-day stuffs domination of the landscape nowadays, that's a modern day record really, hopefully Ahmed may beat it.

Yet this is almost certainly the best option for England in the short-term, and asc others have said it will be interesting to see how he goes under Stokes, I mean both cook and Root were conservative cptains that took any spinner out of the attack if they were leaking runs, stokes has been happy to buy wickets, so it could go very well or very badly.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

There was a fella on the C247 Board who literally despised Mo.....it almost certainly had racist overtones mind.

Oh that's where Scaly went is it?

 

[Third_Man]

Moeen since returning from the IPL has played two games for Warwickshire. He now captains their side previously unbeaten in 4 (before his arrival) but which has now lost both the games he has played in / captained. He has scored 10 from 12 balls and taken 1/32 from 3 overs against Notts and 16 from 12 and did not bowl against Derby. Strike rate 108 and going for more than 10 an over.
Reads like he needs a rest (Buttler, Livingstone, Salt similarly are under performing since returning from the IPL) rather than deciding to play test cricket again, increasing his workload.

 

[Molehill]

Moeen since returning from the IPL has played two games for Warwickshire. He now captains their side previously unbeaten in 4 (before his arrival) but which has now lost both the games he has played in / captained. He has scored 10 from 12 balls and taken 1/32 from 3 overs against Notts and 16 from 12 and did not bowl against Derby. Strike rate 108 and going for more than 10 an over.
Reads like he needs a rest (Buttler, Livingstone, Salt similarly are under performing since returning from the IPL) rather than deciding to play test cricket again, increasing his workload.

It's an interesting point about the impact of the IPL, the Indian team are certainly suggesting they'd rather be anywhere but The Oval at the moment. Cam Green could also be effected.

 

[Kraken]

Will be surprised if he goes under 5s in any game tbh

 

[Niall]

It's an interesting point about the impact of the IPL, the Indian team are certainly suggesting they'd rather be anywhere but The Oval at the moment. Cam Green could also be effected.

Green is quite young and when he bats the runs will be on the board so not to much pressure so he is probably loving life at the moment.

 

[Ali TT]

Moeen since returning from the IPL has played two games for Warwickshire. He now captains their side previously unbeaten in 4 (before his arrival) but which has now lost both the games he has played in / captained. He has scored 10 from 12 balls and taken 1/32 from 3 overs against Notts and 16 from 12 and did not bowl against Derby. Strike rate 108 and going for more than 10 an over.
Reads like he needs a rest (Buttler, Livingstone, Salt similarly are under performing since returning from the IPL) rather than deciding to play test cricket again, increasing his workload.

Another loss but thanks to a catastrophic bowling effort by Woakes.

 

[Burgey]

Oh that's where Scaly went is it?

Good from this fella here

 

[Spark]

He was getting good drift when he bowled in the IPL. Feel like he might go far better than expected with the ball at least.

Drift and revs was never his problem though, it was accuracy and guile.

 

[Prince EWS]

Drift and revs was never his problem though, it was accuracy and guile.

Yeah but he did seem to largely lose his drift at his worst. His bowling seemed to be getting progressively worse since his Test retirement IMO.

HB does sometimes have a tendency to do a DK and bring up what happened in the IPL when it's irrelevant and nobody cares but I did actually find that post vaguely interesting.

 

[honestbharani]

HB does sometimes have a tendency to do a DK and bring up what happened in the IPL when it's irrelevant and nobody cares but I did actually find that post vaguely interesting.

You never learn. Even Ponting spoke about Warner playing better coz of his IPL form and confidence yesterday.

But agree with @Spark about the consistency bit. If he can keep it up over 7 or 8 over spells will be a question mark, but I do think he has decent bowling rhythm. Batting is a different story, he hardly batted and did not bat that well even when he did even in the IPL.

 

[ashley bach]

@Molehill is always wrong as usual and @Prince EWS just never learns.

 

[Molehill]

@Molehill is always wrong as usual and @Prince EWS just never learns.

And Joe Root has questions to answer....

 

[Burgey]

I just don't think Moeen was all that good a test bowler even in his pomp, but tbf he really has nothing to lose in this situation so he might surprise me and go decently.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

I just don't think Moeen was all that good a test bowler even in his pomp, but tbf he really has nothing to lose in this situation so he might surprise me and go decently.

Pretty much exactly this, never really thought he is consistent with his areas enough as a Test bowler, an issue that has been worse in the Ashes than against most other opposition

Have more time for Moeen than a vast amount of other English cricketers around in this era, but that doesn't mean this is a wise strategy to go back to him