**Official** Pakistan and England in the UAE 2015/16

[theegyptian]

Agree, he was 3rd batsmen in team for me as well after the two obvious guns. Every team I suggested had him in somewhere, it is ****ing basic selection for them. He even got big runs in warm up games ffs.

I am far more hopeful that Taylor will be a success long term, I see him as a bloke who can average in the 40s @ 5 or 6 for a good few years. Bairstow at 7 as well is really good position for him.

In South Africa:

Cook, Hales, Bell, Root, Taylor, Stokes, Bairstow, Rashid, Wood, Broad, Anderson has a nice balance to it if Stokes is fit.

Yes I have real doubts about him against seam. Always have.

Honestly I'd have been happier if England hadn't selected Taylor for this test. Least it would have been a consistent selection - and it would have looked like a long term plan. Now they just look completely useless and are stumbling from one game to the other.

 

[Burner]

Why does Bairstow always look like he does not want to be there? He always has the the expression of "what the **** am I doing with my life" on his face

 

[91Jmay]

Yes I have real doubts about him against seam. Always have.

Honestly I'd have been happier if England hadn't selected Taylor for this test. Least it would have been a consistent selection - and it would have looked like a long term plan. Now they just look completely useless and are stumbling from one game to the other.

What long term plan would that have been, losing series by keeping players not up to it in the side?

 

[harsh.ag]

Zulfi probably the biggest let down for Pakistan in the series wrt wickets. Bowled decently though in the first few overs that I saw today.

James Taylor, making of the next England good.

 

[smash84]

yea xulfi has been not so special and also england have played him well.

He never was that special, although am surprised he averages 40+

 

[theegyptian]

What long term plan would that have been, losing series by keeping players not up to it in the side?

Well if they thought that the team at the start of the series was the best they had and sticked with it or they wanted to build the team long term around those players I could at least accept that reasoning.

Now it just looks like Bayliss, Cook and Fairbace have no idea what they are doing in regards to the strengths of their players and consistency of selection - and that doesn't bode well for the future.

 

[91Jmay]

Nah that is bollocks, I'm sorry. Patel was coming in for this test moment he was in squad (Ansari would have otherwise) and Buttler was given a fair run and has been rightly dropped. Consistency of selection doesn't mean repeating the same mistakes over and over.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

He is also 3rd top scorer in match and still not out. He should have looked to rotate more but OTT criticism with people acting like he is losing us the match.

Scoring slowly then throwing your wicket away with a stumping is a different way to do it.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Where the **** has James Taylor been?

How did Jonny B keep?

The biggest compliment to Bairstow behind the stumps is you didn't notice him. Always good when you don't notice the keeper as they haven't made any errors. He has to get the gloves for the SA tour now and we look again next summer depending how he does with bat and gloves.

 

[theegyptian]

Nah that is bollocks, I'm sorry. Patel was coming in for this test moment he was in squad (Ansari would have otherwise) and Buttler was given a fair run and has been rightly dropped. Consistency of selection doesn't mean repeating the same mistakes over and over.

The fact that they've made decisions based on the conditions (Ali to open, Rashid and Patel in) and not selected Taylor suggests they didn't think he was good enough at the start of the series - which is fairly staggering given how good he was today.
Or it suggests that the selections were inconsistent - some were made on conditions and some were not.

Either way they've ****ed up big.

At least if Taylor hadn't played this test I could say they've backed Buttler because they think he's quality and they don't think Taylor is good enough. Even though I thought Taylor should have been playing from the start of the series, I could have at least accepted that decision going forward - given that they are in position of more data on the situation than you and I.

Now, and compounded by all the other mistakes the selectors have made on the tour, it's hard to think that there is any kind of coherant policy in terms of selection.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

The biggest errors they have made in the last 12 months are not playing Rashid in WI and not playing Taylor here until we had to win to save the series. I am not too worried about the horses for courses choice of Moeen to open here to get the extra spinner in as long as they pick a proper opener for SA and don't mess about by asking Bell or Taylor to do it.

I think we all expect Moeen to keep his place ahead of Rashid for the 1st SA test and Moeen to be back down the order below Bairstow probably. Presuming Stokes is out it will be interesting to see what they do, do they bring in Woakes as a like for like replacement or go with Jordan or Plunkett?

 

[91Jmay]

Why can't they have given Buttler a chance to prove himself, and now correctly realised he isn't going to score runs so replaced him? Does consistency of selection mean you pick same team till someone retires or gets injured? They have made mistakes in selection but every Non Asian team goes horses for courses in Asia. We have to play two spinners, and no other feasible way to get two in and pick Hales. Moeen opening was worth a punt.

 

[LegionOfBrad]

Agree, he was 3rd batsmen in team for me as well after the two obvious guns. Every team I suggested had him in somewhere, it is ****ing basic selection for them. He even got big runs in warm up games ffs.

I am far more hopeful that Taylor will be a success long term, I see him as a bloke who can average in the 40s @ 5 or 6 for a good few years. Bairstow at 7 as well is really good position for him.

In South Africa:

Cook, Hales, Bell, Root, Taylor, Stokes, Bairstow, Rashid, Wood, Broad, Anderson has a nice balance to it if Stokes is fit.

Assuming Stokes is fit that will be the team expect Moeen for Rashid, and possibly Finn for Wood depending who is fit and the pitch.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Taylor wag. Sounds like an excellent day for England.

 

[pietersenrocks]

The only real issue England has is of the opening position cuz we don't have any option who's solid like Compton. So might have to just experiment with Hales in SA.

Though Ballance looks a better Test player but I have no idea of his form.

 

[JRC67]

Agree, he was 3rd batsmen in team for me as well after the two obvious guns. Every team I suggested had him in somewhere, it is ****ing basic selection for them. He even got big runs in warm up games ffs.

I am far more hopeful that Taylor will be a success long term, I see him as a bloke who can average in the 40s @ 5 or 6 for a good few years. Bairstow at 7 as well is really good position for him.

In South Africa:

Cook, Hales, Bell, Root, Taylor, Stokes, Bairstow, Rashid, Wood, Broad, Anderson has a nice balance to it if Stokes is fit.

Fingers crossed for Stokes. The real question mark over Taylor remains quick bowling rather than county trundler seamers. I guess that question will be getting answered in the next couple of months. I do have sympathy with the selectors in the sense I remember the bad old days of the revolving door and not giving players time to either succeed or fail. To a degree Bell and Bairstow have improved as the series has progressed, so the two previous games have probably resulted in the right player getting the bullet in Buttler.

The spinner slot look more interesting after the first innings. Patel bowled the most overs, so has he become the preferred spinner? I think Ali is the best bat of the 3, although he was always going to be an abysmal opener. Patel is probably more of a decent number 8, rather than a real all rounder with the bat. I think county form and the little test cricket so far shows Rashid to be very inconsistent with the bat, but probably somewhere in the middle of the other 3. Patel is probably the steadiest of the spinners, so the most likely to tie up an end. Rashid is the one who could rip through the tail, given a spinning wicket in the fourth innings, but I think will always struggle to bowl economical spells in a first innings. Ali for me is still a work in progress ... but despite everything has more wickets and a lower average in this series so far than Rashid (8 at 46 vs 7 at 66). I don't see it as an easy call for South Africa, but I think they'll stick with Ali on the basis he was prepared to open when required, spin is unlikely to play a big part in the series and hopefully they take a spin bowling coach (Bracewell?) to try and further his development. There might be a case for not playing a spinner at all in South Africa if Stokes isn't fit, with 4 seamers and 10 overs a day from Root ... although that could be a risky ploy with his back problems. As I don't see Rashid or Patel as anywhere near a number 6 bat that may also be Ali's way to stay in the side if Stokes is out. I guess a fit Ansari might still up as a left field option as he is a potential top order batsman and his bowling did improve significantly last season.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Stokes had to wait over 24 hours for a scan and now another 24 hours for results. Obviously it doesn't pay to need medical attention in the UAE.

 

[weldone]

James Taylor:England::Pujara:India

lol no

 

[Daemon]

That's rough. Could've flown back to England to get one done in that time..

 

[weldone]

Bairstow really struggled against Yasir at the start of his inning.

Taylor on the other hand has been good against quality spin. He must bat at no. 3/4 (or even 5) in the ODI series now.