*** Official*** South Africa in England 2017

[theegyptian]

England squad - 3 match t20 series v SA

Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) – available for the first two matches of the series
Sam Billings (Kent)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Mason Crane (Hampshire)
Tom Curran (Surrey)
Liam Dawson (Hampshire)
Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)
Chris Jordan (Sussex)
Liam Livingstone (Lancashire)
Dawid Malan (Middlesex)
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, captain)
Craig Overton (Somerset) – available for the last two matches of the series
Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire)
Jason Roy (Surrey)
David Willey (Yorkshire)
Mark Wood (Durham) – available for the first match of the series

I'd suggest Hales, Roy/Bairstow, Buttler, Morgan, Billings, Livingstone, Dawson, Jordan, Plunket, Willey, Wood


Interesting thing is that Rashid is being rested from this and playing the four day game starting the day after this series is over. Suggests they are seriously considering playing Rashid in the SA tests. Woakes getting injured was good for him in that respect. Looking like test side might be

Cook, Hameed, Jennings, Root, Ali, Stokes, Bairstow, Rashid, Anderson, Broad, Ball/Wood/

Can't say I'm too optimistic about Ali at 5. In fact I think it's doomed to failure.

 

[Gnske]

He'll probably end up making two scores at 5 right when England needs them most though.

 

[Bahseph]

He'll probably end up making two scores at 5 right when England needs them most though.

Yeah, England fans, want to trade a Duminy for an Ali? Haha

 

[StephenZA]

He'll probably end up making two scores at 5 right when England needs them most though.

Yeah, England fans, want to trade a Duminy for an Ali? Haha

We can throw in Wayne Parnell as well to sweeten the deal. 2 for one special sort of thing....

 

[Howe_zat]

Can't say I'm too optimistic about Ali at 5. In fact I think it's doomed to failure.

Gary Ballance's triumphant return awaits.

I wonder if Hameed's poor season will see him miss out.

 

[jonas_nisse]

Hameed and Jennings' form is worrying. At least Jennings is scoring 30s rather than single figures. You obviously can't drop someone from tests going just by their FC form but I don't really want England to have a dysfunctional top order again.
Stoneman?

 

[Pothas]

Ali is a strange one, I don't think you would often drop a specialist bat after he scored two hundreds in a series but at the same time I see why he didn't convince. Would give him the SA series as a 5. He batted really well in England last summer, has earned that chance I would say. Northeast a contender if it does not work out.

 

[Pothas]

Still think they will go with Hameed. Still got a couple of matches in which to make a score doesn't he?

 

[honestbharani]

Why not just bat Stokes and Bairstow at 5 and 6 and let Ali be Ali at #7?

 

[Pothas]

Yeah can see the logic to that but in the end it would be a bit of a waste having a second spinner that you don't really need batting at 7, I would rather have a good middle order bat. Like others I am not sure Moeen is ever going to be able to do that but with the runs he scored last year he has probably earned that chance.

 

[MW1304]

Why not just bat Stokes and Bairstow at 5 and 6 and let Ali be Ali at #7?

They seem to have (hopefully) realised his bowling will never cut it, so he's only staying in the team as a batsman. He's earned that over the past year, and deserves a chance in an actual batsman's position. There's no need for the abundance of bowling options we played in India: if it was overkill then, it's especially so in England.

If he's not up to it, which I suspect might be the case since he'll need to average at least 40 to justify a place as a top 5 batsman, hopefully they just replace him with the best batsman for the position.

 

[grecian]

They seem to have (hopefully) realised his bowling will never cut it, so he's only staying in the team as a batsman. He's earned that over the past year, and deserves a chance in an actual batsman's position. There's no need for the abundance of bowling options we played in India: if it was overkill then, it's especially so in England.

If he's not up to it, which I suspect might be the case since he'll need to average at least 40 to justify a place as a top 5 batsman, hopefully they just replace him with the best batsman for the position.

His bowling isn't a total non-option though, in the end he does get top wickets, so you can't discount it completelyl, particularly as our spin-bowling options are so poor.

TBH, if it was easy to get a guy averaging 40 and a spinner who could average less than 40, we'd probably have found him, we've had plenty that don't.

In the end his record is sufficient, because we don't have anyone doing any better, and we've had a fair few picked, Ballance, Lyth, Duckett, Buttler, Carbs, Compton et al with the bat, Rashid, Kerrigan, Batty, Dawson with the ball.

Ideally Crane will come through, but he's so far from ready, he will get slaughtered and it really wouldn't help him. We've wrecked Leach, Rayner is having a terrible season.

 

[Pothas]

Well Rashid. Yeah I know but he probably should get a go at home.

If Moeen was a good defensive bowler then having both in the side could work nicely, but he is not so I don't know why I bothered to make that point.

 

[DriveClub]

I feel Moeen is ideal for non-spinning conditions, a better version of ashley giles with both bat and ball. Useless in subcontinent though as cannot win tests with the ball

 

[grecian]

Well Rashid. Yeah I know but he probably should get a go at home.

If Moeen was a good defensive bowler then having both in the side could work nicely, but he is not so I don't know why I bothered to make that point.

Yeah, well Rashid will get his go, whilst Moeen tries to make it at 5. Yet it's interesting how this is framed really, surely it should be more "Rashid really needs to be a viable soinner to keep his place", rather than "Moeen needs to average 40 to keep his place".

Adil is good at limited overs cricket, yet he bowls as many bad balls as Moeen in Tests, and hasn't really proven that he's much more of a wicket-taker. People getting seduced by the leg-spin as often is the case, they seem identikit in Tests, yet one can score tons.

 

[MW1304]

Yeah, well Rashid will get his go, whilst Moeen tries to make it at 5. Yet it's interesting how this is framed really, surely it should be more "Rashid really needs to be a viable soinner to keep his place", rather than "Moeen needs to average 40 to keep his place".

Adil is good at limited overs cricket, yet he bowls as many bad balls as Moeen in Tests, and hasn't really proven that he's much more of a wicket-taker. People getting seduced by the leg-spin as often is the case, they seem identikit in Tests, yet one can score tons.

Well no, it's both isn't it. If Rashid doesn't do well enough as a spinner, he won't last. Likewise Moeen with the bat; it isn't an either/or situation.

I think it's hard to argue that Rashid isn't much more of a wicket-taking threat after their respective performances in the India series. Neither are ideal but only one has actually had an extended run in the side as the frontline spinner. It's just Rashid's time. If he isn't up to it, and there's a viable candidate to replace him which has been the biggest problem recently, he should go.

 

[grecian]

Well no, it's both isn't it. If Rashid doesn't do well enough as a spinner, he won't last. Likewise Moeen with the bat; it isn't an either/or situation.

I think it's hard to argue that Rashid isn't much more of a wicket-taking threat after their respective performances in the India series. Neither are ideal but only one has actually had an extended run in the side as the frontline spinner. It's just Rashid's time. If he isn't up to it, and there's a viable candidate to replace him which has been the biggest problem recently, he should go.

I think you can argue it rather easily, one better series from Rashid, doesn't prove anything conclusively, can't be arsed to look but I think Moeen was well ahead in matches they both played together beforehand. Sharjah and Bangladesh.

Hey, you are right, both will get to prove it, but in the end if you wanted to use recent performances, and I mean over a year, Moeen is more likely to average over 40 than Rashid to be a wicket-taking threat. Anyway, as DriveClub says we won't be playing on the subcontinent, and Moeen has done a umber of match-winning bowling performances in England, which seem to be almost instantly forgotten when he bowls a long-hop in the next match.

 

[91Jmay]

Delray Rawlins | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Looks like Sussex have put a junior side out vs SA A. Delray Rawlins a potential superstar though.

 

[Gnske]

Looks like Mulder was doing his best Pakistan bowler at Lords impression, the front foot is a wild thing.

 

[SeamUp]

Super star in the making - 3 wickets for SA A yesterday.