England players and selection discussion thread

[mackembhoy]

Seeing some more pieces about who to pick at 3 if Bethell can’t play in the first Test, which begs the question do the media know more than us at this stage?

The i have gone for Stokes to replace him at 3, which I think would have been sensible a couple of years ago, but his form with the bat has fallen off a cliff (it would be a bit like when we put Mo up there in the Ashes!). Ultimately Rew is a number 4, so he wouldn’t be in his preferred position, but it’s not as if it would be a totally alien position for him, he’s batted in the top 3 before

I'd bat Stokes at 7 never mind 3, especially as his bowling has had a renaissance and looking a stronger attribute over his batting.

With a pretty inexperienced attack(hopefully they pick Robinson) his bowling I imagine is going to be called upon a lot this summer.

I know Stokes approach is always to run through a brick wall but he can't do it all with his fitness issues in recent years.

I'd back Rew to go well at 3 if they do put him there. But at the same time we've been shoehorning in new players into positions they've not been suited to for a good 7 years now.

You've seen for a long time teams picking debutants down the order and promoting them once games under their belts.

I'd not be against Rew batting 6 if Bethell doesn't make it in time for the first test.

 

[Molehill]

I'd bat Stokes at 7 never mind 3, especially as his bowling has had a renaissance and looking a stronger attribute over his batting.

With a pretty inexperienced attack(hopefully they pick Robinson) his bowling I imagine is going to be called upon a lot this summer.

I know Stokes approach is always to run through a brick wall but he can't do it all with his fitness issues in recent years.

I'd back Rew to go well at 3 if they do put him there. But at the same time we've been shoehorning in new players into positions they've not been suited to for a good 7 years now.

You've seen for a long time teams picking debutants down the order and promoting them once games under their belts.

I'd not be against Rew batting 6 if Bethell doesn't make it in time for the first test.

But I don't think Rew batting 3 is shoehorning him in (opening would be). He's got a lot of runs this season when coming at not much for 2, and that's when he's been keeping as well. I'd have no issues with him batting there, and I doubt he would either.

Bethell is such an odd one. We have no idea when he's likely to score runs, but his short career so far tells you he will at some point, and look darn good in the process too.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Talk of Jordan Cox being called up if Bethell can’t play, which would be bizarre since he hasn’t played a red ball game this season (and hasn’t played at all since February…)

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

After all that, Bethell is expected to be fit for next week…

 

[Hungry Llama]

In case bethel or someone else breaks a finger in the match, what are the rules on subs in tests, is it still only for concussion?

Seems our new ball attack will be Robbo & tongue.

 

[Third_Man]

In case bethel or someone else breaks a finger in the match, what are the rules on subs in tests, is it still only for concussion?

Seems our new ball attack will be Robbo & tongue.

The championship mess was only a trial. So only concussion in tests. There was talk of an amended trial for the rest of the championship season, but have seen nothing.

 

[Molehill]

Lions v SA A again today, Lions batting. Good old Crapinfo has added a fella by the name of Jack Blackham to the starting line up. According to their own profile page, he's an Aussie who died in 1932 aged 78 (played 35 Tests).

 

[Chin Music]

Lions v SA A again today, Lions batting. Good old Crapinfo has added a fella by the name of Jack Blackham to the starting line up. According to their own profile page, he's an Aussie who died in 1932 aged 78 (played 35 Tests).

England Lions v South Africa A - Cricket - BBC Sport Here's the team on the BBC website. It appears there are 12 players in the Lions team on the crapinfo site, including Jack Blackham. Cue jokes about whatever England player he would still score more runs then..........

 

[Molehill]

Quite a difference in experience between the two sides. SA have 6 who have played Tests and 3 more who have played Limited Overs Internationals. I had to look up who Naavya Sharma was in the Lions team....

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Quite a difference in experience between the two sides. SA have 6 who have played Tests and 3 more who have played Limited Overs Internationals. I had to look up who Naavya Sharma was in the Lions team....

At least England have a Test cricketer in their ranks, in the form of Rehan Ahmed, who I presume will take the spinner’s spot in the Test team ahead of Bashir now

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Nice to see Tiaan Van Vuuren get a go , handy prospect.

 

[Chin Music]

Nice to see Tiaan Van Vuuren get a go , handy prospect.

Well 3-8 a few moments ago with England at 42-5.

 

[Molehill]

Really not sure what they're doing with Lions Selection, but this just keeps happening. Whilst the opposition pick bona fide A Teams, England mix a bunch of kids and random selections. Only 3 here could be remotely on the England radar. Meanwhile, you've got someone like Tom Haines not playing any Blast Cricket with his feet up, whilst Mousley would probably prefer to be with the Bears.

 

[Chin Music]

Really not sure what they're doing with Lions Selection, but this just keeps happening. Whilst the opposition pick bona fide A Teams, England mix a bunch of kids and random selections. Only 3 here could be remotely on the England radar. Meanwhile, you've got someone like Tom Haines not playing any Blast Cricket with his feet up, whilst Mousley would probably prefer to be with the Bears.

That's just bizarre. Mousley might be an outside bet for a white ball gig because of his quick offies alongside his batting but no way should he be in this side.

PS Obviously Rehan is going to play tests again at some point, but you would have said Tribe is probably a nearish future debutant with McKinney an outsider and Patterson-White probably at that status as a reasonable spinner who can bat although how close he might be is anyone's guess.

 

[Molehill]

That's just bizarre. Mousley might be an outside bet for a white ball gig because of his quick offies alongside his batting but no way should he be in this side.

PS Obviously Rehan is going to play tests again at some point, but you would have said Tribe is probably a nearish future debutant with McKinney an outsider and Patterson-White probably at that status as a reasonable spinner who can bat although how close he might be is anyone's guess.

Yeah, Rehan, McKinney and Tribe were the 3 I had on the radar. Patterson-White is a solid FC pro, but is he ever going to be Test class? Bashir would've been an obvious pick for this game.

 

[Chin Music]

Yeah, Rehan, McKinney and Tribe were the 3 I had on the radar. Patterson-White is a solid FC pro, but is he ever going to be Test class? Bashir would've been an obvious pick for this game.

A fair shout with all. I am not sold on any of the more conventional finger spinners that we have in the possible mix. Just that Patterson-White has had a reasonable year or so and he has batting on his side. You are quite right that it is very strange that Bashir doesn't get a game either given that he is in the test squad and doesn't get matches for Derbs in t20 due to his lack of fielding/batting.

 

[Hungry Llama]

Probably the game was too close to the test match at Lords to risk playing Bashir. Anyway the Lions batting has let them down again against those fearsome safy seamers. Mousley at 3 seems a tad ambitious, when there are other CC batters around. Surely more useful to give Sam Cook a go in this game than the seamers theyve chosen. Not convinced that Jack has done enough to warrant any england interest but i've never seen Sharma bowl to decide.

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Probably the game was too close to the test match at Lords to risk playing Bashir. Anyway the Lions batting has let them down again against those fearsome safy seamers. Mousley at 3 seems a tad ambitious, when there are other CC batters around. Surely more useful to give Sam Cook a go in this game than the seamers theyve chosen. Not convinced that Jack has done enough to warrant any england interest but i've never seen Sharma bowl to decide.

Sam Cook fractured his wrist, can’t remember whether this was before or after this squad was announced, but apparently he was really close to getting back into the Test team

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

Really not sure what they're doing with Lions Selection, but this just keeps happening. Whilst the opposition pick bona fide A Teams, England mix a bunch of kids and random selections. Only 3 here could be remotely on the England radar. Meanwhile, you've got someone like Tom Haines not playing any Blast Cricket with his feet up, whilst Mousley would probably prefer to be with the Bears.

I think Crocombe, who has been in England Lions squads in the past and who has had a good start to the season, might be one of the next cabs off the rank, but apart from him, the seamers are all very inexperienced

 

[LangleyburyCCPlayer]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/brendon-mccullum-signals-ben-stokes-jamie-smith-swap-england-batting-order-1538846

Sounds like Smith and Stokes swapping places is likely, Smith is definitely a better batter these days, although I don’t think this will make a huge amount of difference, I don’t think the difference between 6 and 7 is as big as the difference between batting in the top order or batting in the middle order. Maybe Cricinfo know more than I do, but the way that I read this is that Ehantharajah thinks Ahmed being picked for the Lions game makes him less likely to play the first Test, if anything I interpret it differently, Ahmed hasn’t played since round 2 of the County Championship so I think it’s important to get him match fit with the Test on the horizon