Ottawa Green
Site Admin
Staff member
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Cream First
✅ Evergreen
✨Pasoti Donor✨
-
This site is sponsored by Lang & Potter.
England v Ireland Test Match
- Thread starter Ottawa Green
- Start date
Hmm re Root, not so sure about that.
Nine centuries and ten half centuries in his last 40 test innings.
For me, if would have to be Crawley who is left out.
Will be most interesting to see where Brook is after 40 innings. I hope he gets to play in all or most Ashes games, as then we will know that he is either the real deal or still just a brilliant prospect. I see Brook as capable of getting even better but I don't think Crawley has talent to do so.
I guess the most likely will be Mo, personally I've never really rated him but I'm not a selector and the stats are probably against me. The issue is when did he or Rash last play a red ball game, same for Livingston. Ahmed is getting whacked around in div 2, Bess seems to have dropped off the radar a bit, Jacks plays for Surrey so will probably be him.
The spin bowling does look somewhat bare. Modem and Rashid have stated that they don’t want to play test cricket.
Rehab Ahmed is too raw as is Jacks. Bess isn’t taking wickets but there is a case for Livingstone. He spins the ball both ways and can be destructive batting.
Left field Tom Smith at Gloucester is useful but unproven.
Understand the issue with Stokes and his fitness, but, too often England have made the mistake of playing an unbalanced bowling attack and paid the price.
The Aussies play India in the World Test Championship final this week, be interesting how they get on there, its a slightly tougher 'warm up' game than we had!
Livingstone would certainly be able to bat in a Bazball way. He'd also shorten the tail and would prevent someone like Broad coming in at number 8.
However, he's definitely not as good a spinner as some of the other names mentioned.
If Stokes was unfit then maybe Livingstone could come in and bat at 7, then it'd allow for another seamer who doesn't need to be an all rounder.
However, he's definitely not as good a spinner as some of the other names mentioned.
If Stokes was unfit then maybe Livingstone could come in and bat at 7, then it'd allow for another seamer who doesn't need to be an all rounder.
Comeback for Moeen?
www.skysports.com
Moeen Ali considering return to Test cricket after approach to replace injured Jack Leach for Ashes series
Moeen Ali considering an approach to return to Test cricket to replace injured Jack Leach in England squad for Ashes series; Moeen retired from Test cricket in September 2021 and has not played first-class cricket since; England selection panel considering all options ahead of first Test
Shows how threadbare the spin bowling options are.Comeback for Moeen?
Moeen Ali considering return to Test cricket after approach to replace injured Jack Leach for Ashes series
Moeen Ali considering an approach to return to Test cricket to replace injured Jack Leach in England squad for Ashes series; Moeen retired from Test cricket in September 2021 and has not played first-class cricket since; England selection panel considering all options ahead of first Test
Consequences of too much emphasis on limited over - esp T20 - cricket. Those spinners (mainly wrist) have specialised to contain batsmen rather than take wickets, so we're beginning to get to the bottom of the barrel of spinners with experience of the longer (proper) format of the game.
Less of an issue for some test-playing nations with their wickets, but in seamer-heaven like England where the 4-day game is being pushed to one side in favour of more "get the fans in" quicker one-day formats, spinning is a dying art.
Moeen returns. Interesting to see how he fares after not playing much cricket recently. Does offer a balance to the bowling attack.
The Ashes: Moeen Ali added to England squad after Jack Leach injury - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/65831002
The Ashes: Moeen Ali added to England squad after Jack Leach injury - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/65831002
