Just a hunch .....
Agree 100%. Bairstow was unlucky to miss out on Test selection after doing well in the ODI when he came in for Buttler. Root is the best batsman, so needs to move up the order in place of Ballance. Still not convinced by Lyth, and Bell is out of form, but you don't want to make too many changes at once.Ah can i join your neghead club now please Jasper - even my positivity has evaporated after that shambles ! Must say though full credit to the Aussies, that was an outstanding team performance after being well beaten in Cardiff. Im going to day 3 at Edgebaston so i will be expecting a similar response from our guys. Dont want to see wholesale changes but wud move Root up to 3 where he belongs and poss bring Bairstow in for somebody - Buttler is another who hasnt scored many runs.
Ah can i join your neghead club now please Jasper - even my positivity has evaporated after that shambles ! Must say though full credit to the Aussies, that was an outstanding team performance after being well beaten in Cardiff. Im going to day 3 at Edgebaston so i will be expecting a similar response from our guys. Dont want to see wholesale changes but wud move Root up to 3 where he belongs and poss bring Bairstow in for somebody - Buttler is another who hasnt scored many runs.
Although it may well work, I would be completely against Root moving up to three. He's settled at 5, don't ruin that. We've tried him up the order before - and over the next 6 months he went up and down the order before finally being dropped.
But bringing Bairstow in is a no brainer (if he comes in for Bell, four of our top five would be from Yorkshire!). He's the top runscorer in D1 - despite having played practically half as many innings as his nearest challengers - and is averaging just over 100. Five 100s and three 40s from just 11 innings.
I am still struggling to know why they all capitulated. Am willing to accept that the Aussies could win, but how could we not score more than that on a batting wicket. Still, it's the ladies today...I'm sure they will do better. They may even have done better against the Australian men's team.![]()
Gary Ballance has been axed from the England squad and Jonny Bairstow replaces him. Good.
Bell at 3, Root at 4.Sounds like Root will have to move up the order then. So, two wicket keepers in the side, who do we think we are, New Zealand?