Agreed re affray charge. However, if the CPS and Treasury Counsel had got their act together Ben Stokes should have been charged with 2 x ABH charges (imho this would have better reflected the gravamen of the alleged offending). The late application (on day one of the trial) by the prosecution to add 2 x ABH charges as alternatives was rightly rejected by Judge Peter Blair QC. Alex Hales was also lucky not to be on the indictment for ABH too! MoH
It's looking like a fantastic day tomorrow. Probably series deciding day because if we lose tomorrow, it'll be hard to regain the momentum. Why after searching for another Botham for years have we suddenly got half a dozen, but not one batsman?
You would like to think we have enough runs on the board now, however they have Kohli. Should give Rory Burns of Surrey a chance. He has scored runs all season.
but what makes you think he is any different to Jennings, stoneham, Lythe, haseem, vince, etc? If final game is a decider, we need to go back to Ian bell. Possibly Vince too.
He won't be. I think we should stick with jennings for the last test but we need to look at some other players for the winter. After this test we have just 7 more until the Ashes and we have problems at 1, 2 and 3 currently. Vince just doesn't do it either for me, but I don't know what the solution is..
Forget Jennings and Vince. Get Burns in or Gubbins. Pains me to say it by Bairstow should have been dropped with his finger. Somethings obviously not right. Drop Rashid for Bell.
Agree on Bairstow, with a fractured finger he needed a test off, think there's something in what Vaughan said about his bottom lip going over losing the gloves too. I must say that suggestions of Bringing back Bell are for me a ridiculous suggestion, our batting issues come from the lack of openers or a 3 at the moment, the lack of a 3 means everyone from Root - Mo is batting a place too high. Bell's success for England came at no 5 or 6 where we are actually well stocked, his record at 3 is pretty shody. I know Bell has scored a lot of runs this season, but there was a great statistic on Twitter earlier this week about his form, he's scored 4 centuries this season, 3 of which have come against Glamorgan (their best bowler has a career average in the late 30s), the worst team in county cricket, and if you take his runs against them away he's only averaging low 30s this season, which in division 2 is pretty poor. I'd 100% advocate bringing in Burns for Jennings, but that doesn't solve the issue at number 3 where I don't think we have any genuine options at the moment, or Cook's spot which is under more threat than ever before. There are a few options, I think if we win this test today that i'd give Joe Clarke a go at 3 (replacing Rashid and moving everyone down a spot), give Cook his swansong in England then ditch him after this series. I'd also jettison Broad for Woakes too
Agree re Bairstow, though hasn't Buttler's keeping been poor this test? Shows how much Bairstows has improved. If the final test is winner takes all, we need to change at the top of the order. Preferably with right handers, but not young debutants., Vince and Bell are both in form and understand what is needed at test level. Jennings just about done enough in this innings to have one more go, only because Cook is spent. Get Root back to 4, Bairstow 5.. If we get any sort of a start, we have the middle order to cash in. Rashid would be in the squad but only play if a spinners paradise. Difficult choice re Broad, Woakes and Curran. While it is so refreshing seeing him bat, is he a better bowler than those two yet? If it is wrapped up after this test, similar changes but we need to identify two who we stick with upto and for the Ashes. I don't follow the county game sufficiently to know if we have anyone actually able to construct a proper innings. One observation is that India (the No. 1 team in the world) have had similar problems with their batting this series. Has the game gone too bowler friendly now we have reviews?
Is Broad actually that good with the ball? Over the past 2 years he has constantly wasted the new ball bowling 5th stump just back of a length, the amount of deliveries he chucks down which batsmen can easily leave frustrates me more than his pathetic batting. Like Cook, his stats get propped up by one spell/innings a year where he takes loads for nothing, like his 4 fer at Lords which he took in the most ridiculously helpful conditions possible. In this series I think both Curran and Woakes both have better strike rates than he does, but he has more wickets as he's not missed a test and gets a guaranteed 8 overs an innings with the brand new ball, whereas Woakes and Curran are doing it with a ball that is often approaching at least 20 overs old by the time they get a crack. I don't think he needs dropping permanently but he needs a serious kick up the arse, he has been too comfortable for too long and not been anywhere near good enough last few years for me edit - also yes, said the same about Buttler's keeping yesterday too
Let's please write off Vince. Some excellent articles this past week about how he really isn't a test match player by cricket analysts. Pundits love him as he had a great cover drive but he gets out the same way time and time again. Before this season he had 1 division one century as well. He isn't a test player please let's move on from him. Similarly with Bell. If it was a decider maybe bring him in now it's pointless. Let's get Burns in for Jennings to have a look at him and let's find an actual number 3 not someone who has never batted there. Choose someone who bat's 3 for their county and play him there. Root 4, Bairstow 5, Stokes 6, Buttler 7, Ali 8 then any two of Broad/Woakes/Curran with Anderson 11. Tbf any of the seamers will do as in English conditions they are all good bowlers.
Absolutely agree now we are playing a dead rubber. Let Jennings see out the series as Cook has to go and we ain't gonna find two new openers if we are struggling for one. if we do let Cook have his swan song, give Burns a chance at 3. Possibility of Oval wicket spinning with more pace than this test which will suit Rashid more. otherwise agree with that team
If there is a right time to give Burns a chance it is at his home ground where he has scored a shed load of runs. I would like to see the selectors rest Bairstow. He's out of sorts, let him get his head together with a couple of games for Yorkshire (we could really do with him). Rashid has done nothing wrong but he hasn't made a major contribution. The 11 I would like to see is: Cook Burns Ali Root Stokes Buttler Foakes (Wicketkeeper) S. Curran Woakes (if fit, Jamie Overton if not) Broad Anderson
the cook situation highlights the failings of the central contract scheme and the lack of organisational skills at the ecb. in past days, struggling test batsmen would be allowed to regain their form with their county teams. now first class games are so few and far betweem for the counties that this can't happen, on top of which the stupidity, bias, and out-and-out incompetence of whoever gets to decide which england players can play for their counties and when that can happen make it completely hit and miss. the domestic season has no structure, no rhythm, no rhyme or reason, matches appear at random, sometimes with stupidly long gaps between county championship games. i know that in the past players were playing every day somewhere, often necessitating idiotically long evening or overnight journeys to get from taunton to durham for the next game, but at least anyone interested in the game had an idea when games were going to happen, instead of - like this year - being presented with a single solitary county championship match in august, normally the one month in the year with the most reliably stable weather for cricket. the ecb fixture organisers are inept money-obsessed accountants with no understanding or love of cricket and they deserve shooting.
There was no debate in the first place. There’s no county player that could fill his boots right now.
