If you need a 3rd out and out seamer,you have to drop Bressy and bring in Tremmers or Onions. Anderson and Broad would always get in my team,and to be honest the top 7 should get enough runs so as we will not miss Bressy's batting. If you want 4 seamers and Swan,Bairstowe would be the one to go. Personally I would stick with same 11
I reckon they'll leave as is. However if they are going to rest Anderson at any point this is probably the time they'll do it as Onions is a similar sort of bowler and it is his home ground. I think Broad has bowled much better than his stats suggest and just not got the nicks so far. I can see him getting a barrel load in one of the remaining matches as he seldom goes a series without destroying a side at least once. His batting is also looking very decent - if only he'd worked at it a bit more when he was younger I think he could have made a very decent no.6 and open up a slot for another bowler.
Thinking about it I do agree with you regarding Broad. He has bowled well this series without the luck. I do like the idea of Tremlett coming in, big bounce complimented with a good grunt. I do like aggressive bowling.......when I'm not facing!
Anyone seen the BBC headline "Panesar urinated on bouncers"? I was wondering how on earth that helped clean up the ball, or whether he'd soiled himself whilst batting, until I found out they meant the nightclub variety.
Broad was primarily an opening batsman in his youth and didn't start bowling properly until he was in his late teens
What a great victory last night. England really know "how to win" At tea we looked out of it,but superb bowling,first by Bressy to get rid of Warner and then Broad to knock over the rest. Broads dismissal of Clarke was as good a delivery as you will see. Absolutely top class. Congratulations to the Aussie team, who took defeat in the proper way. No slagging off of DRS,Umpires,etc etc. Warne also calling it as it is. A truly memorable series to date, Roll on The Oval.
Hear, hear Yarco. Clarke has come out of this series with a huge amount of credit for the class he has shown in defeat. I think that 3-0 flatters us somewhat but the better team is winning. Now that Broad has had his traditional match win it is time for Cook and Trott to perform. One gratifying thing about the England performance has been the way that in the three tests won three bowlers Anderson/Swann and now Broad have stood up and done the damage. No reliance on a single member of the attack. We could do with some runs from the top order but Bell/Root and KP have all got centuries to mask the failings of Cook and Trott.
I read somewhere that it's the first time since 1934 that we have had two bowlers take a 10fer in an Ashes series. I'd be tempted to give Jimmy a rest in the final test and pick Finn for his extra bounce at the Oval, though I wouldn't be surprised nor disappointed to see the same XI
Jimmy didn't look at his best I agree. A rest at Oval,and play Tremmers would be my call,but as you say wouldn't mind seeing same 11.
Can't see Anderson being rested or anything other than the same XI starting at the Oval. Wouldn't mind seeing Tremlett in for him but can't see our senior bowler wanting to miss out on the celebrations and can't see management risking morale by changing a winning team. Plenty of time for him to rest in the one-dayers.
I have met numerous Aussies in bars here in the last few days and strangely none of them follow cricket. Yeah that would be right. If it was 3-0 to them every last one would be crowing to us poms.
It's amazing where they all disappear to ?? With the Ashes,Lions Tour,Tour de France,Mo Farrah, Justin Rose,Christine Ohuruogu etc we really are having a fantastic Summer of Sport. No doubt the Footballers will bring us back to earth tomorrow against the Jocks
As its the Oval tomorrow I thought I would "bump" this thread. Would be really good to stuff Aussie 4-0 and shut Warne up regarding his comments on Cook's captaincy.
In all fairness Cook is not yet a particularly good captain. He is in the fortunate position of leading a strong and very experienced England side against a relatively weak and inexperienced set of Aussies. I am sure that like all aspects of his game he will work at it and without a doubt improve over time as he gains experience but as things stand I would argue that Clarke is a better captain - I think he is getting a lot out of a pretty porr team whereas Cook is getting enough out of the England side to beat them but it has been a closer run thing than 3-0 would suggest. I am sure that all the talk of Cook's leadership will dissapate as soon as he hits a big score and we roll them over again over the Winter.
Pretty even so far I reckon, even given Watson's superb knock we have taken three good wickets and the Aussies have a pretty long tail. Could just do with one more wicket and then we could see normal Aussie batting service being resumed. Given its the Oval and they won the toss and batted if we can keep them to 350 - 375 we will have done pretty well and then we will see how our weakened batting line-up fares against their strengthened attack. Surely Cook and Trott must be due a score - if we can get close to or at least parity in the first innings then we should be OK as if the pitch deteriorates we have three spin options assuming Cook decides to let Kerrigan bowl again!
Our changes have been strange. Why not Tremlett for Bresnan? I think Bairstow being dropped was fair but what about Compton? He has been short changed in this series. I would have him opening with Root at 5 or 6. Root is not an opener - yet!
I know hindsight is 20/20 but have to agree with Thurnby. I can see the logic of wanting a second spinner but not being restricted to two seamers for the first innings on a pretty flat Oval pitch so logically Bairstow (who has not had a great series) is replaced by Woakes (no mug with the bat) which slightly weakens the batting but allows another bowler to be brought in. Unfortunaltely neither Woakes nor Kerrigan look capable of buying a wicket and so the more obvious choice of replacing like with like with Tremlett is starting to look like it would have been the better option. That said if Kerrigan and Swann skittle the Aussies out over the Bank holiday weekend it'll look like a master stroke.
