Unless these two both get hundreds we have no chance. I see us being bowled out for about 250.
We really need a clear out. Stoneman, Vince, Malan, Alli and Woakes just aren't good enough.
I'd be looking at Hammed from Lancashire, I think Keaton Jennings has alot potential. Curran and Crane look to have potenial as well. Also there Jamie Overton, Craig Overtons brother who is rapid.
I'd go into New Zealand test seris with this team of
Cook
Hameed
Jennings
Root
Bairstow
Stokes(hopefully)
Foakes(wk)
Broad
Overton
Crane
Anderson
Dropping Malan is bonkers, been our best batsman out in Aus without a doubt, prob the only bright spot of the entire series. Broad at 8 is about 3 positions too high in the batting line up! and given how he's bowled in this series is lucky that there aren't any obvious replacements, being frank about him, I think he's been stealing a living as England's #2 bowler for a while now, even at home he consistently wastes the new ball and maintains his standing on the back of his reputation of that 1 innings in 15 where he blows someone away - been over 18 months since he took 5fer now and I think I'd rather have Woakes in instead of him, who has been just as **** in Aus to be fair. Sadly, Hameed scored about 5 runs all last summer for Lancs and is far too out of form to come back into the team, I really hope he has a decent season in the CC this year because he showed great promise in India last time out.
Questions also need asking of Cook, tucking in with, what was admittedly an outstanding innings, 244no on the roadiest road ever to have been played on in Aus doesn't for me mask the fact that he has in his other 8 innings on tour failed to go past 50 and he is consistently failing to set the tone at the top of the innings. This is also quite representative of 2017 as a whole where he scored **** all runs against SA and WI other than one massive double hundred, he's almost presenting the opposite problem that Root is, where one is getting consistent 50s without going on and the other 1 massive score in every 5 or 6 tests. I don't think he should be dropped, yet, but if this form, or lack of, continues he'll need to be moved on.
Moeen needs to be dropped, if nothing more than to send a message to him that his place is not guaranteed, and also to give Crane a run in the team, no point reverting to type selection wise, not playing him in NZ and then not playing him at home if he is seen as a long term prospect.
I hesitate to suggest a starting 11 for NZ, simply because I don't think there are 11 people either nailed on for a place or in good enough form to come in and secure one, I think we have players for the following positions, everything else is pot luck, basically pretty much the same position we were in before this tour:
1 Cook
2
3
4 Root
5 Malan
6 Stokes
7 Bairstow
8
9
10 Crane
11 Anderson