Test cricket is definitely favouring the home sides by and large. Do India ever win in SA, do SA ever win in India? Not sure how things pan out between Oz and SA, but as we have seen in recent Ashes series the winners have been the home side.
For the second test, is there any room for Moeen Ali? Surely, he is a better batsmen and he can also get wickets. Replace Stokes for Moeen. And it would give England a second spinner!!
If they deem Woakes to be fit enough, I could see Moeen and Woakes in for Stokes and Rashid. I'm not sure they'd trust bringing Moeen back into the side, as a top 7 batter, without first bringing someone like Woakes in to strengthen below.
Beefy, Freddie, Stokes. Big occasion players. I can remember watching him as a very young cricketer for Durham, and you could clearly see he was special. We're going to miss him at Lords (and maybe longer afterwards.)
Of the three the only one I like is Freddie!!! Stokes, while undoubtledly a brilliant cricketer, needs to …. mature, and get this court case resolved!!!! As for Botham, I was never his biggest fan. I preferred the likes of Phil Edmonds, Roland Butcher, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Joel Garner, Mushtaq Ahmed, Brian Lara, Imran Khan.
Think I read that this will now only be fourth test ever in England to be won by either less than 50 runs, or less than three wickets. Obviously this venue in 2005 was one of the other three.
Ah, he’s a plum. I would prefer to see some one different to Woakes (if he’s available). I expect it will be someone like a Plunkett.