England - Some players have got to go!!!

[Oldhasbeen]

In both test and county cricket, I'm usually for giving players one game too many rather than one game too few. Don't want to go back to the bad old days of the 80s when the England selectors never picked the same team for 2 games running and regularly dumped players after only one test, never to be seen again

BUT .... we've taken it too far now and are getting slaughtered by the Saffers. This will be nine defeats in a year - mostly due to inept batting. I agree with Michael Vaughan, we need five specialist batters, even if that leaves Mo down at 8. And we need to get a better ix at 1-3, starting the innings with three rather stodgy left-handers is plain daft!

At the risk of sounding like we're pressing the panic button, I think it's time for 3 or 4 changes to the tam:
- Jennings just isn't good enough - yet. The Saffers have got him worked out, he needs some time back in the county game.
- Ballance has proved yet again that he's not got it against quality attacks. He's had too many chances already
- I'm a great fan of Mark Wood, but is he 100% fit and can we risk him for 3 tests in a row?
- I don't agree with the abuse hurled at Dawson, he's got promise with both bat & ball (and is already a fine fielder). Again, he needs to go back to the county game for a whil(There was a terrific analysis of his bowling on Sky yesterday, comparing him with Monty at his best - I hope LD saw it.

Replacements:
- Chris Woakes, if fit, is the obvious sub for Wood, and would improve the low-order batting too
- Stuart Robson - RH opening bat, in good form, didn't do badly before, oddly overlooked since
- Tom Westley at three! Play some strokes,Tom!
 - Extra batsman (number 5 or 6) to replace Dawson - please, not Ballance!! Not convinced about Dalan (slashes outside off stump too much). Haven't seem Liam livingston. One interesting possibility is having Mark Stoneman down the order, to provide some steel and grit amongst the thumpers

Any thoughts, anyone?

[nat]

Thoughts? Your spelling needs attention.

I'd persevere with Dawson. The selectors like his competitiveness as do I. He obviously needs to improve his stats but I think he will.

Jennings, Balance and Wood need to go ... for now. Wood needs to get fully fit if he can. If he can get fit then he will go well in Oz.

Replacements? Not Westley, he is not good enough. Philander will have him on toast. Ordinarily I'd go for Wayne Madsen but his is a saffer in English clothes so that rules him out. Dawad Malan is also a good player also with some saffer-roots. Gubbins could be a solution but is suffering from 2nd season syndrome.

Rory Burns is worth a look except perhaps he is another stodgy left hander.

Roland-Jones is probably next in line for the bowlers and he bats a bit. I also like Sanderson of Northants, a late developer.

The sad thing is that county cricket is full of saffers so the choice is more limited than it was.

[Oldhasbeen]

I read that Fatty Patel is rather p*ss*d off that Dawson is in the England team before him.

Patel for Dawson would improve the batting but his bowling doesn't cut it at test match level and won't get any better.  As for the fielding, Patel should watch Dawson's catch on Day 1 and weep

Also, I see there;s a "who should bat 3 for England next test" poll on the bbc at the moment.  Haseeb Hameed leads with 30%, Mark Stoneman 2nd on 23.

Gary Ballance has 12%. He must have a big family.

[nat]

Agree Patel is overall no better than Dawson.

Stoneman is not good enough but suspect he will get the next opening gig.

Balance *does* have a big family. They're called Yorkshire.

[Oldhasbeen]

Balance *does* have a big family. They're called Yorkshire.

 

[Andy]

Well, the county system is full of Saffers/foreign born players who've come over here with UK Passports (i.e. mostly not come into the game as youngsters) and posh kids too think to get a proper job.  Bit like the situation with tennis over the past 30   40 years (certain players excepted) and football is going the same way.  Exchange the letters LTA for ECB.

ECCC could be said to have gone the same way with Dixon and Quinn. One or other might be OK, but both?

[nat]

Well that was pathetic. I would happily drop at least 6 of that team.

[Oldhasbeen]

133 all out.

The most abject batting display by an England team since......?

I struggle to think of a worse one since the West Indies pacemen were murdering us in the 1980s.


 

[nat]

...

ECCC could be said to have gone the same way with Dixon and Quinn. One or other might be OK, but both?

Agree. Perhaps perversely the counties seem to be acting to the detriment of the England team by recruiting all these foreign players. Quinn and Dixon are no better than many young English bowlers (I'll mention Sam Cook again) who are not getting a chance to establish themselves in CC.

They should enforce the maximum of of 2 non-England qualified players in each team.

[Slogger]

The trouble is that people like Quinn and Dixon with UK passports are England qualified - but highly unlikely to ever play for England. Effectively Beard is being blocked off in our set up - and he potentially could play for England if he develops?

[Andy]

...

ECCC could be said to have gone the same way with Dixon and Quinn. One or other might be OK, but both?

Agree. Perhaps perversely the counties seem to be acting to the detriment of the England team by recruiting all these foreign players. Quinn and Dixon are no better than many young English bowlers (I'll mention Sam Cook again) who are not getting a chance to establish themselves in CC.

They should enforce the maximum of of 2 non-England qualified players in each team.

I agree, but I think the key point is the lack of encouragement/opportunities for home-grown players beyond the usual public schools. Ironically, although I'm not too happy about recruiting BOTH Dixon and Quinn at least we can point to a number of locally produced players. Durham have been better than us, particularly with seam bowlers, but there are other counties who could learn from our academy system.

I guess with teaching becoming a mechanical transactional 'profession' and the hiding of the game behind a paywall, what do you expect. Forward thinking?

[Postman]

Since the Graves/Strauss junta took over the ECB the Test side has gone steadily backwards and for all their emphasis on white ball cricket we have yet again failed to win an international tournament in favourable home conditions.They are systematically undermining the Championship which is the foundation for the Test side, and their aim is surely to extend the franchise T20 model to all domestic cricket. Enjoy county cricket while you can, because with these two at the helm it won't be around much longer.

[Slogger]

I'm not too sure about this business of playing domestic cricket in blocks either. TMS were commenting on the issue that as there is no red ball cricket being played at the moment you can't pick a form player to come into the test team.

[IlfordEagle]

At least Cook showed some resistance (as always) & once again top scored & batted appreciably longer than anybody else. Quite often I've noticed not just in Test cricket but also in CC matches that sides are totally unable to bat out/defend where necessary preferring to go instead for huge aimless heaves, poor strokes which show a lack of technique which is a byproduct of too much 1 day cricket BTW I am a huge fan of both 1 day formats but Test cricket has suffered in England.
Jennings should be persevered with, Hameed needs another season at least in CC, Ballance unfortunately has had enough chances & has come up short - poor technique etc, much as I enjoy watching Tom Westley bat, a very attractive stroke player who has tightened up his defensive play & added consistency to his natural talent he is not quite good enough for England, bowlers like Philander & Morkel will soon find him out.The obvious choice is Mark Stoneman who has a few years of experience in CC1 with a lot of runs & can bat anywhere in the top 5. It is a pity Jonathan Trott cannot play Test cricket these days as he would be ideal at 3 even now. As for the argument for either Buttler or Billings as W/K No way!! Bairstow is far better & much more consistent than both - they are purely & simply good 1 day players not Test players, bowling wise Woakes should return when match fot, Wood needs a few more 4 day games for Durham & then recall him by all means, not sure about Dawson but no obvious replacement. Worrying times indeed.

[honkytonk]

I still quite like Duckett.  Looking at Englands run of games, SA, WI Home and then Aus away.  Those attacks (Pacey/Quick bowlers) would suit him.  Jennings and Hameed both have test futures but the problem is neither are really in great form (Jennings had a good one day season but not FC so far).  I would stick with Dawson.  I still think Ali should be under a bit of pressure.  Seems to give his wicket away too easy.  Stokes also needs to up his game as at the moment I think he may believe his own hype and he is a bit "undroppable".  Not disaster stations by any means but I think we need to take a long hard look at the squad and the make up of the team.  A few players need to show they are worth their spot.