Final Ashes Test

[Oldhasbeen]

By some minor miracle, the forecast is for 5 days' OK to good weather.

Sound like we're going for best possible bowling attack,which makes sense as we should be all out for a win. Curran will provide welcome variety and, at the moment, Woakes is both a better batsman & bowler than Craig Overton (A Somerset fan, incidentally, tells me that his lot are bewildered as to how Craig O gets picked for England ahead of Lewis Gregory.). Hopefully Stokes can bowl a few overs too, even if only in the second innings. Batting, however, looks well ropey.

IMHO we should give Buttler the gloves, bat Bairstow at 5 (and tell him to stop whinging and score some runs!), Woakes at 6, Buttler 7. Woakes is more likely to play a long  batsman's innings than Buttler, who is better suited to giving it some late-innings humpy.  Interesting to compare their records:

Woakes: 30 tests, 1 century, average 29
Buttler : 35 Tests (around half as a specialist batsman) , 1 century, average 33

[LeedsExile]

I think they have said Stokes will not bowl, hence the cover in Curran and Woakes. Gregory probably would have played ahead of Overton. He was selected in the squad for the Ireland test but then got injured and has only just returned to fitness.

[JasonP]

I think they have said Stokes will not bowl, hence the cover in Curran and Woakes. Gregory probably would have played ahead of Overton. He was selected in the squad for the Ireland test but then got injured and has only just returned to fitness.

Overton played at Old Trafford because they thought his height would be useful on a bouncy pitch there.  Gregory is a more similar type of cricketer to Curran and I'm not sure they'd have picked him before him.  Curran played ahead of him against Ireland.  I think for Old Trafford, Overton played because the likes of Wood and Stone were injured.  I'd not be surprised at all if Overton didn't play for England again.   

[Bath Hammer]

We have at least managed to gain a first innings lead which is welcome. Amazingly Smith actually missed a ball to lose his wicket, probably the first mistake he has made in the entire series. We survived tonight but we can’t count on not collapsing tomorrow however.

[Bath Hammer]

Great, we didn’t collapse. Now it’s the task of not letting Warner recover his mojo before finding a way of removing Smith & Labuschagne to at least draw the series. After several really dire performances that will be something.

[LeedsExile]

Yes, but papering over the cracks. This England team are not very good.

[nat]

If Leach doesn't get a hat full of wickets today then it will confirm he isn't good enough for Test cricket.

[Andy]

If Leach doesn't get a hat full of wickets today then it will confirm he isn't good enough for Test cricket.

As a bowler or batsman?  Seriously, Leach is better than Ali, there are some criticising Nathan Lyon now our retarded batters have worked out a strategy.  Few traditional spinners get hat's full of wickets against quality batting on relatively decent wickets. Maybe in the days of uncovered wickets and fewer restrictions on field placings, but generally unless a spinner has a mystery delivery (i.e. chucks it) then it is a case of fiddling out sides who might get twitchy. 

If Leach isn't the answer, then is Ali, Bess or Rashid? I daresay Harmer's figures are flattered somewhat by bowling against generally weaker batsmen.

[bwildered]

Saved some credibility in drawing the series two all. Alas a dozy start cost us and played catch up thereafter .
Bowlers win matches , and in this series the difference was the Aussie attack could dismiss our best batsmen, whereas the England attack only at a price .
Time for change with Bayliss departure, a opener and number three places still to be resolved.
Team needs to find places for Pope and Bess .

[IlfordEagle]

Sad to see David Gower bow out today, not so sad to see Botham do the same although he looked a touch light headed towards the end, personally I won't miss his commentary one bit.
Eng did well to tie the Series 2-2 but there is much work to be done with the team, Burns did well & is gradually developing into a Test opener , Denly should be useful in the short term but Buttler doesn't convince me & Bairstow needs to concentrate solely on batting with Foakes coming in to keep. he can also bat usefully, Leach is a better spinner than Ali & can bat responsibly unlike Ali who seemingly cannot bat at all in Test cricket at present. Sam Curran is also worth his place as a gutsy all rounder who usually contributes with either bat or ball in each Test.

[Andy]

A number of the England players like Burns and Curran showed that they are slowly establishing themselves.  Whether they are going to make it I'm not sure.  Clearly, they don't have the star quality of a Stokes or Archer (the former has been overplayed, the latter needs to work harder and avoid the 'bling' lifestyle I suspect will be attracting him).  Denly is a fill-in. Buttler may well wind up as captain, bizarrely, in the Test team. 

Time to rest players and bring in the likes of Sibley - a proper Test schedule would've allowed for a run-up to the Ashes instead of cramming them in after a World Cup.