England's Summer of Cricket 2024

by Duty281 Fri 5 Apr - 11:27

First topic message reminder :

Now the County Championship has begun, it is officially summer once more. Don't let the rain tell you otherwise!

We can talk about promising county performances, the build up to the World T20, and Ollie Robinson's latest injury when it happens. Then, in just under two months, England start playing games:

England v Pakistan, four T20s, 22nd May-30th May
World T20 in June
England v West Indies, three tests, 10th July-30th July
England v Sri Lanka, three tests, 21st August-10th September
England v Australia, three T20s, 11th September-15th September
England v Australia, five ODIs, 19th September-29th September

It's a bit of a pressure summer for England. The ODI side made the most disappointing defence of a World Cup crown since France in the football in 2002, so there's pressure on the T20 side, and Mott in particular, to deliver something decent in the Caribbean.

For the test match side, it's been three series without a series win for England, so the expectation is on for England to get back to winning ways against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. The West Indies often cause England a few troubles, but England have won their last seven home series v the West Indies, dating back to 2000, and you have to go back to 1988 for the last time the West Indies won a series in England.

Sri Lanka are visiting for the first time in eight years for a test series, so it's well overdue. They've certainly managed to upset England in the past, very famously in 1998, but also in 2014, so it's a series that cannot be taken for granted.

And to round off the summer the ECB are making a dash for cash, with eight limited overs games against the Aussies in the fading September light, in games that will probably be forgotten in no time at all.

by VTR Sat 25 May - 18:33

Duty281 wrote:
VTR wrote:Bowling seems promising but out for a duck again. Maybe he could replace Jimmy by opening the bowling and batting at 11. Recall Moeen to bat at 6 and provide a second spin option

*Duty goes into cardiac arrest*

Pick of the bowlers today against international level batting, building momentum ready for that recall!

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Sat 25 May - 22:02

God it is good to see Jofra back bowling 90mph and in the England shirt again.

I see Stokes reeled off another 10 over spell today too.

Are the injury gods finally smiling on them both?

by king_carlos Sun 26 May - 12:33

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:God it is good to see Jofra back bowling 90mph and in the England shirt again.

I've missed watching him play a lot. He's just a fun cricketer. Express pace. Great skill. Gives it a whack with the bat. It was very nice seeing the crowd lift when he whacked away those boundaries in the last over. Folk just enjoy watching Jof play. Hopefully we see a decent amount more of it, even if it is only in white ball.

by guildfordbat Mon 27 May - 10:19

At risk of jumping too far ahead to the Test series against the West Indies in July, I would flag that Ollie Pope's form is a concern. [I don't believe this is solely a reaction to Surrey's thrashing yesterday.]

Since his match winning 196 in Hyderabad, Pope's had 17 innings (16 completed) for England and Surrey in which he's scored 310 runs at an average of 19. Just one half-century in that time with a score of 63 against Worcs.

I've seen most of his knocks at the Oval this season when he's appeared too frenetic from the start and got out quickly and cheaply. I suppose the flip side of ''frenetic'' when things come off and he makes a big score is ''busy''. However, things are not coming off for him presently and instead he's looking a tad desperate.

by Duty281 Mon 27 May - 11:22

Crawley has also been quite Pope like in the CC this year.

His list of scores reading - 5, 4, 41, 1, 6, 10, 0, 238, 16 and 1!

by guildfordbat Mon 27 May - 11:54

Duty281 wrote:Crawley has also been quite Pope like in the CC this year.

His list of scores reading - 5, 4, 41, 1, 6, 10, 0, 238, 16 and 1!

Yep, see the similarities although Pope is looking a long way off a double ton. Guess Crawley was too before he got his. Whistle

by Duty281 Tue 28 May - 12:12

England's next T20 is tonight against Pakistan in Cardiff. It's in doubt, due to yet more rain, though it's not a 'definitely not' as was the case at Leeds.

Buttler will miss the game due to the birth of his third child, but this does at least mean he should be good for the World Cup. It also gives an opportunity, most likely, for Duckett to make a claim. Hartley won't be making his debut, but I really think England should try him out before the World Cup.

by Duty281 Tue 28 May - 20:19

Game abandoned. The weather wins its second game of the series.

The fourth and final T20 is scheduled for Thursday...also with lots of rain forecast! Nice to know England are getting properly sharp for the World Cup. Three games unbeaten as well!

by VTR Tue 28 May - 21:18

Yep, a confidence building unbeaten run and also now can't lose the series. World Cup wins are built on momentum like this

by Duty281 Wed 29 May - 14:50

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/crggxgz3rg0o

Looks like England are also getting perfectly attuned to the conditions they'll face at the World Cup, without ever leaving Blighty.

by Duty281 Thu 30 May - 18:11

Actual cricket about to take place. Wood in for Topley, England's only change. Hartley will, if he plays, make a debut at the World Cup itself. Buttler remains in the side.

England bowling first.

by Duty281 Thu 30 May - 21:49

Brook seals a very comfortable win with a six.

Pakistan were 59/0 after 5.5 overs, but England fought back. Led by a delightful spell from Rashid, and some serious heat from Wood. The batting was a doddle. Salt and Buttler knocked off most of it, then it was a cruise.

World Cup will be a stroll in the park. [Will delete after the Scotland loss]

by VTR Thu 30 May - 21:50

Easy win in the end. Not sure why Pakistan appeared to be playing Dwayne Leverock as their wicket keeper!

by Duty281 Thu 30 May - 21:57

Now that's a name!

https://youtu.be/gQC6fQSB5rU?si=axvuzp0oz98sRKz-&t=32

by alfie Fri 31 May - 5:41

Nice to see England got a bit of warm up cricket between showers...

Couple of easy wins . Not sure anything new learned ; or whether much can be taken from these games. But good to see Wood and Archer getting a few overs without (yet) breaking down Smile

And at least the first four batsmen spent some time at the crease. Team makeup seems pretty locked in already.

by king_carlos Fri 31 May - 14:51

2 out of 4 games being rained off obviously sucks, but, I'd say those two games went really well from England's perspective. Positives definitely outweighing the negatives.

Positives:

- Top 5 looking comfortable with their roles
- Mo and Livi both having success bowling
- Jof looking close to Jof
- Jordan bowling well - really important with balancing this side given Surran has struggled with the ball for a while
- Dilly's shoulder looks OK
- Wood bowling absolute heat

Downsides would be:

- Topley not looking near his best
- Hartley not getting a debut
- Surran getting zero overs to show if he's bowling better

Most of my biggest concerns from the CWC feel alleviated to an extent. There seemed to be no role definition or comfort with roles in batting or bowling there. The clarity from the Bayliss-Morgan era was gone. Batters looked confused about when to attack. The bowling, whilst better than batting, felt thin in all three phases. Then, the fielding was mostly dire by their former standards.

The batting roles are very clear here. Jos will combine being an anchor with a high SR as Jos does. Salt and Jacks will go hard. Bairstow can target spin. Brooks can hit 360 degrees. Mo can hit spin. Livi can hit pace. Jordan (or maybe Surran) are very good number 8s.

I do have concerns about Livi being found out a bit as a hitter, but, I think the batting power and depth is there regardless. I also have lingering concerns about YJB's running between the wickets. He just isn't as quick anymore, which can be vital in the middle overs. Especially if we get slow and low turners. It looks like he is responding to that by going down the Windies route of targeting 6s even if it requires some dot balls. He's got the striking power that I am willing to see that playout. Plus, Duckett suits a very different style of middle overs spin playing perfectly if required.

Bowling wise, the middle overs look stacked with multiple spin options, Wood and Jof as a strike options. Death bowling has Jof and Jordan as go to options with Topley (form dependent), Wood (pace matchup) and Dilly (spin matchup). I expect them to go for a similar tactic in the PP to the last World T20 with Stokes. They tried to sneak Stokes in for the 1st and 7th over as they are usually the lowest scoring. Then, if he started well they might nab another PP over. It looks like Mo will be doing similar.

Jof helps balance things so much. Strike bowler in the PP or middle. Elite at the death. I've thought for a while that three phase bowlers are the real all-rounders in T20 cricket.

I thought they fielded very well as a whole. The injection of Jordan and some younger players definitely helping there. Jordan is elite in the field. Whilst Salt, Jacks and Brook are good fielders. Whisper it, but Jof was moving well too. It's often forgotten, but he's a fantastic boundary fielder given his athleticism and height. YJB, Dilly and Mo aren't the lithest these days. That's very coverable though. Dilly will habitually be at third man or fine leg as he has been for a long while. YJB and Mo will be in the ring. Whereas at the CWC there was one legged Stokes and Malan on top of those guys. Plus Jonny was moving even worse then. At that point, the majority of your fielders need hiding to some extent.

by Duty281 Fri 31 May - 15:12

I feel as positive as can be about England's chances. Obviously, it's T20, so there's a lot of randomness, and I think a lot of the grounds at this World Cup aren't going to have the biggest boundaries, so there's loads of potential winners.

But England are in as good a place as they can be. The batting was shocking at the 50 over World Cup. But Buttler's rediscovered his form, there's a settled batting order, and everyone in that top five can launch multiple maximums and score centuries. The bowling is the main concern. But Wood appears, early stages yet, to have put that horror winter behind him, Jofra's back and Rashid looks as good as ever.

Lots to be positive about.

by Duty281 Fri 31 May - 18:12

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/may/31/england-durham-brydon-carse-banned-after-betting-on-cricket

Well, I didn't have money on this...

Carse banned from all cricket for three months after placing 303 bets, in a two year timeframe, on cricket games.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Fri 31 May - 18:29

Wood, Archer and Stokes all fit and bowling at the same time?

Is this the end of times?

by king_carlos Sat 1 Jun - 0:24

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Wood, Archer and Stokes all fit and bowling at the same time?

Is this the end of times?

Give it till October '25. We'll have 4 medium pacers fit and Robinson bowling offies.

by Duty281 Tue 4 Jun - 12:07

60 years today since Geoffrey Boycott made his test debut, and the great man puts down his thoughts on how cricket has changed, for better and for worse, in this excellent article (from The Telegraph).

Spoiler:

by Duty281 Tue 4 Jun - 22:56

Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph (vice-capt), Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair.
Development player: Isai Thorne

West Indies have sneakily named their squad for the three match test series. Holder and Seales return, after missing the Australia tour. Seales has done very well for Sussex this season. Shamar Joseph obviously retains his place after his 7/58 in Brisbane. Louis, who has played just 7 FC games, though has an average of 49, is a potential debutant, as are Imlach and McCaskie.

Overall, looks a team that can do damage with pace on the ball, but a bit lacking on the batting front. Quite an inexperienced side overall. There's still lots of hope about Athanaze, while we'll have to see how good Louis is. This is, of course, the West Indies against England, so someone like Hodge or Da Silva putting up a double ton is pretty much inevitable!

by alfie Wed 5 Jun - 4:52

Thanks for posting that article , Duty thumbsup

Lot of good sense from old Geoffrey in that. Interesting to hear his positive views on the ultra short game : somehow can't quite see him smashing 45 off twelve balls in a brightly coloured t-shirt ; but I suppose as he says "players adapt"...

by **Pal Joey** Wed 5 Jun - 11:03

alfie wrote:Thanks for posting that article , Duty

Lot of good sense from old Geoffrey in that. Interesting to hear his positive views on the ultra short game : somehow can't quite see him smashing 45 off twelve balls in a brightly coloured t-shirt ; but I suppose as he says "players adapt"...

So do the fans, alfie. Very Happy

I remember the long hot summer days when I'd be lounging under an umbrella next to the pool for hours... listening to Alan McGilvray and Blowers on the radio.

"... and Boycott plays this one; a simple forward defensive shot. No run. He's still on 31."

I'd then pop down to the shops, buy an ice cream... come back home, check the letter box, make a quick phone call... then resume my place next to the pool.

"... and this time Boycott punches one towards the cover region... but again the fielder is there. No run.
And so Boycott remains on 31 at the end of that over... and it's time for a drink."

I'm pretty sure he went on to make another century.

Anyone with such patience and determination needs to be taken seriously.

by Duty281 Sat 15 Jun - 16:53

Chris Woakes got back to competitive first team cricket for the first time in just over four months yesterday. Good to see.

by dummy_half Tue 25 Jun - 13:16

alfie wrote:Thanks for posting that article , Duty

Lot of good sense from old Geoffrey in that. Interesting to hear his positive views on the ultra short game : somehow can't quite see him smashing 45 off twelve balls in a brightly coloured t-shirt ; but I suppose as he says "players adapt"...

Certainly not with the type of bat that was available in the 60s and 70s. Flaying balls for 6 over extra cover just wasn't practical for anyone less powerful than Botham or Richards, and even they would be taking a big risk with that type of shot with the old DF Magnum or SS Jumbo bats.
But as Boycs said, the most skilled players would adapt their game to what is possible with the equipment and playing conditions at hand.

by Duty281 Wed 26 Jun - 13:34

Bashir conceded 38 runs from one over in a county game; Robinson topped that by conceding 43! Shocked

by dummy_half Wed 26 Jun - 14:06

Duty281 wrote:Bashir conceded 38 runs from one over in a county game; Robinson topped that by conceding 43!

How the hell do you concede 43?
Here's how
Ball 1: Kimber pulls Robinson away to backward square leg for six (6)

Ball 2: Robinson is dispatched to almost the same place, but this time for four - and it's a no-ball too (6nb)

Ball 3: Kimber swats away a bouncer to third man for four more runs (4)

Ball 4: A second six for Kimber, pulling way over the head of the backward square leg fielder (6)

Ball 5: Another swat to the square leg area for four (4)

Ball 6: Robinson is cut to the off-side boundary for a fourth four in the over - and the second no-ball - as Kimber brings up his century in style (6nb)

Ball 7: Not a full connection but Kimber finds a gap at mid-on for four (4)

Ball 8: Another no-ball is met with a stylish drive through cover for four (6nb)

Ball 9: Kimber with another pull but this time finds a fielder so it's only a single (1)

by JDizzle Wed 26 Jun - 14:18

Ben Cox has just been dismissed for 34, the ball after taking a (very) painful blow. Leics need 50 to win with 2 wickets left. Kimber will probably have to play some shots now.

by dummy_half Wed 26 Jun - 14:23

JDizzle wrote:Ben Cox has just been dismissed for 34, the ball after taking a (very) painful blow. Leics need 50 to win with 2 wickets left. Kimber will probably have to play some shots now.

Agreed, won't win unless he embraces Bazball. I mean, his strike rate has just fallen to 200 (220 runs off 110 balls in 2.5 hours...). Just had a 239 run partnership for the 8th wicket in 26.5 overs - his partner made 34

by dummy_half Wed 26 Jun - 14:33

Mid way through day 4:
Essex should be fine for the draw v Durham. Haven't even tried to chase 430+ in the 4th innings, but only 2 down.

Lancashire have seen off Kent by an innings.

Notts v Somerset heading for a draw, still only 2 down in the third innings.

Hampshire closing on a win v Warwickshire. 4 more wickets needed

Surrey won by an innings v Worcestershire.

D2:
Northants v Glamorgan still alive. Northants lead approaching 200 with 4 wickets left

Derbyshre need to borrow Kimber - 288 more needed with only 4 wickets left against Middlesex.

Leicestershire still looking at the miracle of all time v Sussex. Set 464 to win, they were 175-7. Are now 30 runs from their target with 2 wickets in hand.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Wed 26 Jun - 14:49

Kimber's cousin plays in my Saturday side. I'll be asking him to replicate that knock Very Happy

by Marky Wed 26 Jun - 15:09

dummy_half wrote:Leicestershire still looking at the miracle of all time v Sussex. Set 464 to win, they were 175-7. Are now 30 runs from their target with 2 wickets in hand.

Sussex won by 18 runs

Kimber was turning down singles and fell for 243

by guildfordbat Wed 26 Jun - 16:25

Marky wrote:
dummy_half wrote:Leicestershire still looking at the miracle of all time v Sussex. Set 464 to win, they were 175-7. Are now 30 runs from their target with 2 wickets in hand.

Sussex won by 18 runs

Kimber was turning down singles and fell for 243

Kimbo was severely hindered by Leics number 10 Ben Mike gifting his wicket away. Mike gives hope to every spectator that they could still make the grade as a pro cricketer.

by dummy_half Wed 26 Jun - 16:46

Marky wrote:
dummy_half wrote:Leicestershire still looking at the miracle of all time v Sussex. Set 464 to win, they were 175-7. Are now 30 runs from their target with 2 wickets in hand.

Sussex won by 18 runs

Kimber was turning down singles and fell for 243

Was always likely to happen - when miles behind there's no pressure and you can just play freely, but once the target was in sight the pressure switches and mistakes happen.

by guildfordbat Thu 27 Jun - 8:48

Do we know or even have an idea when the England Test squad for the first West Indies Test is going to be announced?

Lot of worry gutting amongst Surrey supporters that several of their players are going to be pulled from from the big Championship fixture against Essex starting at the Oval on Sunday,

Although Surrey won yesterday at Worcs, the resolution shown by Elgar and Westley to earn Essex a draw at home to Durham was arguably the greater achievement given the massive first innings deficit they had conceded. Essex certainly won't be disheartened as they head to London.

by king_carlos Thu 27 Jun - 12:18

guildfordbat wrote:Do we know or even have an idea when the England Test squad for the first West Indies Test is going to be announced?

Lot of worry gutting amongst Surrey supporters that several of their players are going to be pulled from from the big Championship fixture against Essex starting at the Oval on Sunday,

Although Surrey won yesterday at Worcs, the resolution shown by Elgar and Westley to earn Essex a draw at home to Durham was arguably the greater achievement given the massive first innings deficit they had conceded. Essex certainly won't be disheartened as they head to London.

I find the delay until after the T20 World Cup, at least that's what seems the case, interesting. That suggests to me that someone integral to the World Cup effort might be on the chopping block and they don't want to announce it until after the tournament for fear of distraction. Paging mister Bairstow.

I suspect we might see a new wicket-keeper come in. Jamie Smith would be my choice, though I know Guilford understandably wants him to concentrate on batting.

The not lobotomised Ollie Robinson is a really good shot too. Cracking keeper and talented batter.

Concerningly, a few pundits have mentioned Phil Salt. Who I think is a really mediocre keeper even by T20 batter-keeper standards and whilst very talented with the bat hasn't done that much in F-C cricket. That prospect reeks of Jason Roy opening in Tests to me. I hope it's just idle speculation, but, a few usually on the money guys such as George Dobell and the Wisden journalists have mentioned it. When a few do that at once I struggle to think there's nothing in it at all!

by king_carlos Fri 28 Jun - 2:38

So then. That's the white ball stuff done until Australia's much awaited T20 and ODI tour in September. God forbid we go a summer without Australia or India touring. We might forget that one another exist. There's then a T20i and ODI tour of the Windies soon after. Between those whatever coach and captain may be in place will actually have a decent run of 8 T20s and 8 ODIs to trial new players.

There should be a decent shakeup with older players naturally moving on. I wont go into too much depth there, but, I've offered the sort of XIs I wouldn't mind seeing in each format going forward. Which will then change entirely by September due to injuries, etc anyway.

White ball stuff:

That's all down the line and not as interesting. The Test squads for the Windies will be named soon. That's far more intriguing. I see potential movement with the keeper. Jimmy has one more Test. Will they consider mentoring Bashir or Hartley? Has Ollie Robinson had a brain transplant?

The top 6, which I think looks good to be fair, seems nailed on. Below that, it's all questions.

Keepers - Bairstow (I think he'll be moved on this summer), Foakes (subcontinent specialist?), Robinson, Smith, Salt (I hope not)

As said a few times, I'd pick Smith and back him long term. I think he's just too good a talent not to get in the side. Get him time with the gloves in a lower pressure summer where he'll be standing back lots. If you need to reassess and bring Foakes back for Pakistan then that's always an option.

Medium-fast seamers - Anderson (one Test wonder), Woakes (home specialist), Robinson (fitness issues), Cook

I'd love to see Cook get a go after Jimmy departs. I suspect they may back Robinson though. He has got a very high ceiling but he's been incredibly frustrating.

Fast-medium seamers - Tongue (injured), Potts, Turner (recently returned), Pennington?

Potts is the front runner here with Tongue crocked.

Turner has a really high ceiling I think. He's just returned in T20s. If he can string some F-C games together then I could see them getting interested very quickly.

Quicks - Wood, Stone, Atkinson

I'd presume that Atkinson will debut this summer. I think Stone is such a big talent that I'd probably be tempted to pick him ahead of Atkinson whilst he's fit though.

Spinners - Leach, Hartley, Bashir, Rehan

Bashir impressed me most in India.

by GSC Sat 29 Jun - 15:49

Sky saying Smiths getting the gloves

by Duty281 Sat 29 Jun - 15:53

Expected squad: England (expected) v West Indies:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Dan Lawrence, Chris Woakes, Dillon Pennington, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson (1st Test), Mark Wood (2nd and 3rd Tests)

Robinson dropped. Bashir over Leach. Pennington gets a chance.

by GSC Sat 29 Jun - 15:54

Wonder if that was it for bairstow

by JDizzle Sat 29 Jun - 21:01

I think that’s unfair on Ollie Robinson - the keeper that is. I’ve seen more of Robinson batting than Smith, but he seems a very talented player with an uncomplicated technique. A weirdly similar technique to Chris Woakes bizarrely, that is the comparison I get anyway.

Jamie Smith is undoubtedly a talented player, but he seems to be spoken off as the next prodigious talent despite ‘only’ averaging just over 40 in FC cricket. These aren’t Ollie Pope averaging 60+ numbers and banging the door down.

That’s only just over a run more than Robinson - despite his home conditions being the Oval vs Canterbury, which admittedly has been flatter in recent years, and CLS.

Robinson isn’t even two years older and is in better nick. I guess they view it as a bit of a toss up and have gone with their gut in Smith. Hopefully it pays off.

Pennington took a 7fer vs my mate’s team when he was about 15 - and I still have the text saved to rub in his face that described him as ‘not that sharp’!

by Duty281 Sat 29 Jun - 23:17

Yeah, I don't agree with the Smith selection. Doesn't keep for his county, so it's a lot of extra workload that's going to be placed on him. It's a typical Bazball selection. Good that Bairstow has been dropped, however.

Pennington's having a good season, so definitely worth a go. Bashir over Leach...we'll see if that's a permanent move to being England's number one spinner for Bashir.

Big test summer for England.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Sun 30 Jun - 0:43

Smith has kept plenty for Surrey and is tidy. Not surprised he’s been selected, he’s done well for the Lions when he’s played and has had a good start to the season.
Maybe harsh on Robinson, but it was going to be harsh on whoever of the two was left out. The important thing is the right call is being made on Foakes and Bairstow, both correctly not in the squad it seems.

by GSC Sun 30 Jun - 9:55

England's Summer of Cricket 2024 - Page 4 20240610

Hard for Leach, been a run of seemingly bad luck with injuries. But even so England probably need to try and do better.

It's a pretty suddenly inexperienced seam lineup, especially after the first test. Guess the plan may be that Woakes will replace Jimmy

by VTR Sun 30 Jun - 10:43

Squad exactly as leaked on here then! I suppose Robinson is out, because England can only afford to have one 30+ runs in an over bowler in the side

by Duty281 Sun 30 Jun - 11:23

Yep, an inexperienced bowling side, but the focus is on the Ashes and building towards it. Atkinson, Pennington and Potts seem to be at the core of that idea, along with Bashir. Woakes obviously won't be in Australia, but Wood might be (probably odds against on recent form). Of course the hope is Archer can make a successful return. Has Robinson been permanently elbowed, or does he have a chance to make it back? Surely the latter.

There's, I think, 18 tests before England take on Australia, so a chance to build this core unit into something.

Big summers with the bat for Duckett, Pope and Stokes, also. Excluding the Ireland game, Duckett has averaged 35 since the start of 2023, Pope under 30 and Stokes 31. All well and good to build a pace battery of bowlers to take on Australia in Australia, but it'll count for very little with half the top six are putting in returns like that.

And leaks...every England team/squad gets leaked, whether it's football, cricket or rugby. Maybe that's why under Stokes England announce their test side 24-48 hours before the game, as they know it'll be leaked anyway.

by GSC Sun 30 Jun - 12:15

VTR wrote:Squad exactly as leaked on here then! I suppose Robinson is out, because England can only afford to have one 30+ runs in an over bowler in the side

Ha, the throwdowns he was bowling against India despite playing one test may have been a bigger factor Wink

Imagine Robinson is out until he demonstrates he committed enough in a string on CC games

by king_carlos Sun 30 Jun - 17:27

I've been at a wedding for the weekend, so just catching up on things!

I'm very happy with that squad. As said above, I think Smith is a really good call as a potential long term WK and Bashir looks the most talented spinner England have to my eye.

Smith helping that call today too. Foakes out cheaply, whilst Smith is 81 red at a very good strike rate on a day where others seem to have scratched around. He's a really special talent.

1.Crawley
2.Duckett
3.Pope
4.Root
5.Brook
6.Stokes
7.Smith
8.Woakes
9.Atkinson
10.Bashir
11.Anderson

I'd guess something like that for T1?

Who replaces Anderson may come down to how well the less experienced member in T1 goes. If Atkinson/Potts/Pennington go well then they might leave Wood out and bring in another less experienced option. If not, they might opt for Wood.

I'd presume that one of Wood or Atkinson will play in each Test as they really like that pace option. The balance is helped so much by Stokes bowling though, which is doing again today and has a wicket already.

by guildfordbat Mon 1 Jul - 8:29

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Smith has kept plenty for Surrey and is tidy. Not surprised he’s been selected, he’s done well for the Lions when he’s played and has had a good start to the season.
Maybe harsh on Robinson, but it was going to be harsh on whoever of the two was left out. The important thing is the right call is being made on Foakes and Bairstow, both correctly not in the squad it seems.

As some may recall me saying, I usually find David 'Bumble' Lloyd a well informed and good judge of cricketing matters provided he resists the temptation to play the clown.

This was his take yesterday morning on England's wicket keeper situation, from the BBC County Championship live thread:

'' I'm looking at the England wicket keeper situation and they have got Jamie Smith in the team.
There must have been contenders. They're looking for an aggressive seven batter who can keep wicket.
So Ollie Robinson at Durham was in there and Joe Clarke would have got a mention. I saw James Rew get a useful 100 at Old Trafford.
The wicket keeper is always a good debate, it gets a reaction that Ben Foakes is a wonderful glove man and he's the best in the world, but I can see what they are trying to do in balancing the team.''

I thought Duty would like Lloyd's reference to Joe Clarke.

Interestingly perhaps, one keeper he didn't mention was Jonny Bairstow.

On the eve of this season's County Championship and Surrey's opener against Lloyd's Lancs, he said, ''I think they [the ECB / England selectors] like Jamie Smith.''

by Sponsored content