Joe Root (Yorkshire)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Dom Bess (Somerset)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Dawid Malan (Middlesex)
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Mark Stoneman (Surrey)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Mark Wood (Durham)

Had to Google Dom Bess,he has only one wicket for Somerset all season,however he is economical,guess he could hold an end to give the seamers a breather,also seems he can bat hopefully England shouldn't need him to score many,shows the dearth of options to the selectors.

Somerset in favour, Leach drops out to be replaced by Bess and old boy Buttler makes surprising comeback. Vince's double hundred yesterday counts for nowt! We shall see.

Excited about the return of Butler although i’m Not sure he has done anything to deserve it all be it with all them runs in the ipl

JarrowClaret wrote:Excited about the return of Butler although i’m Not sure he has done anything to deserve it all be it with all them runs in the ipl

He's just had 3 match winning innings in a row, we can't afford to leave talent like that out.

Buttler just got out for 39. Missed out on 6 successive half centuries.

Huge difference in white Ball and red Ball but hey hopefully he will be a success this time as said very excited by his inclusion.

JarrowClaret wrote:Huge difference in white Ball and red Ball but hey hopefully he will be a success this time as said very excited by his inclusion.

The main difference is the pressure of getting out is so much bigger in Test match cricket. Coming in at 6 or 7 he should just be given free reign to destroy bowlers.

Picking players for Test cricket based on IPL scores seems a bit strange.
He’s great to watch, hope it comes off but he’s done little in that format before.

Have they spelt Ballances name wrong and written down Buttler?

Good choice.

Who will keep wicket?

tybfc wrote:Have they spelt Ballances name wrong and written down Buttler?

Good choice.

Who will keep wicket?

This squad has a better Balance

ClaretTony wrote:This squad has a better Balance

...and it's possible that they could have a butler to bring on the drinks

Bordeauxclaret wrote:Picking players for Test cricket based on IPL scores seems a bit strange.
He’s great to watch, hope it comes off but he’s done little in that format before.

He struggled with the pressure of Test cricket, probably didn't like getting told he had to play proper cricket by the top brass.

He had an interview when he was left out where he said he wanted to get as far away from cricket as possible.

We need to tune into his talent.

Brilliant , pick a spinner who’s taken 1 wicket as opposed to one who’s taken 17.

Hope it's fine for the first day next week as I'm off to Lords!!

Buttler to play as a specialist batsman at seven?

No Pope ?

Expect Dom Bess to be the one omitted.
Go with 5 man pace attack with Root and Malan if needed
We don’t need a spinner on English wickets.

DAVETHEVICAR wrote:Expect Dom Bess to be the one omitted.
Go with 5 man pace attack with Root and Malan if needed
We don’t need a spinner on English wickets.

Yep. That’s what I’m assuming, however, struggling to work out who’s batting three. Hope it’s not Root. Save your best batter for 4

BBC suggesting Malan will bat at 3

One of the selectors has confirmed Root at 3, Malan at 4 and Bairstow at 5.

Liam Livingstone isn't in the squad at least,i guess the pitch will dictate if Bess plays can't see many turning wickets in England. Hameed will come again but needs to score big runs at county level.Just noticed Pakistan struggled to overcome Ireland today and the tourists have a young team facing Anderson and Broad could be challenging.Would make England marginal favourites due to home advantage but still unsure about depth in batting.

DAVETHEVICAR wrote:BBC suggesting Malan will bat at 3

Jonathan Agnew isn't. He thinks Root will bat 3.

I would go Malan at 3, Root 4, Stokes 5, Bairstow at 6 and Buttler 7.

If 5, 6 and 7 can keep their collective discipline and resist the temptation to throw their bat at every delivery it looks a strong line up on paper.

I expect Bess to play - Lords takes some spin later in the test, and 5 right arm over fast medium seamers has never been a terribly clever tactic.

Batting line up is interesting. There's a lot to be said for putting Bairstow in the top 6 and making the most of his ability and allowing someone explosive to take the vacancy, but its a big transition for Buttler.

For all the talk about the squad being "brave", I find myself thinking its remarkably safe in the one area where perhaps England most need to be brave - the seam bowling. Like I say, its 5 fast medium bowlers, all of whom with the debatable exception of Broad are fundamentally lively swing bowlers. Wood hasn't been regularly 90 mph after a single spell for a couple of years now. There's a desperate need to inject some X factor into the bowling, and to begin serious planning for life after Broad and Anderson, and an early season test against a callow batting line up strikes me as the ideal time for that.

Fully agree there Spice, a cautious defensive selection, pack the team with batters and fast-medium men and rely on English conditions to undo Pakistan. There is still no spinner in sight, 2 new opening bats are required and how long will it be this time before Wood is injured? However there is little else available in the county game, I went to Durham v Leicester recently, dire!

claretspice wrote:I expect Bess to play - Lords takes some spin later in the test, and 5 right arm over fast medium seamers has never been a terribly clever tactic.

Batting line up is interesting. There's a lot to be said for putting Bairstow in the top 6 and making the most of his ability and allowing someone explosive to take the vacancy, but its a big transition for Buttler.

For all the talk about the squad being "brave", I find myself thinking its remarkably safe in the one area where perhaps England most need to be brave - the seam bowling. Like I say, its 5 fast medium bowlers, all of whom with the debatable exception of Broad are fundamentally lively swing bowlers. Wood hasn't been regularly 90 mph after a single spell for a couple of years now. There's a desperate need to inject some X factor into the bowling, and to begin serious planning for life after Broad and Anderson, and an early season test against a callow batting line up strikes me as the ideal time for that.

Life after Broad and Anderson needed to have started in the county game years ago but didn't.

We will be found out in the next few years unless a gem or two appears.

The ECB set up needs looking at.

tybfc wrote:Life after Broad and Anderson needed to have started in the county game years ago but didn't.

We will be found out in the next few years unless a gem or two appears.

The ECB set up needs looking at.

We could be like Australia when Warne and Mcgrath retired close together,an opening trio of Wokes and Wood won't phase top international batsman.

I'm looking forward to watching this on TV tomorrow from 11.00. I think our pace bowling will be fine (though it's still very Jimmy/Broad reliant as pointed out above) and really hope the new spinner plays well. Batting has been dodgy lately but fingers crossed a few players can knock up enough runs to support the bowlers.

Otherwise re upcoming talent, I saw a very good knock at The Oval today in the 50 over game. Surrey 19 yo Will Jacks hit 121 (admittedly v a not great Glos bowling attack). A 2nd wicket partnership of 157 with the SA test player Elgar with the Safa knocking only 50 of those.
He was dropped once at shortish mid-off (I think c 20 short of his ton) but a very creditable innings. He's quite a tall lad and hits the ball hard-even when just defensively pushing. He's not played a county game yet, hopefully he'll get a game very soon and develop towards the England set-up.

I was following the other scores & disappointed with Lancs' result. They seemed to get a fairly solid start but not be able to build up the score rate in the later overs (Croft 6 from 12 balls, Clark 16 from 30, Mennie 10 from 8, Bailey 2 from 3).

Just checked the weather forecast,apart from Saturday rain is in the air every day of the test,typical English summer Cook is due a score surely and Bairstow is mister reliable but the rest of the batting the captain accepted looks fragile.Think England will have too much for Pakistan but India is another level.

Expect Root to get out between 60 and 80.

TheFamilyCat wrote:Expect Root to get out between 60 and 80.

He is a frustrating player,looks brilliant for a session,and then somehow finds a way of getting out,if he wants to be considered world-class has to convert more often.

England have won the toss and will bat. Woakes is out from the original 12 and the team is

Alastair Cook
Mark Stoneman
Joe Root
Dawid Malan
Jonny Bairstow
Ben Stokes
Jos Buttler
Dom Bess
Stuart Broad
James Anderson
Mark Wood

Stoneman gone, clean bowled, no surprise there!

Watch Live, Full Screen Enjoy

http://cricfree.sc/update/skysportscricket.php

Stokes and Buttler will slog us out of trouble.

TheFamilyCat wrote:Expect Root to get out between 60 and 80.

Terrible shot from Root, so wide he could just about reach it. Can some one please remind him he is a number three batsman in a Test team.

Shocking from Root

Malan gone
Dreadful start
53-3

The chef needs to serve up a tasty score now that's for sure the only English batsman to enjoy the morning session is Keaton Jennings i'd wager must be under serious consideration for the next test.

72-3 at lunch could have been worse at least cook still there 46 unbeaten,after surviving review on 23 could be a pivotal moment in the test.

I'd guess that the England bowlers wouldn't at all have minded a bowl this morning but batting 4th on this pitch might be difficult- so Root/management team went with batting after winning the toss.
I think they'd've accepted a couple down at lunch; 3 down makes it a bit below par maybe but Cook is still in and looking decent-that's a bonus. Fingers crossed he bats through the 2nd session and finds somebody to stay with him.

I wonder what our average score in the 1st innings of a series has been over the last 4 or five years.
Always seem to struggle.

168-7

Bess is off to join Porgy

same as usual...no backbone.

Now come on Jimmy......lets have a couple of wickets before stumps.

Total capitulation after tea! Pakistan have bowled well but that is not a 184 all out wicket. Some poor stuff from our batsmen.

Business as usual then