New Zealand v England, 2nd Test, Hamilton, 29 November - 3 December, 2019

What have England got in the way of a response to their Mount Maunganui hiding??

Well, they always scapegoat a bowler or two when the batsmen fail. May as well wrap Joffrey and Sturat in cotton wool ahead of the crap-off against the Yarps.

I know this series doesn’t count for the WTC, but it looks pretty clear cut at the moment that the final will be India v either New Zealand or Australia.

Might as well shove Crawley and Parkinson into the breach. ...

Then appoint Woakes captain, get Bairstow back on the plane, draft in Malan, Mahmood and Jordan from hither and thither, Get Cook to join Bairstow, tell Nas to get his whites dusted off, Gower too, Beefy well maybe not this time, but Atherton possibly, and sack Silverwood.

I mean, what have they got to lose?

So, something like:

1. Atherton
2. Cook
3. Hussain
4. Crawley
5. Gower
6. Malan
7. Bairstow +
8. Woakes *
9. Jordan [not Katie Price. Although ...]
10. Mahmood
11. Parkinson

CASE SOLVED.

PeterCS wrote:So, something like:

1. Atherton
2. Cook
3. Hussain
4. Crawley
5. Gower
6. Malan
7. Bairstow +
8. Woakes *
9. Jordan [not Katie Price. Although ...]
10. Mahmood
11. Parkinson

CASE SOLVED.

Parky is a bit old for this side, he must be 80 if he's a day.

And John Crawley and Saj Mahmood aren’t much younger...

Root now out of the top 10 of the Test batting rankings.

The fact he’s still even close to it highlights the lack of batting depth worldwide in the longer game. Would Karunaratne, Latham, Nicholls etc. have been top 10 in past eras?

PeterCS wrote:So, something like:

1. Atherton
2. Cook
3. Hussain
4. Crawley
5. Gower
6. Malan
7. Bairstow +
8. Woakes *
9. Jordan [not Katie Price. Although ...]
10. Mahmood
11. Parkinson

CASE SOLVED.

I R Bell

I Ron Cubbard had to miss out.

Is Cowdrey still alive?

Which one? The Baron, sadly not.

Seems like Pope could keep wicket, with Buttler an injury doubt. I thought Bairstow was with the squad?

Bairstow was packed off home on the plane.

I thought Burns had quite a lot of experience keeping wicket?

I know both Pope and Burns were touted as potential emergency keepers. I guess you don’t really want your opener doing it given the choice?

Not in Tests. But is he nailed on as an opener?

Well, Denly could open I guess. But it would be pretty farked up selectionism to move an opener who is establishing himself as halfway competent, when such players have been like rocking horse shit ever since Strauss retired.

So, Buttler out, Pope keeps, Crawley in at 6. No specialist spinner with Woakes in for Leach I hope Root’s prepared himself for bowling 50 overs in this match.

Latham looks intent on confirming England's minnow status

Was thinking the same, h.

Surely they are not gonna let the minnow-basher score a ton??

skully wrote:Was thinking the same, h.

Surely they are not gonna let the minnow-basher score a ton??

Hehehe. Ton for minnow basher. Poms are fish paste

5 seamers. FFS

Well, only four now with Stokes injured...

Everyone apart from Ind, Aus and NZ is a minnow now. Latham’s going to end up averaging 60 on that basis!

As you were ... Sibley not yet knocking down the doors or uprooting trees. ...

Uncertain starts from the newcomers but we can’t judge players on two or three innings, particularly given how many we’ve tried and discarded in recent years. Burns is showing what you can do with a bit of patience from the selectors. All we’re asking is that new players show the right sort of attitude and don’t get out the same way every innings.

Much needed runs for the captain, hopefully he can go on and make it a really big one if a couple of the lower order can stick around with him.

Never underestimate the capacity of England batting to collapse (how the hell are they still over 100 behind, when they have to try to win the Test, after batting so long so far?), but given the weather forecasts for Day 5, this match looks to be petering to a draw already.

In other words, it appears England are likely to rumble along to somewhere near parity, and the home team won't have time for BOTH a declarable second innings AND to bowl the visitors out a second time.

Unless the weather clears.