Australia v England, 2nd Test (D/N), Adelaide, 16-20 December, 2021

So onto Adelaide with a short turn around.

For Aus, any change will only be forced by injury, with GCS and Hazy both carrying rib problems.

For Eng, you'd have to expect both Broad and Anderson to return, but that may be harsh on Wood and Woakes, who I felt bowled pretty well. Many plays and misses that on another day may have seen plenty of wickets. Robinson was the pick of the bowlers so he plays if fit.

And shirley Dom Bess comes in for the awful Leak FFS???

I can't see any fiddling of the English top 7 at this stage. Burns was poor but that can happen. Hameed was workmanlike, Root and Malan showed their class, Stokes looked well short of a gallop, Pope looked OK in I1, as did Buttler.

Thoughts?

We won’t play a spinner at all, surely? Bess is worse, and it’s a pink ball as well. Root can do the job for a few overs if we need.

So it will be Anderson, Broad, Robinson, and either Wood or Woakes. If Stokes is fit enough to pull his weight with the ball then maybe they will opt for the extra pace of Wood, but then again, maybe the swing bowlers will do the job in a day-nighter.

Can’t see a batting change other than through injury/illness at this stage.

England fined 100% of match fee due to slow over rates, maybe that will force them into playing a spinner again.

From a purely cricketing point of view, though, I now believe that based on current resources we shouldn’t play a spinner in any Test outside Asia, apart from in exceptional circumstances. Our cupboard has proven to be completely bare.

PM: S.O. Else

Abell
Hameed
Malan
Root
Buttler *
Stokes
Foakes +
Woakes
Parkinson
Robinson
Anderson (or Broad, or Wood)

12th: Mahmood

More than half way to an entire -kes and -son XI. Can’t do any worse. Though Parky would be just as much of a lamb to the slaughter as Leach or Bess. If only we had an Ashley Giles. And yes, I’m being serious, if you’re not talking about the ‘06-‘07 zimmer frame version. Just a spinner with a bit of control would be like gold dust.

This is the pink ball test? Enter bowl first rhen, if memory serves me right.

Pink ball Test? They're not using boxes?!


I doubt Parky would be a lamb to the slaughter.

Two reasons, the second being more important:

1) He's a wrist spinner (of some tweak, but also variety), he'll extract bounce from Aussie tracks.

2) As well as tweak, guile and variety, he has a lot of grit, unlike the Kerrigan types (and it seems, sadly, Leach too, esp on tracks that don't give him encouragement). Even when Parkinson gets carted for a four or six - and it happens, he's a leggie, he grits his teeth and is just as likely to get a wicket next ball or a near miss as another whack. Like the best spinners, he has something remorseless, undaunted about him.

Rashid developed that too latterly - hence my pumping his tyres for longer than anyone else on here thought reasonable. (Rashid also developed a relaiable and deceptive googly, not evident early in his career!)

Having said that, my proposed 13 was partly wishful thinking, part tongue-in-cheek, and part common sense.

Sadly I think we now understand the reason why Rashid pretty much ditched red-ball cricket. If only he’d moved counties (and not to Chavland either, by the sound of things…)

Guess you know a lot more about Parkinson than I do… seems the selectors don’t see him as being ready, though, for whatever reason. Had Moeen not quit Test cricket after all the chopping and changing he’s had, I expect he’d have been parachuted in for the next one. And asked to open, or bat at 8, or keep wicket, or carry the drinks…

All satire aside, I get the calls for Jimmeh's return but I do not understand the clamour for Broad as well (not here but elsewhere).

It was, after all not the bowling that was the failing. One can mount an argument that Root initially set Leach an absurd attacking field. The damage was quickly done.

Anderson averages 35 from his 18 Tests here and conditions do not suit him. Still with his guile and determination he will be a challenge at AO. I guess he could replace Leach or Woakes.

Replacing the former would likely result in another loss of another 5 WTC points (do the ECB care?) and loss of another 100% of match payments to the visitors.

I am guessing Woakes will cop it in the neck. I thought he bowled well enough and showed a tiny bit at number 8. This would leave England's crumbling coccyx commencing at 8.

The hue and cry for Broad is mystifying. He averages 37 here with the ball and his attitude to being in a place without his authority to dial up pitches is poor to say the least. His habit of taking block behind our short leg when 'batting' has been made fun of here and undermines his team's morale.

I should add that Wood and Robinson were both pretty good and should be persisted with. England's bowling may also improve after Stokes had a bit of a run.

Anderson averages 35 with the ball from 18 Tests

But what does Anderson average in his 18 Tests in Oz, Horrie?


Personally, I feel though he's not fast, and can't be relied on in Oz as the main spearhead, he has developed guile and a certain indefatigability. He can't do it on his own, for sure (almost nobody can ...), but I'd be surprised if he's the Anne Robinson. He can do a valuable job still, as part of a 3/4-pronged seam attack.

PeterCS wrote:But what does Anderson average in his 18 Tests in Oz, Horrie?


Personally, I feel though he's not fast, and can't be relied on in Oz as the main spearhead, he has developed guile and a certain indefatigability. He can't do it on his own, for sure (almost nobody can ...), but I'd be surprised if he's the Anne Robinson. He can do a valuable job still, as part of a 3/4-pronged seam attack.

Sorry for the additional rogue sentence. Looks like Stokes may need to get another match before he can carry a significant load. Maybe Stokes can get a Green level load and concentrate on his batting.

No doubt Jimmeh will never disgrace himself and he is a crafty fox. I reckon the smart move for Adelaide is to drop Leach and add Jimmeh.

I would include Foakes and drop Buttler.

Drop Rory Burns and include Jarvo

Josh Hazlewood likely to miss out with a side strain. Jhye Richardson would be the obvious replacement or possibly Michael Naser.

horace wrote:

PeterCS wrote:But what does Anderson average in his 18 Tests in Oz, Horrie?


Personally, I feel though he's not fast, and can't be relied on in Oz as the main spearhead, he has developed guile and a certain indefatigability. He can't do it on his own, for sure (almost nobody can ...), but I'd be surprised if he's the Anne Robinson. He can do a valuable job still, as part of a 3/4-pronged seam attack.

Sorry for the additional rogue sentence. Looks like Stokes may need to get another match before he can carry a significant load. Maybe Stokes can get a Green level load and concentrate on his batting.

No doubt Jimmeh will never disgrace himself and he is a crafty fox. I reckon the smart move for Adelaide is to drop Leach and add Jimmeh.

I would include Foakes and drop Buttler.

Foakes isn’t even in the squad (though maybe in the standbys?), it is harsh that he’s never had a run but seems destined to end up alongside the likes of Read, Foster etc. who were sidelined in favour of a more explosive batting keeper. Buttler could play the Prior role of a decade ago, if only he was coming in at 350-5 like the Big Cheese often did, rather than 50-5. We’d be better off right now with a scrapper in the Jack Russell mould as our keeper-number 7.

I think the day-night Test is the reason we want Anderson and Broad in. Sure, they’re old and their record in Oz is mixed (whose isn’t, unless it’s just completely shite?) but their experience will be valuable and the particular conditions should suit them. If we play four specialist seamers and leave the spinner out, Stokes can concentrate on his batting/getting fully fit.

It’s rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic, whatever we do.

Foakes - along with my other (sadly) only half-joking picks above: Parkinson, Abell, Mahmood - is in the Lions group also out in Australia.

Because they are on hand, I felt it was reasonable to put them forward.

In the Lions game against Oz A

Parkinson didnt play

Abell scored 5 and 0

Mahmood took 0 of the 14 wickets

Good form

Foakes got 12 and 73

Might as well call up the Detroit Lions.

embee wrote:In the Lions game against Oz A

Parkinson didnt play

Abell scored 5 and 0

Mahmood took 0 of the 14 wickets

Good form

Form is temporary, ....

Neph on the nooz tonight confirmed both Jimmeh and Sturat are raring to go, but stopped short of guaranteeing their names would appear in the starting XI.

He also tried to deflect some of Leak FFS's shithouseness by saying he set fields for him that were too attacking early on. [cough]

Blowie was also on and reckoned GCS would be right to play.

Of course, all the tittle-tattle above about England team replacements will be rendered otiose when, supreme as ever, the visitors cruise to a commanding 9-wicket win with the damn same team later this week.

Or Omicron sweeps in and they call the whole thing off (with the England team stuck in an Adelaide hotel for months).

I reckon there’s a chance that a bunch of players catch covid during the Melbourne Test.

based on evidence of Brisbane it's doubtful Rory Burns will catch it