England test squad for the UAE

Looks like Finn may have bowled his way into the test team ahead of Wood.

Henry wrote:Looks like Finn may have bowled his way into the test team ahead of Wood.

Was just reading about that and Finn doesn't seem too confident that he's done enough.

Also I was at first confused when I read the scorecard as Pak A being 192-12 and thought those cunning Pakistanis and their slippery ways, they are at it again. Then I read on and saw it was a days worth of batting for each side. Perhaps it's worth a try in a real test - just keep sending batsmen out in the hope that the umps don't notice. They don't pick up on no-balls any more so they'd probably forget seeing the same batsman 2 or 3 times.

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

Henry wrote:Looks like Finn may have bowled his way into the test team ahead of Wood.

Was just reading about that and Finn doesn't seem too confident that he's done enough.

Also I was at first confused when I read the scorecard as Pak A being 192-12 and thought those cunning Pakistanis and their slippery ways, they are at it again. Then I read on and saw it was a days worth of batting for each side. Perhaps it's worth a try in a real test - just keep sending batsmen out in the hope that the umps don't notice. They don't pick up on no-balls any more so they'd probably forget seeing the same batsman 2 or 3 times.

Considering England were humiliated last time they played in the UAE in 2011, two two day glorified net sessions is hardly decent preparation.

Perhaps they're just shoring up their excuses for when they get thrashed again. "The schedule did;t allow a better warm up..." etc.

Henry wrote:

Lindsay no.2 wrote:

Henry wrote:Looks like Finn may have bowled his way into the test team ahead of Wood.

Was just reading about that and Finn doesn't seem too confident that he's done enough.

Also I was at first confused when I read the scorecard as Pak A being 192-12 and thought those cunning Pakistanis and their slippery ways, they are at it again. Then I read on and saw it was a days worth of batting for each side. Perhaps it's worth a try in a real test - just keep sending batsmen out in the hope that the umps don't notice. They don't pick up on no-balls any more so they'd probably forget seeing the same batsman 2 or 3 times.

Considering England were humiliated last time they played in the UAE in 2011, two two day glorified net sessions is hardly decent preparation.

Perhaps they're just shoring up their excuses for when they get thrashed again. "The schedule did;t allow a better warm up..." etc.

Heehee - probably right.

Finn would do well to be the drinks waiter.

That said Pakistan don't have the demon chucker in their ranks this time around so perhaps it won't be quite as one-sided as last time, althoguh the scoreline may end up the same.

Looks to me, from this distant chair, that Ian Ronald Bell will be opening the batting for England. Holy hell.

Brass Monkey wrote:Looks to me, from this distant chair, that Ian Ronald Bell will be opening the batting for England. Holy hell.

Why didn't they think of this before?

Because he hasn't got the gumption to stick it out.

Brass Monkey wrote:Because he hasn't got the gumption to stick it out.

Lateral thinking Dan. The plan worked well for Trott, Compton, Carberry etc.

True. Plus he's good a cuddles. It's hard to find a good cuddler in this day and age. It's all donkey punches and blumpkin huricanranas.

So it'll be the long awaited I Ron Chef opening partnership?

Looks to me like it was a Cricinfo f*ck up and Bell did actually bat at three with Hales opening.

Sort of a moot little bit of deliberation, anyway - have you noticed the rest of the batting line-up is a sack of shit in these conditions?

Well of course. After talking up positive, aggressive cricket during the Summer, they now seem to have talked themselves into attritional, dour cricket here. Play your natural game? Express yourself? Show off your talent? Nah, now it's "cling on for dear life."

Perhaps one day they'll learn to just see the ball bowled to them, and without any pre-conceived ideas, just play the f*cking thing on its merits.

I'll be shocked if any England batsmen apart from Cook and Root average more than 20. Five of the top seven are rabbits in the headlights.

None of Buttler, Stokes and Bairstow can spin bowling, at all, so that's your possible 5, 6 and 7 out of the equation, which is a big hole in the batting line up. But as you've mentioned, the crabbing is the worst part - I recognise that slow and low also slows the tempo, but it already seems to be attritional. It doesn't bode well.

Buttler is surprising because he really was a success in the Lions tour in Sri Lanka when even Taylor failed. Then again, he is completely out of form.

As for Stokes, I'd not have had him for this tour. A fourth seamer and a player who struggles against spin where he's most likely going to face a staple of Shah and Babar...

Dread. That is all.