England test squad for the UAE

Henry wrote:The rumour is that Hales (FFS) will be in the squad, along with Ansar and Jimmy T. No room for Gary Ballance.

Ansari has opened the batting for Surrey all season with decent success. Could he do it for England in the UAE?

Zafar Ansari? Shit, why not? The man can do anything.

Zafar 'He's got something about him' Ansari makes the squad. Hales does as well.

Test squad: Alastair Cook (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Zafar Ansari, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Mark Wood.

Meh.

Leaving aside the fact that Roy (increasingly) looks more the part than Hales in all formats - he accumulated 60-odd vs Jimmy & Co today, wasn't just biffing - what do people think is the plan re: Cook's opening partner?

Hales pencilled in, with Ansari as an understudy / injury replacement?

Or up for grabs, depending on nets and any warm-ups?

Henry wrote:Apparently Trevor Bayliss has "spoken" to Nick Compton in the last couple of days. Whether that's any indication of England's plans is unclear.

Dello seems to have called it.

Wasn't expecting to be whelmed, yet still underwhelmed.

He might do all right on flat, slow, bounce-less pitches in the UAE, but Alex Hales is no more a Test batsman than Adam Lyth was. I half expect Moeen will open out there temporarily and England will have another rethink before the SA tour.

Wee Jimmy Taylor is the kind of scruffy, nudge-y f*cker who could do a decent job in subcontinental (UAE, anyway) conditions. I'd far rather see him coming in at five than Jonny Bairstow.

Zafir Ansari? As a SLA, at least that means Simon "stage fright" Kerrigan is still off the radar. So that's a positive. But if they wanted a steady top order batsman who can bowl a bit of spin, why not get Scott Borthwick back into the set up? He scores 1000 runs every season, batting number three on the greenest track in England. And he's got some international experience.

Whatever. My guess at the likely XI is:

Cook *
Ali
Bell
Root
Taylor
Stokes
Buttler +
Rashid
Broad
Wood
Anderson

Which looks like too many seamers, actually. Then again, IIRC, last time England were out in the UAE, it was Stuart Broad who was the standout bowler in a series England bowled well enough to win 3-0, yet batted abjectly enough to lose 3-0.

PeterCS wrote:

Henry wrote:Apparently Trevor Bayliss has "spoken" to Nick Compton in the last couple of days. Whether that's any indication of England's plans is unclear.

Dello seems to have called it.

Did I?

Hales and Bairstow shouldn't be playing Test Cricket. Neither player is without talent, but (and this was true of Lyth, too), their techniques are too loose to be playing regularly. They both swish at the ball. They're never sure whether to go back or forwards. That's what I found impressive about Taylor in the ODIs, he looked certain in his method and he was very determined to score runs. He's less talented than some players, but he has good mental attributes, and his method against genuine pace seemed okay. With South Africa on the horizon after this, the likes of Ballance, Hales and Bairstow look shaky against decent pace. I've never seen Hales play a short ball convincingly. That said. Moeen is not a Test opener, in my opinion.

Dello wrote:Wasn't expecting to be whelmed, yet still underwhelmed.

He might do all right on flat, slow, bounce-less pitches in the UAE, but Alex Hales is no more a Test batsman than Adam Lyth was. I half expect Moeen will open out there temporarily and England will have another rethink before the SA tour.

Wee Jimmy Taylor is the kind of scruffy, nudge-y f*cker who could do a decent job in subcontinental (UAE, anyway) conditions. I'd far rather see him coming in at five than Jonny Bairstow.

Zafir Ansari? As a SLA, at least that means Simon "stage fright" Kerrigan is still off the radar. So that's a positive. But if they wanted a steady top order batsman who can bowl a bit of spin, why not get Scott Borthwick back into the set up? He scores 1000 runs every season, batting number three on the greenest track in England. And he's got some international experience.

Whatever. My guess at the likely XI is:

Cook *
Ali
Bell
Root
Taylor
Stokes
Buttler +
Rashid
Broad
Wood
Anderson

Which looks like too many seamers, actually. Then again, IIRC, last time England were out in the UAE, it was Stuart Broad who was the standout bowler in a series England bowled well enough to win 3-0, yet batted abjectly enough to lose 3-0.

Why would they select Hales AND Ansari in the squad and then promote Mo to open?

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:

Henry wrote:Apparently Trevor Bayliss has "spoken" to Nick Compton in the last couple of days. Whether that's any indication of England's plans is unclear.

Dello seems to have called it.

Did I?

You ruddy well did. "Wrong number". Decoded: false alarm from Trev.

PeterCS wrote:

Why would they select Hales AND Ansari in the squad and then promote Mo to open?

Because they don't have a clear idea of what their best XI is at this stage. Hales could be viewed as a back up opener, while Ansari, with a FC average of 31, might not be under serious consideration as a batting option, merely a third spinner for the squad.

PeterCS wrote:

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:

Henry wrote:Apparently Trevor Bayliss has "spoken" to Nick Compton in the last couple of days. Whether that's any indication of England's plans is unclear.

Dello seems to have called it.

Did I?

You ruddy well did. "Wrong number". Decoded: false alarm from Trev.

Erm...

lardbucket wrote:"Sorry Nick - wrong number".

To be fair, me and lardbucket do both look a lot like Chris Jordan.

haaaaaa

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:

Why would they select Hales AND Ansari in the squad and then promote Mo to open?

Because they don't have a clear idea of what their best XI is at this stage. Hales could be viewed as a back up opener, while Ansari, with a FC average of 31, might not be under serious consideration as a batting option, merely a third spinner for the squad.  

I sincerely hope you have to do more than 650 runs @ 33 with an exceptionally mundane S/R of 36 to push your way into the prime batting position for England. I really do. He's got a bit more grace than Alastair Cook, with a similarly limited shot selection. He's young, so he has time to expand his game, but he underwhelms whenever I see him. His chucking bowling was always going to be a facet that made him 'selectable' for a squad place, but come on... His game is pretty nowhere in either discipline when it comes to playing internationally.

I remember the good old days when there was a certain excitement about the announcement of the toiur squad as there always used to be at least one left-field choice.

Ashley Cowan anyone?

Ansari went to hospital having knackered the thumb on his bowling hand in the field today.

Major doubt for the tour already.

unlucky - another chance for Kerrigan?

That would be unlucky. For us.

Oh well. There's always James Tredwell

Gareth Batty, then? Is Dean Cosker still available?

More seriously - I like your suggestion of Borthwick.

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:

Henry wrote:Apparently Trevor Bayliss has "spoken" to Nick Compton in the last couple of days. Whether that's any indication of England's plans is unclear.

Dello seems to have called it.

Did I?

You ruddy well did. "Wrong number". Decoded: false alarm from Trev.

Erm...

lardbucket wrote:"Sorry Nick - wrong number".

To be fair, me and lardbucket do both look a lot like Chris Jordan.

Bugger, it must have been the Belf got me confused with the double thumbs.

Oh well, anyone can make a few mistakes.

lardbucket wrote:unlucky - another chance for Kerrigan?

Parry's moved up the pecking order, it seems.

I think Ballance will still end up a 60+ test player...the bloke has guts and application and will work at his deficiencies and come back a stronger player

This Ansari fellow is the second coming of CN Fry or what? May be he can solve the problem of race relations in South Africa and poverty in India when next he tours. I'd ask him to fix Bucky's flying 'copters also but that could be an insurmountable challenge.

"CB Fry".

At least you didn't call him Arsari.