Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Steve Finn is set to replace Ben Stokes tomorrow. Probably the only change.

Much publicity has focused on the resurgent Chris Woakes' debut Test in his home town. Maybe a drive for ticket sales?

England must be favourites after their huge win in Manchester.

Forgot about the Wednesday start.


You knew where you were with Thursday starts. A bit like when they changed my bin collection day. All too confusing.

Woakes is proving me wrong. Sounds like he's bowling and batting well. Shame that Stokes is out again.

Going in with a pretty weak batting line up with Finn in the side.

Hales, Ballance, Vince and Ali all struggling for runs, and Broad. Finn and Anderson unlikely to trouble the scorers.

Heaps more pressure on Cook and Root to score big runs again.

How often do players perform at their best on their home grounds I wonder. I know Bairstow did at Headingley I think Root may have done once but often they don't shine so brightly. Hype before the game raises expectations and adds pressure. Woakes appears a calm feet on the ground sort but it will be a big test.

So, no Adil Rashid yet.

Cricinfo is suggesting Pakistan will make a change at the top of the order.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Sami Aslam, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz/Sohail Khan, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Rahat Ali

Woakes being from Birmingham is playing in his hometown as much as in his home ground. But of Warks players playing at Headingley, Bell never made a ton there, but averaged over fifty. His best score was 76* in the draw v WI in 2012. Amiss only averaged 38, also with no hundreds. Lara and Trott never passed a ton there.

Is it a thing that no Warks player has made a hundred at Edgbaston. It rings a bell.

Gilo did ok there, with 20 wickets in five Tests, I remember particularly his nine wickets v WI in 2004. But Bob Willis didn't take 5-fer.

Nick Knight scored an ODI ton at Edgbaston.

I thought Dennis Amiss got one there but just checked and he didn't.

86* was his best on the ground.

I don't really get what Finn brings to the side anymore. He's lost his pace, doesn't swing or seam the ball to any real degree and rarely seems to get anything different out of the pitch that the other pace men in the side can't in terms of bounce. England seem desperate to see the Finn of old and hope if they keep picking him it might pop out again.

Playing alot of guys that don't really warrant their position right now; Finn, Ali, Hales, Ballance and Vince. Way too many.

Making_Splinters wrote:I don't really get what Finn brings to the side anymore. He's lost his pace, doesn't swing or seam the ball to any real degree and rarely seems to get anything different out of the pitch that the other pace men in the side can't in terms of bounce. England seem desperate to see the Finn of old and hope if they keep picking him it might pop out again.

I thought he began to bowl much better in the later stages of the second innings at Lords and of course Bairstow dropped the easiest of catches off him in that stint. I really like the man and his congratulations to other bowlers when they take a wicket looks really genuine. I hope he does well he's one of the good guys.

hopeforthebest wrote:

Making_Splinters wrote:I don't really get what Finn brings to the side anymore. He's lost his pace, doesn't swing or seam the ball to any real degree and rarely seems to get anything different out of the pitch that the other pace men in the side can't in terms of bounce. England seem desperate to see the Finn of old and hope if they keep picking him it might pop out again.

I thought he began to bowl much better in the later stages of the second innings at Lords and of course Bairstow dropped the easiest of catches off him in that stint. I really like the man and his congratulations to other bowlers when they take a wicket looks really genuine. I hope he does well he's one of the good guys.

Even bowling better, what does he actually add to the side? He doesn't bring anything different or in fact anything there aren't already players doing better than him in the side already.

And yet, he isn't ineffective. Like any seamer who isn't A&B, he gets second best use of the ball in any instance, yet, since his return last year, he has taken a wicket every 52 balls, a SR much better than Wood, Stokes, Ball and Jordan (so behind only Woakes of the other bowlers). I appreciate that Bayliss is giving him a chance to show whether he either is or isn't an England player.