England v Ireland at Lord's, 24/7.

[backfootpunch]

Ireland bowled out while I watched yesterday's highlights (featuring awful shots from Woakes, Root and Roy). What a sickener for Ireland.

I suppose England deserve some credit for coming back after day one.

I've changed my mind over who is favourites for the Ashes.

I have australia favourites

Just cant see burns, roy, denly or bairstow getting any reasonable volume of runs against hazlewood, cummins and starc

We will be heavily relying on root, stokes and buttler

I wouldnt be surprised if stokes ends up being tried at number 3 sometime in the next 12 months if root continues to refuse to play there

[backfootpunch]

Think itll be 3-2 either way

With a slight edge to australia

[sussexpob]

We will be heavily relying on root, stokes and buttler

I wouldnt be surprised if stokes ends up being tried at number 3 sometime in the next 12 months if root continues to refuse to play there

Stokes is as much part of the problem, as he is a solution. Averaging in the 20s for the last 20 months of test cricket. In fact I never got round to responding to the post about Buttlers luck, but Stokes is a prime example of what happens when the luck runs out. He went through a period where India refused to stump him, balls hit his stumps and didnt dislodge the bail, and he got dropped multiples of times.....

Balls start to remove bails, keepers remember how to stump, fielders remember how to catch..... form disappears.

[alfie]

I don't think Stokes is a serious candidate for three. You'd think England have learned by now that pushing all rounders up the order just because you can doesn't often work. Messing him about in the order seems to have wrecked Moeen's batting and threatens to do the same to Bairstow. Leave players (including Root !) in the spots in which they are comfortable - and successful. Fill the question mark spots with players that are suited to them.

Of course that involve finding players that fit that bill Good luck , Ed Smith...

[backfootpunch]

We will be heavily relying on root, stokes and buttler

I wouldnt be surprised if stokes ends up being tried at number 3 sometime in the next 12 months if root continues to refuse to play there

Stokes is as much part of the problem, as he is a solution. Averaging in the 20s for the last 20 months of test cricket. In fact I never got round to responding to the post about Buttlers luck, but Stokes is a prime example of what happens when the luck runs out. He went through a period where India refused to stump him, balls hit his stumps and didnt dislodge the bail, and he got dropped multiples of times.....

Balls start to remove bails, keepers remember how to stump, fielders remember how to catch..... form disappears.

Stokes has looked woefully out of form with the bat in all forms since he knocked that bloke out

He looked to have rediscovered his form in the world cup

I expect him to have a huge series

[Durhamfootman]

oh crikey! 38ao

so much for setting the spin twins at them.... they didn't last long enough to get away from the opening bowlers

[Arthur Crabtree]

Less than 16 overs. A record?

[sussexpob]

Less than 16 overs. A record?

2nd shortest.....South Africa's 30 in 1924 was 12.3....

[Arthur Crabtree]

Cheers. There was only one down after seven...

[sussexpob]

Seen root complaining about the pitch. Load of sh*the that, cant blame a pitch for being substandard when an number 11 scores 92. The batting was substandard, undeniably...

[Arthur Crabtree]

So for the Ashes, it's Roy/Burns/Denly/Root/Bairstow/Stokes/Buttler/Moeen/Archer/Broad/Anderson

Also in the frame: Leach, Stone, Woakes, Curran, Gregory. Given there are fitness issues around Archer and Anderson.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Sibley and Foakes will be mentioned.

[Alviro Patterson]

Since the start of 2018, hes averaging about 25.

Simply not acceptable really. Got a lot to say to his critics, but he should really concentrate on shutting up, and putting up. The competition for his place (keeper batsman) have the two best averages in the same time (41 both for Foakes/Buttler) and the most runs per innings played.

I think he has to go.

Indeed, Bairstow is needed at Yorkshire for the T20 Blast once Pooran returns to the West Indies next week

[The Professor]

A batting summary:

Moeen - Looks like his batting has forsaken him as well as his bowling.

Woakes - Coming into Edgbaston off the back of two failures here.

Buttler and Stokes - haven't played red ball cricket since March....haven't played red ball cricket in England for nearly 10 months.

Root and Bairstow - look woefully out of form in red ball

[mikesiva]

"I don't like saying this but the wicket was substandard for a Test match," Root said. "I thought it wasn't… not even close to a fair contest between bat and ball throughout the whole game."

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id ... nt-ireland

Substandard, like Antigua's? Will the Lord's pitch be subjected to the same level of investigation and sanction as the Antigua pitch was? Will this Lord's pitch be deemed to be "below average", and potentially receive a demerit point?

https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/1052170