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

He didn't score many though did he? I remember Shanky singing his praises, but no one else.

For what it's worth, my team for last Test is:

Burns
Sibley
Denly
Root
Pope
Stokes
Foakes
Curran
Archer
Leach
Broad

Any potential replacement hasn't played any red ball cricket for weeks so same team I suspect. Possibly Woakes in if Stokes can't bowl.

Is there a reason Pope has not been tried yet?

yeah... he's in form. just scored a double hundred. He won't get his chance until the overseas tour and only then if he manages to fail miserably in his last 3 games

I see the Lions are touring Australia in the new year... four 1 dayers and three 4 dayers. He'll probably go there along with Foakes and Sibley

yuppie wrote:Is there a reason Pope has not been tried yet?

Lengthy injury absence when early season CC was being played.

The Professor wrote:For what it's worth, my team for last Test is:

Burns
Sibley
Denly
Root
Pope
Stokes
Foakes
Curran
Archer
Leach
Broad

Think I'd rather have Woakes back than Curran.

It's a reasonable point that any replacement will not have played fc cricket for a while. But that will have to happen in some cases, though not ideal. I presume Overton hadn't played fc cricket for a time.

Hats aloft to Overton for batting for almost three hours. Five minutes less than Denly and the second longest in the side.

Well, nuts. Well done Australia. Better team won, but in a large part it was a tale of two crap batting orders, with one outstanding star on one side who virtually batted single handedly. Replace Steve Smith with a normal batsman from either side, and there is very little between the two teams (although Cummins has been immense). Losing Anderson didn't help matters either.

As with the series Down Under, it has been the key moments that England have lost. They got Australia 110-8 or thereabouts at Edgbaston. They were in a decent position in the first innings at Old Trafford more than once. They were on top at Lord's. But in each case, Australia have managed to knuckle down and keep them out, in most cases thanks to Smith.

England haven't helped themselves by continuing to pick batsmen who are hopelessly out of form and can't bat like test match batsmen. Whereas Australia were probably the most prepared they'd ever been. They have had players in the county championship and A tours preparing for this. Whereas England haven't been able to call on any replacements, as most haven't played first class cricket since July.

In theory, in could still be a drawn series, but England will have to play better than they have done so far. Winning the toss and putting up a good first innings total wouldn't hurt (Australia have won three of four tosses so far. Doubt it would have made much difference).

England unchanged...

Maybe if they lose there'll be a rethink for the winter.

Unchanged????

Series still in the balance.

If Australia have any sense they'll let the England batsmen shine before allowing the game to peter out into a draw. That way there's a good chance these same players will turn up for another humiliation in 2 years time

Hope we lose

Only way I can see changes happening going forward

I suppose one of the side effects of the test championship is that sides will perhaps not want to risk trying something new in dead rubbers because they are worried about the points. I confess the idea of a test championship excites me not a jot