There may be troubles ahead: England selection issues.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Vardi for the spinner's job then?

Bess seems to have faded away.

Don't know if Rashid is still in the frame.

Dawson maybe.

[Slipstream]

Mail

'It could be Jack Leach will be England's sole specialist spinner in New Zealand and South Africa, with Joe Root and Joe Denly offering support, but he will need reinforcements in Sri Lanka'.

When we tour there is always a reserve spinner.

Last time...
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... ype=series

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/179 ... nz-2017-18
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/179 ... nz-2017-18

[ianp1970]

England squad for two Tests in New Zealand: Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain, Jofra Archer (Sussex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Jack Leach (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

England squad for five Twenty20s in New Zealand: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) captain, Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Sam Billings (Kent), Pat Brown (Worcestershire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), James Vince (Hampshire).

[alfie]

So what to make of all that ? Since he's just been given a full all formats contract - one of six players only - it seems clear they don't want to ditch Bairstow. So is this just a rest ? If so , why pick him for the t20...

My theory : Ed Smith remains desperate to have Buttler in the XI (potential captain ?) and since he apparently cannot hold down a spot as a top six bat (he keeps being shuffled down the order , shielded (ironically) by Bairstow , the man whose place as keeper he has now taken ; the only place for him - if they wish to trial Pope - is seven , as keeper. People call for Foakes , but I can't see Foakes batting at five or six allowing Jos to stay after him...can you ?

How well this works we will see. TBH , the more important development is that Root is now (too late for the Ashes !) going back to four. If Sibley comes off that might just work...Burns Sibley Denly Root. Stokes. Pope. Wk + bowlers.

NZ will be a real Test. In their conditions their attack will be as good as Australia's ...England will need to bat better to compete.

Heaven knows what they will come up with for SA...

[Arthur Crabtree]

Buttler was a controversial pick because he doesn't play any fc cricket at all. I think Smith doesn't want to concede he was wrong. Perhaps usefully for Smith, Rashid (much more experienced in fc cricket but with no desire for it), got injured so it wasn't so obvious the punt failed.

Glad to see a few new bats get a chance.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Five T20s! Why?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Should have a second keeper on that NZ Test tour. A last minute injury could easily happen.

[westoelad]

Five T20s! Why?

Because there's a World IT20 in 12 months time.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I know that's the justification. But it's still excessive. The fragility of the format won't hold all that content. No one will care after the second game. Particularly with a B squad.

[ianp1970]

Five T20s! Why?

The only time it can really be justified imo. The World T20 is October 2020,so this is when sides need to be trying out players/formations/tactics etc.

The next World Cup is 4 years hence, so no need for many bilateral ODI series.

[ianp1970]

So what to make of all that ? Since he's just been given a full all formats contract - one of six players only - it seems clear they don't want to ditch Bairstow. So is this just a rest ? If so , why pick him for the t20...

Same reason, he is in the T20 plans and is not in the test squad - so will get a rest then.

[Durhamfootman]

Five T20s! Why?

The only time it can really be justified imo. The World T20 is October 2020,so this is when sides need to be trying out players/formations/tactics etc.

The next World Cup is 4 years hence, so no need for many bilateral ODI series.

[sussexpob]

So what to make of all that ? Since he's just been given a full all formats contract - one of six players only - it seems clear they don't want to ditch Bairstow. So is this just a rest ? If so , why pick him for the t20...

I wouldnt agree that its clear at all. If they were really sold on him, he'd be going to New Zealand for the tests and with defined role as a batsman or keeper below his belt for the summer. If anything, Bairstow is the most indicative example of a selector panel and team management that seem incapable of making any ruthless or long term decisions. There is no excuse in Bairstow's case; hes 70 test caps in and 30 tomorrow. The coaching staff should know his game inside out, he is at a stage where in 9 years in the team he hasnt improved dramatically, and hes not going to now. He's at his expected peak but his performance is lowering. In short, if the coaching staff cant make a certain decision on a player with all the information they have on Jonny then its very worrying. Same with Buttler.

What these decisions say to me is they are neither certain that Buttler or Bairstow are the answer, and that we might see them rotate in that keeper role for a while until one of them wins the spot, or probably more certainly, until each keep losing it and the selectors continue not to have the balls to trigger them.

Same goes for people like Burns; how can you give a player who averages under 30 in 12 consecutive tests a guaranteed contract for the next year? Seriously, if he makes single figures twice in the next test, does he make it to another? Same with Denly. But why give Denly no deal when his performance average is identical? Why not give Leach, the sole remaining test spin option and averaging about 25 a wicket (and with two match winning batting efforts recently)? Makes no sense to me. They have given more bowlers than they can stuff into a team contracts too.

[sussexpob]

The main criminality in all this is the coach situation. Giles said this week that they would consider an interim coach for NZ series. Can these idiots not even make a decision on a coach and have to defer that too? I mean, its not like Bayliss just suddenly said after the 5th test, "yep guys, sorry but I am done".... he only gave what, best part of two years notice? Why on god's green Earth has a coach not been found in the meantime?

Obviously it means the new coach is going to be somewhat hampered with contracts that were made without him. Whoever goes to NZ has had no input in their squad for the series, and cant shape the way he wants to play.

Everywhere you look, it seems people are incapable of strong decisions; even the resting players or going for new blood seems to have not translated to a clear plan.... are we going to get the new guys holding water bottles and the seniors out in the middle, or are we going to force a tired group of players through a tour half way across the world just to watch?

[Slipstream]

Strange to give Bairstow a central contract and three days later tell him he is dropped from the Test team.

Strange decision - 2017 Morgan gets a central contract. 0 Tests. Following year he doesn't get one.
2018 - Rashid who wasn't playing red ball cricket gets one. Plays 4 Tests.
2019 - No spinner gets a contract. Don't they think Leach is the one? He has played 9 Tests. Sam Curran had played 5 Tests and then got a central contract.

Also read that Anderson and Wood will go on an overseas bowling camp to be fit for SA. Surely they would be better off playing first class cricket in Aus/NZ for a few months.