England squad for Pakistan series

[SaintPowelly]

Poor Scott Borthwick gets overlooked. Scored twice the runs than Samit in the CC and has a superior test average with the ball.

A little part of me had hope for Liam Dawson, then I remember he plays for Hants

[SaintPowelly]

Dawson has scored 864 @ 37.56 and taken 25 wickets @ 34.64

Not groundbreaking stats but considering the form he has been in for the last 2 months or so, a better shout than Patel

[ianp1970]

Neither likely to play unless there's a late injury. Would be interesting to see who was whistled up if Moeen or Rashid was ruled out after the start of the tour.

[Arthur Crabtree]

James Vince played for England this season! Briefly.

You'd think any talented spinner around at the moment would merit a mention at the selectors meeting. Picking Samit Patel for his spin feels a bit disappointing.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Neither likely to play unless there's a late injury. Would be interesting to see who was whistled up if Moeen or Rashid was ruled out after the start of the tour.

My three spinner strategy has just been ruled out, even from speculation.

[Aidan11]

Samit must think he's won the lottery.

[Making_Splinters]

Don't really get the degree of suprise over Samit's selection. England are clearly looking for a spinner who can bat anywhere between 6 and 8 while very much being the second spinner in the side and a squad player.

Some - mainly Hamphshire fans - seems to be suggesting Dawson should have had a shout, I guess they are forgetting that a struggling first divison side farmed him out to Essex this season!

Samit has international experiance and come with a reputation of playing spin well, hard to think of a better like for like replacement really.

[SaintPowelly]

Some - mainly Hamphshire fans - seems to be suggesting Dawson should have had a shout, I guess they are forgetting that a struggling first divison side farmed him out to Essex this season!

He's in the form of his life, Patel averages 24 with the bat this year

[Arthur Crabtree]

England hardly need another batter. The have top six players operating down to number eight in the side, plus they called up Taylor. If Rashid got injured/hit out of the attack, Patel would be batting at nine and be a key bowler.

[hopeforthebest]

Isn't the Notts coach a selector, maybe he knows Patel better than those on CMS.

[SaintPowelly]

If the England team isn't selected on form, what is it based on?

Patel hasn't been in form with bat or ball all year

[Arthur Crabtree]

He's done ok as a support bowler in the CC.

[hopeforthebest]

He's done ok as a support bowler in the CC.

That's an important point as both Moeen and Rashid are not known as bowlers to stifle the run run rate whilst the quicks operate at the other end.England are taking a host of pace bowlers and seem likely to favour playing three of them with two spinners. A player who can bat and bowl spin economically is another option.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Fair enough. England could do with a stock spinner who could bowl a lot of overs. But I see Samit as someone who might chip in with 6 or 7 overs in the day. My guess is that England are going hoping pace will do the job, maybe remembering that Broad did well there last time, but glossing over Monty and Swann being so effective.

[sussexpob]

Picking Samit Patel is to forget the disaster of Ahmedabad in our last tour of India, when he was called to bowl many overs on a dead Asian wicket, India racked up the runs because he literally posed no threat whatsoever. By the time the fight back came at the end of the series, Flower had realised that trying to manufacture a second spin option was a miscalculation and he was dumped. I don't think he bowled more than one over in the Mumbai game.

I also am amused at the suggestion that he plays spin really well. Its like those 5 tests he played in Asia never happened, inside which he was utterly clueless against spinners on wickets that turned a bit (and a emphasis a bit, only Mumbai really turned a lot by memory). The only time in those 5 matches I remember him being out to anything then a spinner, was when Yadav first ball yorked him onto his toe.

So, we pick a player who isn't a county level bowler by any means, who's credentials against spin bowling in Asia are poor, who is out of form, and who is probably if he plays asked to back up another part time spinner who's initial surprising step up is now on the wane.