3rd Test: India v England at Mohali on Nov 26-30

[hopeforthebest]

i found this quote in the cricinfo preview article to be quite funny considering england's team management issues

Moeen Ali is to be promoted to No. 4 in the batting order and Jonny Bairstow to No. 5. Buttler will bat at No. 7. That means Moeen will have batted at every position in the top nine for England in Test cricket except at No. 3, which is where he bats for Worcestershire.

If you check on Ian Bell's first few years until the arrival of Andy Flower, he played in almost every position including number 3. He was Mr Utility in the same way Moeen is today.

[rich1uk]

i found this quote in the cricinfo preview article to be quite funny considering england's team management issues

Moeen Ali is to be promoted to No. 4 in the batting order and Jonny Bairstow to No. 5. Buttler will bat at No. 7. That means Moeen will have batted at every position in the top nine for England in Test cricket except at No. 3, which is where he bats for Worcestershire.

If you check on Ian Bell's first few years until the arrival of Andy Flower, he played in almost every position including number 3. He was Mr Utility in the same way Moeen is today.

it wasn't so much that they have moved him around, its that he has moved around so much but still never batted in the spot he does for his county

[Gingerfinch]

I'm surprised he bats at three for Worcs. Does he do ok there?

I don't really see him as a top five for England, but he's scoring a few at the moment.

[hopeforthebest]

Bell was the quiet type as Moeen is as well, so easy to take advantage of their malleability.

[Gingerfinch]

Bell was the quiet type as Moeen is as well, so easy to take advantage of their malleability.

New players do tend to get moved about a bit, unless they're an opener, though even then, they're not exempt.

[hopeforthebest]

Bell was the quiet type as Moeen is as well, so easy to take advantage of their malleability.

New players do tend to get moved about a bit, unless they're an opener, though even then, they're not exempt.

There's a point where it's unacceptable and it's reached that point with Moeen Not everything Boycott has to say makes sense but his claim that a player plays better when he has a defined roll in a team makes good sense.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Mo needs sixteen wickets in eight Tests to equal Phil Tufnell.
Seventeen in 27 to equal Ray Illingworth.
Thirty in 17 to equal Phil Edmonds.

Post WWII, only Swann and Laker improve his SR, to have taken 10 wickets. This is for minimum 50 wickets:

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=bowling

Though he is by far the most expensive England spinner to take 50 wickets. He's the most expensive bowler of any sort to take 40 wickets for England (second is Finn), though Rashid is more costly for his 28 wickets.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Bell was the quiet type as Moeen is as well, so easy to take advantage of their malleability.

New players do tend to get moved about a bit, unless they're an opener, though even then, they're not exempt.

Mo was brought in at six. He only moved down because other all rounders were doing better. Having had a decent year he's moved back up the order. This is at least logical. But for his bowling, he would have been dropped as a batter a long time ago.

[Arthur Crabtree]

I remember England having specialist bats at seven a few times in the nineties, when Stewart was keeping and batting higher up the order. Around the time of Ramps, Hick, Hussain, Crawley and Thorpe.

[Durhamfootman]

Is the selection of Buttler a statement of intent from England?

Their intent to take the pitch out of the equation by turning every ball into a full toss, and flogging it out of the ground?

or do they suddenly see Buttler as a man with genuine test match batting technique?

and if so... why didn't they notice it earlier?

[Dr Cricket]

Boom great start so far england win the toss.

[Dr Cricket]

see kohli doesn't see the toss being important.

[Dr Cricket]

Kl rahul injured, Parthiv patel opens the innings and keeps wicket for india.

[hopeforthebest]

It's usually not good news for England if I display too much optimism before a game but I do like the look of their line up, probably as good as they could muster bearing in mind Broad is missing.
Won the toss eh is that good, surely that question is worthy of a three day debate to the exclusion of everything else.

[Dr Cricket]

Some movement and swing for Shami at the moment, but guessing it would only last for 30 mins or hour each morning.