Seen Giles, Bayliss, Smith and Root in discussion. Root looking the most stressed. Is he choosing the team?
Last XI picked, he said it was a gut feeling which must mean Bayliss is happy to let him select. When Flower was in charge you felt he picked the team and Cook was happy with that. Cook didn't got to selection meetings.
Smith hasn't selected players for particular places in the batting order just players to be fitted in wherever.
Pope who bats at 5 for Surrey batted 4 for England while Root was 3
Stokes has batted from no. 3 to 11. He best average is at no 6.
Bairstow is learning the no 3 position but looks most comfortable at 7.
Ali has batted from no 1 to 9.
No one feels settled. I have a feeling that Roy will be the next to be playing at 3 or opening instead of the middle order. As much as it is hard to tell who will be batting for Australia, it's hard to name a XI for the Ashes.
You would expect the XI to be roughly the same for last summer but only 5, Cook, Root, Buttler, Broad and Anderson played all 7 Tests. Bess played 2 Tests. Where was Ali, Rashid, Leach?