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The Ashes

CREDYGRECIAN

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What do you reckon ?

Very difficult unless Stokes plays.

I reckon 3-1 Australia.

Starting 11 ? If everyone is available.

Cook
Stoneman
Vince or Ballance (neither good enough)
Root
Malan
Stokes
Bairstow
Ali
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Take Stokes out and that middle order will be Root & Bairstow apart weak
 

Antony Moxey

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Do you count Ali in there Creds? I wouldn’t say he’s weak, either with bat or ball. Think we can write Stokes off from this tour too unfortunately.
 

CREDYGRECIAN

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No Ali is very very good all-round player now.

I'd personally bat him and Bairstow higher - Bairstow is a proper bat and could easily bat 5-6 but England won't.

Who bats at 3 is the interesting one - it should be Root he's our best bat but it will probably be Ballance who's turning into the modern day Hick or Ramprakash.
 

CREDYGRECIAN

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This would be stronger IMO

Cook
Stoneman
Root
Bairstow (not keeping)
Stokes
Ali
Foakes
Woakes
Overton
Broad
Anderson

More bowling options and Overton can bat (as I'm fully aware) having bowled at him a few times ��
 

Alistair20000

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The top order looks very fragile and it is tough to win down there even with a very good unit.

None of Vince, Ballance or Malan should bat at 3. It should be Root but don't the stats say he gets more runs at 4 ? Ballance should bat at 5 if selected.

I don't have any positive vibes for this series.

As regards Moeen Ali, he seems to like batting at 8 and gets plenty of runs there. Best not to change that perhaps.
 
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CREDYGRECIAN

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Hopefully Woakes will return to his pre injury form and bowl at the pace he was before.

Big series for Anderson , fair chance his last away in a Ashes series , such a canny bowler
 

Jason H

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Sadly the chances of Stokes being in there are very remote. Hales not being selected (clearly due to his role in the Stokes incident - but Hales was more "disposable") is a blow meaning we go back to the tried and untrusted.

Without Stokes I'd agree about pushing Bairstow up the order and bringing in Foakes. I'd have no issue personally with Malan batting at 3, after all it's where he has generally batted for Middx. Massive shame too about TRJ's injury, he'd have done very well on the pitches in Australia. If only Sam Robson hadn't gone so off the boil in the second half of the season, he too would have scored heavily in his "home" country.

Something like:

Cook
Stoneman
Malan
Root
Bairstow
Ali
Foakes
Woakes
Overton
Broad
Anderson
 

spanky

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I wouldn't be so sure about Stokes not making it. I'm led to believe that he's likely to be there at some point (with a new sponsor ;) ).

Hales didn't want to be picked for either red or white ball. There's more dough to be made in being a 20/20 mercenary.

As an aside, and I'm a bit biased, but don't underestimate Vince. The extra bounce and carry should suit him. My dark horse for the tour.
 

Alistair20000

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I hope you are right about James Vince Spankers.

I have watched him a lot and he gets out softly far too often by either slapping the ball to cover or nicking off. Not convinced extra bounce and carry will help him overcome these weaknesses.
 

RedPaul

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Finn crocked - again

TC called up. Good luck lad, a meteoric rise.
 
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