Custom Bats Cricket Forum

General Cricket => World Cricket => England => Topic started by: FattusCattus on December 11, 2018, 02:29:57 PM

Title: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: FattusCattus on December 11, 2018, 02:29:57 PM
Seeing as the Windies squad is now announced, let's have a little fun and conhjecture with our best possible potential 'A' team (or 'Lions' if we must!)

The scenario is that everyone is fit, and we are off to play tests in New Zealand. what would your starting XI be - this'll get the ball rolling?

Gubbins
Stoneman
Roy
Malan
Clarke *
Pope +
An All-rounder (but who?)
J Overton
C Overton
Bess
Wood
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Buzz on December 11, 2018, 02:32:59 PM
Archer can be your allrounder Brucie
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: edge on December 11, 2018, 02:50:11 PM
Good topic Fattus! With everyone fit and Archer currently unavailable, I will go with the following. Lots of young promise and a couple of experienced heads, no genuine all-rounder but with reasonable seam and spin backup both available from the batsmen. Contrasting styles of batsmen throughout, three quite different seamers and Bess. Would possibly like some more left-handers, but what can you do. Otherwise I quite like this side!

1 Rhodes
2 Roy
3 Livingstone
4 Hildreth
5 Clarke
6 Pope
7 Billings
8 Bess
9 Roland-Jones
10 J Overton
11 Porter
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Manormanic on December 11, 2018, 03:27:29 PM
Ooh, interesting. I'll probably change this five times but, on the basis of trying to win the series and playing Kiwi conditions I would go...

Roy
Vince
Malan
Joe Clarke
Livingstone
Pope
Patel
Jordan Clark
J Overton
Roland-Jones
Coad

If asked to look only at players with a test future, Patel would be replaced by Amar Virdi and Clark by Will Rhodes.


Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: stevat on December 11, 2018, 10:59:19 PM
Ooh, interesting. I'll probably change this five times but, on the basis of trying to win the series and playing Kiwi conditions I would go...

Roy
Vince
Malan
Joe Clarke
Livingstone
Pope
Patel
Jordan Clark
J Overton
Roland-Jones
Coad

If asked to look only at players with a test future, Patel would be replaced by Amar Virdi and Clark by Will Rhodes.

Coad would be dangerous in New Zealand, always liked Gleeson as a bowler, and think you'd be hard pressed to ignore Bailey from Lancs given the year he had last season.  In fact when you think of their side without Buttler and Anderson it's very strong for Div 1, nevermind Div 2 with that attack (Onions, Anderson, Bailey, Gleeson) and Joe Burns and Glenn Maxwell as overseas too.

Hard to disagree with most of your selections there, would probably try and fit TKC in there as well.
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Manormanic on December 12, 2018, 06:04:59 AM
TKC...even the most one-eyed Yorkshire fan would accept that he is not quite at the Test level just yet, though he had a really encouraging second half of the 2018 season in First Class cricket.  Lad had immense potential mind.

As for Lancashire - they did indeed have a superb attack last season.  Only problem was their batting feel apart at the slightest pressure, which is odd given the calibre of players like Hameed, Davies, Livingstone, Chanderpaul, Vilas etc.
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: FattusCattus on January 31, 2019, 09:45:34 AM
Duckett surprisingly left out of this list, England A currenly in a proper bum-squeaky finish in India, and Ben is the unlikely hero (at the moment)
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: mattw on January 31, 2019, 10:00:43 AM
Josh Tongue of Worcs deserves some recognition. Only 21 years old with 91 wickets @ 25's


Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: FattusCattus on January 31, 2019, 10:10:16 AM
And it turns out - he is a hero!!!

well done Ben
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Bats_Entertainment on January 31, 2019, 10:33:00 AM
Not that unlikely a hero! Another good player whose confidence was dented by playing for England before he was really ready?
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: FattusCattus on January 31, 2019, 10:49:05 AM
Also seems to be batting 4 rather than opening these days.
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: alexhilly1492 on January 31, 2019, 11:00:20 AM
Davies
Gubbins
Madsen (age maybe an issue, unlucky to be at derby selection wise too i reckon but a damn good player)
Clarke
Livingstone
pope
billings
Overton, C
Bess
Overton, J
Porter

theres loads to pick from though like roy, coad, duckett, matt carter, steve mullaney, Hain, pope, malan etc

theres a wealth of talent that really should be pushing the current test lineup for there spots, whether thats lions runs or county runs etc!
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: alexhilly1492 on January 31, 2019, 11:01:22 AM
Also seems to be batting 4 rather than opening these days.

he's at 4 for notts too, may not be the best move if he wants to play test cricket again though

*cough* Root *Cough*
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Mister Le Chiffre on January 31, 2019, 12:03:07 PM
Don't see why Roy is being mentioned as a test player. Plays at the oval, general consensus a flat track, averages a rather lacklustre 38. Stick to white ball cricket and leave the proper stuff to proper batsmen.

As for Duckett he had his chance and he was hopelessly out of his depth. Until he sorts his fitness out he shouldn't even be mentioned
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: mattw on January 31, 2019, 12:11:06 PM
Don't see why Roy is being mentioned as a test player. Plays at the oval, general consensus a flat track, averages a rather lacklustre 38. Stick to white ball cricket and leave the proper stuff to proper batsmen.

As for Duckett he had his chance and he was hopelessly out of his depth. Until he sorts his fitness out he shouldn't even be mentioned

There aren't many proper batsmen left!
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: SD on January 31, 2019, 12:20:11 PM
Don't see why Roy is being mentioned as a test player. Plays at the oval, general consensus a flat track, averages a rather lacklustre 38. Stick to white ball cricket and leave the proper stuff to proper batsmen.

As for Duckett he had his chance and he was hopelessly out of his depth. Until he sorts his fitness out he shouldn't even be mentioned

Because his FC isn't any worse than a lot of guys who have  been given a go already, and he has proven his ability to score runs against international bowling attacks.  I think we are at the stage of having to accept that the pool is quite shallow right now when it comes to opening batsmen
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Buzz on January 31, 2019, 12:22:30 PM
I think it is unfair for Roy not to be considered as a test player, but talk of him being a test opener is a different question. He has hardly opened in red ball cricket and a 60vs Leicester an opener doesn't make. Also the team is stuffed with middle order hitters so it would be tough for him to break in.

Watch out for Zac Crawley and Zac Chappell one an opening bat and the other an opening bowler. They are my tips for the next generation.
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Mister Le Chiffre on January 31, 2019, 12:23:49 PM
Because his FC isn't any worse than a lot of guys who have  been given a go already, and he has proven his ability to score runs against international bowling attacks.  I think we are at the stage of having to accept that the pool is quite shallow right now when it comes to opening batsmen
I'll throw a few non English white ball biffers whom have been hopelessly exposed trying to pretend to be Test cricketers. Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill even our own Alex Hales. The skills needed in tests are vastly different to biffing on flat pitches.
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Mister Le Chiffre on January 31, 2019, 12:25:31 PM
There aren't many proper batsmen left!
Mores the pity :(
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: SD on January 31, 2019, 01:01:04 PM
I'll throw a few non English white ball biffers whom have been hopelessly exposed trying to pretend to be Test cricketers. Rohit Sharma, Martin Guptill even our own Alex Hales. The skills needed in tests are vastly different to biffing on flat pitches.
Rohit averages 39.6 at test level, not a world better by any means, but hardly hopelessly exposed.

I don't doubt that Roy wouldn't be my first choice, but one has to face up to the reality that since Strauss retired, the only person who looked remotely capable of replacing him alongside Cook is Hameed.  Plenty have tired and failed to make the step up to international level.
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: Calzehbhoy on January 31, 2019, 01:44:25 PM
I think it is unfair for Roy not to be considered as a test player, but talk of him being a test opener is a different question. He has hardly opened in red ball cricket and a 60vs Leicester an opener doesn't make. Also the team is stuffed with middle order hitters so it would be tough for him to break in.

Watch out for Zac Crawley and Zac Chappell one an opening bat and the other an opening bowler. They are my tips for the next generation.

Zac Chappell played against our 1's last year, 2 divisions below ECB Prem and was by all accounts very sharp but only took a couple of wickets as he was just trying to knock peoples heads off for some reason! Never understood people playing that far below their level!
Title: Re: Strongest England 'A' Team right now
Post by: six and out on January 31, 2019, 01:45:03 PM
Also i think what doesn't help the Lions is that they don't play enough 'unofficial tests', they just play loads of white ball. it can't help their development for the longer format.

In the UAE vs Pakistan it was 1 Test, 5 ODI's and 2 T20's
In India currently it is 5 ODI's and 2 Tests