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[Harry L]

Wouldn't even contemplate Ali batting higher tbh, not good enough to bat that high in tests. Doesn't even have that great a record there in 1st class, remember he was picked as a spinner not a batsman.

Agreed. However, I do think he should be batting higher, even if it was only 1 or 2 places.

[FattusCattus]

I don't like saying it, but this is enough chances for Lyth now- New England cannot go with someone so fallible at the top of the order, a replacement must be found.

I vote Mo up to open in the UAE, or Hales given a series out there to counteract Cooks steadyness.

Still need a proper spinner though?

[tim2000s]

According to the BBC, Bayliss wants Rashid to play tests...


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[FattusCattus]

So why isn't he?  Plenty of murmurs about attitude problems.

A young guy should be giving his eye-teeth to play for England

[tim2000s]

So why isn't he?  Plenty of murmurs about attitude problems.

A young guy should be giving his eye-teeth to play for England

Regarding The England Lions side that Flower had, it wasn't just a murmuring...


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[Alvaro]

You could play one or other of buttler and bairstow, giving:

Cook
Hales
Bell
Root
Bairstow (wk)
Ali
Stokes
Rashid/Ansari
Broad
Wood/Footitt
Finn
Anderson

[Aussie In England]

You could play one or other of buttler and bairstow, giving:

Cook
Hales
Bell
Root
Bairstow (wk)
Ali
Stokes
Rashid/Ansari
Broad
Wood/Footitt
Finn
Anderson

So you're gonna go into a Test series on turning pitches with 4/5 players whom are hapless against spin?

[Nugget97]

Buttlers glove work is far better then bairstows 

[lazza32]

Is taylor in the running?

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[ProCricketer1982]

You either believe in your 'system', ie LVCC or you don't. If you do, you stick with lyth etc due to weight of runs and the fact there is no one else out there anyway. Bairstow, not good enough for int cricket but scoring runs for fun.. Balance, not good enough but scoring runs for fun..

Common theme is the LVCC isn't up to it for whatever reason you want to choose and needs sorting. Hales is not the answer guys, he's a one day player and his 'weight of runs' come from a small few of his LVCC games anyway so he's not consistent and  very technically flawed

[19reading87]

Anybody who is saying Hales to open needs to open their eyes!! He's a front foot bully! 200 at the start of the summer a big ton this week, where has he been the rest of the summer?!

Stick with lyth... About time England gave an opener a decent enough in the team instead of chopping and changing! The last 2 English openers to perform this badly in a 5 test series and early in their career were Gooch and Atherton, they went on to have decent test match careers

[ScottParko]

As was said on Cricket Writers on TV this morning he started the season with Notts then played for England then came back when the counties were getting into 50 overs so he's not really had many 4 day knocks in between.

[smilley792]

He started the county season like a train. But then went to join Mumbai in India for a few weeks.

On his return he was in the England odi squad.

By the time he went back to notts it was

T20-4day-t20-4day-t20-4day-t20-50over-t20-4day etc etc.

He even had a massive rant on Twitter (which the ecb apparently had a quiet word with him regarding) with which he moaned how on earth did anyone expect to get into form with the dodgy schedule of swapping formats constantly.