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[FattusCattus]

I think Bresnan may have disappeared.

woakes to do well in NZ?  Lack of pace against movement and ability to bat at no8

May be time for Trem yet - although push swann to 8 and you are looking at Meaker, Trem, Harris, roland-Jones, and a few young others.

[Bruce]

Bell never left my selection! He a MUST in the England team for the next 5 years, regardless of form

Agree Reds, technique is like class.
Lasts forever!

[SOULMAN1012]

Cook
Root
Trott
Pieterson
Bell
Prior
Woakes
Swann
Anderson
Tremlet
Panasar

I have gone for the more bowlers option. I do not believe Australia can bowl us out twice to win a test match. Broad will come back in for me but only if he can get that pace back up to very high 80's in NZ. Tremlet scared all the Aus batsmen last time, swann and panasar are both bowling excellent cricket at present and apart from Clarke no Aussie is great against spin and Anderson is world class, woakes is new and worth a go

[thedevil]

Cook
Compton
Trott
Pieterson
Bell
Root
Prior
Broad
Swann
Anderson
Finn

That's my prefered 11 and one that I think could be more than possible. Although the selectors seem to want to put Bresnan in, thinking that he could add runs but lets be honest the top 7 that we have should be getting enough to not worry about that

[aussiejake]

Some new names in your projected English team since the last time we played you.

Might have to look into players such as Root, Bairstow, Meaker and Compton and read up on them.

[ProCricketer1982]

Agree Reds, technique is like class.
Lasts forever!

Technique isn't everything though and I think people get very fixated on it 'looking' right. At the end of the day it's about runs, and runs consistently not just a series of rubbish and one big one against the 'weak' teams.

This translates to lower level stuff too, the amount of times I hear people lord and build up player x just because they 'look' good.. yet there are usually far better players around who score more runs but just 'look' worse.. At the end of the day it's runs that count. 'We' need an england batsmen to be able to actually score consistently against the top sides, not just the rubbish at the bottom.

[Bruce]

We will have to agree to disagree.
A solid technique will help with defence and picking gaps.
The Aussies may not be the best Aussie team ever, but you certainly can't underestimate them.
 

[fros23]

Technique isn't everything though and I think people get very fixated on it 'looking' right. At the end of the day it's about runs, and runs consistently not just a series of rubbish and one big one against the 'weak' teams.

This translates to lower level stuff too, the amount of times I hear people lord and build up player x just because they 'look' good.. yet there are usually far better players around who score more runs but just 'look' worse.. At the end of the day it's runs that count. 'We' need an england batsmen to be able to actually score consistently against the top sides, not just the rubbish at the bottom.

But the Aussies are rubbish. 

[ProCricketer1982]

I didn't say you didn't have to have technique, but just keeping a player in because 'they look class' isn't good enough. But yeah let's agree to disagree over Mr Bell.

I'm not underestimating them, I reckon if they manage to put a run together and have their 'best' 11 on the field and firing we are in for one hell of a 5 test series.

[fros23]

Potentially very good bowling attack + Lyon but I'm not concerned about their batting at all

[19reading87]

I'm sorry but anybody who doesn't think Ian Bell should be in the test team in 6 months time has very little knowledge of cricket! We need our strongest possible team against Australia, with a 3,4,5 of Trott, KP and Bell! A strong middle order is key! You can not put Taylor or Bairstow in there for such a challenge! We will be going into it with compton and Root lacking full experience but with just the beginnings of a test career! I agree Taylor etc are a huge Talent but for me experience wins over promising Talent in such an important series.

[ProCricketer1982]

I'm sorry but anybody who doesn't think Ian Bell should be in the test team in 6 months time has very little knowledge of cricket! We need our strongest possible team against Australia, with a 3,4,5 of Trott, KP and Bell! A strong middle order is key! You can not put Taylor or Bairstow in there for such a challenge! We will be going into it with compton and Root lacking full experience but with just the beginnings of a test career! I agree Taylor etc are a huge Talent but for me experience wins over promising Talent in such an important series.

Or maybe just has a different opinion to you. Not sure it's fair you coming out and saying 'you don't know what your talking about'

[alba caerulea]

Or maybe just has a different opinion to you. Not sure it's fair you coming out and saying 'you don't know what your talking about'

Well he's right to be fair. Ian Bell has a higher Test average than Damien Martyn who batted at 5 or 6 in the best cricket team I have ever seen

To drop him now would be a very stupid decision and not one that is realistically crossing the minds of the selectors

[ProCricketer1982]

Well he's right to be fair. Ian Bell has a higher Test average than Damien Martyn who batted at 5 or 6 in the best cricket team I have ever seen

To drop him now would be a very stupid decision and not one that is realistically crossing the minds of the selectors

let's see come the end of the ashes. My prediction is he avg's less than 25 over 5 tests.

[alba caerulea]

let's see come the end of the ashes. My prediction is he avg's less than 25 over 5 tests.

So you accept he will be playing in all 5 Tests then?