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[Rob580]

Following on from whats happened recently, what are people's thoughts on how the side will line up for the First Test of the Summer?

Personally I would like to see:

Cook
Robson
Bell
J Taylor
Root
Stokes
Prior
Broad
Borthwick
Anderson
Onions

Can't see them sticking with Carbs seeing as they've signalled they're starting afresh.
James Taylor deserves a go, serious talent and scored a lot at Trent Bridge in div 1 this year (no mean feat)
Buttler needs some time hitting the red ball before being thrown into a test match.
I think they'll stick with Borthwick as i can't see anyone doing enough early season to displace him.
And Onions has deserved a place in the team for years.

What are people's thoughts?

[Buzz]

I have just tweeted that I think a team looking like
Cook
Carberry
Bell
Root (Trott)
Morgan
Stokes
Buttler
Borthwick
Broad
Anderson
Finn

I don't think we should be picking Robson, unless he has a monstrous start to the season. I am still not sure what to make of Taylor. I pick Morgan because he has some experience and is a quality player.
wouldn't be too grim

Maybe Onions ahead of Finn... but again it all depends on the start of the season

[Rob580]

Brilliant timing then Buzz!

Good call on Morgan, he hasn't done much in 4 day to suggest he's a better player now, but with our surrent problems, his 1 day form might prove irresistable!

[smilley792]

Cook
Carberry
Trott
Bell
Root
Stokes
Bairstow
Bresnan
Borthwick
Broad
Anderson

[Neon Cricket]

Have to admit I'd love to see Onions back in - he definitely deserves it

Sadly Smilley is probably going to be closest unless this "fresh start" actually - so long as Trott is back and well!

[Rob580]

True, mine was on the basis that the 'Fresh Start' actually happens.

If it doesn't then it makes the ECB's reasons for getting rid of KP even more flimsy.

[Red Ink Cricket]

if they are looking forward then i suspect a few of the below may get a run

robson - possibly too earlier but one for the future
jordan - bowled well in the one day stuff, possibly worth a go. reasonable pace and seems to do a bit with it.
ali - possibly to open instead of carberry. gives you a reasonable spin option.
Balance - some early season runs and i think he will be in

im not sure about morgan, great to have him back in the side as he can do serious damage but playing IPL means he will have very little CC cricket before the 1st test. Finn if he can get it back and takes a shed load of wickets early season may give him a chance but i would guess jordan may be prefered on current form. Taylor im not sure he is the right man for the job. I dont know a huge amount about his stats etc but just have a feeling he isnt right. Will compton get another run? some early season runs would help.

id like to see a experienced but young ish county player get drafted in. Someone of the talent/likes of Hildreth - although he would need to get some serious runs early on. Somebody with a number of years under his belt, someone whos consistantly performed and has something about them. it is difficult as some names are flavour of the month and then disappear from radar. do we have anyone like that?

Prior i expect to be back and with the emergence of stokes i doubt bairstow will get a run.  Root i think needs careful management, he came on the scene as the next big thing but has consitantly struggled over the last 6 plus months in all formats.

the spinner is a concern for me, obviously borthwick is young, bats well but is a little bit of a liability with the spin. at the moment hes nothing more than a part time spinner. i think we need a little more in the spin department than that ( unless you have him, ali and root in the team) Oli Rayner seems to be improving over the last year or so. be interesting to see if he continues this year. I dont think monty is the answer. do we have anyone who turns the ball and can bat and field a bit?

[WalkingWicket37]

Cook*
Root
Bell
Morgan
Ballance
Stokes
Bairstow+
Bresnan
Borthwick
Broad
Anderson

[Sam]

I think it's very much all going to come down to the performances in the first half of the season of CC. I would say the shortlist is the following :

1.Cook*
2.Carberry/Root/Ali/Robson - (Last two are unlikely in my opinion unless one has a very good start to the season, Carberry deserves another chance if he gets a decent start in my opinion)
3.Bell
4.Trott/Ballance/Taylor
5.Root/Bairstow/Morgan
6.Stokes
7.Prior+ (As long as he starts with a respectable amount of runs, nothing too special required) /Bairstow
8.Bresnan/Onions/Finn (If he can get back in form)
9.Borthwick/Tredwell/Briggs (This spot is majorly going to be decided by performance in my opinion, and I think Borthwick will take the starting position personally)
10.Broad
11.Anderson

[joeljonno]

Well, I guess it looks like this at the moment...

Cook
  blank
  blank
Bell
  blank
Stokes
  blank
Broad
  blank
  blank
Anderson

Certainly a few decisions to be made.

Now KP has gone, I really think Bell will want the 4 berth. Although if does give Root another number to bat at.

[ProCricketer1982]

If KP's too much of an ego can we expect broad to be dropped too?

[Manormanic]

It will certainly be interesting to see what the selectors come up with - bear in mind that this will be a fresh start in more ways than one given that Whitaker and Downton have taken over, and that we don't know who else might be tarred with the same brush as KP - Prior was one name I heard in the same category today, which makes me wonder whether Cook is desperate to eliminate any possible rivals asap.

So, what would I go for?  Obviously it depends how the various candidates start the season, but my side would look at the moment like this (where I really couldn't decide, my favoured selection went in bold):

COOK
ROBSON
BELL
ROOT
BALLANCE/MORGAN
STOKES
BAIRSTOW
RASHID
BROAD
ONIONS/Topley/Jordan
ANDERSON

Having said the above, I would not be massively surprised were any of Moeen Ali, James Taylor, Simon Kerrigan, Steve Finn, Toby Roland-Jones or Tymal Mills to get a game.

[Sam]

If KP's too much of an ego can we expect broad to be dropped too?

I don't KP's ego got him dropped it's more the problems he constantly caused. Actually, don't you think it's best to keep this to the other thread mate  .

[Johnny]

In think the smart money has to be on waiting to see who's appointed as coach.

KP out I think opens the door for Newell or even Moores, which will inevitably influence the selections

[ProCricketer1982]

I don't KP's ego got him dropped it's more the problems he constantly caused. Actually, don't you think it's best to keep this to the other thread mate  .

True.

Robson
Compton
Bell
Root
Ali
Ballance
Stokes
Davies
Borthwick
Jordan
Mills


Dropping Cook because he's in crap form, shown himself to be a prat and can't capt.
Dropping broad as he's an ego and we can't have egos in this team ethic era
Anderson is gone, too old
Prior is playing badly, tainted by Cook/flower and is old.
Bresnan, well just not good enough
Tremlett, yeah you were gone before this tour
Finn, on the radar son but you really need to lose whoever is changing your action!!
Rankin, sod off back to Ireland, not good enough