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[Andythomo21]

When is the squad actually announced?

[Bats_Entertainment]

Cook
Trott
Balance
Bell
Root
Ali
Buttler
Broad
Kerrigan
Anderson
Finn

Robson, Lyth, Taylor, Stokes, Borthwick, Jordan and Woakes to make up an 18 man squad.

Not liking that tail much!

[Manormanic]

S'kinda like the classic Caddick, Malcolm, Mullally, Tufnell isn't it?  Just need an Ed Giddins in there...

[Bats_Entertainment]

S'kinda like the classic Caddick, Malcolm, Mullally, Tufnell isn't it?  Just need an Ed Giddins in there...

Yes. Nevertheless, I do hope Simon Kerrigan gets another chance sometime.

Think you lot have been harsh on Chris Woakes.

[procricket]

Joe Root to keep for me something a bit different and bat at 6.

Cook
Trott
Lyth/Taylor
Bell
Vince
Root Wicketkeeper
Stokes
Rashid
Broad
Woakes
Anderson

Harsh on Ballance who would or could bat 3 with the other two.

Bowling not much beyond what picked maybe Finn,Jordan, and a newboy

[edge]

15 man squad:
Cook/Trott/Lyth
Ballance/Bell/Root
Ali/Stokes/Rashid
Buttler
Anderson/Woakes/Plunkett/Wood/Mills (Broad needs some serious time off if he's gonna make it past another two years in international cricket)
Possibly take Panesar instead of Rashid or a seamer, and a spare keeper instead of a seamer.

Team:
Cook, Trott, Ballance, Bell, Root, Stokes, Ali, Buttler, Plunkett, Anderson, Mills. Rashid in for Stokes if it's a spinning deck, Woakes likely to play ahead of Mills. Lots of bowling though so I'd play Mills and just use him as a shock weapon.

Realistically though, the team will be almost identical to the last test of last summer. This is the ECB after all, and in fairness we did well against India.

[Gerry SA]

15 man squad:
Cook/Trott/Lyth
Ballance/Bell/Root
Ali/Stokes/Rashid
Buttler
Anderson/Woakes/Plunkett/Wood/Mills (Broad needs some serious time off if he's gonna make it past another two years in international cricket)
Possibly take Panesar instead of Rashid or a seamer, and a spare keeper instead of a seamer.

Team:
Cook, Trott, Ballance, Bell, Root, Stokes, Ali, Buttler, Plunkett, Anderson, Mills. Rashid in for Stokes if it's a spinning deck, Woakes likely to play ahead of Mills. Lots of bowling though so I'd play Mills and just use him as a shock weapon.

Realistically though, the team will be almost identical to the last test of last summer. This is the ECB after all, and in fairness we did well against India.

India are hardly the benchmark to be beating the Kiwis or Australia are they?

[edge]

Not at all, but if someone's played well in your last series then it's not too likely they'll get dropped! Even if India were terrible as usual.

[Kez]

What has Mills done to warrant selection?

Bowl heat against England in 2013 then keep the physio busy in 2014?

[eukaryote76]

India are hardly the benchmark to be beating the Kiwis or Australia are they?

To be pedantic, Kiwis have done well in the CWC but they are not in the same bracket as Australia for either Test or ODI. As for India, they are similar to NZ in the way that they are much better at home usually, but if I had to say which was the better test nation, then yes India would be a benchmark for beating NZ but that's not really the point. The benchmark in all forms is Australia.

[procricket]

I predict England victory against both to be honest. Take Williamson out of there batting it not a great test side batting.

Australia will be tough but if we get our "CLUBBIES" right we should be ok no matter what the personal.

Longer form of the game i'm not worried

[Gerry SA]

I predict England victory against both to be honest. Take Williamson out of there batting it not a great test side batting.

Australia will be tough but if we get our "CLUBBIES" right we should be ok no matter what the personal.

Longer form of the game i'm not worried

Sorry Dave but you're deluded if you think England's army of 80mph medium paced dobbers will cut the mustard in Ashes. Unless the pitches are doctored green tops, England's seam attack will be pensioned off.

[Gerry SA]

To be pedantic, Kiwis have done well in the CWC but they are not in the same bracket as Australia for either Test or ODI. As for India, they are similar to NZ in the way that they are much better at home usually, but if I had to say which was the better test nation, then yes India would be a benchmark for beating NZ but that's not really the point. The benchmark in all forms is Australia.

South Africa's the benchmark in Tests...

[edge]

What has Mills done to warrant selection?

Bowl heat against England in 2013

Pretty much, he had our batsmen in all sorts of trouble in the Essex warmup and then battered them all in the nets, hitting pretty much the whole top 6 at will and getting a few of them out too. Plus destroyed pretty much everyone he bowled at on his last lions tour. Clocked at 97mph by the England setup irrc. Needs to be given a go at some point, the ability to put the wind up top class batsmen isn't to be sneezed at. Hopefully moving counties will see him getting more games and progressing on to the England side, if he was Australian he'd probably have played 20 ODIs and 10 tests by now.

[eukaryote76]

South Africa's the benchmark in Tests...

Pfft!