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[FattusCattus]

What do we reckon the line-up is going to be then?

Not what we WANT it to be, but what the selectors will actually pick?

I reckon:

Cook
Trott
Balance
Bell
Root
Stokes
Buttler
Broad
Tredwell
Wood
Anderson


Hmmm - long tail that!

[cricketbadger]

You think they will pick Wood?

[Manormanic]

Well, the evidence of their selections in St Kitts - including the favouritism shown in giving some players three bites of the cherry - implies that it will be:

Cook
Trott
Ballance
Bell
Root
Stokes
Buttler
AN Other (Rashid, Plunkett or Jordan)
Broad
Tredwell
Anderson

That said, I would not be hugely shocked were Lyth to open and Trott replace Ballance at Three.  Either way, I can imagine that there will be a lot of tee-d off Yorkshire fans tomorrow afternoon as the majority of our players get stiffed as drinks waiters.

[cricketbadger]

Well, the evidence of their selections in St Kitts - including the favouritism shown in giving some players three bites of the cherry - implies that it will be:

Cook
Trott
Ballance
Bell
Root
Stokes
Buttler
AN Other (Rashid, Plunkett or Jordan)
Broad
Tredwell
Anderson

That said, I would not be hugely shocked were Lyth to open and Trott replace Ballance at Three.  Either way, I can imagine that there will be a lot of tee-d off Yorkshire fans tomorrow afternoon as the majority of our players get stiffed as drinks waiters.

Especially when you look at our batting line up today? Pyrah at 4, followed by Leaning, Hodd and Bresnan

[FattusCattus]

Reports of the StKitts matches were that Rashid was bowling way too many 4 balls for test cricket, and that Plunko didn't do much with the ball on these flat decks and Wood did.

Personally I'd have Rashid in for Wood and mix the attack up a little.

[Manormanic]

Especially when you look at our batting line up today? Pyrah at 4, followed by Leaning, Hodd and Bresnan

Its difficult, isn't it - great for the lads getting to tour and all, but I strongly suspect that the best spinner inthe country will be left out for Kent's second XI trundler, the highest run scorer in the country last year dropped in favour of a flaky bag of bu11sh1t who isn;t even an opener and the quickest bowler left out in favour of another medium pacer.  Bairstow, incidentally, shone in the tour game but that won't count in his favour either...

That said, were it not for the presence of Moeen Ali, I'd be tempted to say that there still isn't a single Worcestershire player I'd take over the equivalent Yorkshire lad today...

[Manormanic]

Reports of the StKitts matches were that Rashid was bowling way too many 4 balls for test cricket,

His figures were more or less the same as Tredders so there cannae have been that many, and he is a leggie coming in cold so will take some time to get properly loose...

[Manormanic]

Brooks, meanwhile, is on one of his streaks I think...

...must be p155ed that England ignored him...

[iand123]

I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped balance either completely or down the order to accommodate trott. Would be consistent with previous ECB thinking.

Personally think they need to play rashid and see what he can do.

[stevie_94_]

How come if Ali is fit enough to be playing for Worcestershire today hes not gone to the West Indies? did his injury heal quicker than expected?

[smilley792]

Apparently Ali is hoping to pass this game as a fitness test and then travel to windies to play in test no.2.

[FattusCattus]

Are there any terrestrial highlights for these tests?

[Buzz]

West Indies: Devon Smith, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jermaine Blackwood, Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), Jason Holder, Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn.

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Jonathan Trott, Gary Ballance, Joe Root, Ian Bell, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Jordan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell. James Anderson.


so the team eng pick is, once again, not the one I would pick.
Nice to see the Kent second team bowler getting a game in our test match team!!

[plumb111]

I think that's slightly harsh on Tredwell, thought he was bowling ok in the warm ups - I know it was against a distinctly average side but still was picking up wickets.

Should be nowhere near the side in fairness, but if hes picking up wickets who cares ! And who is going to really replace him ?

[Alvaro]

tredwell and trott

what an exciting brand of decision-making emerging - always breaking boundaries. #SameOldSameOld