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[smilley792]

Can't believe they dropped Samit!!

[Bats_Entertainment]

If the most effective county bowlers made the best Test bowlers, David Masters would have played a hundred times for England. I suspect a key things they are looking for are the ability to get out good players on good pitches, good temperament, and aptitude for learning and adaptation. These things cannot be spotted by looking at county averages.

Zafar bats well and is an excellent fielder. Batty will be a good man to have around. In a high intensity game, I'd back him as the best spin bowler in the country - whatever the stats say. It's a real shame we don't have anyone younger that we can trust.

[Red Ink Cricket]

Ansari I guess I can accept based on the fact he was there before his injury. Add a bit with bat and ball.

The batty decision is a joke! His performances from a experienced campaigner don't make amazing reading and he's been outshone by both leach (who should be there) and rayner. He's also 39 which really looks to the future and build a team for the next few years.

I think Jennings should feel very unlucky to not be there. By far the best opener around in the cc.  id be happier if the lancs youngster had another season under his belt but he's played well against some good attacks.  Glad duckett is included. Should play ahead of balance who I don't think deserves another chance.

[Felix Tito]

The selectors are a bunch of turds...

Jack Leach takes a bucket loads of wickets(whether the pitches are doctored or now is irrelevant) and gets overlooked for Zafar Ansari whom isn't half the bowler Leach is. If Bangladesh produce turners, and which is likely as The Fizz is injured, then Leach could've been a match winner. Ansari doesn't merit selection! I'm literally on the verge of combusting!

I've nothing against Gareth Batty and I'm actually a bit fan, but Rayner is close to bowling Middlesex to the County Championship(50 odd wickets is a stand out season). If Rayner isn't selected after a season like this when will he get picked?

[Bats_Entertainment]

All of a sudden, everyone knows what a great bowler Jack Leach is!

How many times have we heard this kind of thing before?

[Bats_Entertainment]

If Rayner isn't selected after a season like this when will he get picked?

Never?

[Felix Tito]

All of a sudden, everyone knows what a great bowler Jack Leach is!

How many times have we heard this kind of thing before?

Come down to the West Country and have a look for yourself...

[Bats_Entertainment]

Come down to the West Country and have a look for yourself...

I am there next week.

[ppccopener]

I hope the invitation to the West Country was for all, I've heard the cider is pure, the sun shines and the birds are a bit friendly

the above wasn't in the article I just read on line in the Guardian but this was:

Morgan returns for the Indian tour as Captain according to Whittaker and Hales was not going to be picked for Bangladesh 'back to County cricket'. So that experiment is over.

soooo... Hameed has a real chance to cement a place.. we really have got to stick with this kid and let him learn in Test matches. Some of the others will have to score more to cover if the guy is not an instant success.

 

[Slackie]

Great to have someone like Hameed in there! Really encouraging for all the young guns on the circuit that if they put in a season of decent performances they could be in with a shout of a call up. Remember that Hameed was dropped from England U19 nine months ago, he must have an unbelievable attitude and temperament.

[ppccopener]

Great to have someone like Hameed in there! Really encouraging for all the young guns on the circuit that if they put in a season of decent performances they could be in with a shout of a call up. Remember that Hameed was dropped from England U19 nine months ago, he must have an unbelievable attitude and temperament.

exactly right.... you don't get picked out of nowhere these days thou, they asses player much more.The coaches have an input on temperament Thorpe especially.

I dunno about anyone else, and it does not really matter what your background to be honest, but the fact this lad did not come from a preveliged educational background makes me very happy.
don't get me wrong Buzz and fattus, I don't have a poster of Mussolini on my wall. But it does show talent is finding it's way thru they system 

[rickjames]

exactly right.... you don't get picked out of nowhere these days thou, they asses player much more.The coaches have an input on temperament Thorpe especially.

I dunno about anyone else, and it does not really matter what your background to be honest, but the fact this lad did not come from a preveliged educational background makes me very happy.
don't get me wrong Buzz and fattus, I don't have a poster of Mussolini on my wall. But it does show talent is finding it's way thru they system 

A Google suggests Bolton School is an independent, so yeah...

[mdg20]

What's leach like with the bat?

Basically Batty won't play unless there's a series of injuries. If you are going to have someone kicking around the dressing room not playing you might as well have someone with his experience to help the younger spinners. Let leach etc go with Lions and get a full tour of meaningful cricket under their belts.

Ansari will only play if we go with three spinners, if that's the case then the batting will be weakened so that third spinner ideally needs to be a proper batsmen, Ansari fits the bill.

There's a logic to the selection.
There's a lot of outrage on social media about this leach not being picked from a lot of people who about 3 weeks ago had never heard of him. It's ridiculous.

All that said I would have taken Rayner

[Manormanic]

Although I don't agree with the decision, and don't really rate Ansari as being een close to test class, I do sort of understand it.

If we agree that Ali is our notional number one spinner but will in fact take the fifth batting slot and come in at seven behind Bairstow (keeper) and Stokes (third/fourth seamer) with Woakes, Rashid, Broad and Anderson rounding out our "first" XI then you already hae a bit of a disconnect - Rashid is a great second innings bowler but will not contain in the first dig.  Likewise, Ali can leak runs.  If a bowler is left out because the pitch demands three spinners, you would assume that Woakes would make way.  In that case, you want a) a bowler different to the other two spinners (which ruled out Rayner) and b) one who fills the gap in styles - so a containing bowler.  Leach looks to flight the ball a lot, whereas Ansari has, when I've seen him, been ruthlessly economical - and he has the advantage of being a decent bat to boot.

[GoodLeave]

Can't believe they dropped Samit!!

If someone was holding Samit, I can understand why they dropped him.