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[jblowe]

Does anyone know what make ball they are using? Is it a SG?

[jblowe]

Does anyone know what make ball they are using? Is it a SG?

Thanks Nasser Hussain, two minutes after I posted, he announced they are using a SG  ball...

[Biggie Smalls]

Stuart Broad is bowling quicker than ive seen him bowl in ages .....one over included 146, 145 , 144 km per hour . He's found the fountain of youth or something ! 

[Number4]

Stuart Broad is bowling quicker than ive seen him bowl in ages .....one over included 146, 145 , 144 km per hour . He's found the fountain of youth or something ! 

Cocaine

[Biggie Smalls]

Just watching Rashid and Ansari bowl in tandem a.t.m. You Poms keep heaping s@#t on these guys , but as an Aussie I'd kill to have those two , plus Ali , on our tour to India in February!
We have Lyon , O'keefe , Maxwell,  Agar , Zampa , Swepson , Beer , Boyse , Rose , Holland etc to choose from . 

[Biggie Smalls]

Also.....is this the longest batting line up /best tail England (or anyone) have had in decades , or what ?!!

[Manormanic]

Just watching Rashid and Ansari bowl in tandem a.t.m. You Poms keep heaping s@#t on these guys , but as an Aussie I'd kill to have those two , plus Ali , on our tour to India in February!
We have Lyon , O'keefe , Maxwell,  Agar , Zampa , Swepson , Beer , Boyse , Rose , Holland etc to choose from . 

I'm going to pass up on the chance to diss Clubbie Lyon at this point and focus instead on the bigger issue.  Which is that neither country seems to take spin bowling that seriously in the longer form of the game ay the moment; Graeme Swann had it more or less right when he said that they were picked for an over before lunch, two to tea and five before the new ball in most sides.

That said, O'Keefe has done okay in sub-continental conditions from what I've seen - he may not be a stellar performer, but he should hold his own.

[Manormanic]

Also.....is this the longest batting line up /best tail England (or anyone) have had in decades , or what ?!!

Its a Manx cat of a line up, thats for sure.

Woakes at eight - proper player
Rashid at nine - a little loose sometimes but good enough to have batted five in first class cricket
Ansari at ten - not seen so much of him, but has opened in first class cricket
Broad - more of a lower order player nowadays, but definitely no rabbit

[ppccopener]

Ansari does strengthen the tail as he can def bat

We probably wanted 2 spinners away from the right handers but he maybe his batting got him in ahead of batty

[Manormanic]

Can't imagine they'd make that kind of call on the basis of the more talented number ten.  That's be ridiculous.

Wait, this is the England selectors we are speaking about...

[Rob580]

Should've picked Batty. He's from Yorkshire......

[Felix Tito]

Don't really see the need to have batting down to number 10 unless it's to compensate for a inconsistent top order. When you end up with 6 bowlers more times than not 2 end up doing very little. As we saw in Chittagong batting down to number 10 didn't make much difference. Chris Woakes looks 'world class' in English conditions yet when it doesn't swing he's lacks the skill to trouble top class players. Ansari is neither a batsman nor a bowler. I'd bring in Anderson and Batty for Woakes and Ansari.

[GoodLeave]

Just watching Rashid and Ansari bowl in tandem a.t.m. You Poms keep heaping s@#t on these guys , but as an Aussie I'd kill to have those two , plus Ali , on our tour to India in February!
We have Lyon , O'keefe , Maxwell,  Agar , Zampa , Swepson , Beer , Boyse , Rose , Holland etc to choose from . 

Beer. Remember this guy?

Not very often people covet Adil Rashid, let alone an Aussie. Must be bad!

Also. Swepson, Boyse & Rose... Who? 

[dcullen8]

People are so quick to rid the team of Woakes because it isnt swinging for him, Yet Anderson has openly admitted he needed time to learn how to bowl in the subcontinent and develop things like  the Wobble-Seam delivery. Imagine if we just chucked him out because he couldnt swing it in asia..

[Felix Tito]

People are so quick to rid the team of Woakes because it isnt swinging for him, Yet Anderson has openly admitted he needed time to learn how to bowl in the subcontinent and develop things like  the Wobble-Seam delivery. Imagine if we just chucked him out because he couldnt swing it in asia..

When you have Stokes, Woakes is no more than a luxury in these conditions. Need bowlers who can take 20 wickets. Not bowlers who will get a few runs and be toothless with the ball.