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[WalkingWicket37]

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.

Tell that to the Australian selectors 

[Seniorplayer]

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.

Luxury yes having watched  this morning did nothing with the bat  and bowled to short or to wide I think it's to easy tto look at players averages and not take into consideration the number of not outs or tail enders dismissed also in the summer in UK conditions Sri Lanka were poor and  So were Pakistan until the sun came out

[dcullen8]

Lets drop woakes then, risk a recovering and now injury prone Anderson and in 2 years time when we next visit asia (most likely without Anderson and Broad) and the west indies (who werent producing absolute seamers last time we visited) we rock up with just stokes leading the line and all the other seamers having no experience of test match cricket in the subcontinent. I understand we want to win tests here and now, but england are investing in the future with players like  Duckett, Hameed and Ansari,youve also got to look to the future

[Felix Tito]

Lets drop woakes then, risk a recovering and now injury prone Anderson and in 2 years time when we next visit asia (most likely without Anderson and Broad) and the west indies (who werent producing absolute seamers last time we visited) we rock up with just stokes leading the line and all the other seamers having no experience of test match cricket in the subcontinent. I understand we want to win tests here and now, but england are investing in the future with players like  Duckett, Hameed and Ansari,youve also got to look to the future

Don't be a moron. Jake Ball showed in Bangladesh he has to the tools to thrive in Asia. Stokes already has. Woakes hasn't. You're acting like England don't produce bowlers capable of adapting when I clearly proved you wrong

[wasted_talent]

I think Jake Ball is a good shout and am sure he will get a game or two on this tour.

[dcullen8]

Why should we take a line up in the future and just expect them to adapt, why cant we blood a line up to be experienced? Stokes is a freak show and his action means he naturally reverse swings the ball, hes not just suddenly found this overnight. I dont see the ECB sending out fresh faces and saying "just go adapt". Theyve investing time and money into players for the long haul.

[Felix Tito]

Why should we take a line up in the future and just expect them to adapt, why cant we blood a line up to be experienced? Stokes is a freak show and his action means he naturally reverse swings the ball, hes not just suddenly found this overnight. I dont see the ECB sending out fresh faces and saying "just go adapt". Theyve investing time and money into players for the long haul.

Playing the #1 side in the world isn't when you 'blood new players' especially when it's a series that's considered one of the toughest. Blood players against the likes of Bangladesh and West Indies.

Jake Ball's never toured Asia better and he showed he had the skill set needed to be successful.

[Biggie Smalls]

Beer. Remember this guy?

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

Also. Swepson, Boyse & Rose... Who? 

Exactly ! Who ? ....yes it's slim pickings , although I forgot Fawad Ahmed , hahaha.  My bad .

[Buzz]

Woakes has been one of England's best players this year.

It seems extraordinary that people are saying he is a luxury. And yet I am not surprised.

We are 2 days into a test match with runs on the board let's wait a bit before we start dissing the team for once.

[wasted_talent]

Agreed with Buzz. Woakes has been great this season and its unreasonable to question his spot already.

Definitely need some patience here. 

[WalkingWicket37]

In 2016, Stokes' batting average in Test cricket is 57.25 and his bowling average 19.80

Can everyone remember when people were calling for Stokes to be dropped, as he was apparently a bit part player who wasn't good enough for test cricket as either a batsman or a bowler?

I hate to say this, (actually, i don't) but "I TOLD YOU SO!"

[dcullen8]

Playing the #1 side in the world isn't when you 'blood new players' especially when it's a series that's considered one of the toughest.

And yet here we are with duckett hameed and ansari, and you still want to drop an experienced player. Great logic.

[rickjames]

All of this makes it sound like we're in a crisis. Ah.

[Johnny]

Err.. they did drop him didn't they?

[Felix Tito]

And yet here we are with duckett hameed and ansari, and you still want to drop an experienced player. Great logic.

Ansari and Duckett debuted against Bangladesh...Hameed should've debuted against Bangladesh...