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[Biggie Smalls]

Too early ?
Nah , never too early !
Thought id kick things off by listing the two XIs that Warney has picked for the first test in Brissy .

England

Stoneman
Cook
Root
Hales
Stokes
Bairstow
Ali
Woakes
Broad
Crane
Anderson

Australia

Renshaw
Warner
Khawaja
Smith
Handscomb
Maxwell
Wade
Starc
Cummins
Lyon
Hazlewood


*Warney said there's a place on the plane for Malan but not Westley .

[Buzz]

Warnie, like Vaughan is just a click bait rentaquote.

Root is very very unlikely to bat a three, so any team selections with that happening are a waste of space. The Lions team will be in Aus, so Hameed, Crane and other popular selections will be there actually playing rather than carrying drinks.

Squad will be
Batters
Cook, Stoneman, Hales, Root, Malan, then Westley or Ballance, whomever gets the most runs.

All rounders
Stokes, Woakes and Moeen

Keepers
Bairstow, Foakes

Bowlers
Anderson, Broad, TRJ, Jake Ball, Wood. Dawson may go too...! (18 is too many I know, but 17 will be the number.)

No futher discussions required...!

[Biggie Smalls]

Hameed would be one of my openers , so its a good thing that eng can take a squad , then change their minds /opt for plan b etc , with the lions being in oz at the same time .
I thought it was interesting that Warney found room in the starting side for Crane .
Personally , Root is better at 4 than 3 . However , he is also better a 3 than most other options , and i think it's easier for England to find a capable 4 than a 3 for oz conditions . Maybe just for the ashes Root should 'take one for the team' and elevate himself .
I'm not in the know enough re english domestic cricket to know whether Robson , Ballance , Jennings , Bell-Drummond,  Compton etc will all make the lions squad .... or who else is on the horizon to look out for . I keep thinking Hales and Roy need to be in the mix ( I'd have Hales at 5 , Roy in the test squad ... possibly opening with Cook if Hameed doesnt come good) .

[Harry L]

I agree with the warne style of thinking in that we don't need the extra batsmen, especially when woakes looks like he'd contribute more with the bat than someone like malan anyway. Hoping hameed finishes the season well and sneaks into the starting XI as he is one of the best technically, and has a strong mentality. If he gets a few runs I'd have him opening and stoneman three.

Cook
Hameed
Stoneman
Root
Stokes
Bairstow
Ali
Woakes
Rashid
Broad
Anderson

Then probably wood,hales,foakes,trj and malan.

[Biggie Smalls]

Warnie, like Vaughan is just a click bait rentaquote.

Root is very very unlikely to bat a three, so any team selections with that happening are a waste of space. The Lions team will be in Aus, so Hameed, Crane and other popular selections will be there actually playing rather than carrying drinks.

Squad will be
Batters
Cook, Stoneman, Hales, Root, Malan, then Westley or Ballance, whomever gets the most runs.

All rounders
Stokes, Woakes and Moeen

Keepers
Bairstow, Foakes

Bowlers
Anderson, Broad, TRJ, Jake Ball, Wood. Dawson may go too...! (18 is too many I know, but 17 will be the number.)

No futher discussions required...!

I think Westley and Dawson are a waste of the cost of airline tickets ! Make them sit at home and pay for a Sky Sports subscription! 

[ppccopener]

Joe root should be told where he is batting, 3.

It's not a village green game where everyone wants to bat 5.

Just my opinion 

[Biggie Smalls]

For the record :
Cook
Hameed
Stoneman
Root
Hales
Stokes
Bairstow
Ali
Woakes
Trj  ( swap for Jimmy at Adelaide and any green pitch encountered )
Broad

Eng best chances are at adelaide ( they may get more out of the pink ball than oz) , sydney,  Melbourne.

Engs main advantages are : they potentially will bat bat deeper in the order ; they have an extra legit bowling option .

[Buzz]

I think Westley and Dawson are a waste of the cost of airline tickets ! Make them sit at home and pay for a Sky Sports subscription!

I agree, Ballance should captain the Lions or something. This is a case of what will happen rather than what I would do.

[mattdawson]

Personally believe there's no need for the extra bowler.

Nasser made a great point the other day in debate, along the lines of there's 30 overs in a session 6 bowlers means at least 1 bowler a session will be stood in the field doing not a lot or bowling a couple overs, a gap that Root can do surely?

Crane, leach, Hameed, Jennings and Ballance all to be in the lions playing matches not carrying drinks.

I'm intrested to see who they look to as 2nd keeper? Part thinks Butler obvious option, but whats the point if he wont play, he mentioned about going to the BPL and presumably BBL. being from Lancs I'd love to see lions take Davies (scored most keeper runs i think? and 2nd in dismissals as well)     

[Biggie Smalls]

Btw , i havent heard if eng will get to pkay a tour/practice game with a pink kooks ? Would suck if they dont get that opportunity.

[Biggie Smalls]

Personally believe there's no need for the extra bowler.

Nasser made a great point the other day in debate, along the lines of there's 30 overs in a session 6 bowlers means at least 1 bowler a session will be stood in the field doing not a lot or bowling a couple overs, a gap that Root can do surely?

Crane, leach, Hameed, Jennings and Ballance all to be in the lions playing matches not carrying drinks.

I'm intrested to see who they look to as 2nd keeper? Part thinks Butler obvious option, but whats the point if he wont play, he mentioned about going to the BPL and presumably BBL. being from Lancs I'd love to see lions take Davies (scored most keeper runs i think? and 2nd in dismissals as well)     

Id love to see at least one side with a pure keeper ( don't get me wrong , i think bairstow is the bees knees ). . That's why part of me hopes oz would go waaay left field and pick Alex Carey . He is a walking keeping masterclass .

[alexhilly1492]

Cook
hammeed
Stoneman
root
malan
stokes
bairstow
ali
woakes
Roland jones
anderson

Squad:

westley
broad
foakes
buttler
wood
crane

squad of 17

yes ive dropped broad but i think TRJ has bowled much more attackingly and looks in much better form at the moment he also hasnt gone at a stupid high run rate either and stregthens the batting which is our weakness too

[Harry L]

Personally believe there's no need for the extra bowler.

Nasser made a great point the other day in debate, along the lines of there's 30 overs in a session 6 bowlers means at least 1 bowler a session will be stood in the field doing not a lot or bowling a couple overs, a gap that Root can do surely?

Crane, leach, Hameed, Jennings and Ballance all to be in the lions playing matches not carrying drinks.

I'm intrested to see who they look to as 2nd keeper? Part thinks Butler obvious option, but whats the point if he wont play, he mentioned about going to the BPL and presumably BBL. being from Lancs I'd love to see lions take Davies (scored most keeper runs i think? and 2nd in dismissals as well)     

But equally what's the point in taking another batsmen that isn't scoring any runs? We're basically carrying a player then, plus we'll be playing on some of the flattest tracks in the world in Australia so I think 6 bowlers will come in handy, even if someone like a rashid doesn't bowl many first innings overs. Let's not forget broad and jimmy don't have the greatest records in Aus either, and the heat, I doubt we'll be seeing many spells longer than 6 or 7 overs from the seamers.

[Biggie Smalls]

Cook
hammeed
Stoneman
root
malan
stokes
bairstow
ali
woakes
Roland jones
anderson

Squad:

westley
broad
foakes
buttler
wood
crane

squad of 17

yes ive dropped broad but i think TRJ has bowled much more attackingly and looks in much better form at the moment he also hasnt gone at a stupid high run rate either and stregthens the batting which is our weakness too

Not the side I'd have , but not far off ... i like it !

[Biggie Smalls]

But equally what's the point in taking another batsmen that isn't scoring any runs? We're basically carrying a player then, plus we'll be playing on some of the flattest tracks in the world in Australia so I think 6 bowlers will come in handy, even if someone like a rashid doesn't bowl many first innings overs. Let's not forget broad and jimmy don't have the greatest records in Aus either, and the heat, I doubt we'll be seeing many spells longer than 6 or 7 overs from the seamers.

Fair points ( particularly re broad and anderson) , but .... what about Mo ! I think he's improved massively and will do a decent job in oz . So 5 legit bowlers plus Root and other part timers should be enough ?