Laurence, living stone and Joe Clarke are the three who keep coming up as the next ones with potential. I'm going to back a hunch in my team and also presume Stokes will play on the tour.
Cook
Stoneman
Hameed
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
malan
Woakes
Crane
Anderson(if he is not rested)
Overton
TRJ could do the job of Broad I think so SB a bit lucky to get in the squad.
The rest of tour party
Broad
TRJ
Clarke
Plunkett
Another spinner...I'm not actually sure who - it's not Leach because his action is still under a cloud I believe.
Bairstow keeps at the moment as unsure over whether we now need Foakes in, wouldn't mind if he did come in to be honest because we need JB in the top 5 and scoring runs.eitherway Bairstow at 5.
Crane is the main spinner we chuck him in regardless of conditions to find out if he can be in long term-so all eggs in one basket, if it happens to spin on day 4 or 5 root and Malan can bowl a few.
Hameed in with no real form behind him as a bit of a gamble he has the potential to be long term. I think Cook will play on for a while yet, but we will need a replacement at some point in the next 2-3 years I reckon.
Stoneman could drop to 3 and bat there and also open it doesn't really matter. Stoneman has not done great over five games, he has done enough and is a gutsy player- you need that in a test team Hameed has the potential like Stoneman to bat in tough conditions.
I think we need Hameed and Stoneman because we need to go backwards a bit a look for guys prepared to fight it out and work for runs....the test game has moved forward to faster scoring but there is still a place for these type of batsman. So, make the opposition get you out, there's shot players in the middle order.
So a bit of an old fashioned test squad from me
Very interested to see others views thou.
Author
Topic: England Red Ball Squad for New Zealand (Read 20368 times)