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[billyb]

Nice video on twitter of Moeen Ali giving loads of kit away to locals out of a plastic bag!
Looks like we missed out 

[Buzz]

Seems Moeen may be getting a new sponsor then?

[billyb]

https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/972502427835555840

Just looks like he's getting rid of his ODI kit at the end of the tour to me, but I could be wrong!

[Kulli]

Anyone know why Crane has only bowler one over here when Ali has sent down a heap. Even Malian and Lovingston have bowled more.

[cricketbadger]

Anyone know why Crane has only bowler one over here when Ali has sent down a heap. Even Malian and Lovingston have bowled more.

Beat me to it

Not the first time it's happened either, anyone else get the feeling they are wasting his time

[FattusCattus]

I'm not sure about the test XI moving forward, but I don't think England like change or dropping people.

I am worried about Broad's wicket-taking ability currently, it does seem to be drying up.

Mo too, seems to have lost his wicket-taking ability: 23 overs at over 4 runs p/o and only one wicket, yet Crane gets a single over? They might not think Crane is ready, but these games are the times to find out.


I fancy us to score runs, but at the moment the bowling attack is looking less and less incisive:

Anderson - Still taking wickets, but not much time left for him
Broad - seems to have blown out and nowhere near as much of a threat
Woakes - Seems to be less effective when it's flat, but time is on his side
Stokes - Something will always happen, will take wickets but only really used in a 5 man attack
Mo - Something seems to have changed and he seems much less potent. If the seamers are struggling, you need a proper wicket taking spinner. we don't exactly need the extra all-rounder.

Don't get me wrong - change would mean throwing a lot of inexperience in, but what's the point of playing the experienced if they are not taking wickets. There are people waiting in the wings -

Roland-Jones
Wood
Overton
Curran
Helm ?
Leach
Parkinson

[Manormanic]

Difficult isn't it? One suspects Woakes would take more wickets with the new ball, but that means dropping Super Stewie.

Of the reserve options, TRJ would be my pick.  Wood lacks fitness, Helm experience and Curran may already have done his red ball career.

[rickjames]

Anyone else going to the tests? Leaving for Auckland on Friday

[FattusCattus]

Overton bothers me. Some people say he lacks pace, but he gets a lot of bounce and hence offers something different - ergo I'd give him a bit of a run to see what he can do. early signs were promising and as I say, he offers something different, which we really need. However, he seems injury-prone!

I would've lined up in New Zealand as follows, using it as a bit of a development phase:

Cook
Stoneman
Jennings
Root
Malan
Stokes
Bairstow
Woakes
Overton
Crane
Anderson

[Mister Le Chiffre]

Tough break for Kiwi all rounder Mitchell Santner, out for 9 months with a knee injury.

[stevat]

If he can take wickets bowling seam up at Taunton then he's doing okay, same goes for scoring runs at Durham in April, taking wickets with spin north of Watford at any time of year and probably a few more I've not thought of.

[Manormanic]

Overton bowls a much heavier 82mph than Curran does, so is probably more worthy of long term investment (as a test bowler - I think Curran has much greater potential in he shorter forms of the game).  Along the experimental lines, my preferred line up for the two tests would have been:

Cook
Stoneman
Malan
Root
Stokes
Bairstow
Livingstone
Woakes
Roland-Jones
Anderson

Plus one of Foakes, Overton or Crane depending on conditions.

[Buzz]

Why are people not picking Broad? Are 400 test wickets not enough?

The team for the first test will be

Cook
Stoneman
Vince (not my pick, will be interesting to see if Malan gets a go at 3 in the warm up games)
Root
Malan (I would have him at 3 and bairstow at 5
Stokes
Bairstow (I would have Livingston at 7 for now)
Moeen
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

[FattusCattus]

Why are people not picking Broad? Are 400 test wickets not enough?

The team for the first test will be

Cook
Stoneman
Vince (not my pick, will be interesting to see if Malan gets a go at 3 in the warm up games)
Root
Malan (I would have him at 3 and bairstow at 5
Stokes
Bairstow (I would have Livingston at 7 for now)
Moeen
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Because he's not been very threatening for a while now, the aim is to win Tests, not trade on past glories.

I'm worried that this attack won't take 20 wickets in a test.

[stevat]

Why are people not picking Broad? Are 400 test wickets not enough?

The team for the first test will be

Cook
Stoneman
Vince (not my pick, will be interesting to see if Malan gets a go at 3 in the warm up games)
Root
Malan (I would have him at 3 and bairstow at 5
Stokes
Bairstow (I would have Livingston at 7 for now)
Moeen
Woakes
Broad
Anderson

Think you're probably right, if Stokes doesn't make it with his back trouble, I would move everyone up and play either Wood or Overton.  Vince gets another chance for me, great batsman when on song, just needs to leave everything outside off until he's well in.