The International Cricket Thread

[Monty]

Denly's leggies are passable, as is Root's off spin.  I'd prefer a front line spinner though and Jack Leach is the leading English spinner this season.

Yep, he should be in the squad, but as he's not I'd be tempted to going in without one.

[UK Redsox]

Thanks for saving saving us from complete embarrassment Jack, now sod off.

Don’t understand how Mooen is keeping his place.

 Bairstow is also lucky to still be in the squad

[UK Redsox]

From that 13, the two to miss out should be Stone and one of Curran/Moeen

[hilts_coolerking]

I don't know if they'll risk Archer in a 5 day game so soon.

[UK Redsox]

I don't know if they'll risk Archer in a 5 day game so soon.

If Jimmy is fit and Stokes up to bowling, this looks to be an ideal time to play Archer. With Woakes, Broad, Jimmy and Stokes in the side, with maybe Curran as well, Archer won’t have to bowl long spells.

[hilts_coolerking]

I don't know if they'll risk Archer in a 5 day game so soon.

If Jimmy is fit and Stokes up to bowling, this looks to be an ideal time to play Archer. With Woakes, Broad, Jimmy and Stokes in the side, with maybe Curran as well, Archer won’t have to bowl long spells.

I think that's part of the issue though.  Picking two players (Anderson and Archer) who may not be 100% fit, plus not knowing how many Stokes can give you, is asking for trouble, even if we have lots of all rounders in the side.  I don't think we need to take that risk in the first game of a five game series.  Stone, at his home ground, is in with a good shout.

I'd go:

Burns
Roy
Denly
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Curran
Woakes
Broad
Stone
Anderson / Archer

Personally I'd have Sibley in at 2, move Roy to 3, drop Denly, and Leach in for Broad.  Hard to leave Broad out but Stone offers pace the others lack.  In the admittedly few games he's played for England so far he's troubled quite a few front line batsmen.

[PaulWinch again]

I think Mo’s bowling is fine, especially in England. Look at his performance last summer.

The concern is the batting, including his.

[paul_e]

I don't know if they'll risk Archer in a 5 day game so soon.

If Jimmy is fit and Stokes up to bowling, this looks to be an ideal time to play Archer. With Woakes, Broad, Jimmy and Stokes in the side, with maybe Curran as well, Archer won’t have to bowl long spells.

and it's Edgbaston, where we generally get good wickets for English bowlers and have a fantastic record. I'm ok with it.

Roy, Denly, Root, Buttler, Stokes, Bairstow, Curran, Woakes, Archer, Broad, Jimmy.

Possibly harsh on Burns but Root and Denly make a reasonable spin option between them. Moeen needs some time with his county to get some runs and take a few wickets, he's badly out of form right now. Stone would be unlucky to miss out at a ground where he's taken so many wickets in the last 18 months.

Oh, and I had to read the squad about 5 times to check I wasn't picking someone who isn't in because UK redsox said it was 13 but I knew I'd left 3 out in Burns, Moeen and Stone.

[hilts_coolerking]

I think Mo’s bowling is fine, especially in England. Look at his performance last summer.

The concern is the batting, including his.

In 5 Tests against Australia in England he's taken 12 @ 45.5 and conceded 4.4 runs per over.  That's not fine.

[PaulWinch again]

I think Mo’s bowling is fine, especially in England. Look at his performance last summer.

The concern is the batting, including his.

In 5 Tests against Australia in England he's taken 12 @ 45.5 and conceded 4.4 runs per over.  That's not fine.

When was that though? Like I said last summer against India, much better players of spin than Australia, he was excellent.

[hilts_coolerking]

He played two Tests against India last summer and was excellent in one and mediocre in the other.  Match figures: 9 for 134 and 3 for 118.

[paul_e]

I'm a big fan of Ali when he's playing well, the problem is he's not at the moment, his batting has abandoned him completely and his bowling hasn't been great either. As I said earlier, I think he needs a few county games to just find his feet again.

[Steve67]

I don't know if they'll risk Archer in a 5 day game so soon.

If Jimmy is fit and Stokes up to bowling, this looks to be an ideal time to play Archer. With Woakes, Broad, Jimmy and Stokes in the side, with maybe Curran as well, Archer won’t have to bowl long spells.

I think that's part of the issue though.  Picking two players (Anderson and Archer) who may not be 100% fit, plus not knowing how many Stokes can give you, is asking for trouble, even if we have lots of all rounders in the side.  I don't think we need to take that risk in the first game of a five game series.  Stone, at his home ground, is in with a good shout.

I'd go:

Burns
Roy
Denly
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Curran
Woakes
Broad
Stone
Anderson / Archer

Personally I'd have Sibley in at 2, move Roy to 3, drop Denly, and Leach in for Broad.  Hard to leave Broad out but Stone offers pace the others lack.  In the admittedly few games he's played for England so far he's troubled quite a few front line batsmen.

You can't play 12 players Hilts! I wish Root would man up and agree to go in at three.

[hilts_coolerking]

You can't play 12 players Hilts! I wish Root would man up and agree to go in at three.

Oopsy.  I thought it looked strong.  Broad misses out then.

[UK Redsox]

The England Women were poor again today. They’ve no answer to Lanning and Perry

Perry is the first person to reach 1000 runs and 100 wickets in international T20s