West Indies Tour of England - July 2020

qpeedore

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Looking at @Aislabie and the team he picked, I have some doubts. You picked that team assuming Holder can bowl in the match.

I really don't like the idea of having just 2 specialist seamers. I want Alzarri or Chemar in my squad. I want 3 frontline seamers and one bowling all rounder. West Indies regularly have a problem taking 20 wickets in a match. That can't happen in England. I want the most aggressive most potent bowlers. Alzarri is a good batsman.

Cornwall is better than everyone thinks he is. I don't care what anyone says about him.

I agree with not playing Campbell. Shai Hope opens in ODIs, I want him there.

Otherwise unless I've missed something, I agree with the picks.
 

Aislabie

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Buttler V/C. So looks like Foakes coming in is unlikely.
Absolutely ridiculous decision. Your captain has to justify his own place in the team, so your vice captain absolutely should do as well. Buttler averages 21 in his last ten Tests, with keeping that is adequate but not outstanding at Test level.
It gets worse and worse - I could make peace with Dan Lawrence as a stop-gap number four, but the omission of Sam Hain after a coming-of-age Championship season continues to baffle me. At the same time though, I did fully expect Bairstow and Buttler to play so what the hell.
Looking at @Aislabie and the team he picked, I have some doubts. You picked that team assuming Holder can bowl in the match.

I really don't like the idea of having just 2 specialist seamers. I want Alzarri or Chemar in my squad. I want 3 frontline seamers and one bowling all rounder. West Indies regularly have a problem taking 20 wickets in a match. That can't happen in England. I want the most aggressive most potent bowlers. Alzarri is a good batsman.

Cornwall is better than everyone thinks he is. I don't care what anyone says about him.

I agree with not playing Campbell. Shai Hope opens in ODIs, I want him there.

Otherwise unless I've missed something, I agree with the picks.
Yeah, that is a fair argument. I did pick the team on the basis that Holder was fit to bowl - this would give you a seam trio of two seam/swing bowlers (Holder and Roach) and one express paceman (Gabriel). I believe that that's the structure you want in a Test seam attack, and stand by it.

Holder's not fit to bowl then the plan I had was for Alzarri Joseph to come in for Sunil Ambris, and for Holder to play as a batsman. An average of 32 with three centures and a best of 202* is honestly one of the best Test batting records available at present, so that coupled with his captaincy and slip fielding does I think justify his selection regardless.

Fully agree with Cornwall's standard as a cricketer - it's just one of those "what-ifs" about how much better he could be if he was able to make healthier choices. Which isn't to say that he's not trying - not at all.
 

qpeedore

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Seeing the end of day report on the second warmup game...rain affected first day, with Holder once again struggling.

Wish this match was actually the First Class match it was scheduled to be, but these days one cannot be too careful.

Jason Holder - I totally agree that he can be played as a specialist lower order batsman, but the fact is that he is both unfit and out of form. Unless something drastic happens in the next few days, I would not play Holder in the first Test.

Kraigg Brathwaite - He has to play. West Indies have a lot of trouble at the top of the order in recent years, and this guy can channel Chanderpaul and bat until forever.

Shai Hope - I want him opening with Braithwaite to give (what in my opinion) is the ideal opening partnership. One aggressive and one defensive.

Shane Dowrich - As a pure keeper he's good for a shorter guy. As a wicketkeeper-batsman he can score at a good pace.

Roston Chase - He has to play. He's one of the pillars of the middle order. And even though he still considers his bowling only "part time" he has an 8-wicket haul and has been working on bowling more.

Shamarh Brooks - One of the many who have been there or thereabouts and just on the cusp on selection for a long time before his debut. I might pick him for the first Test, but certainly if not he can get a game later on in the series.

Rahkeem Cornwall - Has to play. Best spinner in the regional 4-day competition, a great slip fielder despite his size, and batting nothing to laugh at.

Nkrumah Bonner - No.

Alzarri Joseph - I want him instead of Holder. Alzarri can bat, he doesn't have the capability of Holder, but he can hang in there and a 35 in the tail might just prove to be valuable.

Chemar Holder - He has to play a game this series. He just has to. Or if not this one, then the next. Given Gabriel isn't 100% fit, I can see him perhaps coming in for the second Test while giving Gabriel a rest.

John Campbell - Not in the best of form, but not out of eyesight of the selectors either.

Raymon Reifer - Did well in the first warmup, but I can't see him getting picked.

Kemar Roach - Little did I know when I met this guy back in 2009 that he would be the leader of our attack. What he gave up in terms of pace over the years, he gained in lateral ball movement. One of the best seam bowlers around today, he is a sure pick.

Jermaine Blackwood - As with Campbell, a bit out of form, but not out of sight. Might get squeezed in.

Sunil Ambris - I think he should get a game. He's always been there or thereabouts, and at the moment he's there.

Joshua Da Silva - He's been in alright form playing in England, but I'm not sure if he has enough experience against other teams.

Shannon Gabriel - Good enough to play, at least for the first Test. I'm not sure if he'll be fit for the entire series, but as far as making an impact early on, he has to be picked.

Keon Harding - Meh.

Kyle Mayers - More suited to limited overs formats (yes I am aware the stats say otherwise).

Preston McSween - Meh.

Marquino Mindley - Not a bad player, but experience once again.

Shane Moseley - In form, but wouldn't pick him for the first match.

Anderson Phillip - Better in limited overs.

Oshane Thomas - Still requires more coaching. Pace is not everything, and he may have worked hard on his no-ball issues, but line and length still need help. I can't pick him, but not out of mind.

Jomel Warrican - Meh.

So that's my thoughts as a West Indian on the entire squad of twenty-odd players.

Who would I pick for the first Test?

Kraigg Braithwaite (C)
Shai Hope
Shamarh Brooks
Sunil Ambris
Jermaine Blackwood
Shane Dowrich (WKB)
Roston Chase
Rahkeem Cornwall
Alzarri Joseph
Kemar Roach
Shannon Gabriel
Chemar Holder (12th)
 
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qpeedore

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Looking at that I can almost be sure of England's squad...which is sort of sad, actually.

Rory Burns
Keaton Jennings (they will most likely not drop him for the first game yet)
Joe Denly
Jonny Bairstow
Ollie Pope
Ben Stokes
Joss Buttler
Moeen Ali
Stuart Broad
Jimmy Anderson
Jofra Archer

Who will keep? Hell if I know. I really like Foakes as a keeper, so I'm hoping he delivers in the practice match and gets picked for the gloves. I WANT to be proven wrong about Jennings, but I'm not sure I will be.

The more interesting discussion is about the bowling. Archer simply has to play no matter how he does in the warmup, so he's a given. Broad expressed some doubts about being picked in all the matches recently, and as great as Anderson is, it's hard to think of him playing the entire series unless he's absolutely required to given his age.
 

wasteyouryouth

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Looking at that I can almost be sure of England's squad...which is sort of sad, actually.

Rory Burns
Keaton Jennings (they will most likely not drop him for the first game yet)
Joe Denly
Jonny Bairstow
Ollie Pope
Ben Stokes
Joss Buttler
Moeen Ali
Stuart Broad
Jimmy Anderson
Jofra Archer

Who will keep? Hell if I know. I really like Foakes as a keeper, so I'm hoping he delivers in the practice match and gets picked for the gloves. I WANT to be proven wrong about Jennings, but I'm not sure I will be.

The more interesting discussion is about the bowling. Archer simply has to play no matter how he does in the warmup, so he's a given. Broad expressed some doubts about being picked in all the matches recently, and as great as Anderson is, it's hard to think of him playing the entire series unless he's absolutely required to given his age.
I don't see Jennings being picked ahead of Sibley. Jennings was only back in the reckoning because he's a 'sub-continent specialist' and Burns did his ankle. I think Crawley improved game by game enough in South Africa (and got a century in the warm up in Sri Lanka) to stand a good chance of getting ahead of Denly at three. I would like to see someone other than Bairstow at four, but he gets more chances than anyone. Stokes then Pope. Buttler to keep.

I could see them going with that bowling line up. Although Freddie Wilde, on Twitter, pointed out the West Indies have only one left-hander in the squad, so Leach might be a better option.

Despite the big squad I don't expect any surprises. They might save themselves any headaches for when Root returns and go Stokes or Pope at four and pick Curran/Woakes at 7.
 

qpeedore

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Cricket West Indies has done it again. While the ACB has been targeting robelinda2 (two because it's the second member account) and then they essentially said sorry mate, and the BCCI has yet to show any official videos, CWI and the ECB have continued to put out top class videos.

It helps that this vid features my favourite cricketer of all time of course.


West Indies vs England. England all out for 46 thanks to Sir Curtly Ambrose.

(EDIT: It has no bearing on the current series, but it is WI vs Eng so it counts. Plus...Ambrose...come on. Cricket West Indies posted this vid yesterday, clearly they want to draw up some heat for the upcoming series.)
 
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wasteyouryouth

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Final England squad: Stokes, Anderson, Archer, Bess, Broad, Burns, Buttler, Crawley, Denly, Pope, Sibley, Woakes, Wood

And, in case any of them don't make it through Super Saturday, nine reserves: James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Olly Stone (Warwickshire)
 

Bevab

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No Bairstow is good news but the continued faith in Buttler puzzles me. The only case I can see for his inclusion is that with the presence of a settled top six before him, he is free to play as a poor man's Gilchrist and score rapidly to pulverize any bowling attack. This is pure conjecture though based on his ODI style as Buttler isn't even as good as Foakes with the bat in first-class cricket let alone the gloves. I would have also picked Leach due to West Indies' weakness to left-arm spin and also Lawrence due to his form. It does seem likely that Root will slot straight back in and that would mean Lawrence being axed no matter what he does so I can see the case for his exclusion along with Leach's due to the injuries he suffered.
 

wasteyouryouth

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No Bairstow is good news but the continued faith in Buttler puzzles me. The only case I can see for his inclusion is that with the presence of a settled top six before him, he is free to play as a poor man's Gilchrist and score rapidly to pulverize any bowling attack. This is pure conjecture though based on his ODI style as Buttler isn't even as good as Foakes with the bat in first-class cricket let alone the gloves. I would have also picked Leach due to West Indies' weakness to left-arm spin and also Lawrence due to his form. It does seem likely that Root will slot straight back in and that would mean Lawrence being axed no matter what he does so I can see the case for his exclusion along with Leach's due to the injuries he suffered.
That specialist number 7 role never worked out did it.
 

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What could we expect of the Southampton pitch ? Will it be a road kind of flat pitch that would dry out and make run scoring difficult in last couple of days (just like the one we had last time at this venue in England vs India series) or would it be a seaming track ?
 

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Having the first test after months of lockdown get delayed due to rain is peak English Cricket.
 

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What a shame!!! A real shame to have rains delaying the very first match after months of lockdown. I just keep thinking on the fact that when will Cricket actually have facilities to sustain the rainfall ?
 

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