1st Test: Australia v England at The Gabba, Brisbane, 21-25 Nov

[cricket_icon]

I think they're pretty clearly going to go:
Cook
Carberry
Root
Pietersen
Bell
Ballance
Prior
Bresnan
Broad
Swann
Anderson

I don't think bringing Monty in is a good idea and I can't think of anyone who can come in cold and improve the batting at present.

Agreed! Monty won't add anything to the team and this is very close to the team that has been winning consistently for quite some time now. Ballance in for Trott, pretty much a straight swap and it makes sense.

I can't see any arguments for Stokes, he's a decent looking player but an allrounder will just suffer in a bowling line up already lacking confidence. Give Broad, Swann and Anderson even more of a push, psyche them up, make them go out there to fight not just to let the Aussies run all over them and make them look like...well you know.

Oooops, just noticed you put in Bresnan, no way, he is a lack lustre bowler, I'm tellin ya, bring in Finn, he is fast and aggressively, we don't need more pitch up and hit me type of bowlers, bowling at 80mph.

England need to recover psychologically more than physically otherwise this will turn into an embarrassment worthy of England teams from the 90s and early 00s.

Cook
Carberry
KP
Root
Bell
Ballance
Prior
Broad
Swann
Finn
Anderson

I've never understood the fascination with Bresnan, his bowling his average and his batting is no better than Broad/Swann. If England want more bowling options than Stokes would be a better bet, with no Ballance. But Bresnan must be avoided like the plague.

 

[barmyarmy]

I agree with you in principle but Finn is bowling dreadfully and Bres will keep it tight. Sad situation that we need him but you can trust him to do a job.

 

[Owzat]

No Bresnan and certainly only balance in theory (five bowlers) but not in reality.

You've got Cook, Bell and Pietersen who were in decent form although Cook hasn't scored more than 65 against the aussies this year

Then you've got Carberry (3), Root (13) and Stokes (1) who boast a whopping 17 Tests between them followed by a wicket keeper who as mentioned before has 180 runs in his last 15 innings and no fifties.

Then there's the lower order, Broad and Swann can both bat in theory but Broad has nibbled a few decent scores to boast only one fifty in eight series over which time he averages a modest 17.35 while Swann in his last eight series also boasts one fifty and a slightly better average of 21.36

Anderson, Broad, Swann and to some degree Panesar are old hands bowling, all boasting at least 49 Test caps. Bowling in Australia isn't quite so easy. Broad did well in Brisbane, but Swann 4 wkts @ 91.50 and Anderson 3 wkts @ 75.00have both toiled so far this series up to end of 1st innings Adelaide.

in Australia

Anderson : 32 wkts @ 39.47 (BB 4/44, SR 71.38, ER 3.31)
Swann : 19 wkts @ 50.68 (BB 5/91, SR 97.32, ER 3.12)

Anderson did have a good series out here last time aroung, wickets costing 26.04 but then the aussies were pretty feeble and his victims included bowlers (x7), Smith (x3) and Haddin (x3).

His victims did also include Clarke, Ponting, Hussey, and Watson x9 between them, how you decide to rate Khawaja and Johnson as wickets go (once apiece) is up to you, but some will say wickets are wickets - except when you ain't taking them.