Joe Root to open the batting with Alastair Cook on Sunday against Essex

Hopefully that'll be the opening partnership for many years to come.

 

Really?! wow weeh!

 

???????????

 

Mentioned this was going to happen yesterday. Carry on.

Good decision.

 

Excellent decision. Should have gone with Root as opener on the India tour

 

Agree. Just hope they persist with Root regardless rather than panic and change the batting order after a couple of poor scores.

 

apart from Compton they haven't done that for a while.

Two yorkshire players in England team and a good possibility there'll be three.

Cook Root Trott Pietersen Bell Bairstow Prior Swann Broad Anderson Bresnan/ Finn???

 

In fairness, Compton isn't the first to be discarded pretty quickly. They did the same to James Taylor who did very little wrong.

 

He maybe should have started his England career there anyway, we were clearly looking for an opener, hence why Taylor and Compton have had a bash. Now KP is back it's an obvious call for the selectors to put him in and shuffle it a bit. Least disruption is to move Root to open. I don't think Bell is an opener, Trott is the best 3 in the world so leave him where he is. Seems the easy choice to me. Hope they stick with it if he low scores.

 

nothing against bresnan but finn or a 2nd spinner in test matches

 

Horses for courses between Bresnan, Finn and Tremlett. Can't see England going two spinners in England for a long time although after last year at Leeds they'll always go with at least one.

Root and KP can bowl more than decent spin too.

 

I'd have Bresnan in the side. He gets wickets against Australia, he doesn't haemorrhage runs like Finn (who always seems to go for 4.5+ per over in tests), and he will score a few with the bat.

Australia's stronger suit, like ours, is the bowling. Our top order looks stronger, and if we had prior, Bresnan, broad, swann at 7 8 9 10 we could potentially break the resolve of a talented but relatively young and inexperienced attack.

Root and pietersen are better than part time spinners, so no need for two front line spinners.

I think we'll win it comfortably, three or four nil with a weather influenced draw or two

 

totally agree Troff

 

Finn gets more bounce and balls more wicket taking deliveries than Bresnan an automatic pick for me as the pitches firm up.

 

Bresnan might be better if it swinging though and even better if they can get it reserve swinging.