England team to play New Zealand

Brooks should have replaced Bairstow but I'm happy that he's been released for Yorks.

 

Mark Ramprakash has pretty much nailed it in stating the obvious - well to me anyway - in his sportsblog for the Guardian today:

"I’m disappointed not to see Joe Root batting at three for the good of the team. When he was captain I was happy for him to bat at four, but his whole focus now is scoring runs and assisting his teammates. Jonny Bairstow has huge experience and if he is going to be in the team he must bat at four, with a younger player at five and Stokes at six.

Instead, Ollie Pope is to bat at three for the first time in his career. I am a huge fan of his, but this decision defies logic. You want players in positions where they are more likely to succeed, and though Pope has the game to be successful in recent times he has been a bit frenetic and anxious at the start of his innings and I don’t think his promotion will do anything to calm that down.

As much as I like Pope, Yorkshire’s Harry Brook has looked a serious talent this season, in whatever format, and I would like to see him selected while he is on the crest of this wave. He has shown great pedigree and there could be no better time to let him loose and give him a run."

link

 

I wouldn't have Foakes in the XI. Brook at 5 and Bairstow at 7 with the gloves is better than Bairstow at 5 Foakes at 7. I'm baffled such an obvious choice hasn't been made.

 

https://12ft.io/proxy?ref=&q=https:...nsider-lords-test-allocation-due-high-ticket/

Lords shouldn't get two tests a summer if they are going to price people out of going so we see empty seats.

 

How does Harry Brook not get picked?

Baffling. And Pope at 3. Baffling.

 

I’m amazed it’s taken this long, at the end of the day who wants to pay top money to watch us get a pasting? I know for some (many) the cricket is just distraction from drinking, but it’s not as much fun watching a cack England side capitulate either way. Maybe they should concentrate on winning and people might come?

 

Aren't headingly the same price. £95 cheapest. On one site selling both. ?
Edit
Managed to find prices on the ecb site. Big difference in similar seating areas of both grounds.
But was looking to purchase for the friday at Headingley. Cheapest available are £95 per ticket. **** that.

 

Happy to see Foakes keeping. The best keeper in the country by a mile, and a more than adequate number 7.

Echo the comments from Ramprakash - when Root started, he batted 6 (below KP and Bell) and when Bell started he also batted 6 (Behind KP and Collingwood) before moving up the order.

 

Pope has been batting for Surrey at number 4 all season, so is there much difference between 3 and 4 ?
Our openers haven’t really been successful in taking the shine off and the falling of 2nd and 3rd wickets has been close.
How often has Root basically been an opener in the past ?

 

Foakes is quite simply our best keeper and he is a very good late order batsman

 

I'm lucky in that I could afford this, but I refuse out of principle to pay that kind of money - should be half that - £45, another example of rip-off Britain, we really have to stop allowing them to get away with it.

 

You couldn't drop Bairstow after two centuries. Brooks will have his day...probably in the next test after another reset.

As for Root he should bat where he's told and maybe Brooks would have a played instead of that soft southern darling Pope.

 

The beautiful south.

 

I agree. It would be a good match for his debut . He couldn't be any more in form, time to see if he can maintain it in the international arena.

 

i agree. The new coach is a dasher who plays the game on the front foot. I’m surprised to see them take the conservative choice here.

Brook will probably get a go in august when he’s out of form, no doubt after more failing from the rest

 

How can you drop Bairstow ?
Our highest test scorer this year ( with 2 hundreds ) and second only to Root last year.
It’s a shame about Brook but he’ll get his chance

 

Just realised that our starting eleven won’t have any left handed pace bowlers.
That’s why Curran the younger one has always been quiteimportant

 

New Zealand playing Trent Boult when Sunday afternoon our time he was playing the IPL final. Surprising is that and not a big vote of confidence for the bowlers missing out because they want to play someone who will still be tired from a long tournament and only arrived here late on Monday.

 

If he was our bowler, he’d collapse after 3 overs and be out for 3 months but other countries don’t seem to have that problem

 

Excellent catch by Bairstow to take a low one handed catch at that pace.