O/T England's Batting Line-Up...

Do you pick Sibley, Burns, Crawley and Pope if all are fit?

 

If Burns’ display against Roston Chase in the summer are an indicator of his ability against spin, I wouldn’t be putting him straight back in.

Sibley, Crawley and Root top three. Burns to come in if the openers struggle. Jennings should really have been selected in the squad for these tours.

 

Do we stick with Bairstow now he's hit form or will he make way for Stokes?

 

He’s not in the squad for the first two tests I don’t think. Otherwise I’d have probably had him opening with Sibley.

 

We've got little to chose from for the top 3 because we've sent the best player of spin home .
Burns
Sibley
Crawley
They will be the first pick. I'm going, followed by:
4 Root
5 Pope
6 Stokes
7 Buttler (first Test only)
8 Moeen
9 Archer
10 leach
11 Anderson/Broad ( either one is good , but they can't play both of them ,)

 

Root is in India.

 

You know who I mean .

 

I guess they have to give players like Bairstow and Buttler time out of the bubble, though while Bairstow is a good player of spin, he failed to register a half century in Sri Lanka, so might not be the miss we expect. I think Jennings is our best opener for the sub-continent, and had last summer not been ripped apart, Hameed could've staked a claim. If fit, I'd be selecting;

Sibley
Crawley
Root
Stokes
Pope
Lawrence
Buttler
Bess
Leach
Archer
Anderson

Could make a case for replacing one of the spinners with Broad.

 

I'd select Broad because he offers more with the bat and play Leach at 9 because Archer just swings his bat at it.

 

Joe isn't playing at 3 mate any time soon. He's stated that many times that he wants to bat at 4.
Lawrence is the future and looks to have a great temperament but Ravi Ashwin will have him on toast.

 

I'd give Lawrence more of a chance against Ashwin than Burns, or any of our top order for that matter.

Root should be batting at 4 in England / Australia / South Africa. But not in the sub-continent. Agree with you that it won't happen though.

 

I do not rate Archer. Rave about him because he is fast. Anderson and Broad even young Curran get more wicketc

 

YJB wrote in the Evening Standard the other night that he understood the decision to rest him as no one who plays all 3 formats can play in every game especially when you're in the bubble and unable to see loved ones face to face .

 

I think Sibley and Burns need to work on rotating the strike. I think they're too samey. Crawley adds something different because he plays shots. I think Sibley and Burns together let the bowling stem the flow of runs. We might have got through a 14 over spell but only have 20 runs on the board.

 

He's gold dust. He plays test, one day and T20, everybody wants him. He's just superb at all 3 formats.

 

He likes to feel bat on ball and looked back in good nick. I'd be disappointed to be rotated after getting my eye back in.

 

Oh, you mean our fourth best player of spin behind Root, Stokes and Buttler? At the end of the day, his mental health comes before any game of cricket. I commend the ECB's bold approach in managing it before it becomes a serious issue.

 

Trescothick's retired.

 

Burns
Sibley
Crawley
Root
Stokes
Pope
Butler
Archer
Leach
Broad
Anderson

I’d like to get 2 spinners In but there’s no point playing them if they aren’t good enough. Wood or Bess could play instead of of one of the 3 seamers.

Rotation will happen and the best 11 available won’t necessarily take the field.

 

Johnny comes across as very intense at times so it will be good for him to relax with family for a while away from the bubble. As you say Wellsie mental health comes first especially the way the world is right now