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England cricket 2025. Something something Ashes

www.theguardian.com

Sam Cook selected for England Test squad as injured Chris Woakes misses out

Sam Cook has been selected for England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month as seamer Chris Woakes, who has an ankle injury, makes way
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

Squad for the one-off test against Zimbabwe. Sam Cook in about the only interesting selection. A consistent fast-medium bowler who's taken loads of wickets at an exceptional average in FC cricket isn't the sort of thing they've gone for recently is it. Other than that, the usual list of quick bowlers injured, and pretty much as you were on the batting, so still Crawley and Pope.
 
Crawley's a very lucky boy. Particularly if he manages to get runs against a weaker team and that gets him in the team against India. Bumrah is going to have fun with him.

Tongue coming back is good news. He looked very good when he played last. A good option with the older ball. Cook a good option with the new ball. They could dovetail well.

Much as I like Chris Woakes, I think it may be time to look beyond him now (and I don't see him doing well in Aus whatever happens this summer). Cook's FC numbers are ridiculously good. He deserves a run in the team imo.
 
littlebabyjesus said:
Crawley's a very lucky boy. Particularly if he manages to get runs against a weaker team and that gets him in the team against India. Bumrah is going to have fun with him.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not surprised to see him lined up to start but I did think there might be a new batter or two brought into the squad to give him and Pope some potential competition. Ben McKinney seems to have been getting a lot of hype and has done really well so far this CC season, I think there a few other potential candidates as well.
 
Cook debuts vs Zim. Tongue returns. Good picks I think.

Crawley is incredibly lucky to keep his place. He was a disaster in NZ and has done very little for Kent this year.

Bashir also lucky imo. I think Somerset have this right. Leach is the better bowler. Bashir has potential sure. Let him develop it at county level as Leach did. As Swann did.
 
Didn't realise Tim Southee is the England bowling coach now. That dressing room is now very Kiwi. Baz, Patel, Southee and well, Stokes sort of.
 
Is it a bit patronising to make this a 4 day test?

“Are there any changes to playing conditions for this match compared to a standard five-day Test?” asks James Higgott. “More overs per day? Different lead required for the follow on? Making up time lost to rain?”

I think there are supposed to be 98 overs a day, but England can’t manage 90 so good luck with that. The follow-on mark is 150 runs rather than 200.
Click to expand...
 
Yes. They did the same to Ireland. However, barring rain, I doubt it will matter.

Back in the day, New Zealand used to get given 3-day tests. They had to do a tour where they achieved all draws to change that.

England have put out a full-strength team, so that's good.
 
There is a whiff of something post-colonial about this Zim team. All bowlers are black, top four batters are white with Raza, of Pakistani origin, at five.

I predict a Crawley double-hundred today.
 
Already looking ugly for Zim. I understand why they bowled first, but they really needed early wickets. Crawley and Pope, in particular, are flat-track bullies. Another prediction: Root won't score many. He often fails in matches where him scoring loads isn't so important.
 
I've got money on England scoring over 460 in the first innings but I've got a horrible feeling we'll see a baz declaration on 400 at stumps
 
The ECB issued an immediate statement saying that Stokes 'mis-spoke'. But I think maybe its actually a good ploy. Makes all three of them try even harder.
 
littlebabyjesus said:
So England have Bethell lined up to return to the team for India. So either Pope or Crawley drop out. If they both make runs here, hmmm.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/...ethell-in-line-for-role-against-india-1486835

I don't disagree with that. Bethell looked great in NZ, and showed he could knuckle down if the circumstances demanded it. But a tricky situation for C&P.
Click to expand...

They're on a bit of a hiding to nothing here aren't they. I guess if one scored runs and the other didn't then it might help them but the more they score together the more it just looks like easy runs that don't tell you much.

I'd guess Pope would be the one pushed out if only because they still seem to view Crawley as being an opener in a way that others aren't, for reasons that aren't very obvious.
 
Yes, I suspect Pope is the more vulnerable. Crawley does occasionally score runs against good opposition. In between, he scores virtually nothing.

Unfortunately this is already over as a contest. Zim are going to lose by an innings and plenty, probably within three days. As they were saying on TMS, they consider their bowling to be their stronger suit!
 
So my prediction of a Crawley double was wrong. But Root not getting many was right. He just doesn't care in these situations. For the likes of Crawley and Pope, these are hugely important situations - easy runs to make up for deficiencies elsewhere. Pope averages about 30 against everyone except Zim and Ireland.
 
littlebabyjesus said:
So my prediction of a Crawley double was wrong. But Root not getting many was right. He just doesn't care in these situations. For the likes of Crawley and Pope, these are hugely important situations - easy runs to make up for deficiencies elsewhere. Pope averages about 30 against everyone except Zim and Ireland.
Click to expand...

.

Well I fucked that up.
 
You can't complain about the decline of test cricket on one hand and then complain about games like these on the other.

Yes there is a big gulf in quality but this is far from the worst Zim team I can remember (Zim's test side c. 2004 until their pause in tests was little better than a minor counties team) and if you want to grow and develop the test format then these teams need opportunities to play against some of the better sides and learn from the experience.

The Zimbabwe batters are making a reasonable first of their reply presently. The side referred to above would have been 38 for 7 by now. I'm enjoying seeing this present side and guys you rarely have a chance to see, play.
 
steeplejack said:
You can't complain about the decline of test cricket on one hand and then complain about games like these on the other.

Yes there is a big gulf in quality but this is far from the worst Zim team I can remember (Zim's test side c. 2004 until their pause in tests was little better than a minor counties team) and if you want to grow and develop the test format then these teams need opportunities to play against some of the better sides and learn from the experience.

The Zimbabwe batters are making a reasonable first of their reply presently. The side referred to above would have been 38 for 7 by now. I'm enjoying seeing this present side and guys you rarely have a chance to see, play.
Click to expand...
Yeah this is fair. Lots of teams have taken time before they learned how to succeed in England. For Zim, the difference is length - bowlers have to bowl fuller than they're used to. They were trying yesterday - not like they didn't know they had to change their lengths - but just couldn't get it right. Bit better this morning, and this team does have promise. Their bowlers have some pace and hostility.

And losing a main bowler in the second session of the match was really unlucky. I think I'm coming round to the view that we should allow full bowling and batting subs for genuine injuries.
 
It all depends how far they bat down to, I really don't know. Even the good Zim sides of 92-2003 were strong batting sides with only Heath Streak and three or four other pretty average medium pacers / all rounders in support. They've always had a weak bowling attack, especially in English conditions..
 
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