England v India cricket.

England's bowlers are overtly second best to India's in our own fecking conditions.

Woakes being picked as a mistake......A year too far.
Bashir has been picked and he has talent but he's not the best spinner in England....just in the top ten.....Dawson should be playing.
Crawley should have been dropped twenty caps ago.
Rob Key is the only one I can think of who rates Crawley.
 
Rob Key is the only one I can think of who rates Crawley.

That doesn't surprise me.

It's a shame that Strauss isn't calling the shots, and I think he probably would be if his post cricket life hadn't been touched with tragedy.

Key has never been convincing.....wasn't as a test opener and I've not been impressed as a selector.

What he is good at is talking and being confident.....which some people mistake as being leadership.

But for me, leadership has to mean that your direction results in more successful outcomes.

For example, Dermot Reeve is an example of a successful cricket leader (who had a lot of demons) because he could get the best out of his team....which I think otherwise wouldn't have had that success.

Key was just a good batsman who was/is good at waffle and presenting himself.....not a character assassination, as I'm only referring to cricket....He seems like a stand up guy otherwise.

I think we are living in an age where how likable you are is given too much weight over the results you get......A Boycott in your team was a pain in the arse to get on with, but he could also score a barrel of runs. It just requires the right kind of captain and leadership.
 
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Is that it for Crawley? It's good to give players a chance but this is getting too frequent. His Test average is about 30 and we need a better start than he's providing at the moment.
 
Is that it for Crawley? It's good to give players a chance but this is getting too frequent. His Test average is about 30 and we need a better start than he's providing at the moment.
Hameed is the obvious choice in a Bazball team,personally I would go for the slower more dependable Sibley., A Boycott for the modern era you might say.
 
Hameed is the obvious choice in a Bazball team,personally I would go for the slower more dependable Sibley., A Boycott for the modern era you might say.
Why not? As long as he can stay in long enough to at least see the shine off the ball. Not every player has to knock the cover off it - Root doesn't and he scores enough.
 
Why not? As long as he can stay in long enough to at least see the shine off the ball. Not every player has to knock the cover off it - Root doesn't and he scores enough.

Sibley, Hemeed or maybe trying Pope and bringing in that young Gower youngster at three.

Whatever they do I don't think Crawley cuts it.
 
Maybe not as an opener but Bethel is probably the next cab off the rank and he can bowl (a bit) too.

Very much a bit.

I tend to agree with you but for me it's a question of talent and innate confidence. He looks to the manor born.....I think he's going to take to the Australian wickets and that's probably where he becomes established. In the middle order there isn't really a place for him unless they discard Pope.

Personally I feel the difference between a three and an opener shouldn't really be that significant.
 
Very much a bit.

I tend to agree with you but for me it's a question of talent and innate confidence. He looks to the manor born.....I think he's going to take to the Australian wickets and that's probably where he becomes established. In the middle order there isn't really a place for him unless they discard Pope.

Personally I feel the difference between a three and an opener shouldn't really be that significant.
Unfortunately when our no. 3 is often in so early there hasn't been much difference.
 

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