No indication from Trevor Bayliss that Ballance will be dropped. "Like a lot of the others he is working hard at his game".
One other observation - Bangladesh's last four batsmen scored 40 runs in the match whereas ours made 117 (Woakes 55, Rashid 35, Broad 23 and Batty 4). And that was the difference between winning and losing here because, overall, they actually bowled better than we did.
Where England were ahead was with reverse swing with the old ball, where our seamers were a genuine threat. I imagine our lower order batsmen would also have struggled if they had to face Stokes with his pacey reverse swing!
I wouldn't pick him ahead of Anderson, Broad or Stokes. And, with those three in the team, Woakes offers far more than Wood.
I think there are circumstances where Wood would be in front of Anderson,Broad and Woakes, in that he provides something the other three dont have - out and out pace - so, if you going to play 2/3 spinners then the other 2/3 for me would be Stokes (given) and Wood , with perm one from the other three.
So you would go into every game without one or both of England's first- and third-greatest wicket-takers ever?
Jimmy's record outside England isn't amazing and his body needs protecting given his age. I don't think it's unreasonable to pick other bowlers ahead of him on tours.
Anyway well done Bangladesh for making this such an exciting Test Match, it's great to see how far they've come.
His test match bowling average is 28.28
His test match bowling average in India, UAE and Sri Lanka is 28.29
Granted his body may not let him, but I'm sure the selectors still see him as first pick of the seam bowlers.
Indeed, this was posted on Sky after which they continued coverage on SS2:
04:48 WE'RE LIVE... ...on Sky Sports 4 - a late channel change due to the NFL going into overtime. Ian Ward is joined in the studio by Ian Bell and James Taylor.
No, kept going with the old ball. Had Stokes not taken the two wickets in the 4th over of the day, Cook would almost certainly have taken the new ball and given it to Batty and Ali/Rashid.
I wouldn't pick him ahead of Anderson, Broad or Stokes. And, with those three in the team, Woakes offers far more than Wood.
I think there are circumstances where Wood would be in front of Anderson,Broad and Woakes, in that he provides something the other three dont have - out and out pace - so, if you going to play 2/3 spinners then the other 2/3 for me would be Stokes (given) and Wood , with perm one from the other three.
So you would go into every game without one or both of England's first- and third-greatest wicket-takers ever?
Yeah, there are some instances where I would rather have some variety , ieraw pace , to blast out stubborn tail-enders - and this was one of them. TBH Broad and Woakes weren't causing any probs at one point yesterday and would have had Wood come in and blast them out.So, I would have picked Stokes,Wood and then either Broad or Jimmy depending on the circumstances. Its interesting that he has an average in the sub-continent that is similar to elsewhere - I wouldn't have expected that.
No, kept going with the old ball. Had Stokes not taken the two wickets in the 4th over of the day, Cook would almost certainly have taken the new ball and given it to Batty and Ali/Rashid.
I wouldn't pick him ahead of Anderson, Broad or Stokes. And, with those three in the team, Woakes offers far more than Wood.
I think there are circumstances where Wood would be in front of Anderson,Broad and Woakes, in that he provides something the other three dont have - out and out pace - so, if you going to play 2/3 spinners then the other 2/3 for me would be Stokes (given) and Wood , with perm one from the other three.
So you would go into every game without one or both of England's first- and third-greatest wicket-takers ever?
Yeah, there are some instances where I would rather have some variety , ieraw pace , to blast out stubborn tail-enders - and this was one of them. TBH Broad and Woakes weren't causing any probs at one point yesterday and would have had Wood come in and blast them out.So, I would have picked Stokes,Wood and then either Broad or Jimmy depending on the circumstances. Its interesting that he has an average in the sub-continent that is similar to elsewhere - I wouldn't have expected that.
Totally agree with you on Mark Wood, definitely an X-Factor bowler, who makes things happen on flat decks.
The good thing now, is that if we can fit Ali into the top six, then we will have at least two or three all rounders in the side.
This means that Wood could be used in short, sharp 3/4 over bursts where he really cranks it up, and hits his straps.
He would probably only need to bowl 12 overs day, but even if he took 2-40/50 he would have done his job well.
I wouldn't pick him ahead of Anderson, Broad or Stokes. And, with those three in the team, Woakes offers far more than Wood.
I think there are circumstances where Wood would be in front of Anderson,Broad and Woakes, in that he provides something the other three dont have - out and out pace - so, if you going to play 2/3 spinners then the other 2/3 for me would be Stokes (given) and Wood , with perm one from the other three.
So you would go into every game without one or both of England's first- and third-greatest wicket-takers ever?
Yeah, there are some instances where I would rather have some variety , ieraw pace , to blast out stubborn tail-enders - and this was one of them. TBH Broad and Woakes weren't causing any probs at one point yesterday and would have had Wood come in and blast them out.So, I would have picked Stokes,Wood and then either Broad or Jimmy depending on the circumstances. Its interesting that he has an average in the sub-continent that is similar to elsewhere - I wouldn't have expected that.
Totally agree with you on Mark Wood, definitely an X-Factor bowler, who makes things happen on flat decks.
The good thing now, is that if we can fit Ali into the top six, then we will have at least two or three all rounders in the side.
This means that Wood could be used in short, sharp 3/4 over bursts where he really cranks it ulp, and hits his straps.
He would probably only need to bowl 12 overs day, but even if he took 2-40/50 he would have done his job well.
With woods injuries troubles, Anderson also suffering and him and broad not going to last forever I think the best way to prolong all their careers is to rotate 2 out of the 3 alongside Woakes and stokes.
And you have a good chasing group with Finn, Ball, Roland-Jones and then a load of youngsters to be brought on slowly....
Same 16 named for the tour of India. Anderson's fitness to be assessed on an ongoing basis and he might be added at a later date. No place for Hales but that is hardly a surprise.
Having watched a fair bit of the NZ and India series, I have real concerns for Adil Rashid unless he improves dramatically in the next fortnight!
Looking at Rashid he does bowl some good stuff, but it is interwoven with some absolute dross, which means that he often bowls to a 'one day' field, with extra protection on the ropes - which obviously then lessens his chances of taking wickets.
I think that England will go with Ansari in this test (with Rashid and Ali), with a view to him playing in India in place of the leg spinner.
The thought of Kohli, Rahane and Sharma getting stuck into some of his full tosses and long hops, will be giving the selectors sleepless nights.
Also think that Balance will be in serious peril unless he scores in this next test, given that we have five left handers in the Top Six, with Ashwin to face in India, I think that they would like to get at least one more right hander into the top order - possibly Hamed to open, or alternatively Butler in at number four.
I understand the players not wanting to spend ages in Bangladesh, but the red ball tour comprises of 1 truncated practice match, a Test, 4 days off then another Test! I've had longer holidays than that
Ansari in for Batty, Finn in for Broad. What number will Ansari bat?
8 I'd imagine...
Or even 9 behind Woakes! Other than Finn at 11, we have a ridiculously long batting lineup
He's a proper batsman. Should 100% be ahead of Woakes. He's not had a great year with the bat. His season was blighted with injury. But he is a proper batsman.
Mixed feelings over Ansari in for Batty. Obviously over the moon for Zaf. And it's well deserved. And a reward after all his hard work getting over injuries this year. And immensely proud to have a Surrey academy product in the Test line up.
But then he is replacing someone who is not just one of my favourite cricketers but one of my favourite men. And I don't think he deserved to be dropped..
Ansari in for Batty, Finn in for Broad. What number will Ansari bat?
8 I'd imagine...
Or even 9 behind Woakes! Other than Finn at 11, we have a ridiculously long batting lineup
He's a proper batsman. Should 100% be ahead of Woakes. He's not had a great year with the bat. His season was blighted with injury. But he is a proper batsman.
He might be me, but Woakes isn't a number 9 either! He's scored lots of runs for England and Warks this year.
What are the odds of Ballance failing again and Hameed making his debut in the far more pressurised India series?
Comments
His test match bowling average in India, UAE and Sri Lanka is 28.29
Granted his body may not let him, but I'm sure the selectors still see him as first pick of the seam bowlers.
04:48
WE'RE LIVE...
...on Sky Sports 4 - a late channel change due to the NFL going into overtime. Ian Ward is joined in the studio by Ian Bell and James Taylor.
The good thing now, is that if we can fit Ali into the top six, then we will have at least two or three all rounders in the side.
This means that Wood could be used in short, sharp 3/4 over bursts where he really cranks it up, and hits his straps.
He would probably only need to bowl 12 overs day, but even if he took 2-40/50 he would have done his job well.
And you have a good chasing group with Finn, Ball, Roland-Jones and then a load of youngsters to be brought on slowly....
Looking at Rashid he does bowl some good stuff, but it is interwoven with some absolute dross, which means that he often bowls to a 'one day' field, with extra protection on the ropes - which obviously then lessens his chances of taking wickets.
I think that England will go with Ansari in this test (with Rashid and Ali), with a view to him playing in India in place of the leg spinner.
The thought of Kohli, Rahane and Sharma getting stuck into some of his full tosses and long hops, will be giving the selectors sleepless nights.
Also think that Balance will be in serious peril unless he scores in this next test, given that we have five left handers in the Top Six, with Ashwin to face in India, I think that they would like to get at least one more right hander into the top order - possibly Hamed to open, or alternatively Butler in at number four.
Batting looks like it will stay the same.
What number will Ansari bat?
But then he is replacing someone who is not just one of my favourite cricketers but one of my favourite men. And I don't think he deserved to be dropped..
What are the odds of Ballance failing again and Hameed making his debut in the far more pressurised India series?