It was definitely the right call to move on from Bairstow and Ali in our white ball squads. Two fantastic careers, but last WC showed it was time for some new blood.
England Men's squads announced for Vitality IT20s and Metro Bank ODIs against Australia
The England Men's selection panel has announced the squads for the upcoming Vitality IT20 series and the Metro Bank ODI series against Australia, set to begin next month.
The three-match Vitality IT20 series will kick off at the Utilita Bowl, Southampton, on 11 September 2024. Following this, England will play five Metro Bank ODIs, starting at Trent Bridge on 19 September.
England Men's IT20 Squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire) - Captain
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Jordan Cox (Essex)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Liam Livingstone (Lancashire)
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)
Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Phil Salt (Lancashire)
Reece Topley (Surrey)
John Turner (Hampshire)
England Men's ODI Squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire) - Captain
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Matthew Potts (Durham)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Phil Salt (Lancashire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Reece Topley (Surrey)
John Turner (Hampshire)
Absolutely bizarre to not pick Sam Hain in the ODI squad
Brydon Carse coming straight back in from a gambling ban is a bit of a weird one.
I think those two comments demonstrate selection, so far as England are concerned, isn't just about form otherwise Hain would have been consistently picked long before now and Carse (coming back from ban and 1-294 this season) wouldn't have.
Hain is 29 now and it's either been his personality, or his Australia bond or, more likely, the fact he starts slowly (and England are probably looking for pure white ball players who can play at international level T20 and 50 over) that has limited him plus we have younger white ball batsmen coming from everywhere. Cox is in the Test and T20 squads but no one can say that he can't play the 50 over version for which they've given others a chance. Crawley would have been in the melting pot but for injury. Then there's the likes of Banton and Smeed who are much younger and might come good.
In the case of Carse, I think it's a case of us throwing fast bowlers against the wall and see if they will stick. And of course the England captain will have some influence so far as Carse's early return is concerned. He's not just from Durham but believes in giving players a second chance - let's not forget that he was sent home by England along with Matt Cole. Unfortunately the latter never did learn from the experience.
That thorny issue of central contracts is a problem too. Look at the situation with Bairstow - he still has over a year left so that's potentially £500k paid to a player who won't be selected for England. Malan won't have played for the last 11 months of his contract. That's wasted money. If a young non contracted player is playing in the various franchises then there is little financial benefit, by comparison, in turning those down. Which is why the selection of someone like Smith for the Test side isn't just about the way he plays red ball cricket - it's because he can play all three, is young and England can lock him in to a degree anyway.
With regards to "centres of influence", 26/31 selected for England squads this summer play for Test hosting counties with 22 coming from five of those and with six counties not represented in any of the squads. Of the five that don't play for a Test hosting county, it would be a bit of a surprise if Crawley doesn't move given Kent's imminent relegation, Bashir will almost certainly have to do so as he can't get into the Somerset side, Hull will be encouraged to in order to play Div 1 cricket and Archer doesn't play many games for Sussex anyway which leaves just Cox but then he is playing in Div 1.
England Men's squads announced for Vitality IT20s and Metro Bank ODIs against Australia
The England Men's selection panel has announced the squads for the upcoming Vitality IT20 series and the Metro Bank ODI series against Australia, set to begin next month.
The three-match Vitality IT20 series will kick off at the Utilita Bowl, Southampton, on 11 September 2024. Following this, England will play five Metro Bank ODIs, starting at Trent Bridge on 19 September.
England Men's IT20 Squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire) - Captain
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Jordan Cox (Essex)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Liam Livingstone (Lancashire)
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)
Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Phil Salt (Lancashire)
Reece Topley (Surrey)
John Turner (Hampshire)
England Men's ODI Squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire) - Captain
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Matthew Potts (Durham)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Phil Salt (Lancashire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Reece Topley (Surrey)
John Turner (Hampshire)
Absolutely bizarre to not pick Sam Hain in the ODI squad
Brydon Carse coming straight back in from a gambling ban is a bit of a weird one.
I think those two comments demonstrate selection, so far as England are concerned, isn't just about form otherwise Hain would have been consistently picked long before now and Carse (coming back from ban and 1-294 this season) wouldn't have.
Hain is 29 now and it's either been his personality, or his Australia bond or, more likely, the fact he starts slowly (and England are probably looking for pure white ball players who can play at international level T20 and 50 over) that has limited him plus we have younger white ball batsmen coming from everywhere. Cox is in the Test and T20 squads but no one can say that he can't play the 50 over version for which they've given others a chance. Crawley would have been in the melting pot but for injury. Then there's the likes of Banton and Smeed who are much younger and might come good.
In the case of Carse, I think it's a case of us throwing fast bowlers against the wall and see if they will stick. And of course the England captain will have some influence so far as Carse's early return is concerned. He's not just from Durham but believes in giving players a second chance - let's not forget that he was sent home by England along with Matt Coles. Unfortunately the latter never did learn from the experience.
That thorny issue of central contracts is a problem too. Look at the situation with Bairstow - he still has over a year left so that's potentially £500k paid to a player who won't be selected for England. Malan won't have played for the last 11 months of his contract. That's wasted money. If a young non contracted player is playing in the various franchises then there is little financial benefit, by comparison, in turning those down. Which is why the selection of someone like Smith for the Test side isn't just about the way he plays red ball cricket - it's because he can play all three, is young and England can lock him in to a degree anyway.
With regards to "centres of influence", 24/29 selected for England squads this summer play for Test hosting counties with 22 coming from five of those and with six counties not represented in any of the squads. Of the five that don't play for a Test hosting county, it would be a bit of a surprise if Crawley doesn't move given Kent's imminent relegation, Bashir will almost certainly have to do so as he can't get into the Somerset side, Hull will be encouraged to in order to play Div 1 cricket and Archer doesn't play many games for Sussex anyway which leaves just Cox but then he is playing in Div 1.
Corrected for you as the Radio reporter Matt Cole used to get thoroughly pi**ed off being mistaken for a recalcitrant cricketer.
Not really England related but he was originally signed for a county stint this summer with Leicestershire - Will Puckovski has finally had to retire from all professional cricket as a result of multiple concussions
Odd case, wonder why he was so susceptible to it? Sensible he's retired before it got any more serious a health issue.
Apparently he's done a few commentary gigs so hopefully carves out a commentary/coaching career for himself.
Pretty sure that once you’ve had one the next is easier to come by so he was always going to get more and more. Amazed he wasn’t told to retire earlier, Luke Rowe has had to retire from cycling for getting a few and a family member of mine has had to stop his youth rugby career after 3/4
Duckett is the only batsman in the top three that deserves to keep his place. I include Crawley in this. Root Brooke Stokes ,when fit Smith Woakes A very strong middle order, but the top three are a concern.
Making a lad that clearly isn't confident in his own ability at test level stand in captain seems like a very silly move to me. Give it to Root for the short term whilst Stokes rehabs.
Making a lad that clearly isn't confident in his own ability at test level stand in captain seems like a very silly move to me. Give it to Root for the short term whilst Stokes rehabs.
Crawley has been pretty consistent recently. I know he has a reputation of being a bit streaky from when he first came into the team but look at his record since the beginning of last summer. In the 25 innings he played he’s only not scored 50+ in 8 of them and one of those was a 49 and only 2 were single figures.
Odd case, wonder why he was so susceptible to it? Sensible he's retired before it got any more serious a health issue.
Apparently he's done a few commentary gigs so hopefully carves out a commentary/coaching career for himself.
It is the cumulative affect from being hit in so many different ways but it's been made far worse by the fact that he simply could not play the short ball or, should I say, the short ball when it's delivered at the top range of pace and in that right area. He was getting himself into all sorts of poor positions which was probably more a mental than physical thing - less than half a second to make up your mind what to do is hard enough let alone when you have had the traumatic experience of being hit so many times in that way. And of course, as soon as he would walk to the crease, the opposition quicks would know exactly where to put it. His retirement should really have happened a couple of years ago for his sake and the potential risk of a Phil Hughes situation happening again. Sean Abbott will never get over that despite the fact that Hughes' death was in no way his fault.
Crawley has been pretty consistent recently. I know he has a reputation of being a bit streaky from when he first came into the team but look at his record since the beginning of last summer. In the 25 innings he played he’s only not scored 50+ in 8 of them and one of those was a 49 and only 2 were single figures.
If my maths are right he’s averaging just under 44 since the beginning of last summer which isn’t too bad. Duckett averages just under 42 in the same time
You are correct in what you are saying but. When looking at a batsmans average you can't pick and choose where to start. Crawley is very much a feast or famine type of batsman. When he's good he's very good. But when he's bad he's very poor. His overall average for England is only about 24 or 25 and he only keeps his place due to a lack of good opening batsmen in county cricket at the moment. Lawrence being a prime example of this,he's a middle order batsman being shoehorned in as an opener because there's such a shortage.
Crawley has been pretty consistent recently. I know he has a reputation of being a bit streaky from when he first came into the team but look at his record since the beginning of last summer. In the 25 innings he played he’s only not scored 50+ in 8 of them and one of those was a 49 and only 2 were single figures.
If my maths are right he’s averaging just under 44 since the beginning of last summer which isn’t too bad. Duckett averages just under 42 in the same time
Your maths is good! Since 1 June 2023, Crawley has averaged 43.83 and Duckett 41.92. Only Smith (59.5) and Root (51.91) are averaging higher.
I’d argue that the last 2 years are exactly what you should be looking at when considering someone’s form.
Lawrence I agree is a mad call and feels more out of loyalty to him being 12th man so much than anything else.
If fit Crawley will almost certainly be our opening batsmen come the ashes. Hopefully he will prove to be a good selection. But I wouldn't put money on it.
You are correct in what you are saying but. When looking at a batsmans average you can't pick and choose where to start. Crawley is very much a feast or famine type of batsman. When he's good he's very good. But when he's bad he's very poor. His overall average for England is only about 24 or 25 and he only keeps his place due to a lack of good opening batsmen in county cricket at the moment. Lawrence being a prime example of this,he's a middle order batsman being shoehorned in as an opener because there's such a shortage.
32.
I get that it's not in the 40s as we should want though. That said, he's improving all the time IMHO and Crawley and Duckett are definitely the best choice of openers we've got.
It isn't getting easier to produce openers either. I watch a lot of youngsters in age group and 2nd XI cricket and despair at how many get out, early doors, playing shots they simply don't need to. I saw one yesterday where a county U18 opener, with barely a run on the board and with four slips an a gully in situ, chased a ball that was so wide that one hand had to come off the bat and was caught. That is a legacy of T20 which does not demand the same level of technique and where being in for a good rather than a long time is the way forward.
You are correct in what you are saying but. When looking at a batsmans average you can't pick and choose where to start. Crawley is very much a feast or famine type of batsman. When he's good he's very good. But when he's bad he's very poor. His overall average for England is only about 24 or 25 and he only keeps his place due to a lack of good opening batsmen in county cricket at the moment. Lawrence being a prime example of this,he's a middle order batsman being shoehorned in as an opener because there's such a shortage.
32.
I get that it's not in the 40s as we should want though. That said, he's improving all the time IMHO and Crawley and Duckett are definitely the best choice of openers we've got.
I agree with you 100% they are the best that we have the moment and they will remain in the side for the Ashes. My point is that they will be there mainly because there are no decent openers out there at this moment in time
Comments
Two fantastic careers, but last WC showed it was time for some new blood.
Hain is 29 now and it's either been his personality, or his Australia bond or, more likely, the fact he starts slowly (and England are probably looking for pure white ball players who can play at international level T20 and 50 over) that has limited him plus we have younger white ball batsmen coming from everywhere. Cox is in the Test and T20 squads but no one can say that he can't play the 50 over version for which they've given others a chance. Crawley would have been in the melting pot but for injury. Then there's the likes of Banton and Smeed who are much younger and might come good.
In the case of Carse, I think it's a case of us throwing fast bowlers against the wall and see if they will stick. And of course the England captain will have some influence so far as Carse's early return is concerned. He's not just from Durham but believes in giving players a second chance - let's not forget that he was sent home by England along with Matt Cole. Unfortunately the latter never did learn from the experience.
That thorny issue of central contracts is a problem too. Look at the situation with Bairstow - he still has over a year left so that's potentially £500k paid to a player who won't be selected for England. Malan won't have played for the last 11 months of his contract. That's wasted money. If a young non contracted player is playing in the various franchises then there is little financial benefit, by comparison, in turning those down. Which is why the selection of someone like Smith for the Test side isn't just about the way he plays red ball cricket - it's because he can play all three, is young and England can lock him in to a degree anyway.
With regards to "centres of influence", 26/31 selected for England squads this summer play for Test hosting counties with 22 coming from five of those and with six counties not represented in any of the squads. Of the five that don't play for a Test hosting county, it would be a bit of a surprise if Crawley doesn't move given Kent's imminent relegation, Bashir will almost certainly have to do so as he can't get into the Somerset side, Hull will be encouraged to in order to play Div 1 cricket and Archer doesn't play many games for Sussex anyway which leaves just Cox but then he is playing in Div 1.
Not really England related but he was originally signed for a county stint this summer with Leicestershire - Will Puckovski has finally had to retire from all professional cricket as a result of multiple concussions
Apparently he's done a few commentary gigs so hopefully carves out a commentary/coaching career for himself.
Sitting very side on in the Mound Stand, in a restricted view seat
I include Crawley in this.
Root
Brooke
Stokes ,when fit
Smith
Woakes
A very strong middle order, but the top three are a concern.
When looking at a batsmans average you can't pick and choose where to start.
Crawley is very much a feast or famine type of batsman.
When he's good he's very good.
But when he's bad he's very poor.
His overall average for England is only about 24 or 25 and he only keeps his place due to a lack of good opening batsmen in county cricket at the moment.
Lawrence being a prime example of this,he's a middle order batsman being shoehorned in as an opener because there's such a shortage.
Lawrence I agree is a mad call and feels more out of loyalty to him being 12th man so much than anything else.
Hopefully he will prove to be a good selection.
But I wouldn't put money on it.
I get that it's not in the 40s as we should want though. That said, he's improving all the time IMHO and Crawley and Duckett are definitely the best choice of openers we've got.
My point is that they will be there mainly because there are no decent openers out there at this moment in time