Please, please, please not Gary Ballance. This is a well trodden path and he has proven to be simply not good enough at Test level. Last time he was recalled he had made runs at County level and was found out again.
Agree with Bairstow analysis. Seemingly undroppable even though recent record is gash. Foakes is brilliant with the gloves and good with bat, yet won't have a look in.
I still think we have a massive problem with the openers. Roy and Burns aren't the answer for me. I'd prefer Roy lower down (Root at 3) and Burns nowhere near the side from what I've seen. That leaves Vince and Denly maybe to open...
I want Leach in instead of Ali. Ali, like Bairstow, living on past glories. Batting has gone south, just like Broad's did!
So...I'd have:
Vince
Denly
Root
Roy
Buttler
Stokes
Foakes
Leach
Archer
Broad
Anderson
Won't happen though!
That just about sums up where we are at, I was with you until it became Vince and Denly opening the batting!
So a week before the Ashes, he is going to say he is worried about the batting. Aussies would love that.Got to laugh that Root says he has no concerns about England's batting.
He's fooling nobody with that statement and if he actually believes it he's in the wrong job....
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/49138107
As expected Leach’s reward for bailing out England when they were looking to get embarrassed is to be dropped for a player who is a worst bowler and currently is shocking with the bat
Looking at the squad announced its going to be
Roy
Burns
Denly
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Ali
Woakes
Broad or Archer
Anderson
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/49138107
As expected Leach’s reward for bailing out England when they were looking to get embarrassed is to be dropped for a player who is a worst bowler and currently is shocking with the bat
Looking at the squad announced its going to be
Roy
Burns
Denly
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Ali
Woakes
Broad or Archer
Anderson
Root criticised the pitch. He really has become an irksome, irritating, whingeing individual. Takes no responsibility as captain, always blames someone or something for England's batting issues. Leach showed how to bat on that wicket, shame his team-mates couldn't follow his lead.
The pitch was fine. Poor technique and favourable selection policy, Mr Root, are where the problems lie.
Bob Woolmer wrote a book 10 years or so ago that was decent (science and art of cricket or similar), maybe a bit technical and text heavy and maybe slightly out of date in the modern age of hit and giggle
Edit: This one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bob-Woolme...s=bob+woolmer&qid=1564000902&s=gateway&sr=8-1
The book arrived today.. ordered a second hand copy for about seven quid. Not sure the boy will read it (though he seems to be thumbing thru it every few hours).... More than that, he could use it for weight training. Its a tomb of a book at about 700 pages!!!
BTW, just watched a movie called 'Death of a Gentleman' on Prime. its starts off wondering if Test Matches are dead, but then goes onto talk about how BCCI, ECB and CA (not just BCCI) are ruining the game. The BCCI gets a lot of kicking. It reminds me of Ferrari and its role in F1 were they too threatened to start a rival competition. Big people like Ecclestone and Ron Dennis being involved as larger than sport. I guess every game probably has something like this...