England squad vs Pakistan

[miked]

Woakes makes it despite his overseas bowling av of 51, as does Carse
rather surprisingly, and Hull. Crawley and Stokes return from injury,
Lawrence not a surprise misses out in favour of Cox. Bash, Rehan and
Leach are the spinners, Hartley prob off with the Lions somewhere with
Freddie later. I still havnt seen it confirmed that it will be in
Pakistan not UAE, even Baz seemed unsure at the Oval.

England squad for Test series against Pakistan: Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan
Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan
Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope,
Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.


mike

[miked]

Post by miked
Woakes makes it despite his overseas bowling av of 51, as does Carse
rather surprisingly, and Hull. Crawley and Stokes return from injury,
Lawrence not a surprise misses out in favour of Cox. Bash, Rehan and
Leach are the spinners,

judging by their perfs this season in the CC, they may have chosen the
wrong Ahmed! I guess they think rehan will be more effective on hard
wkts, but I notice Chalal is doing pretty well for Northants. Compare
him to england leggys like Critchly, Crane, Parky, rehan etc, they all
are v expensive wkts.

mike

[John Hall]

Post by miked

Post by miked
Woakes makes it despite his overseas bowling av of 51, as does Carse
rather surprisingly, and Hull. Crawley and Stokes return from injury,
Lawrence not a surprise misses out in favour of Cox. Bash, Rehan and
Leach are the spinners,

judging by their perfs this season in the CC, they may have chosen the
wrong Ahmed! I guess they think rehan will be more effective on hard
wkts, but I notice Chalal is doing pretty well for Northants. Compare
him to england leggys like Critchly, Crane, Parky, rehan etc, they all
are v expensive wkts.
mike

I imagine England wanted the variety of having a leggie along with an
offie and a slow left-armer. It's a pity that Adil Rashid gave up on
red-ball cricket just as he was reaching his peak, as he would have been
a terrific asset to the Test side over the last five years or more,
especially abroad.

[miked]

Post by John Hall

Post by miked

Post by miked
Woakes makes it despite his overseas bowling av of 51, as does Carse
rather surprisingly, and Hull. Crawley and Stokes return from injury,
Lawrence not a surprise misses out in favour of Cox. Bash, Rehan and
Leach are the spinners,

judging by their perfs this season in the CC, they may have chosen the
wrong Ahmed! I guess they think rehan will be more effective on hard
wkts, but I notice Chalal is doing pretty well for Northants. Compare
him to england leggys like Critchly, Crane, Parky, rehan etc, they all
are v expensive wkts.
mike

I imagine England wanted the variety of having a leggie along with an
offie and a slow left-armer. It's a pity that Adil Rashid gave up on
red-ball cricket just as he was reaching his peak, as he would have been
a terrific asset to the Test side over the last five years or more,
especially abroad.

True, but i think that when he got that shoulder prob, giving up on FC
cricket [i think he has] was the way he could continue and extend his
career as long as he has. looking at archer today, i'm not sure that it
would be wise for him to return to 5 day tests [even if many dont last
that long].

mike

[John Hall]

Post by miked

Post by John Hall

Post by miked

Post by miked
Woakes makes it despite his overseas bowling av of 51, as does Carse
rather surprisingly, and Hull. Crawley and Stokes return from injury,
Lawrence not a surprise misses out in favour of Cox. Bash, Rehan and
Leach are the spinners,

judging by their perfs this season in the CC, they may have chosen the
wrong Ahmed! I guess they think rehan will be more effective on hard
wkts, but I notice Chalal is doing pretty well for Northants. Compare
him to england leggys like Critchly, Crane, Parky, rehan etc, they all
are v expensive wkts.
mike

I imagine England wanted the variety of having a leggie along with an
offie and a slow left-armer. It's a pity that Adil Rashid gave up on
red-ball cricket just as he was reaching his peak, as he would have been
a terrific asset to the Test side over the last five years or more,
especially abroad.

True, but i think that when he got that shoulder prob, giving up on FC
cricket [i think he has] was the way he could continue and extend his
career as long as he has.

True. Though I do wonder if he might have been less inclined to give up
on red-ball - and hence Test - cricket had McCullum been the England
coach back then.

Post by miked
looking at archer today, i'm not sure that it
would be wise for him to return to 5 day tests [even if many dont last
that long].
mike

He's clearly not ready for that yet. Even if he's now fully fit, he's
clearly not yet fully MATCH fit.

[miked]

Post by John Hall

Post by miked

Post by John Hall
I imagine England wanted the variety of having a leggie along with an
offie and a slow left-armer. It's a pity that Adil Rashid gave up on
red-ball cricket just as he was reaching his peak, as he would have been
a terrific asset to the Test side over the last five years or more,
especially abroad.

True, but i think that when he got that shoulder prob, giving up on FC
cricket [i think he has] was the way he could continue and extend his
career as long as he has.

True. Though I do wonder if he might have been less inclined to give up
on red-ball - and hence Test - cricket had McCullum been the England
coach back then.

Rashid used to be a pretty decent batter i think he has 10FC 100s, but
since he gave up on FC cricket, he rarely gets the chance to bat more
than a few balls and now just is a tailend slogger which is a shame. And
hes stuck on 199 wkts in odis.

meanwhile Pakistan have announced a 15 man squad for the 1st test at
Multan:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal,
Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira,
Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub,
Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah
Afridi.

And Hull is out of the series. I think the 1st 2 tests are at Multan, so
we could see all 3 spinners play with just stone/woakes and Stokes as
quicks.

I turned on some random tv channel and it seemed the BBC were
broadcasting baseball! For whom? All the yankies in the UK? And guess
who was the guest commentator? Harry Brook!

mike

[John Hall]

Post by miked

Post by John Hall

Post by miked

Post by John Hall
I imagine England wanted the variety of having a leggie along with an
offie and a slow left-armer. It's a pity that Adil Rashid gave up on
red-ball cricket just as he was reaching his peak, as he would have been
a terrific asset to the Test side over the last five years or more,
especially abroad.

True, but i think that when he got that shoulder prob, giving up on FC
cricket [i think he has] was the way he could continue and extend his
career as long as he has.

True. Though I do wonder if he might have been less inclined to give up
on red-ball - and hence Test - cricket had McCullum been the England
coach back then.

Rashid used to be a pretty decent batter i think he has 10FC 100s, but
since he gave up on FC cricket, he rarely gets the chance to bat more
than a few balls and now just is a tailend slogger which is a shame. And
hes stuck on 199 wkts in odis.

I think he actually got his 200th wicket either at Durham or in one of
the earlier ODIs in this series.

Post by miked
meanwhile Pakistan have announced a 15 man squad for the 1st test at
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal,
Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira,
Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub,
Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah
Afridi.

I hear that Shan Masood has asked that the wickets for the series should
be more seamer-friendly. I don't suppose England would mind that.

Post by miked
And Hull is out of the series. I think the 1st 2 tests are at Multan, so
we could see all 3 spinners play with just stone/woakes and Stokes as
quicks.

It sounds as though Stokes doesn't think he will be fit to bowl at least
at the start of the series. Obviously it will depend on the pitches, but
I'd be surprised if they played three spinners and wouldn't be surprised
if they played only one. Also isn't Atkinson supposed to be fit, in
which case he's sure to be one of the quicks.

Post by miked
I turned on some random tv channel and it seemed the BBC were
broadcasting baseball! For whom? All the yankies in the UK? And guess
who was the guest commentator? Harry Brook!
mike

So was this a random BBC channel then?

[David North]

Post by John Hall

Post by miked

Post by John Hall

Post by miked

Post by John Hall
I imagine England wanted the variety of having a leggie along with an
offie and a slow left-armer. It's a pity that Adil Rashid gave up on
red-ball cricket just as he was reaching his peak, as he would have been
a terrific asset to the Test side over the last five years or more,
especially abroad.

True, but i think that when he got that shoulder prob, giving up on FC
cricket [i think he has] was the way he could continue and extend his
career as long as he has.

True. Though I do wonder if he might have been less inclined to give up
on red-ball - and hence Test - cricket had McCullum been the England
coach back then.

Rashid used to be a pretty decent batter i think he has 10FC 100s, but
since he gave up on FC cricket, he rarely gets the chance to bat more
than a few balls and now just is a tailend slogger which is a shame. And
hes stuck on 199 wkts in odis.

I think he actually got his 200th wicket either at Durham or in one of
the earlier ODIs in this series.

His 200th was Maxwell at Headingley.

[miked]

Post by John Hall
I hear that Shan Masood has asked that the wickets for the series should
be more seamer-friendly. I don't suppose England would mind that.

certianly might explain why they are taking woakes ;)

Post by John Hall

Post by miked
And Hull is out of the series. I think the 1st 2 tests are at Multan, so
we could see all 3 spinners play with just stone/woakes and Stokes as
quicks.

It sounds as though Stokes doesn't think he will be fit to bowl at least
at the start of the series. Obviously it will depend on the pitches, but
I'd be surprised if they played three spinners and wouldn't be surprised
if they played only one. Also isn't Atkinson supposed to be fit, in
which case he's sure to be one of the quicks.

yes i spose he'll be a def pick if he stays fit.

Post by John Hall

Post by miked
I turned on some random tv channel and it seemed the BBC were
broadcasting baseball! For whom? All the yankies in the UK? And guess
who was the guest commentator? Harry Brook!
mike

So was this a random BBC channel then?

i dunno i didnt watch it for long. My neighbours son updated my channel
list and now i seem to have 100s, but all the ones i usuallly watch are
all over the place, so it took me a long time to arrange them like 1-20
so i dont have to plough through them all. BBC has quite a lot more
channels than i realised.

mike

[miked]

Post by miked

Post by John Hall

Post by miked
I turned on some random tv channel and it seemed the BBC were
broadcasting baseball! For whom? All the yankies in the UK? And guess
who was the guest commentator? Harry Brook!
mike

So was this a random BBC channel then?

i dunno i didnt watch it for long. My neighbours son updated my channel
list and now i seem to have 100s, but all the ones i usuallly watch are
all over the place, so it took me a long time to arrange them like 1-20
so i dont have to plough through them all. BBC has quite a lot more
channels than i realised.

it was BBC RB1 usually on ch601, a channel which in summer often shows
athletics.

mike

[miked]

Post by John Hall
I hear that Shan Masood has asked that the wickets for the series should
be more seamer-friendly. I don't suppose England would mind that.

i just checked the 2022 tour. in the first 2 tests at pindi and multan,
the seamers i think took most of the wkts. that is anderson, wood &
robbo, none of whom are going this time.

mike

[John Hall]

Post by miked

Post by John Hall
I hear that Shan Masood has asked that the wickets for the series should
be more seamer-friendly. I don't suppose England would mind that.

i just checked the 2022 tour. in the first 2 tests at pindi and multan,
the seamers i think took most of the wkts. that is anderson, wood &
robbo, none of whom are going this time.
mike

Over the three Tests, Leach took 15 wickets, though they came at 44.60.
Robinson took 9 and Anderson and Wood 8 each, all at around 20 a time.
Ahmed took 7 at 19.57, Jacks 6 (all in the first innings of the first
Test) at 38.66, and Root 5 at 39.20.

Looking at the innings totals, the Rawalpindi pitch was an absolute
road, the other two seemed to have a good balance between bat and ball.
So no dust-bowls and no green-tops. So pitches like those at Multan and
Karachi in the 2nd and 3rd Tests of that series would be good.

[John Hall]

Apparently Sky have now secured the UK TV rights for the series and the
BBC the radio rights. As it all seems to have been very last-minute, I
wonder if Sky and/or the BBC will actually have commentators at the
grounds or whether they'll be commentating in the UK from the TV feed.

[max.it]

Post by John Hall
Apparently Sky have now secured the UK TV rights for the series and the
BBC the radio rights. As it all seems to have been very last-minute, I
wonder if Sky and/or the BBC will actually have commentators at the
grounds or whether they'll be commentating in the UK from the TV feed.

"A team led by BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew will broadcast
from Multan from Monday, 7 October, with two further Tests starting on
15 and 24 October."

From BBC

max.it

[miked]

Post by max.it

Post by John Hall
Apparently Sky have now secured the UK TV rights for the series and the
BBC the radio rights. As it all seems to have been very last-minute, I
wonder if Sky and/or the BBC will actually have commentators at the
grounds or whether they'll be commentating in the UK from the TV feed.

"A team led by BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew will broadcast
from Multan from Monday, 7 October, with two further Tests starting on
15 and 24 October."
From BBC
max.it

maybe it was becos they wernt sure if and where the tests were gonna
happen.

meanwhile it doesnt look like stokes is fully fit, at least he wont
bowl, but i wonder how much fitter he can get between now and monday.
perhaps they should err on the safe side, although it does mean if he
doesnt play they have to decide between a 6th batter or a 5th bowler.

mike

[John Hall]

Post by miked

Post by max.it

Post by John Hall
Apparently Sky have now secured the UK TV rights for the series and the
BBC the radio rights. As it all seems to have been very last-minute, I
wonder if Sky and/or the BBC will actually have commentators at the
grounds or whether they'll be commentating in the UK from the TV feed.

"A team led by BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew will broadcast
from Multan from Monday, 7 October, with two further Tests starting on
15 and 24 October."
From BBC
max.it

maybe it was becos they wernt sure if and where the tests were gonna
happen.
meanwhile it doesnt look like stokes is fully fit, at least he wont
bowl, but i wonder how much fitter he can get between now and monday.
perhaps they should err on the safe side, although it does mean if he
doesnt play they have to decide between a 6th batter or a 5th bowler.
mike

The most recent reports I've seen do seem to suggest that he won't play.
I'm now starting to wonder whether he might not be fit for the second
Test either. The third Test is far enough away that hopefully he'll be
ready to play in that one, at least as a batsman.

[max.it]

Post by John Hall

Post by miked

Post by max.it

Post by John Hall
Apparently Sky have now secured the UK TV rights for the series and the
BBC the radio rights. As it all seems to have been very last-minute, I
wonder if Sky and/or the BBC will actually have commentators at the
grounds or whether they'll be commentating in the UK from the TV feed.

"A team led by BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew will broadcast
from Multan from Monday, 7 October, with two further Tests starting on
15 and 24 October."
From BBC
max.it

maybe it was becos they wernt sure if and where the tests were gonna
happen.
meanwhile it doesnt look like stokes is fully fit, at least he wont
bowl, but i wonder how much fitter he can get between now and monday.
perhaps they should err on the safe side, although it does mean if he
doesnt play they have to decide between a 6th batter or a 5th bowler.
mike

The most recent reports I've seen do seem to suggest that he won't play.
I'm now starting to wonder whether he might not be fit for the second
Test either. The third Test is far enough away that hopefully he'll be
ready to play in that one, at least as a batsman.

He's a confirmed non runner now.
The extra effort that a player makes is what hurts them most. What
hurts them next most is coaches thinking that the extra effort that
caused the hurt can be come their normal consistent level of fitness.
Which reminds me about something that Stokes used to complain about
(not machines).

max.it

[miked]

Post by max.it

Post by John Hall
The most recent reports I've seen do seem to suggest that he won't play.
I'm now starting to wonder whether he might not be fit for the second
Test either. The third Test is far enough away that hopefully he'll be
ready to play in that one, at least as a batsman.

He's a confirmed non runner now.
The extra effort that a player makes is what hurts them most. What
hurts them next most is coaches thinking that the extra effort that
caused the hurt can be come their normal consistent level of fitness.
Which reminds me about something that Stokes used to complain about
(not machines).
max.it

So the reign of Pope will continue. I wouldnt mind if Stokes just stayed
in the slips all day or the infield instead of throwing himself around
the boundary, but he did the injury in apparently innocuous way turning
for a 2nd run. Now hes entering his mid30s, is he becoming more injury
prone?

Anyway team for 1st test is
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook,
Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Bryson Carse, Jack Leach,
Shoaib Bashir.

So theyve gone for 5 bowlers, with 3 seamers which seems as if they
think the pitch isnt gonna be a turner from the start with Carse to
debut. Temp forcast is 36C, so I hope they dont lose the toss and have
to bowl. After Bdesh rolling Pak over twice, people seem to expect the
same from England, but Bdesh bowlers are much more experienced than
englands in asian conditions and Pak will be under big pressure to do a
lot better especially their batters.

mike

[miked]

Post by miked

Post by max.it

Post by John Hall
The most recent reports I've seen do seem to suggest that he won't play.
I'm now starting to wonder whether he might not be fit for the second
Test either. The third Test is far enough away that hopefully he'll be
ready to play in that one, at least as a batsman.

He's a confirmed non runner now.
The extra effort that a player makes is what hurts them most. What
hurts them next most is coaches thinking that the extra effort that
caused the hurt can be come their normal consistent level of fitness.
Which reminds me about something that Stokes used to complain about
(not machines).
max.it

So the reign of Pope will continue. I wouldnt mind if Stokes just stayed
in the slips all day or the infield instead of throwing himself around
the boundary, but he did the injury in apparently innocuous way turning
for a 2nd run. Now hes entering his mid30s, is he becoming more injury
prone?
Anyway team for 1st test is
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook,
Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Bryson Carse, Jack Leach,
Shoaib Bashir.
So theyve gone for 5 bowlers, with 3 seamers which seems as if they
think the pitch isnt gonna be a turner from the start with Carse to
debut. Temp forcast is 36C, so I hope they dont lose the toss and have
to bowl. After Bdesh rolling Pak over twice, people seem to expect the
same from England, but Bdesh bowlers are much more experienced than
englands in asian conditions and Pak will be under big pressure to do a
lot better especially their batters.
mike

Pakistan side is
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel,
Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi,
Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.

How often do tests start on Mondays i wonder. Bit odd as i thought in an
islamic state like pak, friday prayers are paramount, perhaps they will
use the lunch interval. I would have though theyd start tests on
Saturday or sunday.

mike

[David North]

Post by miked

Post by miked

Post by max.it

Post by John Hall
The most recent reports I've seen do seem to suggest that he won't play.
I'm now starting to wonder whether he might not be fit for the second
Test either. The third Test is far enough away that hopefully he'll be
ready to play in that one, at least as a batsman.

He's a confirmed non runner now.
The extra effort that a player makes is what hurts them most. What
hurts them next most is coaches thinking that the extra effort that
caused the hurt can be come their normal consistent level of fitness.
Which reminds me about something that Stokes used to complain about
(not machines).
max.it

So the reign of Pope will continue. I wouldnt mind if Stokes just stayed
in the slips all day or the infield instead of throwing himself around
the boundary, but he did the injury in apparently innocuous way turning
for a 2nd run. Now hes entering his mid30s, is he becoming more injury
prone?
Anyway team for 1st test is
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook,
Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Bryson Carse, Jack Leach,
Shoaib Bashir.
So theyve gone for 5 bowlers, with 3 seamers which seems as if they
think the pitch isnt gonna be a turner from the start with Carse to
debut. Temp forcast is 36C, so I hope they dont lose the toss and have
to bowl. After Bdesh rolling Pak over twice, people seem to expect the
same from England, but Bdesh bowlers are much more experienced than
englands in asian conditions and Pak will be under big pressure to do a
lot better especially their batters.
mike

Pakistan side is
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel,
Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Shah Afridi,
Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
How often do tests start on Mondays i wonder. Bit odd as i thought in an
islamic state like pak, friday prayers are paramount, perhaps they will
use the lunch interval. I would have though theyd start tests on
Saturday or sunday.

Start days of Tests since 1900 (I have omitted those in the 1800s
because Excel can't handle the dates):

Thu 789
Fri 752
Sat 378
Wed 275
Tue 118
Mon 101
Sun 94
Total 2507

17 out of 24 Tests in England between 1902 and 1912 started on Mondays
(the rest on Thursdays), but none since then.

[miked]

Post by David North

Post by miked
How often do tests start on Mondays i wonder. Bit odd as i thought in an
islamic state like pak, friday prayers are paramount, perhaps they will
use the lunch interval. I would have though theyd start tests on
Saturday or sunday.

Start days of Tests since 1900 (I have omitted those in the 1800s
Thu 789
Fri 752
Sat 378
Wed 275
Tue 118
Mon 101
Sun 94
Total 2507
17 out of 24 Tests in England between 1902 and 1912 started on Mondays
(the rest on Thursdays), but none since then.

thats very surprising since i would have thought if most took place
during the weekdays there wouldnt have been mnay spectators.

can you do a similar analysis for pakistan? perhaps monday starts are
quite normal.

mike

[David North]

Post by miked

Post by David North

Post by miked
How often do tests start on Mondays i wonder. Bit odd as i thought in an
islamic state like pak, friday prayers are paramount, perhaps they will
use the lunch interval. I would have though theyd start tests on
Saturday or sunday.

Start days of Tests since 1900 (I have omitted those in the 1800s
Thu 789
Fri 752
Sat 378
Wed 275
Tue 118
Mon 101
Sun  94
Total 2507
17 out of 24 Tests in England between 1902 and 1912 started on Mondays
(the rest on Thursdays), but none since then.

thats very surprising since i would have thought if most took place
during the weekdays there wouldnt have been mnay spectators.
can you do a similar analysis for pakistan? perhaps monday starts are
quite normal.

Tests in Pakistan/Pakistan Tests in UAE:

Fri 41/6
Thu 35/8
Wed 27/6
Sat 26/3
Mon 21/3
Sun 14/4
Tue 7/5
Total 171/35

[miked]

Post by David North

Post by miked

Post by David North

Post by miked
How often do tests start on Mondays i wonder. Bit odd as i thought in an
islamic state like pak, friday prayers are paramount, perhaps they will
use the lunch interval. I would have though theyd start tests on
Saturday or sunday.

Start days of Tests since 1900 (I have omitted those in the 1800s
Thu 789
Fri 752
Sat 378
Wed 275
Tue 118
Mon 101
Sun  94
Total 2507
17 out of 24 Tests in England between 1902 and 1912 started on Mondays
(the rest on Thursdays), but none since then.

thats very surprising since i would have thought if most took place
during the weekdays there wouldnt have been mnay spectators.
can you do a similar analysis for pakistan? perhaps monday starts are
quite normal.

Fri 41/6
Thu 35/8
Wed 27/6
Sat 26/3
Mon 21/3
Sun 14/4
Tue 7/5
Total 171/35

Thanks very much. i clearly overestimated the influence of prayer.

mike