Denly Out, Curran in a sensible plan imo

[Luis Anaconda]

Stokes says he doesn't want to bat above 6 and YJB shouldn't be in the team on form (he's not scoring any runs and Foakes is a better keeper. If we actually produced proper test batsmen any more, we could give the gloves to Jos but we don't have any cabs on the rank.)

And ideally Jos would be the original idea of a specialist no.7. At the very least, batting six with a proper top 5 ahead of him.

I love Sam Curran and hope he comes good, but we've ended up dropping 2 of our failing top 3 (before Root moved up) for an ODI slogger who's never batted for more than 3.5 hrs and has the same red ball average and centuries as Foakes, and the other for yet another 4th seamer who can slog.

You can't win tests with an ODI team.

Where has Stokes said he won't bat above 6?

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Where has Stokes said he won't bat above 6?

In an interview with the Times before the 1st test.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Where has Stokes said he won't bat above 6?

To clarify, he said he'd spoken with the management and said he didn't want to bat higher than six and they agreed. Personally, I'd like him to bat higher as he's the only slogger who can play a forward defensive, but that's what they'd agreed, apparently.

[Luis Anaconda]

To clarify, he said he'd spoken with the management and said he didn't want to bat higher than six and they agreed. Personally, I'd like him to bat higher as he's the only slogger who can play a forward defensive, but that's what they'd agreed, apparently.

Any actual evidence of this?

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Any actual evidence of this?

Before I start googling can you tell me if you've actually bothered to google it first? It was in one of the 3 days leading up to the first test.

[Luis Anaconda]

Before I start googling can you tell me if you've actually bothered to google it first? It was in one of the 3 days leading up to the first test.

Sorry - didn't see your reply about the Times interview. Having a look. Don't disbelieve you - just think it is strange that he would makes such a request, particularly after getting the vice-captaincy back

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Sorry - didn't see your reply about the Times interview. Having a look. Don't disbelieve you - just think it is strange that he would makes such a request, particularly after getting the vice-captaincy back

I well remember it cos a couple of people I'd been chatting with on both Times and Graun had (before that interview came out) agreed that we all thought Stokes should either bat at 3/4 or even open, as he was the only player who could play a forward defensive.

And the interview put paid to our hopes. This was before Rory Burns had scored his ton, so the theory was that if the top 3 were gonna be out for single figures each, we might as well try Stokes and bring in Curran or Archer on the grounds that if Ali and YJB actually fired, Woakes and Curran meant we weren't short of people batting 6-8/9 who could counter attack.

But that's the issue. We have loads of people who can bat like that. But we don't have any Che Pujaras. Bats who want to bat long and slowly as opposed to slog their way to T20 contracts.

[Luis Anaconda]

I well remember it cos a couple of people I'd been chatting with on both Times and Graun had (before that interview came out) agreed that we all thought Stokes should either bat at 3/4 or even open, as he was the only player who could play a forward defensive.

And the interview put paid to our hopes. This was before Rory Burns had scored his ton, so the theory was that if the top 3 were gonna be out for single figures each, we might as well try Stokes and bring in Curran or Archer on the grounds that if Ali and YJB actually fired, Woakes and Curran meant we weren't short of people batting 6-8/9 who could counter attack.

But that's the issue. We have loads of people who can bat like that. But we don't have any Che Pujaras. Bats who want to bat long and slowly as opposed to slog their way to T20 contracts.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b...rget-0qlddccvk

this is in the interview in the Times nearest the Test

And the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...ustralia-ashes

Nothing there

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Sorry - didn't see your reply about the Times interview. Having a look. Don't disbelieve you - just think it is strange that he would makes such a request, particularly after getting the vice-captaincy back

PS - having trouble finding it. Putting in Ben Stokes Six July 2019 (even with Ashes added) brings up page after page of him playing in CWC matches with lots of sixes being slogged.

I've also tried adding "higher than" and "management" but the google ranking means all the CWC stuff comes first. If I can think of a way of doing it later, I'll let you know. Apologies.

[Luis Anaconda]

PS - having trouble finding it. Putting in Ben Stokes Six July 2019 (even with Ashes added) brings up page after page of him playing in CWC matches with lots of sixes being slogged.

I've also tried adding "higher than" and "management" but the google ranking means all the CWC stuff comes first. If I can think of a way of doing it later, I'll let you know. Apologies.

Yep - it can be a bugger to search for certain things. Never mind - we're ****ed anyway