Looks like it’ll be a washout anyway.
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Looks like it’ll be a washout anyway.
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.
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.
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.
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
Yes - Malan is in quite some form. If Stirling can find some as well it would be nice. Not sure what to make of the Hafeez signing - very decent player but few years past his peak. Tough run in as well, Clive. Somerset and Hampshire away in last two games (when ACDC will be back)