England v Pakistan - Test Match & T20 Series 2020

Excellent win for England as for most of the match it wasn’t looking like England would win

(08-08-2020 11:27 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  England require 277 runs to win.
I'll give England a 10% chance of winning.

Told you they would do it

Woakes Man of the Match for his 84 no combining with Butler who made 75, they added 139 for the 5th wicket. The chase was well set up by Root 42 & Sibley 36 who added 64 in a 2nd wicket partnership, before they lost 4-31. Butler & Woakes rescued what looked like a lost cause.
Butler has to convince me that he can bat in the right mode in the first innings of a match, give him a one-day scenario & he knows what to do. He also can't afford another match like this with the gloves.

(08-08-2020 11:27 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  Pakistan came out swinging from the hip & scored 33 runs in 2.4 overs.
England require 277 runs to win.
I'll give England a 100% chance of winning.

There you go.....
Hang on a minute, where did that appear from?

Excellent run chase, which has proved that Woakes should be classed as a all rounder.

So for the next match, and say Ben Stokes is fully fit to bowl.
Option 1 They stick to the same team, and have 5 seamers and a spinner.
Option 2 they lose a bowler and add a batsman. But who.
Woakes was the man of the match. They could rest one of the bowlers like Anderson or Archer. And this would allow either a batsman or a wicket keeper to be incuded.
Option 3 bring in a spinning allround in Ali.
Butler struggled behind the stumps but was instumental in starting the England fightback.
England could bring back Bairstow, or Foakes. My money is on lots of wicketkeeper training for Butler.

My team for next test. Anderson & Jofra rested. Woods and Crawley included.

(08-08-2020 20:09 )Charlemagne Wrote:  Excellent run chase, which has proved that Woakes should be classed as a all rounder.

So for the next match, and say Ben Stokes is fully fit to bowl.
Option 1 They stick to the same team, and have 5 seamers and a spinner.
Option 2 they lose a bowler and add a batsman. But who.
Woakes was the man of the match. They could rest one of the bowlers like Anderson or Archer. And this would allow either a batsman or a wicket keeper to be incuded.
Option 3 bring in a spinning allround in Ali.
Butler struggled behind the stumps but was instumental in starting the England fightback.
England could bring back Bairstow, or Foakes. My money is on lots of wicketkeeper training for Butler.

My team for next test. Anderson & Jofra rested. Woods and Crawley included.

I would agree with what you say, but I would think England needs also to find another wicketkeeper that can bat and attack. But I doubt England will even think of recalling Ali who has been instrumental in many great England wins but it has been what four years or more since he last played? i would drop Anderson to bring in Woods but I think it depends what the pitch is going to be like when first day arrives. But at the same time, I wonder if it will be Bess who will be the one who misses out?

How do you all rate Root as a captain now?

Stokes is not fully fit to bowl, Root was desperate when he brought him on on Friday evening. If he was, spot on with Anderson & Archer out & Wood & Crawley in.
Ali & Bairstow out of the equation for now as they are part of the ODI bubble. I still want Leach in for Bess, who would benefit being in the side as the second spinner, overseas.
Unless Burns can find another gear soon, I would open with Crawley & Sibley. As it is the opening pair are one-paced.

I wonder if they actually miss out on Jason Roy's batting ability a little as well

(08-08-2020 20:21 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  Stokes is not fully fit to bowl, Root was desperate when he brought him on on Friday evening. If he was, spot on with Anderson & Archer out & Wood & Crawley in.
Ali & Bairstow out of the equation for now as they are part of the ODI bubble. I still want Leach in for Bess, who would benefit being in the side as the second spinner, overseas.
Unless Burns can find another gear soon, I would open with Crawley & Sibley. As it is the opening pair are one-paced.

We've had great opening partnerships in the past but I think this current need time to gel but would agree they do need to slowly open up once settled

Ben Stokes is to miss the rest of the Pakistan Test Series. He is travelling to New Zealand for family reasons. they have asked that the media respects his privacy at this time.