Ashes series 2015

Gary Ballance has been replaced by Jonny Bairstow in the squad for the 3rd Test.

Sky Sports News reporting Ian Bell to bat at 3 and Joe Root at 4.

Bringing in Bairstow is a logical move.
He has Ashes experience and is the batsman in the best county form at the moment.

The England women's cricket team showed the men how it's done as they beat the Australian Women by 4 wickets in the 1st odi

Australia got 238-9
England got 240-6

Only one change... pff... Lyth will continue waving his bad at everything 2 metres outside the off stump. Atherton did a great piece on him, he does not know where is off stump is, this won't change in one week. Bell up to 3... mmmm so Cook, Lyth and Bell as a top 3... well that will scare the aussies ))))

Lyth was always going to get another chance due to the lack of decent opening options, Carberry is not good enough, England will not recall Compton and Hales is considered to be a one day player. It makes sense to move Bell up to 3 as he is the best player in the team.

(21-07-2015 22:44 )lancealot790 Wrote:  Lyth was always going to get another chance due to the lack of decent opening options, Carberry is not good enough, England will not recall Compton and Hales is considered to be a one day player. It makes sense to move Bell up to 3 as he is the best player in the team.

Bell best player in the team? What team is that?

Bell is by far the best batsman in the team and that does not change just because he is struggling at the moment. Joe Root is a very good player in great form but on his day Bell out classes everyone in the team.

(22-07-2015 15:33 )lancealot790 Wrote:  Bell is by far the best batsman in the team and that does not change just because he is struggling at the moment. Joe Root is a very good player in great form but on his day Bell out classes everyone in the team.

Then how come he averages only 43? How come Cook has more runs and more hundreds from a comparable number of games?

If you want a pretty 50 now and again then Bell is the man, but if you want significant runs at the most vital times Cook and now Root are the men who stand up. For a number of years Bell had never been the first man to score a hundred in an innings, this for me spoke volumes!!

Bell all international career: 281 games: 79 (50's) 26 (100's)
Cook : 212 games 62 (50's) 32 (100's)

Bairstow has proven he is worthy of a place on the side by scoring a match winning innings for Yorkshire against Worcester. 70 odd not out.

Bell is a conundrum he is a quality batsmen when on form but at the moment is not getting it done. As an ex bowler you can forgive a fielder for dropping a straight forward catch as long as it's not due to lack of concentration or failure to do the basics. But, when they drop a catch because they were not expecting the ball to come to them that is when you well and truly stick a rocket up their arse. His spilling of David warner chance was pathetic. No excuse for not being ready when the ball comes to you. Last chance salon for Bell me thinks.

if we combined the best of our women's team with the best of our men's team could we still beat the Aussies?
see that former Test player Shaun Udal was quoted as saying that the Aussies were 'happy' over the exclusion of KP on Twitter - FFS!!! How much more do we have to endure KP's name being bandied about not playing for England this summer and Udal called KP's ommision 'unfair and ridiculous'. But I think KP pretty much brought his omission on himself with his behaviour!! If we knew what was EXACTLY said in those texts he sent t the SA test team then I guess we the wider cricketing public, would have had better understanding of the situation!!