Cricket fred

[Banquo]

The leggy? Agreed on leach (though 4 wickets 1st innings and a better economy rate than the Pakistani spinners), a shame cos clearly a good team guy, but there isn't a host of obvious replacements. I'd also add that this wickets got flatter if anything during the game- batting got easier, even against spin. I'd be trying to get Rashid interested in test cricket again.

When Root is getting better figures than you...I like Leach, too, but it's not good enough.

That's basically it in a nutshell. Root has looked significantly more dangerous and he's a part timer.

I don't know much about the young leggy (other than he's someone to look out for for the future), but we do need to do something about our spin options. Banquo's probably right that the answer is to send an emissary to Rashid. With the way the team is playing, you'd've thought he could be persuaded - it's hardly traditional dour spin bowling that'd be asked of him.

Puja

Root gives it a proper rip- suspect if his back wasn't so iffy he'd bowl a lot more. Rashid would definitely be more useful here than Jack- Stokes is trying very hard to build his confidence up, but he can't hold an end down with good players of spin.

[Galfon]

Good time to blood Ahmed - already has a fivefer and a ton for Leics and series won, with JR useful back up.
Will need more than Leach in the Ashes.
Outstanding Series win.

[Banquo]

Good time to blood Ahmed - already has a fivefer and a ton for Leics and series won, with JR useful back up.
Will need more than Leach in the Ashes.
Outstanding Series win.

Yeah for all Pakistan were about 3 players short of a first team, England aggressive tactics showed what is possible in a country not in the least suited to our bowling (or batting).

[Banquo]

Ahmed and Foakes in for Jacks and Anderson; makes sense.

[fivepointer]

"It's "I've been watching him closely, without letting him know I've been watching him closely," England captain Ben Stokes told BBC Sport.

"It's a great opportunity to let Rehan go out and really express himself. There's not too much pressure to perform, just to have fun.

"You only make your debut once, you can never make it again. If we can make him feel like he's had a ball of a time out there, and he walks off with wickets and runs, that would be great."very tough to tell what his biggest strength is, bat or ball," added Stokes. "He likes to show off with the bat, because he's got so many different shots. I'm very excited to see what he's got with the ball.

"Our message to him is 'look to take wickets with the ball, smack it with the bat and in the field chase after it until it goes for four'."

[Banquo]

"It's "I've been watching him closely, without letting him know I've been watching him closely," England captain Ben Stokes told BBC Sport.

"It's a great opportunity to let Rehan go out and really express himself. There's not too much pressure to perform, just to have fun.

"You only make your debut once, you can never make it again. If we can make him feel like he's had a ball of a time out there, and he walks off with wickets and runs, that would be great."very tough to tell what his biggest strength is, bat or ball," added Stokes. "He likes to show off with the bat, because he's got so many different shots. I'm very excited to see what he's got with the ball.

"Our message to him is 'look to take wickets with the ball, smack it with the bat and in the field chase after it until it goes for four'."

amazing chance after only 3 fc games!

[Puja]

"It's "I've been watching him closely, without letting him know I've been watching him closely," England captain Ben Stokes told BBC Sport.

"It's a great opportunity to let Rehan go out and really express himself. There's not too much pressure to perform, just to have fun.

"You only make your debut once, you can never make it again. If we can make him feel like he's had a ball of a time out there, and he walks off with wickets and runs, that would be great."very tough to tell what his biggest strength is, bat or ball," added Stokes. "He likes to show off with the bat, because he's got so many different shots. I'm very excited to see what he's got with the ball.

"Our message to him is 'look to take wickets with the ball, smack it with the bat and in the field chase after it until it goes for four'."

amazing chance after only 3 fc games!

It's in keeping with the ethos though, isn't it? Make aggressive decisions because of the upside rather than being defensive and meek and worrying about what might happen.

Puja

[Banquo]

"It's "I've been watching him closely, without letting him know I've been watching him closely," England captain Ben Stokes told BBC Sport.

"It's a great opportunity to let Rehan go out and really express himself. There's not too much pressure to perform, just to have fun.

"You only make your debut once, you can never make it again. If we can make him feel like he's had a ball of a time out there, and he walks off with wickets and runs, that would be great."very tough to tell what his biggest strength is, bat or ball," added Stokes. "He likes to show off with the bat, because he's got so many different shots. I'm very excited to see what he's got with the ball.

"Our message to him is 'look to take wickets with the ball, smack it with the bat and in the field chase after it until it goes for four'."

amazing chance after only 3 fc games!

It's in keeping with the ethos though, isn't it? Make aggressive decisions because of the upside rather than being defensive and meek and worrying about what might happen.

Puja

yus and long may it continue; that said, I wonder what the response would be should we get a moidering by the aussies say (mind, under the old regime suspect that would have happened anyway). Be fascinating to see our footie and rugby teams give it a proper rip and back talent, though a very different sport dynamic.

That said, our cricket is littered with lads given a go on overseas tours then disappearing and actually confidence gone; I do think that this regime will back players and give them a good go- see Leach. And whilst I have serious doubts about him, he has a better average 103 wickets in than Giles, Emburey, Tufnell, Rashid, Moeen Ali surprisingly......its the runs he ships that bothers me tbh- ideally holding down an end when not taking wickets....but again, maybe he's been asked to bowl 'aggressively'

[Banquo]

Savage start for the young un

[Stom]

Savage start for the young un

You don't want to start your spin bowling career against Babar and Azhar...

[Banquo]

Savage start for the young un

You don't want to start your spin bowling career against Babar and Azhar...

True, though you can't really pick and choose. Hopefully he'll settle.

[Puja]

A first wicket won't hurt though! Sounds like he really earned it too.

Puja

[Banquo]

A first wicket won't hurt though! Sounds like he really earned it too.

Puja

Good comeback.

[Puja]

A first wicket won't hurt though! Sounds like he really earned it too.

Puja

Good comeback.

His first spell went for nearly 7 runs an over. Now he's down at 3.95, with two wickets, and it sounds like he's missed out on another couple by occasionally getting too much spin! Very, very, very early to get excired about a youngster, but he has got so much promise.

Puja

[Banquo]

A first wicket won't hurt though! Sounds like he really earned it too.

Puja

Good comeback.

His first spell went for nearly 7 runs an over. Now he's down at 3.95, with two wickets, and it sounds like he's missed out on another couple by occasionally getting too much spin! Very, very, very early to get excired about a youngster, but he has got so much promise.

Puja

yeah he's done well. Propping Leach up

[Puja]

Wild to read on the BBC of "Pope having concussion test after getting ball swept into helmet" and then realise it's done on the field and was over and done with in 3-4 minutes. I know concussion in rugby and cricket are different kettles of fish, but that's surely not right (especially when sub fielders are so easily used for everything from a bumped finger to a toilet break). For a sport that's had on-field deaths from head injuries within recent memory, you'd've thought they'd be much more cautious.

Puja

[Banquo]

Leach also comes back strongly ish, whilst still shipping runs he does take wickets.

[Banquo]

maybe shouldn' t have tried to take that last wicket

[Banquo]

Daft run out tips balance again

[Galfon]

Eng making a go of evening things up after JR golden and Stokes run out.Brook rising to the challenge again & Pope contributes - augurs well for this team's progress.
(Meanwhile game over in less than 2 days in Brisbane..34 wickets in 135 overs or so as SA get hammered, Oz really need to calm their wickets down.. )

**eta - ton for Brook, 100 partnership with Foakes and within 60...
more Xmas cheer !

[Banquo]

Foakes is such an impressive cricketer and character; in fairness he would have started the first test but for being unfit, but bouncing back with a top keeping display and key batting contribution, well played.

Gotta love Mark Wood as well, great bloke to have in the team.


....doh, cursed him

[Banquo]

going to be a tricky run chase methinks

[Banquo]

big wicket for the young un, not sure why he was held back for so long.

especially as he now has 2 in 3 overs or summat

[Banquo]

make that 3

[Puja]

It's a very spinner-friendly pitch, he's a new spin bowler that the oppo hasn't had a chance to analyse yet, and he has had a bit of luck. Even with all those caveats, this is a very useful start for the young man. Lots of hard work ahead of him to improve faster than people analyse him, but still a very promising talent.

Puja