creeeeeeeekeeeeeet

[Worthy4England]

I'm actually wondering if anybody ( especially players and team captains ) was actually aware of all these rules before the possibility of a draw loomed into view? I keep getting this mental image of a load of "Lords of the striped blazers" frantically leafing through the rules of "The W.G.Grace What if" manual? and panicking at the possibility of having to toss a coin to decide the winner?

I'd be very surprised if international players and team captains hadn't run through them as part of their prep. We used to spend half our lives as Club players discussing the "rules" - especially if we were in a Cup competition. It would beggar belief if the players and captains weren't aware of them.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Your belief must be beggared quite often.

[Worthy4England]

Your belief must be beggared quite often.

Only coz the world is jam packed with fcking idiots.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Your belief must be beggared quite often.

Only coz the world is jam packed with fcking idiots.

On that score I can agree 100%.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I even calculated once that 98.756% of humanity were fxcking idiots, until it was pointed out to me by a member of MENSA that officially it couldn't be more than 10% ... the idiot.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Did you like the subtlety in that? Did you even get it?

[Worthy4England]

So the question for the Ashes - we finished off against NZ with a bowling attack which had - Anderson, Broad, Wood, Stokes and Moeen in it.

If we were going to put Archer in, and I think we should - who gets the chop or do we chop a batting spot?

[Montreal Wanderer]

Did you like the subtlety in that? Did you even get it?

Yes, but he is wrong. Only 2.5% of the population have an IQ below 70 and, as we discovered some months back, that 2.5% includes all idiots, all imbeciles and some morons. So I'd guess he was off by a multiple of 10 and the true figure is closer to 1%, give or take a cretin or two.

[Worthy4England]

So the question for the Ashes - we finished off against Edit (WI not NZ) with a bowling attack which had - Anderson, Broad, Wood, Stokes and Moeen in it.

If we were going to put Archer in, and I think we should - who gets the chop or do we chop a batting spot?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Did you like the subtlety in that? Did you even get it?

Yes, but he is wrong. Only 2.5% of the population have an IQ below 70 and, as we discovered some months back, that 2.5% includes all idiots, all imbeciles and some morons. So I'd guess he was off by a multiple of 10 and the true figure is closer to 1%, give or take a cretin or two.

I think we'd all love to give or take a cretin or two. I think I could name them.

[Prufrock]

If it's players who *were* born in that country, NZ had 12/11!

150 players in World Cup 2019 by country of birth:
17 South Africa
16 India
16 Pakistan
15 Afghanistan
15 Bangladesh
15 Sri Lanka
14 Australia
13 New Zealand
10 England
6 Barbados
5 Jamaica
4 Trinidad & Tobago
1 Guyana
1 Ireland
1 Wales
1 Zimbabwe

Saarf Afrika shoulda stormed it.

Well two of them got medals!

[Prufrock]

So the question for the Ashes - we finished off against Edit (WI not NZ) with a bowling attack which had - Anderson, Broad, Wood, Stokes and Moeen in it.

If we were going to put Archer in, and I think we should - who gets the chop or do we chop a batting spot?

Archer has to play for me. Of that bowling attack, Wood must be vulnerable. Weakest on ability for me, by some distance (including v others who didn't play). Only there for express pace which Archer brings. If we were in Oz maybe both but...

I would only bowl Stokes' part time. Much better concentrating on his batting and then chuck him the ball every now and then to break a partnership.

I think whether I'd be dropping a batsman depends who they are.

My XI for the first test right now would be:

Roy, Bairstow, Denly, Root, Stokes, Buttler, Foakes, Ali/Woakes/Curran, Archer, Broad, Anderson.

Ali been bobbins with the bat for ages for me, but without him you're asking a lot of Root if you want spin.

Roy/Bairstow obviously a huge gamble, but it's not like you've got runs there anyway at the moment. With two other wicket-keepers about, and how good he is in the field, I'd be telling him to nail down that opening spot. Roy deserves a chance. In an ideal world they'd probably both bat a way further down but they have a great partnership, tend to see off the white ball when it's doing a bit and have no problem with pace or spin. That's obvs not a red Duke, but they might help us be less shit abroad!

[Worthy4England]

I'd agree Wood on ability, although on his day, a match winner and I'd like to see them scared if at all possible. Just wondering whether Wood/Archer doesn't give us the edge...That batting line-up looks a bit thin for me - not in ability to hit a ball - in their ability to "dig in" when it'll be required, and it will be required in test series, but we have tried a lot of folks at the top of the order so maybe Roy is due a natural turn.

Depending on the wicket, I might be tempted to play both Archer and Wood (in the slot you have Ali/Woakes/Curran) with one of those three if it looks like it has bugger all pace in it.

[Prufrock]

Don't disagree on the batting but the cupboard looks pretty bare of options! Just as long as it's not Keaton fecking Jennings again!

Would be fun to see Wood and Archer let loose on the Aussies on their pitches. Though Archer is plenty scary tbf, that bouncer out of absolutely nowhere is insane.

[Worthy4England]

Don't disagree on the batting but the cupboard looks pretty bare of options! Just as long as it's not Keaton fecking Jennings again!

Would be fun to see Wood and Archer let loose on the Aussies on their pitches. Though Archer is plenty scary tbf, that bouncer out of absolutely nowhere is insane.

I'm sorta working on the principle that we'll make Starc, Cummings etc. look plenty scary on our pitches - so the way to counteract that is with some of the same!

Agree with Jennings - he's probably done little worse than others we've tried but not the man for this series.

[BWFC_Insane]

Pru’s line up looks about right. Number 3 a huge call really. I’m unconvinced with Denly but not sure who else bats 3. Stokes perhaps?

I’d also open with those two. It’s worth a try.

As for Wood he is different to Archer he swings it at pace and is skiddy. But his fitness is an issue for tests. As is Archer - carrying a niggle and untested in 3 spells in test conditions. I’d play him though.

I’d say Broad is in for first test but his place might be under threat. For me Woakes might be a place because of his ability to move it in these conditions.

Moeen will play.

[Worthy4England]

Sibley's hit a lot of runs as an opener... Then again Garry Ballance has hit a few too.

[BWFC_Insane]

Sibley's hit a lot of runs as an opener... Then again Garry Ballance has hit a few too.

Roy and Bairstow to open though surely? Technically will be challenged but I think Aussies will fear them more than Jennings or Ballance or any other rabbit we put in there.

Mind I fear the worst for this Ashes. We are a heck of an ODI side. Test cricket...not so much.

[Worthy4England]

Sibley's hit a lot of runs as an opener... Then again Garry Ballance has hit a few too.

Roy and Bairstow to open though surely? Technically will be challenged but I think Aussies will fear them more than Jennings or Ballance or any other rabbit we put in there.

Mind I fear the worst for this Ashes. We are a heck of an ODI side. Test cricket...not so much.

Wouldn't suggest either Ballance or Jennings. They've both had goes. I was musing about Sibley who has over 1000 runs as opener... Then I mused that Ballance had 850, so maybe no guide.

I think we have to use one of 'em as opener at least because there's no bugger else. Don' t think Roy is a test opener, so as a slight alteration to Pru's line up, I might try Sibley, Bairstow, Denley, Root, Roy, Stokes, Buttler, Woakes/Wood/Ali, Broad, Archer, Anderson.

[jimbo]

Oh well. Back to being shit at the proper form of the game. Insert old lines about our top order.......

We’re 40/6.

Against Ireland.