England cricket team

[tikay]

What a man he was - a real man, in every sense.

The balls hurt him just as much as they'd hurt you or me, but he tried to make out he was  ok. Don't let the buggers know it hurt.

No helmets, elbow guards, chest guards, nothing but pads &, probably, a box.

If a Holding or Roberts bouncer hit him full on the bonce he would probably have been killed. He just took a few moments to compose himself, & faced another.   

He is famously reported to have said "How can the ball hurt you? It's only on you for a second"

They don't make 'em like that any more.

A very sad day, but what an innings.


This was his torso after that game.

Click to see full-size image.

RIP Brian Close.

[tikay]

The imprint on Brian's chest from a Holding rocket which spat off the pitch.

[TightEnd]

they picked Hales for the opener spot in the UAE


 Test squad: Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Zafar Ansari (Surrey), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), Reece Topley (Essex), David Willey (Northamptonshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Twenty20 squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Stephen Parry (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Reece Topley (Essex), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Northamptonshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

[verndog158]

no surprises i dont think, Lyth doesnt really cut it. Think they will drop the 4th seamer, promote Ali up to open and play Ansari as a third spinner, along with Rashid. Saying that i like the look of hales, and will go better on slower pitches in the UAE.

My team would be something like...(not what i think it will be necessarily!)

Cook
Hales/Ali
Bell
Root
Taylor
Stokes
Buttler
Ali/Ansari if Hales opens
Rashid
Broad
Anderson

[verndog158]

plus, i still really dont think Finn is a good bowler!! not fast enough and doesnt do enough with it imo. I know he bowled well at Edgbaston, but last 2 tests was average. Think Wood is much better, has more about him. And the Curran lads at Surrey, in 2 years will be stepping into Andersons shoes i think

[DungBeetle]

Don't really see how Hales gets picked.  His performances in the ODI series were pretty underwhelming, so I don't see why he'll suddenly cut it as a Test opener.  Would have made more sense to see how Lyth went against a less potent attack imo.

[Longy]

Don't really see how Hales gets picked.  His performances in the ODI series were pretty underwhelming, so I don't see why he'll suddenly cut it as a Test opener.  Would have made more sense to see how Lyth went against a less potent attack imo.

I am surprised as well, he has only just started opening again for Notts. First half of the season he was batting 3 and I thought that was the better position for him, was only really moved back up to open because Notts were struggling for a 2nd opener.

Would really like to see Taylor play, if you are going to play him this is the series. He is excellent against spin, has very fast feet and uses them effectively against spin.

[nellberg]

To fit in the 3 spinners we'll likely need over there, Ali would have to open. the 3/3 attack would certainly give us options whilst till having batting depth with Rashid coming in 9. How serious in Ansari's injury? Is Bairstow not going to be number 5, man in possession? Only averaged 30 in the ashes I guess, so hardly demanded he kept his spot, and Taylor is a good player of spin. we're going to need very good players of spin against Yasir Shah ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2V8rk1t2ck

[TightEnd]

Ansari likely to miss it, unfortunately

which spinner they would then pick, not sure. hopefully not Tredwell.

[nellberg]

Ansari likely to miss it, unfortunately

which spinner they would then pick, not sure. hopefully not Tredwell.

that's a blow. He may or may not have played, but had done enough to deserve the chance. They look like they want a spinner who can bat, which leaves us with some very average choices ...

county championship 2015
Div 1:
Dawson 626 runs at 33, 20 wickets at 35 (+ 159 runs at 56, 4 wickets at 18 on loan in Div 2)
Borthwick 1114 runs at 40, 13 wickets at 48 (basically just a specialist batsman now, no chance of a chuck on our seamer-friendly pitches)
Rayner 349 runs at 18, 24 wickets at 30
Samit 597 runs at 25 (poor for someone of his talent), 25 wickets at 32

Div2:
Lilley 225 runs at 37, 25 wickets at 27
Batty 361 runs at 30, 38 wickets at 26

the bowlers who can't bat in div 2:
Tredwell has 11 wickets at 40, sharing spin duties with Riley (8 wickets at 53)
Kerrigan 40 wickets at 30

Ansari was 771 runs at 37, and 44 wickets at 31 (div 2)

So basically, open with Hales and get Joe Root to be our 3rd spinner

Take Crane and Poysden as net bowlers with an eye on the future

start a long-term plan as to how we can start producing decent spinners!

[muckthenuts]

Meh, Pakistani batsmen are unlikely to fall to spin anyway

[nellberg]

Meh, Pakistani batsmen are unlikely to fall to spin anyway

Yeh, this year they've tamed the spinners against Bangladesh and Sr Lanka pretty comfortably. Ansari would have been a nice option to have though, can't see Wood or Finn having much of a part to play out there.

[verndog158]

last time we played out there our seam attack did an excellent job, think twice we needed less than 150 in the last innings to win the game and failed twice. saw ansari at lords yesterday, and his arm was in a sling.
think the best bet is mason crane, looked decent when he played on tv this summer. not sure anyone else cuts the mustard.
bairstow cant bat 5, not good enough and taylor is definitely better. hales is the best going atm in terms of an opener, and they need to get him time before facing morkel and steyn after xmas.

[tikay]

Would you pick this man for England, if he were deemed to be English?