2nd Test: England v Pakistan, Old Trafford

[pasty]

Toss and team news imminent......

Will England play 2 spinners, who will drop out if they do? If not, will it be Ali or Rashid?

 

[Taybha]

Please tell me Finn's waterboy for this one .

 

[pasty]

Think Finn was dropped from the 14 man squad a couple of days ago. Ball too.

 

[pasty]

England win toss and BAT

 

[pasty]

No Rashid, Ali stays in.

 

[pasty]

Teams:

England

AN Cook*, AD Hales, JE Root, JM Vince, GS Ballance, BA Stokes, JM Bairstow†, MM Ali, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson

Pakistan

Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq*, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Yasir Shah

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Cook will b very relieved the toss. They'll be scared enough of Yasir on the OT pitch. At least they won't be batting last on it*



*probably...

 

[Bold Seagull]

England win toss and BAT

If you prefer watching England bowl, good news for those with tickets tomorrow.

 

[CHAPPERS]

That bowling attack suddenly seems lot more sensible.

 

[Mackenzie]

No Rashid, Ali stays in.

Seems odd. Moeen is out of form with the bat and Rashid is a better spinner.

 

[pasty]

1st life for Hales. An edge went like a rocket through the fielders fingers at gully.

 

[Titanic]

Hales gets a life... dropped at gully on 6.

Then CLEAN BOWLED 3 balls later by Mohammad Amir

25-1 (7 overs)

 

[pasty]

Doesn't survive that though

Hales b Amir 10

Eng 25/1

 

[Titanic]

That swung in, Hales stuck on the crease, went through a pretty massive gap between bat and pad, and smashed off stump out of the ground. Well bowled, but feeble from Hales.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Quality bowling. Could have had him 3 times in that over. He could see Hales struggle reading the previous delivery, then sticks the next one right on the money. Impressive stuff, poor from Hales though as his foot movement just disappeared.

 

[BensGrandad]

Hales is useless there is an answer as I have been saying but the selectors wont do it.

 

[Titanic]

Hales is useless there is an answer as I have been saying but the selectors wont do it.

Root to open. Ballance at 3 and create space for another bowler. Ball was very unlucky to be left out imho.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Hales is useless there is an answer as I have been saying but the selectors wont do it.

Trescothick isn't even interested in batting for England again. Perhaps you should read his book and try to understand why that is, and why he hasn't returned.

 

[pasty]

Root to open. Ballance at 3 and create space for another bowler. Ball was very unlucky to be left out imho.

Thought I read somewhere though that Root's average gets lower almost in direct proportion to the higher in the order he goes. There was some consternation even moving him up to 3 let alone opening again,

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Hales is useless there is an answer as I have been saying but the selectors wont do it.

Hales has a Test average of 30, so the jury is certainly still out. Useless he isn't.

Is 'the answer' you've been saying, to recall the 40-something Marcus Trescothick, or have I missed a sensible one?