It's The Ashes (again)

[SuperBob2002]

Huh?  Pope is even more of a part-time keeper than Bairstow !

Maybe so, but how many more chances do you give a wicket keeper before tossing the gloves to someone else? 3 dropped catches and missed stumping! It feels.like when we had Button in goal. You can't lose out by replacing him as he's costing enough as it is.

I'm probably being harsh on Bairstow, but I doubt he'll be reading this dump later on!

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Did anyone see that graphic Sky have just shown of Jimmy's deliveries to Carey this morning? Each one on a six pence in the same spot. Incredible accuracy.

He's 40. For-bloody-ty. I won't be able to rotate my arm when I'm 40.

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I feel a bit for Moeen here. Clearly struggling with soreness and possibly fatigue due to not being used to being bowled so heavily.

The declaration
The non-selection of a specialist wicket keeper
The non-selection of a full time red ball spinner

All 3 are avoidable situations we have needlessly put ourselves in, but decisions we could be regretting. It's frustrating, but I guess easy to be critical in hindsight.

Who would you have picked as the spinner instead of Moeen?   Liam Dawson probably was the only realistic candidate based on current/recent red-ball form.  Back in the 1980s there would have been a dozen of excellent spinners to choose from!

This is the issue, isn't it? There's not exactly a choice and whoever I name now you're going to pick apart and laugh, probably rightly so. 

We could've done worse than Rehan Ahmed.

Totally disagree.  Rehan is now where near ready and is bowling with no confidence at all this season in red ball cricket. Picking him in the Ashes could well destroy him.

I haven't followed him in the CC but I was impressed with him when we played in Pakistan. 

The spin options are a mess, aren't they?