Ali is in dreadful form, unable to build any pressure with him operating at one end

One of the best test knocks i’ve seen from an English batsman since probably Cook or Malan a few years ago in Australia. Never saw that coming from Burns, he looked horribly out of form last week. What a turnaround. Never easy, but hopefully we can build a nice lead tomorrow I’m very excited to get ...

Mark Wood undergone surgery and out for the Ashes/rest of season

I really want to see one of our batsman step up tomorrow, play the situation (none of this ‘positive’ 30/40 and then caught on the boundary hoofing for 6) and score a proper 100 that the team can build the innings around. Dig deep, and put the pressure back on Paine and the Aussies. If England can b...

Great day for Australia now

Got no time for Smith but a great knock. Not one player in our lineup could play like that under pressure in that situation

Missed Archer today, someone who can really get stuck in to try and clean up the last few wickets

That’s fairly shocking from Anderson and the team to have ended up in this situation

Hopefully they are able to patch him up, but any sort of a tear and he isn’t bowling again in the next few weeks let alone this test

In the build-up to Whyte v Browne, Whyte repeatedly called him a ‘junkie’ before talking about how careful he is now with any supplement etc he puts into his body since his first failed test :lol:

Bairstow gets bowled far too regularly in Test Cricket to open. 6/7 is probably about right but with the lack of quality in the batting there is probably a case for him to bat higher I would have dropped Denly for Malan personally, but he seems to joined the list of players England have given a seri...

A promoter who has been outspoken about PED users when it suits him, and a fighter failing a test for the second time in his career Combine that with there were two fighters in a ring on Saturday, one of them had failed a test and the other guy and his team didn’t even know about it. That is a poten...

GPP wrote:5 seamers? Bairstow at 4? Hopefully not.

Slim pickings with the squad they selected for the first test. I wouldn’t have both Burns and Denly playing, although they both obviously are now. Will be one of Woakes or Archer now it seems.

I was picking purely off the squad picked for the first test Ali probably still gets the nod as frontline spinner despite his shattered confidence. Ashes wouldn’t be a bad time to find some form... Sounds like Denly is in at 4 and Root 3. Only one of Archer or Woakes will play. With Archer’s injury ...

It sounds like Root is going to bat 3

I would like to see:
Roy
Burns
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Buttler
Ali
Woakes
Archer
Broad
Anderson

I would leave Denly out and go for both Woakes and Archer

Looking at the two squads,I think regardless of where it is being I feel it is firmly advantage Australia It was probably a more balanced match up, but the sandpaper-gate offenders tip things into favour of the Aussies I am excited to watch Archer against the Aussies though. Hopefully things fall in...

I was talking more contingency plans

Lots of problems for England to solve in a week A top 3 of Roy, Burns and Denly isn’t good enough for the Ashes If Root won’t bat 3 they should look at Malan again. He scored runs against Australia and is in good form Both teams not in the greatest shape, but this is the best chance the Aussies have...

Silence from Sky Sports too, as if it never happened. Conveniently after they mugged their loyal fanbase of £20 to watch a guy fight they already knew had failed a test. Let alone the fact Matchroom and Whyte knew, but didn’t tell Rivas’s team. This will surely have an ugly ending. If Ruiz beats up ...

If we get to 95-1 with a top three or Roy, Burns and Denly in any of the 5 tests v Australia I would be amazed

psychoscoredthelot wrote:only a couple of players in this XI will be in the ashes starting XI

At least 6/7 or more will be playing in the first Ashes test

Jeez. After the stuff Whyte, Hearn and co said about Jarrell Miller this is an awful look

Brook’s last 5 years have been a bigger joke than Khans

They both need to call it a day