Predict the Series Score: England v West Indies (3 Tests)

First topic message reminder :

The English Test Summer starts in exactly 2 weeks with a 3 test series against the West Indies. Predictions?

I'll go 3-0 England, only the weather can stop them.

Lions were all out for 341 off 90 overs Taylor the last man out for 118. Other notable contributions were Bairstow (50), Carberry (32), Bell (29) and a cameo from Dernbach (28* off 21). I will be honest, I expected more for the Windies bowling. They weren't overly poor, but they let the innings get away from them. Perhaps just adapting to English conditions but this doesn't bode well for the Test series as in my eyes their bowling is by far their strength. Rampaul was the pick with three economical wickets, whilst Roach also bagged three but went at over 4 an over. Shillingford and Edwards split the other four to fall.

Taylor has a habit of scoring runs in Lions-type games. And that can only be a good thing. As I have said before, he is not really a number 6 in my view though. Currently, I see him as an option to consider if KP or Bell go down injured.

I am not the person best judged to make subjective judgements on Taylor and England selector as I'm probably his biggest fan as you may have gathered! He doesn't have the counter attacking game of a Bairstow, a Morgan or even a Bopara but if he is going to score stacks more runs than those three then there is no reason not to pick him for me.

VTR wrote:Gone for 3-0 England.

The Windies are, how can I put this nicely, complete garbage in Tests especially away from home. We keep hearing about this revival but where are the results to back that up? Does revival mean there hasn't been a contractual dispute for a while?

I think VTR has a point. I mean, the Lions are probably going to complete the win sometimes tomorrow, which will mean less than three days full play. I imagine England will be much the same: if they get three full days play in (or the equivalent) I think they'll have enough time to force the win in any test (given how the pitches are playing so far).

Great knock from Taylor. Like I said when he and Bairstow were batting it was an excellent opportunity for them to stake their claim, and there's no doubt Taylor has done just that. Time will tell whether it's enough to force the selectors hands (in the way Morgan say did so in the corresponding fixture last year with a big hundred), time will tell, but he's done pretty much all he could.

Roach is always going to go for runs. The problem is Edwards is not particularly suited to English conditions, and Shillinford is really not (he bowls flat and bites the ball into the pitch, if there's nothing there for it to grip on he won't do much).

Good knock by Taylor; I agree with Shelsey, I see him more as a top-order then middle-order player (and eventually replacement for Strauss as an opener maybe) but he has done all he could in this game. Good to see Bell get a few. Bairstow is quality, but it is too soon for him I would still feel. Compton didn't do enough, he needed a hundred.

Has Taylor done enough to make it ahead of Bopara? you wouldn't have thought so, but...

Dawid Malan made a fine 46 coming in at 63-4 and helping save Middlesex (who now have a possible shot at an unlikely win), which rather reinforces my point about him. He does all the hard stuff, but rarely the easy stuff which is a shame.

I think comparisons between last year's game and this year's are irrelevant.

For me, Morgan was always the favourite to play v Sri Lanka last season, even after playing the IPL whilst Bopara played county cricket. Because Morgan had scored a hundred in his previous Test series and been the spare batsman in Australia. Bopara had a chance, but would have needed to do what Morgan did in that Lions game whilst Eoin failed.

This year it is Bopara who, unless he has an injury, will be picked. Not including him in the Lions line-up demonstrates this.

Shelsey93 wrote:

.... This year it is Bopara who, unless he has an injury, will be picked. Not including him in the Lions line-up demonstrates this.

Just heard that Bopara batted with a runner today and there are doubts about his fitness for Thursday's Test.

I have gone for 2-0. I think barring the weather, I do expect the Windies to put up a good fight for a test match at least.

Good to see the West Indies put up a bit more of a fight yesterday. Good knocks from Powell (who looks quality, but got himself out a lot against Australia), Bravo (who is quality and should get runs providing he's not in too often too early - I'm not sure he'll cope with the swinging ball that well) and Chanderpaul (enough said). Although of course all 3 are left-handers and you'd have fancied Swann may have made a difference.

Patel not really a bowling option, he has surely played himself out of a test place. If Bopara is not 100% will England risk him? Will they risk Taylor? Interesting call.