England's Summer of Cricket 2021

Jacks, Crawley, Hain, Stokes, Salt (WK), Lawrence, Gregory, Overton, Saqib, Ball, Parkinson?

Will MacPherson suggests Hales won’t be picked, which is a bit odd given they hinted he would get a chance this summer.

You also have Vince, Duckett and keep an eye out for Harry Brook.

Ben Stokes
Jake Ball
Danny Briggs
Brydon Carse
Zak Crawley
Ben Duckett
Lewis Gregory
Tom Helm
Will Jacks
Dan Lawrence
Saqib Mahmood
Dawid Malan
Craig Overton
Matt Parkinson
David Payne
Phil Salt
John Simpson
James Vince

Helm and Simpson very fortunate. Albeit that might just speak to the lack of other options.

No Sam Hain with his List A Average of 60 is a bit mad.

It'll be like the Mike Bassett film when Benson and Hedges get called up.

If Hales doesn't return with all these players missing, it's confirmation he never will.

If I'm just picking the next best XI of 50 over players I've seen from the County circuit (i.e. not considering things like future potential, who's been around training squads before, even current form as much as usual give it's such a strange scenario) then it'd look something like:

1.Hales
2.Bell-Drummond
3.Malan
4.Hain
5.Stokes
6.Salt (wk)
7.Gregory
8.Payne
9.Saqib
10.Briggs
11.Parkinson

Some will think I'm nuts but I'd also be tempted to look at Benny Howell for the tricky 7 spot with Woakes, Surran, Mo and Willey all unavailable. He's an explosive bat and very smart bowler.

Oops squad named whilst I typed that above post.

I'm happy for Ben Duckett as I think he's a good player who made his Test debut in tough circumstances but is a much better bat than many England fans will remember from that.

Delighted for David Payne who is an excellent bowler if he can stay fit.

Not a lot else to say to be honest.

A few new players get a chance....a few "old" players recalled. But Hales still persona non grata , apparently.

Big plus for internet users another chance for everyone to criticize Vince whenever he edges a wide one

Must say I am unsure whether it is a great idea to put Zak Crawley into this given his scratchy form of late in the red ball arena : is this really in his best interests ?

Has Sam Hain offended someone in some way?

Further proof they're never going to recall Hales

king_carlos wrote:If I'm just picking the next best XI of 50 over players I've seen from the County circuit (i.e. not considering things like future potential, who's been around training squads before, even current form as much as usual give it's such a strange scenario) then it'd look something like:

1.Hales
2.Bell-Drummond
3.Malan
4.Hain
5.Stokes
6.Salt (wk)
7.Gregory
8.Payne
9.Saqib
10.Briggs
11.Parkinson

Some will think I'm nuts but I'd also be tempted to look at Benny Howell for the tricky 7 spot with Woakes, Surran, Mo and Willey all unavailable. He's an explosive bat and very smart bowler.

Not at all. Although usually under the cricket publicity radar, he's highly rated in the limited overs format on the county circuit and has been for some time. As we're reduced to a best remaining XI, it would have been understandable and reasonable for him to be in the mix.

king_carlos wrote:Oops squad named whilst I typed that above post.

I'm happy for Ben Duckett as I think he's a good player who made his Test debut in tough circumstances but is a much better bat than many England fans will remember from that.

Delighted for David Payne who is an excellent bowler if he can stay fit.

Not a lot else to say to be honest.

During the Surrey v Gloucs CC match at the Oval at the end of May, I noticed that Geoff Arnold (ex Surrey and England seamer who now does scouting for England at all levels) was there studying Payne and writing notes. He had been at Hove monitoring Robinson's bowling earlier that month.

Although some decisions (eg, the absence of Hain) seem strange and probably wrong, it's still to England's credit that certain players, such as Payne, are being watched even though they wouldn't obviously be the next cab off the rank and enough is known about them to be confidently called up if required by pretty unique circumstances such as those today.

Was impressed with Payne watching the stream when Gloucester played Surrey in the Championship, looked a class above the rest of the Gloucester attack - even Higgins

Will definitely be interesting to see how some of these untried fellows cope with the sudden elevation...could have their hands full with Pakistan , I suspect given you could probably name two very decent English ODI XIs that are currently unavailable due to Covid concerns or injury. Batting might be just about OK - though obviously missing a lot of top class players - but I've concerns over the bowling. Though at least it gives a couple of potential back up spinners a chance to impress.

Hadn't realised Pope was injured : was wondering why he wasn't picked after catching a replay of him and Overton powering home over Middlesex !

Have to feel sorry for George Garton : timing has been awful for him. Hope he gets a try later in the year.

alfie wrote:A few new players get a chance....a few "old" players recalled. But Hales still persona non grata , apparently.

Big plus for internet users another chance for everyone to criticize Vince whenever he edges a wide one

Must say I am unsure whether it is a great idea to put Zak Crawley into this given his scratchy form of late in the red ball arena : is this really in his best interests ?

On your note re: Crawley, I actually think the exact opposite. Is getting trimmed by Jimmy for a duck on a clearly spicy wicket in Manchester in his best interests?
Might be a good thing for him to go into a white ball game, against international bowlers, and hopefully just hit some stress free runs and try to find some form in a different format.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

alfie wrote:A few new players get a chance....a few "old" players recalled. But Hales still persona non grata , apparently.

Big plus for internet users another chance for everyone to criticize Vince whenever he edges a wide one

Must say I am unsure whether it is a great idea to put Zak Crawley into this given his scratchy form of late in the red ball arena : is this really in his best interests ?

On your note re: Crawley, I actually think the exact opposite. Is getting trimmed by Jimmy for a duck on a clearly spicy wicket in Manchester in his best interests?
Might be a good thing for him to go into a white ball game, against international bowlers, and hopefully just hit some stress free runs and try to find some form in a different format.

One of my friends who is a Kent fan swears he is a better white ball player than red ball player at this stage anyway. His List A numbers are nothing to write home about, but he has a good T20 record and he hits the ball hard with minimal effort, playing ‘proper’ shots.

Yeah I do appreciate that a bit of white ball stuff might be a refreshing change - my issue was more that he isn't really a regular England ODI candidate and , his Test form having fallen off a cliff , he needs as much red ball as he can get . Though as Olly notes , I was not predicting the Jimmy Anderson show

Not all that bothered. Hope it works for him.

So first ODI today...for the England bomb squad! What do people think the XI will be? I haven't seen any leaks or hints for once...

Crawley
Vince
Malan
Stokes
Duckett (wk)
Jacks
Gregory
Overton
Carse
Mahmood
Parkinson

But could easily see Lawrence > Jacks, Ball > Carse and Salt > Crawley...struggle to see them picking Simpson/Briggs/Payne/Helm for their strongest XI...but who knows!

Do fear for the bowling against Azam and co. They were already using some second string seamers against Sri Lanka, so these guys are really the 3rd/4th string at best

I think Pakistan are good odds to win the series at 4/5. But it's difficult to judge how good England are. England's batting looks decent enough, but the bowling could be punished. Pakistan's team looks good on paper, especially the expected top three.

Whatever happens, Vince edging behind on 17 will warm the heart.

Blimey, John Simpson getting an international cap. At the start of the season he would have probably assessed his chances of playing for the England cricket team as roughly the same as getting into Southgate's Euros squad. Fairytale stuff for him.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:So first ODI today...for the England bomb squad! What do people think the XI will be? I haven't seen any leaks or hints for once...

Crawley
Vince
Malan
Stokes
Duckett (wk)
Jacks
Gregory
Overton
Carse
Mahmood
Parkinson

But could easily see Lawrence > Jacks, Ball > Carse and Salt > Crawley...struggle to see them picking Simpson/Briggs/Payne/Helm for their strongest XI...but who knows!

Do fear for the bowling against Azam and co. They were already using some second string seamers against Sri Lanka, so these guys are really the 3rd/4th string at best

I was totally wrong then haha

Salt, Malan, Crawley, Vince, Stokes, Simpson (wk), Gregory, Overton, Carse, Mahmood, Parkinson the lineup

The top five looks decent. Bowling is inexperienced and could be quite hit-and-miss. Wonder how many overs Stokes will entrust himself to bowl?

Pakistan look a strong all-round team. Love the top three of Zaman, Imam and Babar Azam. Backing them to win here.

England fielding first.

It's a hit on the very first ball from the talented Mahmood.

Christ, 0/2 after three balls. Are they Sri Lanka in disguise? I love Pakistan's top three, but two of them can't survive the first over!

Well that's quite a good start.

Dream start. The ball from Gregory for the third wicket was fantastic.

Ha... I see Duty , Olly , and I were all concerned about the bowling

Barely had time to switch on and three gone already... Make that four !

Crawley off to a good start with a nice catch , by the way.

Hope England can close it out now and get Pakistan out for under 200. If they wriggle to 250, they have a chance.

Mahmood and Gregory both fantastic so far, giving the selectors something to think about for future games.

Mahmood pretty impressive so far. Keep this up and he really will be making a claim for a place in the first XI...

Saq Mahmood is showing here why he's been in and around the white ball team for a while now, consistency has been a problem in the past but a more than legitimate pace option when Wood and Archer are unavailable. Gregory has also been a consistent performer for Somerset in all formats for a while too.

Fakhar Zaman is a delight to watch.

Dire situation of four down for SFA hasn't stopped Fakhar from going after his shots...some lively cricket today.

This Carse fellow looks quite nippy ... But I see the faster it comes the further it goes when you hit it right : some six !

Mahmood and Carse both offering good pace - can see why Stokes was comparing Carse to Plunkett in terms of bowling action!

Definitely ones to keep an eye on - as Soul you note, Mahmood has been in and around the setup

Classic Pakistan dismissal just as they were starting to establish a decent platform. Good, composed fielding to net the wicket.

Ha...five minutes off watching the tennis and I've missed another wicket...

Bit self inflicted, that one , eh. Pity for Pakistan as they'd been fighting back well with a lively partnership. Leaving a lot to Fakhar now.

Awful shot from Fakhar. He didn't go after that with full intent, he seemed to rein himself in a little because of the situation. If he went for it full-blooded he would have probably got a boundary.

Can they even get 150?

Parkinson removing Fakhar...rather careless batting , that. 90/6 and this game could finish early...

Stokes wants to go for the throat , I see : bringing Mahmood back. Like it

Four now for Mahmood

Wood ? Woakes ? Archer ? ... Pah ! Who needs 'em ?

Would have been interested to see whether Saqib would have got any reverse at the death - but doesn’t look like it will get that far! He was a demon in the PSL with that, and have seen him do it in the Blast too.

Can't see Pakistan batting out fifty overs today - or getting much past 150. Parkinson reeled Hasan in nicely there : one over left for Mahmood to get his Michelle...

Some sloppy fielding from England, but no matter, 141 all out.

Really strong effort from the bowlers, Mahmood and Gregory especially. Pakistan's batting maybe a touch careless and ill-prepared, but on the whole I thought it was mainly good bowling being the reason for the 141.

England's batting looks a little dodgy from 6 down...it shouldn't be tested for this game.

Phil Salt must be the first Welsh born cricketer to play for England since Simon Jones? Can’t think of anyone else in the interim. Certainly no-one from Glammy.

A resounding win against a near enough full strength Pakistan side; Mahmood, Gregory, Parkinson and Malan performing will delight the selectors. Of those who played you feel they're the most likely to force their way into the side.

Malan really is a class act, he'll be disappointed the target wasn't higher to enable him a tilt at the century treble.

Thumping win, in control right from ball one. Good for Crawley to get some runs, too. Will see if England can back it up on Saturday.

That was a total mauling, Crawley/Malan barely broke sweat while going over a run a ball and the bowlers obviously very good. Mahmood really showing why so many have been calling for his inclusion in squads...and to be honest, they look right to have done so!

Carse looks an intriguing prospect too - wouldn't be adverse to seeing them given a red ball game before the summer is out...

If nothing else, pretty impressive England can pull together a squad at short notice and dominate

Well that was comprehensive

As GSC says, pretty impressive that England can call up pretty much a scratch side and dominate from ball one, testament to their strength in depth (you could probably put out two XIs who were missing yesterday for various reasons).

Didn't watch most of the match, but Mahmood was impressive up front. From the highlights, it seemed England hit the hard "in-between" length much better than Pakistan, who were either too full or too short in general. And as we've seen previously this summer, England's seamers are very good at using the short ball and longer square boundaries to their advantage. Crawley and Malan played well on what looked a pretty good pitch. Crawley will be delighted to make some runs. Good to see Parkinson in the wickets also.

ODI XIs :

1. Current "original selection" : Roy Bairstow Root Morgan Billings Moeen Woakes S. Curran T.Curran Rashid Wood

2. Injured/Leftover from Original squad/Just Not Wanted : Livingstone Hales Banton Hain Pope Buttler Dawson Willey Archer Jordan Stone

3. This squad that just squashed Pakistan

Depth , eh ?

alfie wrote:ODI XIs  :

1.   Current "original selection" :  Roy Bairstow Root Morgan Billings Moeen Woakes S. Curran T.Curran Rashid Wood

2. Injured/Leftover from Original squad/Just Not Wanted  : Livingstone Hales  Banton Hain Pope Buttler Dawson Willey Archer Jordan  Stone    

3.  This squad that just squashed Pakistan

Depth , eh ?

Always difficult to comment upon what you don't see and know much about (although that doesn't always stop everyone  ) but yesterday's crushing win would appear to be a feather in the cap for James Taylor and his team of talent spotters.

A really strong win for that much changed side.

I was delighted to see Parkinson and Mahmood do well in particular. Both are players I think could push into the white ball squad. Parkinson is the best bet I think we have to develop as Dilly's back up (an unenviable task in many ways). Whilst Mahmood offers pace and movement up top then good death bowling later on.

Malan once again looked so classy with the bat. He's just a very good white ball player. Without wishing to be a misery guts I still think his fielding is a weak point within this white ball side though. He took two straight forward catches but dropped a third that most in full strength white ball side would swallow. As I've said before he's one of the worse fielders in England's white ball machine that as a whole field brilliantly.

The same with fielding is true for Parkinson too. He that dropped catch look difficult when most of England's locked on players would make it look simple. An area for him to work on still.

Deol has just taken the best catch I’ve ever seen in women’s cricket. Following a pretty special effort from Harmanpreet a few balls earlier.

https://twitter.com/skycricket/status/1413575483309137923?s=21

Second ODI tomorrow. First ODI for England at Lord's since that game in 2019. Will be interesting to see if they can follow up the initial result with another strong performance. Some rain around in the morning, so may be a reduced-overs contest; captain that wins the toss will probably field first.

I saw in tonight's T20 games that Hales took his frustration out on Yorkshire - hitting 31 off 9 balls as Notts chased down 61 in 3.4 overs (was a 7 over game due to rain).

JDizzle wrote:Deol has just taken the best catch I’ve ever seen in women’s cricket. Following a pretty special effort from Harmanpreet a few balls earlier.

https://twitter.com/skycricket/status/1413575483309137923?s=21

Was indeed a fantastic piece of athleticism and quick thinking. Certainly the best women's - and up there in comparison with the men's game.