I wish it was mate. No we're not bombed out with decent quicks. One thing I do take serious is my cricket. Hopefully the batting line up will create some cracks if we win the tosses and bat. The toss will matter because our bowlers aren't quick enough. We need to win tosses and bat first. Get some runs and spend some time cracking the pitches. Then let the spin bowlers take them apart. If we lose the toss and they bat first it will be very character building.
I don’t think he’s even looked at a red ball for about five years. Not a prayer of it happening. About the same chance as England have of winning the series. We just haven’t got the attack to be taking twenty wickets. The quicks either aren’t quick or can’t stay fit, and as for the spinners - Bashir will be carted round the park at will; Rehan Ahmed is the only test match leg spin bowler I’ve seen who hasn’t got a leg spinner - except maybe Anil Kumble, but he took wickets with unusually high pace for a spinner and fear/reputation more than anything. Ahmed likely won’t play anyway. Bashir will bowl good balls on pitches with a bit of bounce and carry - but he’ll also bowl three bad balls an over which will be pummelled to all parts, making an already crap ball all the softer all the quicker. I’d honestly take a narrow but creditable defeat now - though I fear that the score will be what Glen McGrath always predicts. We have talent in the batting lineup but not a stack of grit - and in any case its bowling attacks who win or lose ashes series’ and we are looking weaker than them in both pace and spin.
Over the last few years, he’s only ever bowled a max of or [emoji[emoji6][emoji6]] overs in a day so his fitness in a red ball game would be questionable.
County and internationally Rashid has said himself that he is only focusing on the limited overs game.
Correct, he’s constantly managing a shoulder injury so won’t play red ball again I’m almost certain. Hopefully as he’s not in the T20 squad he’ll be playing for Yorkshire for once right?! Or is there a more important league somewhere else… EDIT: Scratch that, just checked the T20 squad and he is in it! Should have double checked first.
Ahmed has batted at 2/3 for Leics this season and scored a good sized hundred recently. In fact I think he’s batted a lot more than bowled. Possibly the time of the season but then it has been mainly dry until recently.
He’s in isn’t he? https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/england-announce-squads-for-brook-s-first-series-as-captain
Quality SD Double Entendre there. Stephen is alive and well and appearing on a forum near you.. PMSL....
