I think Leach would have been targeted by the Aussies to be honest. He is likely to have been hit out of the attack a few times and we may have played a few tests without him and an extra seamer anyway.

Id prefer a right hand spinner to Aussies left handed anyway..

There are various stories suggesting Moeen has been approached to return. Not sure it's a good idea, though there are no obvious alternatives.

Next best spinner after Leach in Div 1 has been Liam Dawson with 9 wickets but he's more of a batting all rounder. Parkinson hasn't played for Lancs but got a game for Durham.

I like the 4 seam attack but given its a 5 match series, Leach probably would have bowled around 200-250 overs in the series. We can't expect that of Root albeit a bit less with another seamer.

I understand the Moeen pick because throwing a novice in for an ashes series is a risk, but he also hasn't played any red ball cricket for a good 2 years and was often targeted by them anyway.

Should go for Dawson.

Dawson would be the safe option which is why I can't see us going for it. I think it'll be Ahmed for the games that we pick a spinner but for Edgbaston we might go 4 seamers.

Root can offer a bit of a containing role as well and there's a part of me that wouldn't be surprised to see Stokes bowl some slow left arm as well. Just because it'll make everybody think that he can't bowl seam. And then in the second innings he will just charge in and bowl 12 overs because he can.

Whoever we pick is going to be targeted. The Aussies know spin is the weak part of our attack and are likely to try and stop us holding up an end and rotating the seamers. Leach would also have been targeted.

comment by Emile Death Rowe (TCM) (U8959)
posted 21 minutes ago
Dawson would be the safe option which is why I can't see us going for it. I think it'll be Ahmed for the games that we pick a spinner but for Edgbaston we might go 4 seamers.

Root can offer a bit of a containing role as well and there's a part of me that wouldn't be surprised to see Stokes bowl some slow left arm as well. Just because it'll make everybody think that he can't bowl seam. And then in the second innings he will just charge in and bowl 12 overs because he can.
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That would be seriously impressive for a right-arm bowler. But then... It is Ben Stokes, so nothing should surprise us

comment by Amanda Hugginkiss (U11574)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Emile Death Rowe (TCM) (U8959)
posted 21 minutes ago
Dawson would be the safe option which is why I can't see us going for it. I think it'll be Ahmed for the games that we pick a spinner but for Edgbaston we might go 4 seamers.

Root can offer a bit of a containing role as well and there's a part of me that wouldn't be surprised to see Stokes bowl some slow left arm as well. Just because it'll make everybody think that he can't bowl seam. And then in the second innings he will just charge in and bowl 12 overs because he can.
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That would be seriously impressive for a right-arm bowler. But then... It is Ben Stokes, so nothing should surprise us
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Him and Jimmy both muck about bowling slow left arm in the nets despite being right arm seam and are both supposedly very good. Not test level I'm sure but it's the weird ambidextrous cricketer thing given they both bat left handed as well. Both obviously far superior with right arm seam but if Stokes can't bowl many overs of seam then it wouldn't shock me to see him throw 6-8 overs of spin in before a new ball. I think that's right anyway, I know Jimmy definitely does cos they occasionally talk about it on tailenders. Maybe it's just right arm offspin that he bowls but I had it on my head that it was left

I can certainly wrap my head around a right handed player batting left handed, more than a righty bowling with his left

I still struggle with it. I've tried batting left handed and other than a cover drive or forward defence, every other shot just feels so uncomfortable.

I can't bowl either though so possibly it's just that I'm a poor cricketer

I can bat left handed a bit. When I used to coach some of the junior sides at my club, I always used to have a bit of a go at the end of training left handed. Foot movement is the most difficult bit. They were u10 ands u11s bowling at me though.

No way could I bowl left handed. I'd be so uncoordinated.

Jofra bowls left arm spin too.

Why have we been persisting with Leach all this time when we could get 2 bowlers for the price of 1

Jofra is barely half a bowler, the facking crock

comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
posted 6 hours, 24 minutes ago
I can bat left handed a bit. When I used to coach some of the junior sides at my club, I always used to have a bit of a go at the end of training left handed. Foot movement is the most difficult bit. They were u10 ands u11s bowling at me though.

No way could I bowl left handed. I'd be so uncoordinated.
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sometimes they have to learn how to deal with being smashed to all parts

Throwing is hard enough left handed let alone trying to bowl.

comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 5 hours, 15 minutes ago
Jofra bowls left arm spin too.

Why have we been persisting with Leach all this time when we could get 2 bowlers for the price of 1
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Is this similar to the he can bat thing but can't really bat?

Khawaja out for 0 in the World Test Championship final. 18-1.

Moeen in for the Ashes then...

Not a fan personally.

His batting already fell off a cliff and he's never been someone to give you control with the ball.

I imagine they're already planning to target him in that 1st Test so the quicks can't rest and Stokes has to bowl.

Not sure Moeen will actually play in the first Test but we'll see.

Warner out for 43. 71-2.

To be honest, and I say this as an avid member of the anti-Moeen club... I'm not sure there was a realistic alternative.

That said, he'll be disastrous. He's always been appalling at playing short bowling, and when it's coming at him at 90+mph he'll constantly get out to top edges. He won't offer anything of use with the bat, so on that basis it would've made more sense to bring in a pure specialist spinner.

Trouble is, we don't have one

I'd have just gone with Dawson.

Bowling wise there's probably not much in it between him and Mo but at least he'd have strengthened the batting.

The pundits are all talking up Mo's batting, but as you say, he'll offer very little I think.

Moeen has a higher batting average than Dawson.

Labuschagne bowled for 26. 76-3.

He does but his batting has been going downhill for a number of years whilst Dawson's has been improving.