Quote Originally Posted by Hilts View Post
It is a disgrace that this batting line up as survived to the 4th Test.

Root is a hopeless captain and needs replacing.

Roy Denly Bairstow and Buttler should be axed.

Foakes should get the gloves.

Hopefully Wood Stone or Anderson can be fit enough to back up Archer and Broad in the Winter. Somehow we need to find at least 4 batsmen good enough for Test cricket. But we certainly wont if we keep this bunch.
Foakes? He's averaging 27 in FC cricket with 0 hundreds this year. The clamour for him is odd. We've also got decent bowlers, and it's a shame they're injured. Bairstow is fine as well, Denly probably deserves to keep his place and Buttler has the talent to persevere with. I'd play Pope at 5 or 6 though, Stokes to 4/5 and Root at 3.

They need to look at a wider question, why are our batsmen not firing at 4 day cricket. Only 3 players have got 1000 runs this summer, and one of them is Labuschagne. Sibley should be in with a chance to open in the winter, as well as Zak Crawley, and I'd like a look at young James Bracey for Glos. Chris Dent of Glos is another one, who's consistently scored 4 day runs.