Topic: England's Summer of Cricket 2017 South Africa and West Indies Series

[voodoo ray]

Yikes 1.1 billion to show some pointless t-20 games what a deal...

that's the total deal. sky will have paid the vast majority of it.

[Skeeve]

It's not nearly good enough. Test cricket will just continue to suffer with this kind of deal, yet again there is no live coverage of test cricket on free to air telly and that's the format that needs the exposure. Instead we get some domestic T20 stuff and a few international T20 matches every year. Pointless.

The bbc can't afford to bid too big on stuff like this though, as it stands they will have got a bit of a bonus on top of their expected continuation of TMS.

[Crosby Nick]

Gary Ballance: England recall batsman for first South Africa Test
12 minutes ago From the sectionCricket
Gary Ballance bats for England
Gary Ballance averages 39.25 in 21 Tests
First Investec Test, England v South Africa
Venue: Lord's Dates: 6-10 July Start: 11:00 BST
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW and online. Live text commentary and in-play video clips on BBC Sport website
Batsman Gary Ballance has been recalled to the England squad for the first Test against South Africa at Lord's starting on Thursday.

The Yorkshire left-hander, 27, who played the most recent of his 21 Tests in October, averages 101 in the County Championship this season.

Uncapped Middlesex seamer Toby Roland-Jones and Hampshire spinner Liam Dawson are also in a squad of 12.

The opening match of the four-Test series is Joe Root's first as captain.

Durham pace bowler Mark Wood, who has not played a Test since October 2015 because of an ankle injury, also features alongside James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Live cricket returns to BBC TV
De Villiers & Steyn missing from South Africa squad
Ballance back as Hameed misses out

Opener Haseeb Hameed, who missed the final Test of last winter's series defeat in India with injury, is overlooked after failing to reach 50 in 12 championship innings for Lancashire this summer.

Keaton Jennings, promoted to open in Hameed's absence in India, retains his place and is set to open alongside former captain Alastair Cook.

South Africa-born Jennings, who made a century on his Test debut, averages 36 in Division Two for Durham this term.

Cook, 32, England's record Test run-scorer with 11,057, stood down as captain in February. He averages 66 in Division One for Essex this season.

England v South Africa Test series schedule
First Test: 6-10 July, Lord's
Second Test: 14-18 July, Trent Bridge
Third Test: 27-31 July, The Oval
Fourth Test: 4-8 August, Old Trafford
Yorkshire skipper Ballance is captaining an England Lions side also featuring Jennings against South Africa in the three-day tour match at New Road which ends on Saturday.

Dropped after making four consecutive single-figure scores in October's drawn Test series in Bangladesh, he has scored 815 runs in 11 championship innings this summer.

"He has been in fantastic touch," national selector James Whitaker said.

"He deserves to be included and we feel that he will add maturity and experience to our middle order."

Injuries open path for Roland-Jones

Toby Roland-Jones
Roland-Jones dismissed Hashim Amla to claim his first international wicket
With Chris Woakes and Jake Ball ruled out by side and knee injuries respectively, Roland-Jones is in line to make his Test debut.

The 29-year-old claimed 1-34 on his one-day international debut against South Africa in May and has taken 76 championship wickets since the start of last season, more than any other seamer.

Whitaker said: "Toby Roland-Jones is a player we have been monitoring for quite some time and deserves his chance after a strong couple of seasons with Middlesex in red-ball cricket."

Wood, who has taken eight wickets at an average of 34 in eight Tests, did not play for England in 2016 because of ankle problems that required three operations.

Bowling in boots specially designed to combat the impact on his heel, he took 4-33 against Australia in the Champions Trophy in June and has eight wickets in three championship matches for Durham this year.

Anderson, England's leading wicket-taker of all time, proved his fitness following a groin problem in two championship matches for Lancashire last month.

Broad has been struggling with a heel injury but will play for Nottinghamshire in the One-Day Cup final against Surrey on Saturday.

Slow left-armer Dawson, who took 1-29 on his debut in the final Test in Chennai last year, has 18 wickets at 30 apiece in Division One this summer.

England squad: Joe Root (capt, Yorkshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Keaton Jennings (Durham), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Jonny Bairstow (wkt) (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Mark Wood (Durham), James Anderson (Lancashire), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex).

[Crosby Nick]

So GazzaBalla returns for another crack. He's been scoring runs this summer at least. Will Dawson play? Or will we go with Wood and Roland-Jones although that would be five seamers if you include Stokes.

[dudleyred]

Five seamers I'd think

Didn't expect Anderson to be back to be fair

Balance on his third last chance but he is in form

Not an exciting squad pick I have to say

[RobinHood]

I do like Ballance, he brings a bit of a grit to the batting and does place a high value on his wicket, so does provide a contrast to the likes of Moeen and Stokes.I thought  He was actually quite unfortunate to be called up las time as he was really out of form for Yorkshire which did him no favours at all. We are a bit short of test quality batsmen at the moment.

[Crosby Nick]

Yeah, he fared badly in the winter but he's scoring runs now and there's a shortage of options. Will he bat at 3 with Root 4 or the other way round?

[Frank Becton]

Odd selection, don't see why Dawson gets in front of Rashid all of a sudden, and can't see the need for 5 seamers if that's the way we go.

Assuming Ballance plays has to be lower down at 5 as he isn't good enough higher up and vulnerable against the new ball.
Would have picked Stoneman myself.

[Welshred]

Yeah, he fared badly in the winter but he's scoring runs now and there's a shortage of options. Will he bat at 3 with Root 4 or the other way round?

Hope he succeeds this time around because it has to be last chance saloon for him. He could be another Hick/Ramprakash type player who scores shit loads of runs in the CC but can't internationally.

[Old No7]

Does Root move up to 3? Not going to try Ballance there again surely?

[Welshred]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2017/07/01/impossible-job-england-cricket-captains-fail-end/

[BobPaisley3]

I do like Ballance, he brings a bit of a grit to the batting and does place a high value on his wicket, so does provide a contrast to the likes of Moeen and Stokes.I thought  He was actually quite unfortunate to be called up las time as he was really out of form for Yorkshire which did him no favours at all. We are a bit short of test quality batsmen at the moment.

Indeed. Jennings is in again but he's been poor all season. Such a shame that Taylor's career was cut short. I'd be tempted to open with Ali, he's done it a lot over the course of his career.

Cook
Ali
Ballance
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Woakes
Rashid
Broad
Wood
Anderson

Certainly enough fire power to bowl teams out, with the ability to bat down to 9. I'd prefer an extra batter but sometimes you have to play to your strengths and ours is currently not in the batting.

[voodoo ray]

woakes is neither fit nor in the squad. rashid isn't in the squad either.

[BobPaisley3]

woakes is neither fit nor in the squad. rashid isn't in the squad either.

I meant longer term.

[voodoo ray]

I can't see mooen as a test opener myself.

[BobPaisley3]

I can't see mooen as a test opener myself.

Don't think he sees enough of the bowling down at 7/8 and it would be difficult to get him in the middle order. Think it's worth a try, particularly against WI ahead of flat tracks in oz.

[Welshred]

No. He's opened in two series now and it's evident he's not an opener. Why try him there again? It's pointless. Hopefully Hameed gets some form or Jennings clicks and we keep him there but we can't keep going around shoehorning middle and lower order batsman in to open all the time.

[CheshireDave]

Faf Du Plessis will miss the first test after the birth of his child.

Dean Elgar will captain South Africa for the first time.

Theunis de Bruyn or Aiden Markram (yeah me neither) will play in place of Du Plessis - they have 1 test cap between them.

[Old No7]

Jennings is in again but he's been poor all season. 

Didn't Jennings just do well for the Lions against South Africa 'A' which was basically being used as a trial?

[CheshireDave]

Starting this morning. Dawson to play.

[Crosby Nick]

Starting this morning. Dawson to play.

First time we've picked two spinners at Lord's since 1993 which from memory was an Ashes summer and I think would have been Such and Tuffers. Think we got battered!

Assume it's a win the toss and bat kind of day, little bit muggy down in London today, chance of thunderstorms this morning o think but then set to be another hot one.

[Gerry Attrick]

Really hoping the captaincy doesn't affect Root's form, I am a little concerned to be honest.

[voodoo ray]

Welcome back test match cricket. You've been missed.

[CheshireDave]

First time we've picked two spinners at Lord's since 1993 which from memory was an Ashes summer and I think would have been Such and Tuffers. Think we got battered!

Good memory. Australia won the toss, made 600 and we lost by an innings.

[Crosby Nick]

Good memory. Australia won the toss, made 600 and we lost by an innings.

GCSE summer for me, came home from an exam on the Monday lunch to watch some and saw about two balls as Tuffers was out within about two balls to wrap it up. I have a feeling it might have been the Test that their top 4 came close to all making centuries.

Also think Athers was run out for 99 slipping turning for a second that would have got him his hundred.

And back in the days of the random England selection wheel I think Neil Foster and Mark Illott played and for the start is amongst us Illott bowled an unbroken spell through the entire Saturday morning session.

Obviously I could have googled that but I didn't! Did I get much right?

[CheshireDave]

Obviously I could have googled that but I didn't! Did I get much right?

Top 3 made tons (Taylor, Slater and Boon). M Waugh was dismissed on 99 by Tuffers.

And you're right about Athers

[Crosby Nick]

Ooof how gutted would you be?

Completely wrong about Illott though, must have been wheeled out for a different Test. Along with Martin McCague!

[Red in Korea]

Assume it's a win the toss and bat kind of day, little bit muggy down in London today, chance of thunderstorms this morning o think but then set to be another hot one.

You got that right. JR wins his first toss as England skipper and bats. Suppose you have to after picking 2 spinners; you'll want to bowl 4th innings. But I'm  bit concerned about Jennings and Ballance against Rabada first up. Hopefully Cook can keep his form going.

[Crosby Nick]

Cook gone early, caught veins of Philander. Massive test now for a fairly inexperienced or at least unproven line up.

[CheshireDave]

Cook gone.

Nicked off to Philander

14/1

[Red in Korea]

Cook gone.

Nicked off to Philander

14/1

And Jennings 17/2 (and Rabada not even needed yet).

[Crosby Nick]

And Jennings 17/2 (and Rabada not even needed yet).

Crikey. For all their issues that's still a quality seam attack the Saffers have. Can see this series being a bit like the Pakistan one last summer.

[CheshireDave]

Had Jennings reviewed it would have been overturned. Pitched outside leg and would have missed leg.

[Crosby Nick]

Pitched outside leg and would have missed apparently.

BBC saying we are down to our last two specialist batsmen which sounds a little dramatic!

[CheshireDave]

BBC saying we are down to our last two specialist batsmen which sounds a little dramatic!

Just a bit! Stokes' 258 was pretty special.

[Red in Korea]

BBC saying we are down to our last two specialist batsmen which sounds a little dramatic!

Lol. Bit disrespectful to Root's spinners I'd say

[Rush 82]

Need a few more wickets...

[voodoo ray]

That lbw decision was dreadful. Really bad.

[Crosby Nick]

That lbw decision was dreadful. Really bad.

And now Ballance decides to review one when it's fairly plum. Cue Half Man Half Biscuit

[Robinred]

Will someone please tell me why Joe Root rates Gary Ballance?