Long post (bear with me)
So- setting aside rights and wrongs of the case (there’s another thread for that) – on a purely playing basis
Should Stokes go back into the side or rather, as he’s been added to the squad I’d assume they are serious about playing him as he’s the best all rounder of his generation…..so who makes way?
Woakes is last man in but with 137* and 4 wickets he’d be tough to drop.
Curran is the ‘weakest’ player (OK, all rounder) in the team in theory but has hardly let himself or anyone else down.
Rashid has been picked for a reason, but in spite of a drought and heatwave, the weather has presented us two ‘swing round corners’ test matches so he hasn’t really been called on so far. If Trent Bridge is the same, I think he might be the one to make way and use Root as a back up spinner if needed
But that then gives a side with 2 bowlers, and 4 all rounders (OK, Curran’s a bowler who bats and Root would be a batter who bowls but you know what i mean)
Then you get to the more off the wall ideas.
Ollie Pope did nothing wrong (and can catch!!), but could go with the batters moving up one in the order.
Buttler could go ……but I see him as integral to the style England want to play in the middle order, so unlikely.
Cook needs a score but first man in can always be feast or famine, he got two jaffas in T1, and one thing about Cook is that you know he’ll sooner or later come good. And who’d move up to open? Buttler? Warner style to dominate, but his technique is also pretty good, as in that ODI where he batted through to win the game rather than biff and bash.
Broad…… getting on, can’t really bat any more and hasn’t done anything…….ah, no, wait! hasn’t done anything until the second innings at Lords when he was unplayable – he is to bowling what Cook is to batting. And because batters set up games but bowlers win them, you need Broad in case today’s the day he just clicks, and it’s not as if he’s bad when he isn’t being brilliant. And it’ll swing at TB, and it’s his home ground, and……
So – on balance i think Rashid.
