Sunday 5 January 2014

Women's Ashes Selection - 3 Gaps To Fill

With the Shooting Stars warm-up game just around the corner, it's time to talk teams!

At either end of England's order, we have 3 nailed-on selections and one highly likely:
  1. Edwards
  2. Knight
  3. Taylor
  4. Greenway
  5.  
  6.  
  7.  
  8. Gunn
  9. Hazel
  10. Brunt
  11. Shrubsole
This leaves 3 gaps to fill in the middle of the order, from amongst Brindle, Sciver, Winfield, Wyatt and Elwiss. (Neither Jones nor Cross are likely to play unless there are injuries to Taylor or Brunt / Shrubsole.)

An article on the ECB's web site strongly hints that Danni Wyatt has found her bowling boots once again and will fill one of these spots as the second spinner - her selection assisted by the fact that she can bat handily down the order.

The Number 5 batsman comes down to a choice between Brindle and Winfield - a race which I suspect Brindle will win on experience.

This leaves Elwiss and Sciver fighting it out for the final place on the team-sheet. With Elwiss having not played international cricket for the best part of a year, Nat Sciver is (in rugby parlance) the 'man in possession' so my guess is that her's will be that final name.

Likely team:
  1. Edwards
  2. Knight
  3. Taylor
  4. Greenway
  5. Brindle
  6. Sciver
  7. Wyat
  8. Gunn
  9. Hazel
  10. Brunt
  11. Shrubsole

3 comments:

  1. Greenway and Gunn are nailed on. I don't think either has ever been dropped, at least not for a very long time. Unless Shaw sees their role (ie batting for Lydia and all-rounder for Jenny) as being challenged then they are nailed on.

    I don't think Brindle has been dropped, certainly not since her return, so I think she is nailed on as well.

    Sciver must be 'highly likely' if not nailed on. There may come a time when a selection is between Sciver and Gunn (ie both all rounders) but would expect both to get into the Test team.

    That leaves probably Wyatt, Elwiss & Cross fighting it out for the last spot - and that will depend on the pitch. Elwiss's batting has improved out of sight last summer so it'll be down to whether or not the WACA is as speed friendly as when the men played. If they need a spinner then it'll be Wyatt. If they need pace then maybe Elwiss will shade Cross because of her batting.

    I assume you are selecting a Test team here - not sure, for example, that Knight would/should open in a T20, not with Winfield (or even Jones) challenging for that spot.

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  2. Thanks for the comments! Yes - I was just talking about the Test here. I think we mostly agree - I took some cue from the ECB article which hinted that both Dani and Danni would play, so I filled in Wyatt's name on that basis; but maybe I read too much into it?

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  3. Yes we agree really - just that question about the pace of the pitch. The WACA is known to be the fastest in world cricket and a bit of a spinner's graveyard. Certainly the pitch they used in the men's Test was quick (albeit it developed a crack down which Danni Wyatt could have climbed into !). I guess they won't be using that one !

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