**** Surprises in England's Test Squad to Bangladesh ****

www.espncricinfo.com/bangladesh-v-englan...t/story/1057333.html

That is  aturnup....Batty in


England Test squad for Bangladesh: Alastair Cook (Essex) captain, Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Zafar Ansari (Surrey), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Gareth Batty (Surrey), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Haseeb Hameed (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)

why they taking so many fullahs and a batty

19 year old debutant need a father figure: 38 year old Gareth ?

heard Batty convert for this selection.

Cappo, is that a fair explanation for you genius mind ?  :-\

Very excited to see what Hameed can do. He is a real grafter and grinder. Very exciting prospect for someone such a young age.

Jack Leach can consider himself extremely hard done by. Nice to see Ansari finally fit to make an appearance in the squad. Batty will add some veteran experience to the squad, and is consistency over the last few seasons has finally been rewarded with a return to Test cricket.

Really pleased to see the selectors have gone with Duckett over Bell. This lad has a bright future.

Along with Leach, Foakes is the other that can feel unlucky to miss out. He has been brilliant for Surrey this year, and is a fine gloveman already.

Apparently Batty made his first class debut in the year Hameed was born!

Shame Bell did not make it but he has had his run and perhaps time to move on.

I was a bit surprised Ansari was included but good for him.

Not sure what has happened with his brother Akbar.

I can only hope Hameed really cements his spot in this team and pushes out Halo.

Very, very disappointed he chose himself above the team.

Lovely stat that prompted me to go digging. As best as I can tell, Batty made his first-class debut on 16 April 1997 against Lancashire - three months after Hameed was born.

cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/63/63804.html

There were numerous rumblings this week that Hales wasn't going to be included in the Test squad for the tour even if he was willing to go. If true, this may well have further influenced his decision not to tour Bangladesh.

www.espncricinfo.com/bangladesh-v-englan...t/story/1057430.html

Looks like Duckett despite being in division 2 is favored over Haseeb !

James Whitaker , the national selector, is clearly a huge admirer, referring to Duckett

as "a special player" and "a point-of-difference player".

Not since the elevation of Joe Root has a debutant been spoken of in such terms. :-[

Dilly,

That is interesting about Halo as y know I have been a great Hales supporter.

I know you are of a different view but I take a dim view of Eoin and Halo not going, particularly Halo.

I have not really seen Hamid, have you?

However I am quite excited to see what he is made of and I hope the see toes nurture him.

Brilliant temperament. He is a real grinder.

I have seen Hameed on two separate ocassions this year, and both times I came away suitably impressed - especially with his near five-hour stint at the crease against Hampshire. He has a brilliant temperament. A grinder in the same mould as Jonathan Trott.

The biggest knock against him this year is that he has failed to convert any of his centuries into doubles. But I have no doubt they will come.

By contrast, Duckett gives England a more attacking option. Given the clamour to find a more attack minded batsman to partner with Cook, he would certainly fill those shoes more so than Hameed. I wonder whether England would consider playing both with Duckett replacing Ballance at no 4?

This is where the loss of James Taylor hurts England, as he was a magnificent player of spin, cleverly rotating the strike, and turning ones into twos.

So it matters not that Duckett attack style is against Div.2 bowlers ???

while Hameed faces Div 1 bowling ?