[old crust]

Originally Posted by Frankie

On to England. For me Bairstow had to score a ton in this Test. He didnt so should be dropped. Think he has potential but needs to consistently score some big runs at County level first. He seems to have been selected for England without putting in any really hard graft for Yorkshire. Replacement, easy choice James Taylor.

I've known James since his youth days at Leicester, smashing lad. As part of his England development he was told to leave Leicester and that his place in the England test team would be at the expense of either Trott or Bell (3 or 5). I appreciate the organisation and planning behind the England set up, but have always thought telling him that was over precise. For me putting him in at six would be fine for starters.