Moeen Ali enters England’s spin equation – but why not Adil Rashid too?

[quote author=Rowe992 link=topic=97209.msg632839#msg632839 date=1429489607]
Well it seems like England are going to replace Trott with Moeen Ali at the top of the order. Ali also offers a bowling option and so I think it is a good replacement. Trott still seem to be out of place.
[/quote]
Where did you read that? I would be absolutely shocked if Trott is dropped and Moeen opens. Moores even came out today and defiantly stated that Trott has earned the right to have a fair run at the top of the order. If Moeen starts it will be in place of Tredders not Trott.

Moores on Trott:

Quote:"I don't think you're looking to change your opening partnership straight away," Moores said. "I think Trott has earned his right to get a go. He's come back into our squad and we've watched him play and we can see he is really hungry and playing nicely.

"He's been done by the swinging ball, so he's working hard to get past that challenge, which will be there in Grenada and that is not going to change. But what we know about Trott is that once he gets in, he has that fierce determination and concentration to make people pay and that is one of his great strengths as a player.

"I think if you take it in the whole context, that first game back was always going to be quite a tough one. But he's back in and he's got a good chance to go and show what he's got. This is a player we've all watched play some brilliant innings for England and I think now is his chance to come back and show he's still got that."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-...63345.html

Seems to me that putting Ali in as an opener instead of Trott, and Rashid instead of Tredwell, strengthens both the batting and bowling - but it seems unlikely that this will happen.

[quote author=yahoo link=topic=97209.msg633121#msg633121 date=1429564311]
Seems to me that putting Ali in as an opener instead of Trott, and Rashid instead of Tredwell, strengthens both the batting and bowling - but it seems unlikely that this will happen.
[/quote]
Moeen is not technically good enough to open the batting in Test cricket right now. His weakness to short-pitch deliveries was exposed during the World Cup and that is something that will only be further exploited in Test cricket. Moeen has also been short of time at the crease due to his injury at the World Cup with just the one innings for Worcester last week. On top of this, Moeen bats in the middle-order for Worcestershire and never batted higher than 6 for England. England need to stop putting players in positions they are not used to. They have a genuine opener that had a massive season in county cricket last year in Adam Lyth. If a change at opener is to be made - and I doubt it will during this series - it will be Lyth coming in for Trott.

Michael Vaughan again argued for the inclusion of Adil Rashid in the team for the second Test.

Quote: I always describe Rashid as a “60 per cent” bowler. Sixty per cent of the time he is inconsistent. But 40 per cent of the time, he wins you the game.

Two out of three spells are generally poor, but the other spell makes the difference, and it requires the skill of the captain and the awareness of the team to know exactly what the leg-spinner’s role is.

Vaughan also echoed our conversation regarding England's failure to select the younger players in favour of giving the established veterans more time.

Quote:It is a very English trait – and you could go back to Jos Buttler’s overdue selection for Test cricket – that we always seem to look at what could go wrong. Why not look at what could go right?

Once given the opportunity, Jos Buttler impressed for England

Look at the failure to select Alex Hales in one‑day cricket. Yes, he struggles against the ball nipping back. But what about the ball that he whacks into the stand on a regular basis?

We have to try and change the mentality and look at what players can do, rather than what they cannot.

Picking Rashid is a risk. But unless you find out now, in these two games, on pitches suited to picking two spinners in the XI, I just do not see how he is going to play in the future.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket...actor.html