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nospecialcharacter

Listed below are comments made by nospecialcharacter between Monday, 21st July 2008 and Friday, 8th August 2008.

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Pietersen hides cracks in England batting 8:42pm on 08 Aug 2008 Wd to KP, but also to Harmy and Jimmy for their most entertaining as well as valuable batting partnership. Anderson-as-Pieterson, reverse-sweeping [or trying to...] was great fun.
Bring in James Foster, as soon as possible. Don't think the wicket keeper should have to make top-flight runs [have we been spoiled by Gilchrist, and before that Alan Knott ?] if he's really good at his specialism. Prior can make runs but subtract the number he costs in byes, dropped catches and missed stumpings and he's not particularly valuable to the team. Bowlers do best when getting proper backup.
We can't get away with 5 batsmen. Flintoff isn't a reliable batsman now - if he plays [which he shouild] it must be as a bowler, with runs as a bonus. Bring in Shah, or Robert Key - Bopara a must for ODIs.
Meanwhile. fellas, get them out between the showers tomorrow and win one !
Outstanding Smith deserves his success 3:24pm on 03 Aug 2008 Okay, have to have my two pennyworth:
Vaughan has done the decent thing, several matches too late. Don't think it would be helpful to change team wholesale [something about babies and bathwater...] but there are enough pace bowling options to give Sidebottom [unfit] and Jimmy a rest for the Oval, and ask Freddie if he's up to it - definitely been overworked when only just back.
Keep Monty, but hope it's not a pitch where he has to bowl virtually unchanged all day. There's Harmison, Tremlett [how unlucky can a guy be ?] and Broad who could do the last Test - dare we hope we've seen the last of Pattinson ? Foster for Ambrose, and make Strauss captain, at least for the Oval and the ODIs. Bring Shah in for Vaughan, but leave the rest of the batsmen. So - 12 for the Oval -
Cook
Strauss [capt]
Bell
Pieterson
Shah
Collingwood
Foster [wkt]
Flintoff
Broad
Harmison
Panesar
Tremlett
Pietersen fails to complete rescue operation 10:08am on 02 Aug 2008 So Vaughan is a "fluent failure" for going in to knock the ball around and getting out 17 runs later. This is the captain remember - "lead by example".... Then KP comes in, also to knock the ball around, which he does gloriously for 94 runs. And Agnew spends blog-inches criticising Pieterson but says Vaughan can't be dropped ! Yes, Aggers, there are alternatives: Strauss or on Friday's evidence a player of real character named Collingwood. This isn't new from Vaughan, he has made one good knock per Test season for the past several years. Time to raise the finger....
Brilliant Flintoff brings Test back to life 11:41am on 01 Aug 2008 Well I would change Vaughan - dead loss as batsman at present, contributing what exactly as captain ? Strategy is made off the pitch, and all the motivation and passion on view out there is coming from others [esp. Freddie]. Let Strauss do the job: he won't step on his wicket like that a second time.... Bring in Owais Shah for a chance to do something. Also give Colly a chance to get back into form, and play Stuart Broad for him. I would make a third change and bring in James Foster to keep wicket.
If Vaughan, Collingwood and Ambrose all make hundreds in 2nd innings, kindly ignore these comments.....
England bowling lacks menace 8:07pm on 21 Jul 2008 refer ownworstenemy to #37 above for m vaughan's dreadful stats as a captain/batsman. Agree totally with everyone who deplores that smug smile after match and his comment that top order must improve THEIR [sic] performance. Should've said "OUR", Michael !!!!!!
England bowling lacks menace 2:57pm on 21 Jul 2008 cannot see how Vaughan can look his players in the eye with his batting record since becoming captain. He seems to produce one decent knock per series, and is pretty much a passenger the rest of the time. Even in the 2005 Ashes series, he had only one hundred and one fifty. It's not as if he's such a fantastic tactical captain - Stephen Fleming showed him up in earlier days, Vettori did this summer. That wouldn't matter so much if he was leading by example, but he's a so-so fielder and very occasional bowler: it has to be as a batsman that he justifies his place. The Aussies wouldn't pick him, that's for sure.

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