posted Dec 22, 2006

I've no problem with Nixon's quality, but he's 36? Surely he wouldn't play much past 2007, and with Read, Foster and Davies all younger, albeit all with much to prove, but we must stop looking for stop-gaps and stick with some players.

Surely Yardy proved he was worthy of a half-decent all-rounder, of which we are woefully lacking in the ODI arena.

We should have no problems with our top 6 batsmen, but as with the Test team it's a decent attack and miserly support bowling that will define our ODI progress this winter. Maybe Monty might be a key figure, especially as his batting seems to have improved!

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posted Dec 22, 2006

But chrispy hawk opening the batting averaging 20 is nothing much to talk about it is actually peanuts nothing more than that especially if you compare to opening batsmen of other countries actually if you see Read he comes in at 8 i donot think so one can score many runs at 8 and moreover he has won quite a few games with the bat the one i can instantly remember is the brilliant knock he played to win a game against windies 2 years back and also one has to remember that our management donot have any confidence in Read what with Fletcher publicly saying Read cannot handle pressure. so what will I say is that if Read is given the right sort of backup he will surely fire because he has obvious talent unlike Prior who is no better than Jones.At most I can rate him as paper tiger paper nothing more

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posted Dec 22, 2006

Well I do agree yardy bowled well but what about his batting he really looked very much a liability with the bat.

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posted Dec 22, 2006

Sorry perhaps you don't understand the role of a pinch hitter. That would be not to play as a batsman and build an innings, but to focus on scoring some runs in the opening overs rather than merely surviving. Read batted seven btw, for the majority of those scores, which for England is like coming in at four.

But if Prior should have performed like his opening partners fair enough, here are the scores from those games - Tresco in Pak - 13, 16, 22, 23, 1. Strauss in Ind - 0, 61, 7, 7, 74, 25. Impressive records to follow!

And this obvious read talent you speak of, where has it been in the last 12 odi's, which is apparently enough to judge a player on? Have u ever seen Prior play? Doubtful if you compare him to Jones - totally different players with totally different styles! Jones loves the square cut for instance, Prior prefers to drive and can actually play the sweep shot well. Generalisations are crap mate.

Read is not mentally up for it, saw that in the champs trophy. Trying to slog a six against India and caught on the boundary when we needed someone to stay in! In the 20th over too! Yep that's impressive mental strength, just like when he edged the out of sorts McGrath second ball, or when he was caught at mid-on against the windies when we were going comfortably. Give Prior a chance at 6(7) (where he plays for Sussex), he will win games!

Also how succesful has Read been in the subcontinent, a place where Ponting (currently the best) averages below 15 in tests btw? Answer he averages 2 in India and 0 in the one game played in Sri Lanka! Paper Tiger indeed! He averages nearly 7 more than his career average at home btw, but Prior has never had that opportunity.

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posted Dec 22, 2006

And all this just months before the World Cup.

RESIGN NOW FLETCHER AND DO US ALL A FAVOUR.

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posted Dec 22, 2006

So you are saying coming in at 8 is like coming in at 4 that is utter rubbish if my memory serves me right in most of the champions trophy matches he came in after 35 with at most 3 wickets left how can you expect a batsmen to score runs always in that sort of situation especially when the team is 120for7or8 that was the situation england found itself in. so here you cannot expect a batsmen to score too many especially if he is making a comeback and he knows the coach has no confidence in him but still if you remember he scored a valuable 55 and 38 against Pak. in the test series against them at hedingly when he made a comeback and if i am right that 55 helped our team to win the match mind you we were in a iffy position when he came to bat in the second innings along with that he scored 30 odd notout when we folded up for 155 in the first innings at oval he did all this though he knew the coach has no confidence in him and you are even saying that Prior's records are better than Tresco that is laughable because Tresco is a proven player and you just take that one series out you will see he has performed creditably well. what about Tresco's record against Lanka this year itself where he scored a memorable hundred at hedingly mind you he was through those psychological or emotional problems then itself. so the best you can do is here compare Tres's entire career with Prior's and then come to a conclusion as to what a pinch hitter or a opener should do and as far as Prior is concerned if he starts keeping well god help our bowlers.Another point I want to make is that I am not sure he came in the 20th over against Indians check your records first as far as Prior winning games for sussex I will write it give it you I know of many a good innings Read has played for Notts to help them win as well surely here you cannot judge a batsmen by what he does in county cricket then what about Foster of essex he has been scoring plenty but he was a total failure in internationals and when you know that in limited oppurtunities Read has been given he was won quite a few games for england such as the one against Pak in 03 when he and tresco took us to a memorable victory by putting an unbeaten 60 run partnership in the natwest series that also against the fury of Akthar and sami or for the matter what about his knock against windies where he scored 22 runs of a single over of collymore which helped us to win that match with just two balls to spare he also played that sort of innings against Protears some years back which helped us to come within 2 runs of victory AND THIS IS THE OBVIOUS TALENT I WAS TALKING ABOUT MATE. A GENUINE KEEPER WHO IS PLUCKY WITH THE BAT AND NOT A BITS AND PIECES CRICKETER LIKE PRIOR.

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posted Dec 22, 2006

Hello, 606 fans, I think England are going to struggle to win ODIs in the forthcoming series with this squad selection. Personally, I shall be laying them on Betfair ntil they win two games in a row - something they have not done for a while (I don't include "dead rubbers").

Bea

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posted Dec 22, 2006

this poor squad is down to one man, dunc! hes not a clue what to do! flintoff is a shocking captain, hes got no ideas on how to get batsmen out, no ideas what so ever! Vaughan has to captian the side hes the only man with a clue on what to do! just look at englands One Day record with him at the helm! play him opening the innings as no tresco and keep flintoff at 6 or 7 to finish the match off! lets stop playing these bit players who can bat abit, bowl abit! lets just play cricket players with a speicfic job to do, that way everybody knows what there role in team is! over the years we have had so many players who bat or bowl a bit and have ended up doing nither very well! look at asutraila (the bench mark) they will use 5 bolwers to bowl 50 overs and maybe at a push maybe 6, south afica are the same where as englnad will use 6 or 7 bowlers to bowl 50 overs! its good having people liek K.P who can come on and bowl 2 or 3 overs every now and again but you cant build a attack relaying on them to bowl! when your in doubt or trouble go back to basics! play 5batsmen 5bowlers and 1wkeeper! were very lucky to have flintoff in are side who can bat very well and bowl 10 overs and take wickets so we can play 6batsmen! why dont people starting been thankfull for what weve got. what we need is a good mixture of youth and experance, but the experance has to be of world cricket not lecister! what amazes me is all you idoits slagging off the selction of nixon (is one i do not agree with) are the very people who not so long ago were prob calling for jones to play not read! Read has got to play, as in the past he has shown he can come lower down the batting order and score vital runs, how we all forget when we beat pakistan in the one day seris! Come On England!

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posted Dec 22, 2006

viking82 I am in complete agreement with you and it is good at last someone has written a good article because i still cannot believe there is a clamour for a bits and pieces cricketer like Prior especially when you know that as recently as against Pak read scored some handy runs and here you cannot expect anyone to be like Gilly that is what people are probably expecting from english keepers but unfortunately there is none like him in the whole cricketing world itself I think this is the reason why people are taking up names like Prior or jones previouly though these players can bat occasionally but I afraid to say that they are nothing more than bits and pieces cricketers.

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posted Dec 22, 2006

The problem came with dropping Read for the tests. He did well last summer so deserved a good run. If he had done badly then he could have been dropped. However, under these circs Nixon is a good choice. He is the keeper-bat that Jones turned out to be. Sure it would be great to go for a youngster but let the contenders make their case with big runs and good keeping. For me it is Foster or Davies long term. Shafayat is a good outside bet. He could be the new Alec Stewart if he can start fulfilling his batting potential. The selections of Mahmood and Plunkett are concerns. They tend to go for so many that you may as well let part-timers do their job. My attack would be Flintoff, Dalrymple, Panesar, Anderson and possibly Tremlett

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