posted Feb 23, 2008

England should pick Vikram Solanki of Worcestershire, when he's opened for England in the past, once he's got in, he's cashed in, something many England batsmen seem unable to do, although it is improving. Kabir Ali has bowled well for Worcs for years, and should be given a chance again. Panesar needs to bowl how he did before the England management started speaking to him, cuz he has changed as a bowler, for the worse. But more so than the selection, England need to start playing with the fire we saw in the ashes, wheres it gone??!

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posted Feb 23, 2008

"England were definitely outplayed - but does anybody else think that without D-L they could have bowled NZ out before reachig their target? England did have a bit of momentum going when the rain came in."

Most certainly they had a better than even chance of winning. Just remember the last game when NZ seemed to be cruising and ought to have won, but in the end, they ought to have lost because England fought back very well.

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posted Feb 23, 2008

3 wickets for 1 run only has to be good by anybody's standard. A pity the rain and the utterly incomprehensible Duckworth Lewis thing decided it. Can somebody out there in the ICC put D/L to rest and find some other criterion (e.g. playing on the next day? Why is it that in tests when rain affects play they play on but in 1-dayers they go to the famous D/L thing?

PS the over rate codswallop also needs putting to bed: how on earth after a thriller like the 4th 1-dayer some eejit can impose a fine on the England team for the over rate beats me. From the comments in the newspapers I gather that even the match referee imposing the fine felt embarrassed. Crikey, can cricket ever grow up?

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posted Feb 23, 2008

NZ wouldn't have bottled it that badly again (wait for the next series for more brain explosions). They had 2 batsmen at the crease, one being the skipper and had an extremely easy run rate to follow, a little less than the 6 an over required from the last game.

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posted Feb 24, 2008

People are still rubbishing the D.L. Method.

Have these people got an inckling of any better method of ending a one day game ?

NO they haven`t.
And remember its called a 1 day game so you can`t just keep waiting for the rain to eventually stop...could end up been longer than a test match.

Come up with some other option that beats the D.L. Method don`t just moan about it.

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posted Feb 24, 2008

How nice to see that I am not the only one who cannot see any improvement under Peter Moores. I am so bored of hearing about all the 'positives' we are taking out of another series loss.

Moores seems to be a yes man with no strategies, ideas or plans.....

I also read now that Harmison has another injury scare?? wtf?? Why is it that with the exception of Hoggy all our bowlers are weak as kittens? Is it actually down to injury? or maybe a lack of heart?

I'm totally bored with the whole thing. Of course I will still watch England but if they don't care that much why should I??

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posted Feb 24, 2008

I`m glad Harmison is injured.
He is a waste of space.
On his day he is a worldbeater which makes it all the more baffling as to why he`s wasting his career.
The test team is a million miles better than the shambles that is the one day team.
Thats down to Vaughns captaincy.
Just don`t let Anderson in to cover Harmy.
Anderson is a joke...and i`m sick and tired of seeing this good county bowler getting tonked to all parts.
He isn`t international class.

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posted Feb 24, 2008

Personally, I don't think England have made much progress under Moores. I think he was right to try a few new names and Sidebottom as one of them has not let us down - but the injuries have cost us valuable test progress and flawed thinking continues to haunt us in ODI and T20.

The muddles are:
* We don't really have a firing test top order as Bell and Collingwood aren't really good enough. Yet we play them time after time.
* We have no all-rounder to understudy Fred so when he's injured as he often is - the whole formation of the side must change. Derek Pringle was no Ian Botham but at least we had an understudy!
* We have no [insert expletive here] clue who our best test wicket-keeper is. Prior and Jones were awful glovemen but decent batsmen. Read was the opposite.
* Truth be told - only one or two bowlers now "pick themselves" in Sidebottom and Hoggard. Monty's lost it of late. Harmison's woefully inconsistent. Fred and Simon Jones are always injured and Anderson, Tremlett, Plunkett and so on have no clue as to accuracy.

In ODIs it's just as bad:
* We have limited players who aren't good enough to score quickly which puts pressure on the middle order - hence KP's recent poor run.
* We don't have a clue about the opening position.
* We never play enough bowlers so we have to fiddle overs.

I don't think Moores should go - but I don't see him in post at the end of the summer. The Proteas are quietly building a good side and if Steyn stays fit - in harness with Morne Morkel - we could find ourselves rolled over and Moores will go.

I'd like to see all these bullet points at least acknowledged by the England management but all we get is platitudes and spin.

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posted Feb 26, 2008

Anderson is an attacking bowler, I think best suited to a cordon of slips, and a supportive captain. Those who havent seen him in the right conditions, have missed a treat. Horses for courses.

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posted Feb 26, 2008

"People are still rubbishing the D.L. Method."

I do have a better way. even for a tie. the team losing the fewer wickets wins.

In the case of rain curtailment. No result, 1 point each.

How can anyone predict what might have happened?

Its a nonesense thats why we have 50 overs as teams can have bad starts and get better, or visa versa, cut it to 40 due to rain and it makes a mockery of the game.

People are allowed to feel aggrieved. were only human. If modern technology was allowed then we might see less bleating by people like me.

You wont ever hear me complaining at a fair dinkum loss. Never. but this series started by England not turning up really, the three subsequent games were the real games and England have been unfairly rubbished.

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