posted Jul 31, 2008

I predict an innings thrashing and rightly so! England are dismal and so are the selectors!

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posted Jul 31, 2008

I have been saying for years and years that Vaughan should have been dropped. He has one good series in AUstralia early on where although we got belted he scored a double ton and another ton. It was a purple patch of form for a batsman in good nick. Since then he has been inconsistent and looked below standard for a test batsman. He has picked up a score on easy wickets a few times against weak opponents and saved his place, but never ever returned to that form he showed in Australia.
STrauss is also not competent as a test player. He too had a purple beginning where he averaged 60+ in his early career, and ever since then has steadily gone downhill and only sporadically made any runs of significance. He should also be gone gone gone.
We have to stick with Cook, Pietersen, and Bell, because of their age, and each of them have shown class for England, although all are inconsistent unfortunately.
Collingwood is a good one day player, but was never up to it at test standard, so should be left to finish his career in the one day arena. "OUT" for tests.
Flintoff plays, because he is a potential match winner with the ball, although he should not bat above number 8.
Panasar is the best spinner, not a Warne or Murali, but then again who is??????
I would include Swann, simply because England do not have a good fast bowling line up, so should focus on spin, and try to do things a different way. Two spinners would be a better option than a never ending procession of recycled seam bowlers who never bowl good opposition out.
I would proceed with Ambrose on age, leave him there to develop, because others have had the chance and failed, and he does look to have potential.
Broad should be in the side based on pure ability, and age. His batting is also something England will need in future years.
SIdebottom should be in based on variety, we need a left hander to present a different challenge to the batsmen.

COOK
BELL
PIETERSEN
SHAH
BOPARA
AMBROSE
BROAD
FLINTOFF
SWANN
SIDEBOTTOM
PANASAR

Thats my team

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posted Jul 31, 2008

This is the team to win the 4th test - Bobby Key to skipper. He is well known, everyone like him and he is a capable batsman. Monty will have to make way for this one but Pieterson and Shah can twirl if times get hard.

Vaughan hasn't got consistent runs for about 4 years. He has been pading his stats to stay in the side with one ton a series in the middle of a pile of single fingure scores.

Cook
Key
Bopara
Pieterson
Bell
Shah
Flintoff
Foster
Siders
Jones
Anderson

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posted Jul 31, 2008

Strauss (capt)
Cook
Shah
Pieterson
Bell
Flintoff
Foster
Broad
Sidders
Jones/Hoggard/Harmison
Panesar

Wold be my team. 'Flintoff can't bat top 6' people will say, but I think he can with Broad in the side. Tough selesction for no.10 methinks - do you get Hoggy to hold an end or one of the others because they're better wicket takers? Not too fussed between Foster, Ambrose or Read - they're all good keepers, but Foster has been immense with the gloves last couple of weeks.

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posted Jul 31, 2008

I disagree that Vaughan should be dropped. His dip in form is a temporary blip which he has the batting technique to recover from. Collingwood is a scrapper, who depends on momentum which he simply does not have.

England's selections recently have truly baffled me.
1. If you needed a skiddy bowler at Headingley instead of the bouncier tremlett, why wasn't Simon Jones called on isnstead of an aussie who bowls 10 mph slower than him.

2. If you say freddie can bat at 7 at most, you need either a number 6 batsman or a keeper who can bat as a number six batsman. We have neither so 4 bowlers is the only choice. What did the selectors think would happen putting Ambrose at 6?

3. What sort of message does picking the rabidly out of form Collingwood send to the likes of Bopara or Shah?

My team would be

Cook
Strauss
Bell
Pieterson
Vaughan
Bopara
Flintoff
Foster
Anderson
Sidebottom/Jones
Panesar

If Sidders cannot rediscover his bowling then it is time to shake things up in the bowling department too, if the selectors have the courage to do this.

The hunt for the next Alec Stewart continues...

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posted Jul 31, 2008

Vaughn must be accountable for not putting runs on the board or taking wickets. The fact he is considered a good captain doesn't absolve him of his duty to play a bit of cricket.

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posted Jul 31, 2008

Why can Vaughan (as some on here have stated) not be replaced mid series?
He is not the best player on the field, nor is he a good captain.
as a test team we are sh te at teh moment and need a complete overhaul of the selection process & our mindset for playing test cricket.

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posted Jul 31, 2008

The squad has got way too comfortbale, with players playing poorly and staying in the squad on reputation - somewhat similar to the England football team.

Somebody needs to show a bit of bottle and puncture a few ego's, and soon. We've got a year until the Ashes, and it's probably too late to build a new squad now but changes have to be made.

I said before this match I'd have Broad playing ahead of Vaughan on his batting alone and I stand by that. Why somebody averaging 40 odd was replaced by someone yet to score 100 competitive runs this whole season is utterly baffling. I've long admired Collingwood but he really should be no where near the team right now. His confidence is blown, and every minute he's in the England squad is damaging his chances of ever making an impression in any form of cricket again.

My team for the 4th test would be something like this: Hope the key isn't too confusing, as I've tried to explain my choices.

1 Strauss
2 Cook (C) (*)
3 Key (**)
4 Bell
5 Pietersen
6 Flintoff
7 Broad (***)
8 Ambrose
9 Anderson
10 Sidebottom
11 Panesar

(*) It may be too early, but if he can get by as skipper now, which I personally believe he can, then imagine what he'll be like in 5 years or so.

(**) To be honest, I don't like Key's manner - he comes across as overly arrogant often - but he's a man in form. Quite old at 29, but deserves another chance.

(***) May have struggled with the ball at times, but has looked class with the bat. A genuine chance of turning him into a classy all-rounder. He's still very young, and I'm certain he will be a huge player in years to come. We'll need him against the Aussies next year, so why drop him now? Makes no sense at all.

The likes of Newman (Surrey), Prior (Sussex), Harmison (Durham), Bopara (Essex), etc should all be knocking on the door. Prior especially may warrant a re-call if our wicket-keeper doesn't start scoring some runs.

Finally, as much as it pains me to say it, Panesar needs to seriusly improve his batting and fielding because it is a massive handicap having someone of such limited fielding qualities in the side at times. He's a fine bowler, and I really like him, but the time when a bowler was in the side simply for bowling are long gone.

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posted Jul 31, 2008

Please get rid of the selectors. I could do it better and I played 2nd 11 cricket at school. Vaughan out, Collingwood out (until they improve). Pick a keeper who is foremost a keeper: Reid. Bring back our best bowler: Jones. Have Flintoff and Broad as two all-rounders and have a chap who can spin the ball differently and can bat: Rashid. Key as captain. With Vaughan, surely his captaincy can't make up for going into every game (at least recently) with 4 batsmen.

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posted Aug 1, 2008

Just how much longer can this go on? The selectors are demonstrating an utterly woeful reluctance to drop their old buddies and bring in some young players who might just show a bit of passion and commitment to those nice new whites....

Vaughan - Awful, should've been dropped 2 years ago, his fabled captaincy abilities are fading fast, and my gran could bat better even though she's nearly blind

Colly - Just how do you go from being dropped for shocking form, to back in the team without doing anything????

Ambrose - Not wishing to bring up the wicketkeeper debate again but be serious - puts down catches, doesn't look comfortable behind the stumps, instills 0 confidence in slips and bowlers, and is just shocking with the bat.

As much as I'd love us to win the series and for Freddie to be the man of the hour, this is meant to be a team game, and our so-called team is pathetic and I partly want them to be on the wrong end of a real drubbing, maybe after that we can get the team we deserve to be watching.

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