posted Nov 14, 2008

Just chill!!!
1-0.
Sometimes , Yuvraj makes over hundred , sometimes Ghambir, and somtimes Sehwag or Dhoni or Dravid or Raina or Sachin ? How many bat they have who have scored 100s and how many England have ? KP,Bell , Collin,Flintoff and how long it had been for them to make a hundred ? Donīt mind please; India is better team at the moment ; I doubt they win 5-2 or 6-1.

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posted Nov 14, 2008

Maybe we were just beaten by a better side, and shuffling the deck is going to be irrelevant

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posted Nov 14, 2008

at the rate it'll be 7-0 to india before England even wake up.....feel sorry for my mate Samit who is playing with c**p players albeit KP/Bopara/Flintoff

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posted Nov 14, 2008

Boycs is critical of the batting order. He suggests that KP and Colly bat higher. Sensible comments. But, I am quite surprised that he is suggesting Flintoff as an opener!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/geoffreyboycott/3461211/Kevin-Pietersen-and-Andrew-Flintoff-wasted-down-the-order-for-England-Cricket.html

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posted Nov 14, 2008

Did anyone actually belive England had a chance today?? Lets be realistic about this, they have no chance in the ODI's or tests!! I wish they did have a sniff but they dont.

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posted Nov 14, 2008

Can someone give me an honest reason as to why England fans keep going on about the Ashes even when they are in the middle of a test/ODI series against another team. yet when they usually meet the aussies, its one way traffic with england getting walloped and then the funny thing is that when it finishes, they say they will be prepared for the next ashes test/ODI series instead of looking at the nation they play next?????

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posted Nov 14, 2008

I can't wait for England to get smashed into tiny pieces by a rampant India. After beating India in the Oz summer, Australia got beaten by a team in amazing form, with the best bowling lineup in the world, on their home turf. England got lucky against NZ, got stuffed by SA, and will regret ever setting foot in India. Can't wait to see Beefy and Atherton eat their words come next English summer!

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posted Nov 14, 2008

SpeakingCivilised:
the reason for those losses is mendis , once indian batsman learn how to play him, we will be winning more consistently against SL.

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posted Nov 15, 2008

I am curious about the Fintoff comments refering to him batting too high. The main reason for England's resurgence last summer was Freddie's terrific form with the bat, especially in ODI's!
But I do agree it's a bit unnecessary to open with Prior when we bat down to number 8.

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posted Nov 15, 2008

The problem with the XI at the moment is it looks good on paper to people who don't really get a balanced side that functions.

OPENERS :

Bell and Prior aren't openers, we persist with the keeper as a pinch hitter and it's never worked. Jones, Prior and Mustard all average under 24 in that role and ironically Jones has the highest average overall in ODIs despite only averaging 20 as a pinch hitter. It is a 'tactic' that doesn't work for England people/selectors, get clued up.

Bell averages the same opening as at no 3, he batted once at five and made 80. Coincidentally enough he makes a fifty around every fith innings opening and at no 3, his only ODI 100 came at no 3 though.

MIDDLE ORDER BATSMEN :

Shah, Pietersen, Collingwood and Bopara. Seem reasonable enough on paper, although Shah is yet to make a real mark on ODIs. Batting Bopara at eight makes no sense, left stranded on 54no and ridiculously he has batted 14 of his 25 ODI innings batting at seven. He's not really an all-rounder so why bat him so low?!?!?!?

ALL-ROUNDERS :

Flintoff fair enough, but Patel playing as the main/only spinner is hardly a great situation. He can bat, he bowls a bit of spin so England see it as a long-term solution. Overall it isn't the worst set-up in the side. There is a pretty hard leaning towards loading the side with batting, it causes imbalance and no matter how deep you bat, yesterday showed what happens when you concede too many runs.

BOWLERS :

Broad, Harmison and Anderson. Looks reasonable on paper, although I wouldn't have Harmison in any touring squad/team. He and Anderson have a career ODI average within half a run of each other and both just over 30. Broad CAN bat and CAN bowl to a pretty good level in ODIs, I think he'd be a better opening bat solution than either of the current pair. I'd have some left arm option instead of Harmison ie Sidebottom when fit


Certainly I'd worry about not playing a frontline spinner in India, the choice of opening pair and why Bopara is so far down the batting order. I'd have Bell, Collingwood, Pietersen, Broad, Bopara and Anderson in the side and then look to balance the XI. At the moment the side looks like it is half picked on theory (batting down to......., keeper as pinch-hitter, batting all-rounder as spinner etc) and then the other half the players picked jumbled into some kind of batting order. Is it balanced? I would say no. It's hard to say it's square pegs for round holes like in football, but it isn't disimilar. With the batting depth shown in the side you could pick a better keeper for down the order. No specialist opener is a major worry, can lead to early losses of wickets as it isn't just about scoring quickly early on, you still have to be selective in playing shots.

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