We struggle by the West Indies 2-0 and India could beat us or at least get a draw. I'll probably say 2-2. Go and get mollywhopped in Sri Lanka with Murali taking quite a few and Maligna getting in our faces.
Originally posted by JKLever: Very frustrating when you consider the dross we've sent there before who never ended up on the recieving end of a scoreline like that.
I actually think we do have some talented players.
We do need a new coach - as well as Fletch has done, everybody goes stale in the same job after a while.
We need a new bowling coach - i've no idea what Shine is supposed to have done?
I'm against wholesale change - other teams - Pak & SA, who are vying for 2nd spot - have been on the end of recent thrashing vs Aus.
None of the players who represented us on this tour are poor players. Some are too raw, and the wicketkeeper position is up for grabs.
Our bowling attack was the weak link this series, when you are constantly facing 400/500 totals the batting will always be under pressure.
So... who would be in the squad for the Windies home tests from those on this Ashes tour and who would not be?
Perhaps they took Shine on a (misheard) recommendation from Gilchrist?
Originally posted by JKLever: Very frustrating when you consider the dross we've sent there before who never ended up on the recieving end of a scoreline like that.
I actually think we do have some talented players.
We do need a new coach - as well as Fletch has done, everybody goes stale in the same job after a while.
We need a new bowling coach - i've no idea what Shine is supposed to have done?
I'm against wholesale change - other teams - Pak & SA, who are vying for 2nd spot - have been on the end of recent thrashing vs Aus.
None of the players who represented us on this tour are poor players. Some are too raw, and the wicketkeeper position is up for grabs.
Our bowling attack was the weak link this series, when you are constantly facing 400/500 totals the batting will always be under pressure.
So... who would be in the squad for the Windies home tests from those on this Ashes tour and who would not be?
Perhaps they took Shine on a (misheard) recommendation from Gilchrist?
Originally posted by Comical Smoking Monkey: India could beat us or at least get a draw. I'll probably say 2-2.
are we getting 4 tests? i thought we were only getting 3, which is quite a pity. i think it could be a pretty good contest. certainly better than eng-wi
Originally posted by Comical Smoking Monkey: India could beat us or at least get a draw. I'll probably say 2-2.
are we getting 4 tests? i thought we were only getting 3, which is quite a pity. i think it could be a pretty good contest. certainly better than eng-wi
Ah, OK sorry - got them the wrong way around. I predict 2-0/2-1 England versus WI then, and 1-1 against India. Just don't fancy playing anyone at the minute. Hopefully it'll be tada to Flints as skipper at the very least.
Poor tour here or not i can't see anything bar rain saving the west indies from getting swept in england.
lets remember this england team beat pakistan 3-0 just a few months back, they aren't the worlds worst they just came unstuck vs the best in australia(as every other team has for a fair while now)
Originally posted by please: I still think england in england will put away most teams.
Could be close but i think india would be happy with a drawn series.
not dissapointed for sure. but i am sure they would be gunning for a win, could be the last series in england for quite a few. india's mood will depend a lot on the world cup, probably unlike england
England will beat the West Indies convincingly, possibly 4-0. They may suffer one or two scares at the hands of Jerome Taylor, but other than that it will be pretty easy IMO.
The confidence will then be back and England will defeat India fairly convincingly too. I think people may be overlooking the fact that England are awesome at home, but have looked fairly vulnerable away from home recently.
Originally posted by WIFAN: The confidence will then be back and England will defeat India fairly convincingly too. I think people may be overlooking the fact that England are awesome at home, but have looked fairly vulnerable away from home recently.
i seriously doubt england would beat us convincingly. maybe 2-1 or 1-0, but certainly not 3-0. if we have a fit pace attack of zaheer, sreesanth and munaf then i see a good fight. also india is playing at the latter part of summer, pitches should be dry and more to our liking
Originally posted by please: Yeah true, our 5-0 slaughter of the west indies in 2000 ended the big tours for them here.
Makes this tour from england look like a close run thing.
Yeah that 2000 tour was a nightmare. I remember Lara being out of form, and Ganga looking like a dear caught in the headlights.
Interestingly the West Indies last tour of Australia was probably as competitive as the current ashes. In fact Windies may have come close to winning the last test if it wasn't for umpiring controversies.
But I put that down to an awful display by England on this tour more than anything else, and I fully expect to be thrashed by England in May. It will be another tour of individual highlights rather than team. Our last tour of England saw the emergence of Dwayne Bravo as a special talent. Lets hope WI find a 3rd seamer to compliment Taylor and Collymore this time. A decent spinner wouldn't be to shabby either.
This tour has been an unmitigated disaster, lets not pull any punches about that; however, I don't think England's players have become talentless overnight: Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Flintoff, Hoggard and Panesar still form the basis of a decent, probably top three, test side. Throw in more favourable conditions (erm, in England, for example), a bit more fortune in general (umpiring, the odd fielding error by the oppo), properly fit players and a decent skipper and they will do just fine.
They do, however, need to consider a few issues, even leaving aside trhe general 5/5 vs 6/4 debate about the make up of the team:
1. Collingwood: lovely bloke, great fielder, but I have to be honest that I am nervous about him being one of five batsmen - his technique against pace bowling is not good enough to bat higher than six. Certainly, he will be the man to step aside for Virgil.
2. The bowling - having Jonah back would be a big bonus, but that is unlikely to happen before the India series. Harmison has slowly improved, but realistically we need cover for his pea heartedness - and Mahmood, Jimmikins, Plunkett etc are not credible replacements. Broad, Tremlett and Khan look the best of the current crop, whilst it would be nice to see Smith, Footitt and Onions come through over the next couple of years
3. The old keeping debate. Jones is finished, and Read has shown to me that as good as he may be behind the stumps, his batting is shoddy at the top level. They need to try someone else straight away, and work out what they can get away with in terms of that person's batting.
4. Planning. Planning. Planning. Has to be the mantra.
