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Will Trescothick be back for India? Will Vaughan be available?
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Who knows when Tres will be back. If indeed he will be back.
Vaughan is fit and ready to play now. In fact he's playing a game of Cricket at Bradman Oval in Bowral (Where my parents live) for the MCC as I write.
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ah.
I disagree with those above suggesting Cook and Bell should be dropped ... but I do think they both need to come in lower down the order, at 3 and 5; and I think Bell and Collingwood need to bowl some overs if they're both going to stay in the side. Flintoff at 7, two other pace bowlers, 6 batsmen, and keep Read (the best keeper) at 8.
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quote: Originally posted by please:
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)
While not disagreeing with the essential point of this post, i think England would do well to remember that they only beat Pakistan twice last summer and would in all probability have lost the 4th test. |
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England played average cricket all of last summer and came unstuck at the Oval when Asif was fit to play again. The bowling however remains the main concern. Harmison has been rubbish for 18 months now, and Fred's ankle injury has reduced his effectiveness.
Leading into the 2005 Ashes, Englands momentum was like an out of control steam train after 5 straight series victories, but leading up to this series our cricket was patchy at best. In hindsight, its hardly surprising we struggled this badly.
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For the first test of next summer I would play this side.
Strauss
Cook
Vaughan* (or Shah)
Pietersen
Bell
Collingwood
Flintoff
+Prior
Harmison
Panesar
Hoggard
I think we've been dismissed too cheaply too many times this series - Half of our innings have been under 200! In the next few tests I want to see us put some runs on the board and get some confidence back, as long as we are scoring runs then we won't lose many matches. Then with four decent bowlers in Flintoff, Harmison, Monty and Hoggard then we certainly will win more often than not.
I wouldn't rule out playing five bowlers but until there is an irresistible case for inclusion from Jones, Anderson or someone else then I wouldn't play an extra bowler for the sake of it.
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it's something most aussies saw coming pre series.
The over riding english attitude seemed to be the ashes are what matters so it will come right on the night.
it's the same mistake we made in 05 when our poor lead in form should have been a bigger warning and it's the polar opposite of how england got ready for the 05 ashes.
between 2003-2005 england treated every series as life and death and it meant they were in tip top form for the ashes.
England need to treat every upcoming test series AND one day series like it's the only thing that matters or will matter.
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Whatever else happens over the next 4 years i pray that England will never again take on top class opposition with so little preparation.
England could have insisted on playing half of the ODI series in November for which they were already prepared by the ICCCT. This would also have given the players a chance to acclimatise for the more important test series.
FC matches including the players not in the ODI squad could still have been arranged with the first test being at Perth or Melbourne.
The ODI series could have been completed in February as a nice preparation for the world cup.
Decent preparation wouldn't have changed the destination of the Ashes but i doubt it would have ended 5-0.
Who knows, in 2010 it may make all the difference.
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All they had to do was play 3 day games instead of 2.
it's something they could have asked for without even having more time in the country.
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quote: Originally posted by Jay Dello:
Who knows what will happen regarding the coach and the whole shambolic selection issue?
Personally, I hope Fletcher - who has, by and large, done a great job with England, and has far more 'form' than such uninspiring names as Tom Moody and Peter Moores - gets the chance to redeem himself, as I don't think England will find a better coach for a good while.
He made it clear last summer that he didn't want to have a vote on selection, so it's easy enough to change that particular policy and allow him to concentrate on his primary job, clearing up the whole coach-has-too-much-power issue.
However, this means that the utterly spineless David Graveney would have to take some responsibility for team selection and be accountable for his decisions - there'll be nowhere to hide, no bucks to pass - so I imagine he'll have to employ another couple of sacraficial selectors to pin the blame on (as he did with Gatting and Gooch) should things go tits up in the future.
Ideally, I'd get shot of him, but his entire reason for living is to hang on to his position of 'power' by whatever means possible, so it might not be that easy.
As for the team...
The whole batting line-up's been horrible. The reason they're banging on about getting more runs from the tail is because the top order's failed so miserably.
Cook needs to go back to Essex and tidy his game up. He's talented, but he's looked really limited technically and temperamentally on this tour.
Strauss needs a kick up the backside. After getting out to his favourite shot - the pull - a few times early on, he seemed to lose confidence and has been on a downward spiral since. He's got enough history behind him to suggest he's a quality player, though - but that's two failing winters in a row now.
Bell I don't really rate. His talent's fine - he's a tidy, compact little player with sweet timing. But he's mentally frail. Can't cut it under pressure. Goes into his shell, gets himself into a negative mindset and spends his time in the middle desperately trying to survive rather than trying to bat. And then, when he's firmly stuck, he's easily panicked into stupid shots (mainly that poweder-puff pull shot that he always plops up in the air). Two fifties in his first Ashes series, in which he was useless. Four fifties this time around. So he's been twice as good - or half as bad.
Might make it as a Test player eventually. But he's no number three.
Collingwood has come a cropper on this tour. Since his double hundred, his lack of talent and off-side strokes has been ruthlessly exposed by Australia and he's looked awful. Seems crazy to think a guy who scored two hundred only a couple of weeks ago could have his place in the side questioned, but Rob Key only got three or four more games for England after his double-ton against the Windies before England realised that he maybe wasn't very good after all.
A great trier and a great fielder. Collingwood, that is. Warnie's right, BTW, his MBE is a joke. And the fact that he reckons he deserved it for all his hard work behind the scenes as a squad player is also laughable and suggests he's a bit of a knob too.
Flintoff can't bat. He can hit. Slog. Club. Whack. But he can't bat, and shouldn't be anywhere near a specialist batting position.
And if his ankle if giving him such gyp that he can't even bowl the same number of overs as the rest of the bowlers, he shouldn't be in the side full stop.
Forget about the captaincy.
Wicket-keepers are rubbish. That's been well covered. Move on.
No need to prolong Giles' career - probably should've done the decent thing and retired him after the Ashes win of 2005 when his stock was oddly high. But that would've been clear-thinking and ruthless - not exactly in keeping with England's selection policy. Now Giles will be remembered always as that useless lunk who ruined the 2006 Ashes.
Mahmood's got great attributes - pace, aggression, natural athleticism. Now he just needs to learn how to bowl. Send him back to Lancashire to get some proper experience.
Send Jimmy Anderson back too. Same reason. Less ugly, though.
Harmison has actually pulled his action together surprisingly well since the first Test. Shows how pathetically unprepared England were that his action, which had been obviously deteriorating for a long time, could've been 'fixed' with no more than a week's hard graft and some game-time.
Too late now, of course. His confidence won't come back as quickly as his action did. The horse has bolted. He remains an enigma - and surely there's only so much patience England can have with such an up-and-down performer.
I agree with his decision to give up ODIs and concentrate on Tests, but could ironically lose his Test place for next summer should his ODI replacement Chris Tremlett perform to any kind of level in the tri-series and the WC.
What for the future? I don't know. England will probably take such progressive steps as recalling Vaughan, Trescothick, Butcher - maybe - Jon Lewis, and then spend the rest of the time with their head in the sand going "la la la, there's nothing wrong with us, la la la, we would've won if it wasn't for injuries, la la la, Simon Jones would've taken fifty wickets at three, la la la, the umpires screwed us, la la la la la la laaaaaaaaaaa...."
Jay, you have given things a good go IMO, however I think you have overlooked some of the issues with Duncan Fletcher. Aswell as England's Test team struggling since they won the Ashes back in 2005 Duncan Fletcher also has a poor record as far as one day cricket is concerned. The way I see it is that if England bomb out of the World Cup then it's definitely time for England to hire a new coach who has his finger on the pulse in both forms of the game. |
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Heres my 2c
Fletcher - Has to go. Far too many mistakes on this tour and previously with the ODI sqaud. The sqaud looks fractured, theres no intensity and its become a bit like Dunc and Freddies pals vs the rest. New coach to freshen it all up a bit and get players playing for places again
Coaching. ECB needs to spend money on top class bowling and batting coaches. Shine and Maynard wouldnt cut it at Derbys FFS
Gravy - Get rid. Again has to accept responsibilty for woeful selection decisions although no doubt he'll blame it on evertone else
As for the team
Firstly we have to treat Fred as a bowling all rounder and place him at 7. If he isnt fir ti bolw his overs, he shouldnt be playing. This means more work for Monty and a fifth bowler but it gives the team far far better balance. Eng played a 5th bowler in every test and it ended up with KP bolwing more overs. Whats the point
Mickey needs to come back as skipper. Best skipper in world cricket with Fleming and he gives the side its intensity and drive
Cook should stay but at 3. Very similar to Tres' tour to Aus a few years back where he too got done outside off but they kept faith and he worked that out. Cook will too. Getting a 1000 runs in his first test year and then a hunded down there against that attack is all you need to know about the boy
Colly would have to drop out if Micky comes back and id look at giving someone else a go like Shah, Joyce or any young guy who pushes hard next summer (like Benham or Compton). That 6 sopt is being kept warm for Rashid anyway it looks like but only if the lad can bat
Either Foster, Prior or Batty should keep until Davies is ready. Id give Foster a go myself
And if Harmy/Hoggy/Fred/Jimmy break down then give Broad or Tremlett a shot. Both far better prospects than Mahmood, Plunkett, Bresnan etc. They need a lot more work in county games
so
Strauss
Vaughan
Cook
KP
Bell
Shah/Joyce
Flintoff
Foster
Harmison
Hoggard
Panesar
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I can't help but think that Alistair Cook needs to fix the problem with his batting regardless of what position he bats in.
Perhaps a season on dancing with the stars or whatever it's called might help to teach him how to move his feet. lol
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Getting Fred and Sijo fully fit is vital if they want to compete with India this summer.
Joyce deserves a go too.
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quote: Originally posted by Adelaide Al:
Getting Fred and Sijo fully fit is vital if they want to compete with India this summer.
Joyce deserves a go too.
Al, Simon Jones returning and fixing all of Englands problems is a wonderful story but I don't think anybody should bank on it. |
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