England squad for South Africa tour

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Re: England squad for South Africa tour

LIONS then DAYLIGHT;369620 said:
No-one is yet to answer my question about Cook?

Are there any rumblings over there in England behind the scenes?
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Doubt it, not really any opening batsmen around, just look at how much trouble they have in the ODIs, its so bad they are going back to Cook there. Its not like Australia where they have opening batsmen in Shield cricket 10 times better than the Test ones but due to politics in the Aussie team, in state cricket they will stay

Is the Vice captain and will get plenty more chances and is probably the only choice to lead the side in Bangladesh given the players unlikely to play
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

eddiesmith;369623 said:
Doubt it, not really any opening batsmen around, just look at how much trouble they have in the ODIs, its so bad they are going back to Cook there. Its not like Australia where they have opening batsmen in Shield cricket 10 times better than the Test ones but due to politics in the Aussie team, in state cricket they will stay

Is the Vice captain and will get plenty more chances and is probably the only choice to lead the side in Bangladesh given the players unlikely to play
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No doubt we have better openers.
When katich go's back to NSW he's not even going to open, hughes and jacques are so that shows you how confident they are that he will perform at the top in the upcoming summer.

Whereas england have no faith, They wouldn't try and give their young players experience they panic ala jonothan trott or bopora.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

Just going back to discussion of the test squad selected by England, i would say Luke Wright has been selected because they are looking for a 'Flintoff type' replacement.
Yes, i know that he isnt, but they may be looking to work with him to become a similar type player.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

Thenextbigbird123;369752 said:
Just going back to discussion of the test squad selected by England, i would say Luke Wright has been selected because they are looking for a 'Flintoff type' replacement.
Yes, i know that he isnt, but they may be looking to work with him to become a similar type player.
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I would argue his replacement may be broad.
Broad is a better bowler than wright, he just needs to work on his batting a llittle bit, but remember freddie wasn't to flash with the bat either.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

eddiesmith;369623 said:
Doubt it, not really any opening batsmen around, just look at how much trouble they have in the ODIs, its so bad they are going back to Cook there. Its not like Australia where they have opening batsmen in Shield cricket 10 times better than the Test ones but due to politics in the Aussie team, in state cricket they will stay

Is the Vice captain and will get plenty more chances and is probably the only choice to lead the side in Bangladesh given the players unlikely to play
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What's this? Are some England players boycotting?
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

Not boycotting, being rested. Flower wants to pursue a rotation policy and the Bangladesh series is seen as one where this can be put into practice.

Expect Strauss, Broad, Collingwood and one or two others to take a break. However, if they are rested then they are expected to do just that, no IPL etc.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

Darren Pattinson is in fine form, picked up 7 wickets in his last 2 innings and made 36* with the bat, should be going to South Africa ahead of Mahmood or Plunkett
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

mas cambios;369593 said:
Move on from the Ashes, it is done and dusted. I think even the most one eyed England fan will concede that overall Australia played the better cricket but England edged the crucial sessions - that is the nature of sport sometimes.

It's also fair to say that few are under any impressions that the England side will go on to dominate or that the Ashes win will be a catalyst for this scenario. There are too many weaknesses and a serious lack of depth.

As a team England are fine, the bowling is fine and the batting is fine but neither is great. We have some good players but they tend to fire inconsistently and rarely all at the same time. At the moment we lack a true out and out fast man and there are few if any coming through.

Batting wise then you always feel on the verge of a collapse, the likes of Collingwood generally bat one place too high and no one seems able to set a tempo, be it for one day or test cricket.

Flower has had less than a year in charge and it's generally felt that a coach in cricket needs two years in order to stamp his mark on the side. There are positive green shoots but it will take time. The end of the Fletcher era and the Moores debacle set us back a bit.

Now, reading the above and it may seem that I'm pessimistic but as I said there are some green shoots. I don't think that this tour of South Africa will see England blown away although on paper South Africa are the better side but they have their own problems. England will need to fight hard and seize any opportunity that comes their way, something which Flower and Strauss will see to.
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I can agree with all of the above and think that the series might be closer than what people are expecting. England for some unknown reason always play better here than expected.

The moores debacle did not do anything good for English cricket. Reading my favorite Englishman (KP) comments - Strauss and Flower are a close relationship something which he claims he never had. I see alot of similiarities between the Strauss and Strauss partnership in lieu of Fletcher and Vaughan. Before you blow me away - I am not saying they are the same but there are familiar traits.Gentleman - take note I sense that Trott might have a big series - the media here are already on the bandwagon that he was not good enough and there for he left. (just please pitch up Trotty otherwise I might get blasted alas my Arise Sir Ravi disaster..

I am very much looking forward to this - it is gonna be a ripper of a Series.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

mas cambios;369872 said:
Not boycotting, being rested. Flower wants to pursue a rotation policy and the Bangladesh series is seen as one where this can be put into practice.

Expect Strauss, Broad, Collingwood and one or two others to take a break. However, if they are rested then they are expected to do just that, no IPL etc.
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This should be good, England will probably get rolled by Bangladesh.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

Looking at that ODI squad again it appears to me that England are playing certain players to get "match fitness" before the tests start.

ala, Cook. Who could not possibly push for a spot in England's second ODI eleven, how he got picked is beyond me.

It's that attitude that allows people to say that England don't care for ODI cricket. It just seems this is a warm up before the real stuff starts.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

LIONS then DAYLIGHT;370217 said:
Looking at that ODI squad again it appears to me that England are playing certain players to get "match fitness" before the tests start.

ala, Cook. Who could not possibly push for a spot in England's second ODI eleven, how he got picked is beyond me.

It's that attitude that allows people to say that England don't care for ODI cricket. It just seems this is a warm up before the real stuff starts.
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Actually Cook had a superb domestic season in the one day formats and with Denly doing poorly then there would be alot worse choices than Cook

Its called picking players on form, something not familar in Australian selection decisions ;)
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

Come off it Edward, then why wasn't Shah picked on form?

He was a significant reason England got to the semi's?

You can't tell me that one of the reasons Cook was picked in the ODI's, which preceed the tests, was to have a chance to find some form and match fitness before the test matchs commenced.

Shah wasn't playing the tests, so he was kicked to the curb, when his form would suggest he should be one of the first picked.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

Cook isn't a bad as one player as people think, it's largely down to a perception created and fed by the media. I'm not saying that he's going to become someone averaging 50 with a strike rate of 120 but I see no reason for him to be left out.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

At the expense of Shah?

Look, I can understand why England fans don't like Shah, he is an ordinary fielder and a very nervous starter.

But his performance in South Africa could have been a break through for him as an ODI cricketer. IT just seems that his cards were marked well before the CT, nothing was going to change that.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

It's a tough one to call. Shah has been no better/worse than a lot of the players around him. He shone on occasion but then again so have others. A player with great talent but one who never really kicked on or made the most of what he had. Sure, he was overlooked when younger but that was mainly down to poor form during the ages 22-25.

It probably is harsh that he's been dropped but if the selectors don't think you're going to do a job, then they won't pick you. Whether it's the right slection is another thing and one that time will tell.
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

LIONS then DAYLIGHT;370378 said:
Come off it Edward, then why wasn't Shah picked on form?

He was a significant reason England got to the semi's?

You can't tell me that one of the reasons Cook was picked in the ODI's, which preceed the tests, was to have a chance to find some form and match fitness before the test matchs commenced.

Shah wasn't playing the tests, so he was kicked to the curb, when his form would suggest he should be one of the first picked.
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On form? 1 decent innings in his last 12? He hasnt shown enough and besides he isnt making way for Cook, he is making way for Pietersen and Trott. 1 score above 50 in 12 innings is hardly pick me form. His last 2 innings were 3 and 0. The odd 20, 30 and 40 is not enough

I like Shah, but he has had his chance, like Bopara, time to move on
 
Re: England squad for South Africa tour

eddiesmith;370396 said:
I like Shah, but he has had his chance, like Bopara, time to move on
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(Referring to the one day squad)
I would say that Bopara will get another chance in the future. He has been a tad overrated, even before the ashes, but there is talent there, England just have to be careful how they manage it.

As Ed said, Shah has had 1 good innings. He is to inconsistent, but i think the return of Pieterson will really help the confidence of the players around him. No place for Shah in the line-up in my books.

I would be more worried about Englands bowling. Apart from Jimmy Anderson, the rest look pretty average. Broad can either go for plenty or take a bag, so not sure about him. Mahmood, like sidebottom, is a nothing bowler in the one day format, and ive got no idea why hes been selected. Onions went for plenty in the champions trophy. Swann looks no real threat, and same goes for Tim Bresnan.

However, I am hoping Adil Rashid gets given some gametime. He looks like one for the future.
 
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