***Official** West Indies in England***

[Richard]

What is the point of picking a Performance Squad of 25 and not picking from that list.
I would go with Strauss, Cook, Vaughan (we don't have any choice), Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Prior, Harmison, Sidebottom, Panesar, Anderson.

for the Old Trafford Test when Hoggard is fit again - Hoggard, Harmison, Plunkett and Panesar.

We have the players that did really well in county cricket this season doing badly in the Test
Harmison, Plunkett, Shah, Strauss

and the ones that did badly in county cricket doing well in the Test - Prior, Bell, Panesar and Collingwood. Really Cook was the only one that did well in the county games and Test.

TBH, in the case of the batsmen (Shah and Strauss) it's just 2 innings, and with Shah especially there was some mitigation. I also think it's stretching it a bit to say Panesar did especially badly for Northants - he's played 2 games this season. Bell, too, batted once before this Test - that's hardly that important. Collingwood, too, got a half-century and a duck - not the worst performance in The World. He hardly batted well in the Test, either!

How on Earth Plunkett ever gets good figures in the domestic game (and he does... occasionally) is beyond me, though, but Harmison getting good figures there isn't without precedent. I haven't seen anything this season, but he could just be receiving worse batting at the domestic level than international.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

What is the point of picking a Performance Squad of 25 and not picking from that list.
I would go with Strauss, Cook, Vaughan (we don't have any choice), Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Prior, Harmison, Sidebottom, Panesar, Anderson.

for the Old Trafford Test when Hoggard is fit again - Hoggard, Harmison, Plunkett and Panesar.

We have the players that did really well in county cricket this season doing badly in the Test
Harmison, Plunkett, Shah, Strauss

and the ones that did badly in county cricket doing well in the Test - Prior, Bell, Panesar and Collingwood. Really Cook was the only one that did well in the county games and Test.

Strauss is definitely the weak link. I dont remember when he last scored a test fifty.
Otherwise, i dont feel England has anything to worry about the batting...

 

[Richard]

Strauss is definitely the weak link. I dont remember when he last scored a test fifty.

It's been two games...

 

[marc71178]

And he's not ceased to be capable of taking top-order wickets either.

4 wickets in 4 games (8 innings) - such a great record...

 

[Richard]

There is more to it than 1 season, however. He took top-order wickets last season, and the one before, and...

Cork this season has simply been taking no wickets at all.

 

[marc71178]

13 in 7 in 2006 (but only 6 in his last 5 games - following a a long spell of not playing...)

10 in 9 games in 2005

Hardly a force in terms of knocking over the opposition top order.

 

[Richard]

Which numbers exactly are these? Top three? Or top seven (which is what I'd call notable scalps under normal circumstances)?

 

[roseboy64]

Heh. Can only say the stuff I was watching was different to what you must have been. Rare was the Sidebottom delivery that reached 78, never mind 80, mph.

Lewis' normal speed is the 77-78-79-80 sort of range. "Usual" bowler speed - ie, fast-medium.

Isn't that more medium fast?

 

[Richard]

Possibly, actually, TBH. Fast-medium's probably more 80-85 sort of range.

 

[FBU]

There is more to it than 1 season, however. He took top-order wickets last season, and the one before, and...

Cork this season has simply been taking no wickets at all.

Yet Newby with 14 wickets gets dropped.

 

[Richard]

It's more crazy that he's taken those wickets ITFP, TBH.

(Though Dav assures us he's been bowling well)

 

[FBU]

ENGLAND have asked Allan Donald to crank up their misfiring strike bowler Steve Harmison. The ECB hope to have the legendary South African quickie in place for next month’s Third Test with the West Indies at Old Trafford. Donald, 40, has not yet been offered the job as England bowling coach on a full-time basis.

But head coach Peter Moores wants him to take a consultancy role for the Third and Fourth Tests with a view to a permanent deal.ECB chiefs were last night trying to thrash out an agreement with Donald and may announce the move as early as today.

He will have his work cut out with England's bowlers. First in line - Harmison.

Cottom
Dilley
Cooley
Shine
Donald

 

[Richard]

Bob Cottam was an excellent coach, and he's largely forgotten with the swamp of praise that came Cooley's way due to him being involved in a side that actually won a couple of series.

But Cottam was every bit as good when it came to bowling mechanics and regaining lost bits of the repetoire.

I'd be surprised if Donald took on the role after turning it down just a year or so ago, TBH. And while I don't think he'll be able to do a thing about Harmison, there are plenty of worse people you could have in the role.

 

[Prince EWS]

It's been two games...

Owned.

 

[FBU]

Bob Cottam was an excellent coach, and he's largely forgotten with the swamp of praise that came Cooley's way due to him being involved in a side that actually won a couple of series.

But Cottam was every bit as good when it came to bowling mechanics and regaining lost bits of the repetoire.

I'd be surprised if Donald took on the role after turning it down just a year or so ago, TBH. And while I don't think he'll be able to do a thing about Harmison, there are plenty of worse people you could have in the role.

I have to agree with you about Cottam. A good old fashioned bowling coach who worked with Anderson for a bit when he was 16. I think he is a better coach than Cooley. A pity that Hussain thought he was too old and brought in Dilley.

Donald wanted the South African bowling coach role and wasn't seriously interested in the England job but ended up in the High Performance Centre in South Africa. I don't know how good he would be as a bowling coach but I know we have a fantastic batting coach in Flower.

 

[Richard]

I have to agree with you about Cottam. A good old fashioned bowling coach who worked with Anderson for a bit when he was 16. I think he is a better coach than Cooley. A pity that Hussain thought he was too old and brought in Dilley.

The irony being that Dilley turned-out, by Hussain's own admission, to be far too old-school: "By then I was also beginning to get fed-up with our bowling coach Graham Dilley, who was a lovely bloke but just not firm enough - he was more interested in having a pint and a fag with the bowlers than in coaching." (Not an exact quote but it's something along those lines)

I'm not sure what Bob Cottam is up to these days, and how his health is (he's in his mid-60s IIRR) but I for one would not be sorry to see him given another chance to work with the team.

 

[grecian]

It's more crazy that he's taken those wickets ITFP, TBH.

(Though Dav assures us he's been bowling well)

What exactly have you got against Newby, Richard?

Have you seen him bowl? I haven't so I'm reserving judgement.

 

[Matt79]

so, will Flintoff replace Hoggard (or one of the Durham boys if Hoggy is fit), or will we be seeing five bowlers again? If so, which batsman is for the chop?

 

[Richard]

What exactly have you got against Newby, Richard?

Have you seen him bowl? I haven't so I'm reserving judgement.

Yes, I have, and even if I hadn't, I've seen hundreds of bowlers whose records mirror his down the years.

 

[Richard]

so, will Flintoff replace Hoggard (or one of the Durham boys if Hoggy is fit), or will we be seeing five bowlers again? If so, which batsman is for the chop?

I think that is a question to which the only answer is "your guess is as good as mine", TBH!