***Official*** India in England

[silentstriker]

He has had an excellent beginning, with goood knocks in OD and now this. I am hopeful.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Pretty good season at Worcestershire (26 @ 29.46 including an 8 for). Certainly didn't do anything wrong in his one test match 4 years ago. Wouldn't be a million miles away me thinks.

Didn't do anything right, either.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Didn't do anything right, either.

You sure bout that?. Last time I checked taking 5 wickets on debut meant you had done something right.

 

[Neil Pickup]

You sure bout that?. Last time I checked taking 5 wickets on debut meant you had done something right.

Did you watch that Test match? Ali was scattergun, possibly not Plunkettesque but not far away and got wickets as it was a helpful track - but his bowling let the lid off any pressure England built/were building as a four-ball was never far away. I will try to dig up some of the threads from then.

Link: a few interesting muses on the four/five bowlers theory and Craig insisting that Flintoff is substandard come free.

 

[Richard]

hope tendulkar carries this form into the internationals!

Frankly, I think most of us hope that. I certainly do.

 

[FBU]

How can Plunkett be told to go back and play county cricket and then be called up again. Even in county cricket he is still bowling wides and he will find it even more difficult with the slope at Lords. Broad or Tremlett I don't mind which but not Onions. Not Anderson either as he is an opening bowler and I can't see Moores opening with anyone else other than Hoggard and Sidebottom and he wouldn't be wanting 3 swing bowlers and Panesar.

 

[Richard]

Simple fact is Fred is our best seamer by some way, buggered ankle or not.

You really think so? I don't think someone who can bowl, say, 15 overs max per day, can be anyone's best seamer. A fully-fit Flintoff - if we ever see such a thing again - undoubtedly would be, but I'm with Rob (Prince) that I don't want a half-fit bowler in the side just to try and cover the sins of a multitude of others - if anything that could make things even worse, due to the temptation to overbowl him when he's obviously superior to the rest.

And I've never had too many torches held to his batting. Wouldn't even want to back him against Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth.

It's also a little early in the piece to say that Prior's not up to bating at six too IMHO. From the evidence we've seen so far it looks as if he may well be. Obviously he needs to be tested against a better bowling attack, but he couldn't really have done more (with the bat) so far.

Point is, though, that right now having him at six wouldn't be the most advisable course of action. If in future it looks doable, great, but not now - please!

 

[Pup Clarke]

I imagine the squad will be (Harmison absent)...

Michael Vaughan (c)
Andrew Strauss
Alastair Cook
Kevin Pietersen
Ian Bell
Paul Collingwood
Matthew Prior
Liam Plunkett
Matthew Hoggard
Ryan Sidebottom
Monty Panesar
Graham Onions

 

[Richard]

Did you watch that Test match? Ali was scattergun, possibly not Plunkettesque but not far away and got wickets as it was a helpful track - but his bowling let the lid off any pressure England built/were building as a four-ball was never far away. I will try to dig up some of the threads from then.

Link: a few interesting muses on the four/five bowlers theory and Craig insisting that Flintoff is substandard come free.

Well... that's 'cos he was.

 

[Richard]

Richard to mention the words "Ealham" & "Mark" in 5,4,3....

WTF?

 

[Richard]

There is Glen Chapple y'know...perfect.

How's Chapple going this season?

 

[Pup Clarke]

How's Chapple going this season?

*Wonders why Richard can't find out himself*

He's done ok with the ball (12 wickets @ 31.75) but only bowled 129 overs.

His batting's been quite disappointing this season (127 runs @ 18.14 with a highest score of 57)

 

[Salamuddin]

Any guesses on the likely India eleven for Lords ?

I'm thinking they'll go with:
Jaffer
Karthik
Dravid
Tendulkar
Laxman
Ganguly
Dhoni
Kumble
Zaheer
Sreesanth
Rp Singh


Have a feeling Dravid will give Jaffer another chance to come good and I don't Yuvraj did enough against the Lions to dislodge Ganguly.

 

[Richard]

*Wonders why Richard can't find out himself*

He's done ok with the ball (12 wickets @ 31.75) but only bowled 129 overs.

His batting's been quite disappointing this season (127 runs @ 18.14 with a highest score of 57)

No way I want him near the side with that record.

 

[adharcric]

Karthik and Gambhir to open at Lord's - very good from a fielding standpoint. RP Singh as the fourth bowler unless Powar takes at least three wickets and Lord's is a turner.

 

[Jono]

**** yes Sachin! Good man.

 

[Richard]

You could even have him as your avatar again now...

 

[GIMH]

LOL I associate Jono with tait now

 

[Pratters]

Yes, **** yes is the apt way to express it. On another note, this is the highest score by Tendulkar in a tour (side) match abroad.

 

[Richard]

Wow, that really surprises me.

In a slightly lesser way, I think this innings by Tendulkar is a bit like the innings from Vaughan at Headingley, if of lesser calibre due to the drop by Shah. Hopefully the two will go from strength to strength, starting in the upcoming series.