**Official** England in New Zealand

[Leslie1]

Prefer to liken Sinclair to Yuvraj Singh. All the pretty shots, no brain. Ponting is once in a generation player, you can't put that tag to Sinclair.

 

[Somerset]

Prefer to liken Sinclair to Yuvraj Singh. All the pretty shots, no brain. Ponting is once in a generation player, you can't put that tag to Sinclair.

Except Yuvraj Singh has scored 11 international hundreds and Sinclair has five...and has probably played about half as many tests as Sinclair. Bit harsh to label him as without a brain IMO.

Don't necessarily believe that Sinclair equals Ponting with regards to overall class though.

 

[Flem274*]

Sinclair could have been world class but he just hasn't clicked at test level.

 

[Richard]

TBH, there's a fair few people you could pin that label on.

 

[Richard]

Ponting is once in a generation player

Debatable TSTL, TBH.

 

[Jamee999]

Composite XI for the series?

How
Cook
Fleming
Pietersen
Taylor
Oram
Ambrose+
Vettori
Broad
Sidebottom
Southee/Mills

IMO

 

[Richard]

Might consider Patel over Sidebottom to strengthen the batting, but apart from that I reckon you're smack-on TBH.

 

[Jamee999]

Maybe Mills over Vettori...

 

[Prince EWS]

Might consider Patel over Sidebottom to strengthen the batting

Seriously? Patel is no great shakes as a batsman and Broad is at 9 in that lineup anyway. Not to mention the fact that Sidebottom was comfortably the best bowler on show in the series IMO, and Patel, despite bowling well, probably would have come out the other end of the series averaging in the high 30s.

Is there an in-joke I'm missing or something? I'm highly surprised you'd suggest something so obviously wrong with such little reason to do so.

 

[Richard]

Oh dear, seems I'm culpable for the whooooooooossssssssshhhhhhh.

That comment was based on "Ben" (comment #14) here, which I laughed profusely at due to the randomness at the time, and which I have mentioned on CW before, possibly 2 or 3 times.

There's no way on Earth I'd remotely consider not having Sidebottom in any composite XI for this series - he'd be the first name on the teamsheet, with daylight second.

I do think Patel is a slightly better batsman than him, but that's about the only serious aspect to my previous post.

 

[Richard]

Composite XI for the series?

How
Cook
Fleming
Pietersen
Taylor
Oram
Ambrose+
Vettori
Broad
Sidebottom
Southee/Mills

IMO

I also have an inkling that it'd be more likely to be Cook-How rather than How-Cook, but wouldn't want to be completely commital on that.

 

[The Masterplan]

Composite XI for the series?

How
Cook
Fleming
Pietersen
Taylor
Oram
Ambrose+
Vettori
Broad
Sidebottom
Southee/Mills

IMO

How
Cook
Fleming
Pietersen
Taylor
Oram
Ambrose+
Vettori
Broad
Sidebottom
Southee/Anderson

Not much of a difference but...

 

[Richard]

Mills' performance quite comfortably > Anderson's.

And ITBT, even in a mere 3-match series, I don't really think you can pick someone for an Eclectic XI who only played 1 Test.

 

[NZTailender]

Collingwood a bit stiff. Was actually consistent.

1. How
2. Cook
3. Fleming*
4. Pietersen
5. Taylor
6. Collingwood
7. Ambrose+
8. Oram
9. Mills
10. Sidebottom
11. Patel

 

[The Masterplan]

2 tests actually...

And if i'm right in saying Kyle Mills played two tests aswell.

 

[NZTailender]

He was referring to Southee, I imagine.

 

[Richard]

Yeah, Southee the one I'd struggle to include because he only played a single Test.

Hence, ie, I'd have Mills for said spot.

And good spot by Gegmeister in having Oram at eight with an extra batsman.

 

[Richard]

TBH, think I'd now go for:
Cook
How
Fleming
Pietersen
Taylor
Bell \ Collingwood
Ambrose
Oram
Broad \ Vettori
Mills
Sidebottom

 

[The Masterplan]

I would definately put Anderson in there...

He was by far the quickest bowler.

 

[Richard]

Yeah but he was also exactly the same Anderson we've always known - bowled superbly in his opening spell in the Second Test, and bowled pretty poorly thereafter, which was the vast majority of the time.

Bowling quickly is not of importance; bowling well is.