***Official England in India***

[Dissector]

There is no question of Dhoni declaring overnight and neither should he given the series score. Safety first and India should declare about half-way in the first session which would leave them with an outside chance of bowling England out like in the Calcutta test against Australia. Most likely it will be a comfortable draw. I don't think England will seriously try to score 350 in 70 overs. If they do I expect they will lose a few early wickets and come close to defeat.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Yea last time England were 1-0 against India and left with an unlikely chase they just settled for the series defeat, which was pathetic.

 

[Richard]

They weren't left with an unlikely chase, they were left with a chase that they had about as much chance of achieving as man does of landing on Mars tomorrow.

 

[GIMH]

Have you been reading my diary?!

 

[Richard]

What if England were set say 350 in 70 overs - 5 an over. Send in Freddy to open with Strauss and hit the new ball about a bit. [Leave Cook to prop up if we get in trouble] . This would show intent and put Dhoni on the back foot for the first time in the series. Pietersen bats number 3. We could find we are something like 200 - 3 after say 45 overs. That would leave us 150 in 25 overs which would be a piece if cake in a 20-20 game. Shouldn't we be starting to play Test cricket like this. Then maybe the crowds would flock back. What will probably happen is that we will be propping and pushing at the spinners all day long and end, at best, being about 170-5 by the end of the day that's if we don't get bowled out. I wonder of Dhoni has got the courage to declare with a 350 run lead or even first thing in the morning and back his bowlers.

OK, a few things...

1, Test cricket isn't Twenty20. There are a good few differences, most notable being the fact that there's things called field-restrictions in limited-overs games.

2, how is it in cloud ****oo land?

3, you don't (unless it's 1968 and your name is Garfield Sobers) risk the series result (be it draw or loss) in order to make a result in the game more likely, even if there is a tiny outside chance it might get crowd numbers up.

4, 350 in 70 overs is completely and 100% impossible and will NEVER be achieved in Test cricket without the fielding side's compliance.

 

[GIMH]

OK, a few things...

1, Test cricket isn't Twenty20. There are a good few differences, most notable being the fact that there's things called field-restrictions in limited-overs games.

2, how is it in cloud ****oo land?

3, you don't (unless it's 1968 and your name is Garfield Sobers) risk the series result (be it draw or loss) in order to make a result in the game more likely, even if there is a tiny outside chance it might get crowd numbers up.

4, 350 in 70 overs is completely and 100% impossible and will NEVER be achieved in Test cricket without the fielding side's compliance.

It's not impossible

 

[PhoenixFire]

It seems highly unlikely, but not as unlikely as Dicko is making it out to be.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

It's not impossible

In 1984 the West Indies made 344-1 in 66 overs to win which proves it's not impossible to score at that rate. In those days it was harder and much rarer to score that quickly in Test Cricket.

 

[Richard]

It's not impossible

It seems highly unlikely, but not as unlikely as Dicko is making it out to be.

Obviously impossible is an exaggeration but it's entirely unrealistic. If Greenidge's Lord's show in 1984 hadn't happened, it's virtually inconceivable it ever would have - it's very likely it never will again.

Scoring at 5-an-over for 70 overs is almost unheard of at any stage in a Test, never mind when you (and more significantly, your opponents) know you need to to win a game.

 

[dcourt]

Don't think we'll get rolled over. It's easy to underestimate us but a fit, on-form Flintoff (which is what we have at the minute, and Flintoff is a player who generally being in form in one form of the game translates to all forms) makes a huge difference. If Harmison bowls well (who know if he will, but good signs are there) then he can do really good things. The effect of Anderson and Sidebottom will be interesting, though I doubt they will both play (can't believe I'm saying that, Anderson CAN'T be drdopped after this summer, but Sidebottom carried our attack for a year) as will our choice of spinner. Monty is yet to do much on the subcontinent, if he goes well then we will go well.

As for our batting line-up. Colly to be a gun, Bell & Cook to average between 40 and 60 without passing 100 and KP maybe to have his first decent series on the subcontinent?

If Michael Vaughan is selected I think he might well do great things. Some people might not think his batting form was affected by captaincy, I certainly do. If he comes out here and scores a lot of runs, it might go some way towards aiding my argument.

Anyway, nothing groundbreaking here. The fact is, we need more than we've had from the following players (or them to be replaced):

Cook
Strauss
Bell
Panesar

We need Anderson/Sidebottom to get some conditions that will do something for them.

We need Flintoff to continue his recent revival (more than we need anything else IMO). We need Harmison & Colly to build on the signs they have shown of returning to former glories.

And of course, can KP continue to be the golden boy, that's the question/

Big ask from me now that i think about it. here's the XI I expect to be on the park for the first Test:

Strauss
Cook
Vaughan
Pietersen*
Collingwood
Flintoff
Patel
Prior+
Harmison
Anderson
Panesar

Will probably get it completely wrong, but just got a feeling about this.

Sidebottom, Bell, Broad may well all feature, Ambrose I expect to be in the squad as well. Would be surprised if we saw anyone else play in either of the Tests (well, except for the Indian players).

Long time to go yet, I think Simon Jones' latest setback rules him out though (think he is only out for a few weeks, but really, West Indies (the proper tour not the Stanford one)is the absolutely earliest I expect to see him now)

edit - forgot about Shah actually, wouldn't be surprised to see him picked either, especially if Vaughan doesn't get selected

Yeh right! Flinthoff and Strauss are about the only players that can be complimented on their performances. KP is a useless captain and he has proved it on this tour. I actually cannot watch anymore...and Monty, oh dear, he's worse than a woman...I have more fun with the cricket groupies at CricketDating.com...Really, check it out!

 

[Anil]

In 1984 the West Indies made 344-1 in 66 overs to win which proves it's not impossible to score at that rate. In those days it was harder and much rarer to score that quickly in Test Cricket.

i was about to point out that example..., greenidge hit a magnificent double ton on the 5th day at lords and was ably supported by larry gomes after haynes went cheaply...

 

[protea lover]

i was about to point out that example..., greenidge hit a magnificent double ton on the 5th day at lords and was ably supported by larry gomes after haynes went cheaply...

lords is the keyword in that sentence a hell of a lot different to a 5th day indian track.

 

[biased indian]

think we should try to give england 50 overs to bat ...and set them to chase 330+...then they wont be going for victory....and we can have all the fielders near bat and give it a try ...2-0 far far better than 1-0

 

[G.I.Joe]

"I asked a few people [what "pie chucker" meant] and they told me it was a useless kind of a bowler. Well, a useless bowler getting him out five times, that's useless batting, I'd say."
Yuvraj Singh isn't going to take Kevin Pietersen's comments lying down

I knew Yuvraj has had the better of Pietersen a few times, but didn't realise he'd got him as many as five times. No wonder Pietersen's pissed off

 

[Jamee999]

He might not be so much with the bowling, but he can bat a bit...

 

[biased indian]

think we should declare now.....

323 in less than 58 overs ...and light fading in the end ...think we have enough on the board

 

[Sanz]

Declare Damn it, are you going to give them 400 to chase in 50 overs ?

 

[Jamee999]

Yuvraj to go for six sixes next over?

 

[Sanz]

Now this is utterly stupid, what is the point in going on now ?

 

[biased indian]

only thing i can think of is they want yuvraj to score a hunderd ....but for what i dont know