*Official* England in West Indies

[four_or_six]

In my view if a batsman is dropped for the next Test it should be Bopara. Though I don't neccessarily expect it to happen.

Yeah... but then again I couldn't understand the logic of Bopara playing this one really.

 

[Richard]

Panesar should not be the second spinner IMO, similar to the situation with Bell when there was debate over who should replace Flintoff, to drop somebody and recall them after 1 test match when they have proven nothing as to why they warrant a recall is bizarre.

This is such a silly idea. You pick the best team, not a team based on "he's been dropped so now he must miss X number of games".

Rashid has done far less than MSP, right now, to warrant a Test berth.

 

[four_or_six]

Don't exaggerate so - we played 28 players in six Tests in 1988 and 29 in the same number in 1989.

Little wonder they were the worst two summers in the history of England Test cricket.

Lol, true... but you could say 16 in three = 32 in six.

 

[Richard]

Aaaaah, but it's 18 in 4 = ... umm, what in 6? CBA working it out.

 

[four_or_six]

aaaaah, but it's 18 in 4 = ... Umm, what in 6? Cba working it out.

27

 

[Richard]

Haha, Sidebottom getting a bit of his own treatment from Swann there, and rightly so.

 

[inbox24]

24 runs before declare

 

[four_or_six]

Haha, Sidebottom getting a bit of his own treatment from Swann there, and rightly so.

Yeah, agreed... think he's been a bit out of order in the past to his teammates.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Don't think Swanny too pleased with Sidebottom's efforts there,

"****ing hell, Sid" plain as day over the stump mic.

 

[Richard]

There's those ignore-lists working their wonders again.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yeah... but then again I couldn't understand the logic of Bopara playing this one really.

Think he was the "not Bell" option, tbh. Strauss said the issues that lead Bello to be dropped were still there, so when we chose to go with the extra bat it was a no-brainer, I guess.

 

[wpdavid]

Aaaaah, but it's 18 in 4 = ... umm, what in 6? CBA working it out.

It doesn't work like that.

You have to subtract 11 from the total number of players used in the series and divide what's left by the number of tests after the first one to calculate the incremental number of players per test.

Has to be more fun than watching the action though.

EDIT
So 18 in 4 = 23 in 6.
fwiw

 

[four_or_six]

Think he was the "not Bell" option, tbh. Strauss said the issues that lead Bello to be dropped were still there, so when we chose to go with the extra bat it was a no-brainer, I guess.

Except the reasons why Bell was chosen ahead of Bopara in the first place were still there too presumably.

 

[Richard]

at Anderson using a totally different action there.

 

[wpdavid]

Think he was the "not Bell" option, tbh. Strauss said the issues that lead Bello to be dropped were still there, so when we chose to go with the extra bat it was a no-brainer, I guess.

Quite so - Bopara was hardly the worst selection of the winter.

 

[Richard]

FFS, Russell Tiffin is useless.

 

[Manee]

at Anderson using a totally different action there.

I'm not watching it, was it the low load up?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Except the reasons why Bell was chosen ahead of Bopara in the first place were still there too presumably.

Probably, but after the first test not necessarily. Bell's twatty dismissal quota finally exhausted perhaps.

Swann been stitched out of a Michelle there, for mine.

 

[Richard]

I'm not watching it, was it the low load up?

Best I can compare it to is Luke Wright's action (or a mirror-image of Charl Willoughby's), but even there it's not an out-and-out replica.

 

[Richard]

Swann been stitched out of a Michelle there, for mine.

There's those ignore-lists working wonders for the second time in a few minutes.