*Official* England in West Indies

[luckyeddie]

Whenever part of my brain starts to feel surprised at an England selection or even a suggestion of a selection, another part of my mind says, "Amjad."

Don't knock it, Neil.

Amjad's done the impossible - made Harmison look straight (I don't necessarily mean that in a homophobic manner)

 

[Furball]

Didn't see the decision, but if it was a blatant let off, it goes further to support my argument. There's no records of bad decisions going in the favour of Bradman in his 254 (not saying there were any, but it was the first innings that came to mind).

Because back in those days it would be significantly harder to tell for sure if an umpire had made a howler, or even a questionable decision that the batsman got the benefit from.

 

[Zinzan]

Harmison is a far better fielder and batsman. Even when conditions favour Monty he doesn't win matches for you.

Broad went for 36 in an over.

Harmison is predictable because he's a rhythm bowler and his threats are simple - pace and bounce. People whinge every time he plays on a pitch like that shower of piss the other day that negates his bowling because they're too busy buying into the media hate of him. If he wore a turban or had comically bad fielding he'd be fine.

Sorry, but since when has Harmison ever been anything but a comical fielder himself?

That dropped catch the other day that went straight through his hands to the boundary sums his fielding up perfectly for me.

I don't rate Monty either to be totally honest, but Steve Harmison is a total joke unless he has EVERYTHING set in his favour. And don't just say he only need a bit of Pace & bounce either, he had that in last Ashes series in Australia & was absolute & utter mud.

I love how you conveniently fail to mention any of Harmison's flaws but criticize Monty even on the few occasions he does well.

 

[Zinzan]

Struasss has been lucky all season.

Oh Julia.........Juliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Didn't see the decision, but if it was a blatant let off, it goes further to support my argument. There's no records of bad decisions going in the favour of Bradman in his 254 (not saying there were any, but it was the first innings that came to mind).

Was missing leg, tbh.

But hitting middle three-quarters of the way up.

Suspect the ump thought it'd hit him outside the line, but it hadn't and was pretty plumb.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Oh Julia.........Juliaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

Been listening to Silver Sun?

 

[oitoitoi]

Strauss's hundred was one of the worst things that could have happened, it's going to convince the selectors that he can play one day cricket, which he can't, he basically has 2 scoring shots, 3 given the right pitch, you cut off that little tuck off the hips and he's buggered. Even at the end he didn't look capable of freeing his arms at all. Can't wait for another entertaining England campaign in the world T20. As soon as they get a flat batting track (like you do most places these days) and Gayle's motoring at SR 120 and Strauss is struggling to go at SR 70 they'll realise that he's balls.

 

[four_or_six]

Strauss's hundred was one of the worst things that could have happened, it's going to convince the selectors that he can play one day cricket, which he can't, he basically has 2 scoring shots, 3 given the right pitch, you cut off that little tuck off the hips and he's buggered. Even at the end he didn't look capable of freeing his arms at all. Can't wait for another entertaining England campaign in the world T20. As soon as they get a flat batting track (like you do most places these days) and Gayle's motoring at SR 120 and Strauss is struggling to go at SR 70 they'll realise that he's balls.

Considering Strauss went at SR80 on this pitch, which was the same as both Chanderpaul and Sarwan, I think it was a good effort. The difference was that no-one else for England scored over 29. I'd rather have Strauss in ODI's at the moment than anyone else we've tried up there, because they've all been pants. He's not the perfect solution, but he's the best we've got.

 

[shivfan]

It will be interesting to see if Gayle and Shiv are fit enough to play in Friday's ODI....

 

[oitoitoi]

I was shocked to see Chanders fielding after the way he struggled at the end of his innings, he could barely stand up! There's a 4 day gap between matches which is pretty generous these days.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Sorry, but since when has Harmison ever been anything but a comical fielder himself?

That dropped catch the other day that went straight through his hands to the boundary sums his fielding up perfectly for me.

I don't rate Monty either to be totally honest, but Steve Harmison is a total joke unless he has EVERYTHING set in his favour. And don't just say he only need a bit of Pace & bounce either, he had that in last Ashes series in Australia & was absolute & utter mud.

I love how you conveniently fail to mention any of Harmison's flaws but criticize Monty even on the few occasions he does well.

So are you going to right off every player as a fielder based on one miss?

Perhaps you'd like to call Harmison a brilliant fielder based on his catch off a no-ball in the last match.

The reality is he's a reasonable enough fielder, better than a lot of seam bowlers out there and worse than others.

Harmison if he's in rhythm will do a competent enough job on any pitch, as he's done in the WI. If the pitches are helpful he'll do well. Obviously he doesn't have good variations so in limited overs cricket you have to be smart with how you use him.

The problem, as usual, is people do not have a clue when it comes to perceiving his performances. He's been okay in WI, nothing special but then nobody would be in the circumstances. Instead we have haters bitching about how rubbish he's been because of the inbuilt bias kicking in. The media hate pretty much everyone from up north so they negatively report everything, then people like you jump on the bandwagon. Everything he does is downgraded, every time his pace drops a little or he bowls a wide delivery or bad over it's jumped on.

 

[Jono]

Who, out of the people that have been given as many chances as him, is Harmison actually better than? I'm talking in test cricket from all countries.

Don't go saying Hilfenhaus or Albie Morkel, I'm talking established test bowlers.

And no one on CW gives a **** whether he's from the North, stop with this crap, and judge the player based on his performances. Not for your bias because of where he comes from.

 

[steds]

And no one on CW gives a **** whether he's from the North

I do. Pretty much the only thing he's got going for him atm

 

[luckyeddie]

Considering Strauss went at SR80 on this pitch, which was the same as both Chanderpaul and Sarwan, I think it was a good effort. The difference was that no-one else for England scored over 29. I'd rather have Strauss in ODI's at the moment than anyone else we've tried up there, because they've all been pants. He's not the perfect solution, but he's the best we've got.

Don't get in the way of the angry mob when there's a burnin' to take care of. He's a witch (because he weighs the same as a duck and he turned me into a newt).

I think that you need someone like Strauss in a one day side - or at least in England's one-day side given the dross that's available, and the sheer stupidity of the selectors (in the absence of a Trescothick), to chug along at 75 runs per 100 balls - provided he stays in and the bangers play round him.

 

[luckyeddie]

I do. Pretty much the only thing he's got going for him atm

Darned right.

Shandy has no place in the dressing room

 

[Scaly piscine]

Who, out of the people that have been given as many chances as him, is Harmison actually better than? I'm talking in test cricket from all countries.

Don't go saying Hilfenhaus or Albie Morkel, I'm talking established test bowlers.

And no one on CW gives a **** whether he's from the North, stop with this crap, and judge the player based on his performances. Not for your bias because of where he comes from.

I'll state it again as you can't be bothered to read properly.

The national media hates northerners. Fact. This then influences the gullible masses. It even influences the weak characters involved in selections. Harmison and Collingwood have been on the end of it badly over the past decade. There have been plenty of players in the past such as Trueman and Boycott who've suffered because of a bias towards southerners, whether it be because of the media, old boy network or whatever. In football Stewart Downing gets ripped to pieces whatever he does, Brian Clough as a manager was never allowed to manage England. If you're a southerner you get noticed more whether you're a player, coach or whatever. Southern players are always there or thereabouts the national side if they do the slightest thing.

 

[Evermind]

I'll state it again as you can't be bothered to read properly.

The national media hates northerners. Fact. This then influences the gullible masses. It even influences the weak characters involved in selections. Harmison and Collingwood have been on the end of it badly over the past decade. There have been plenty of players in the past such as Trueman and Boycott who've suffered because of a bias towards southerners, whether it be because of the media, old boy network or whatever. In football Stewart Downing gets ripped to pieces whatever he does, Brian Clough as a manager was never allowed to manage England. If you're a southerner you get noticed more whether you're a player, coach or whatever. Southern players are always there or thereabouts the national side if they do the slightest thing.

Sounds like paranoia over anything else.

Though I must agree that Harmison is made the scapegoat more than anyone else. So what if the first ball went to second slip? Cricket audience should stop being so supertitious. There were worse bowlers on display during those Ashes. He's a lot better than Plunkett and Mahmood, for instance.

Shah, as I had predicted was no better than Bell. The latter I believe has more potential. Bopara is NOT test quality. Swann's about as good as Monty - miles ahead of the Aussie spinners, but not in the same league as Harbhajan, who himself would be third-tier for a 70s India.

Whatever is said about Prior, he's a better overall package than Read and especially Geraint Jones. Read couldn't bat and the latter could neither bat nor keep.

Tremlett does not look test quality either - he might have an ok record so far, but he will get murdered during the Ashes. Broad, Anderson and Flintoff are looking ok, but I expect Australia to win 3-0 or 4-0.

 

[luckyeddie]

I'll state it again as you can't be bothered to read properly.

The national media hates northerners. Fact. This then influences the gullible masses. It even influences the weak characters involved in selections. Harmison and Collingwood have been on the end of it badly over the past decade. There have been plenty of players in the past such as Trueman and Boycott who've suffered because of a bias towards southerners, whether it be because of the media, old boy network or whatever. In football Stewart Downing gets ripped to pieces whatever he does, Brian Clough as a manager was never allowed to manage England. If you're a southerner you get noticed more whether you're a player, coach or whatever. Southern players are always there or thereabouts the national side if they do the slightest thing.

Much of what Scaly says has more than an element of truth in it. The season before last, there were plenty of nutters clamouring for the return of Rampers to the test fold. Bonkers, the lot of them.

Regarding Cloughie, though, that wasn't necessarily a Southern bias - after all, the FA appointed Don Revie. Perhaps they thought that someone who played bingo was harmless. They were absolutely terrified of Clough, and vested interests came to the fore. Sam Longson forced his resignation from Derby because he was afraid that his very presence at the club reflected badly on Longson, who had his eye on Alan Hardaker's (or was it Ted Croker's?) job at the FA. The FA themselves knew that the great man would create such a shake-up that their feet would not have touched the ground.

God, I miss the guy.

 

[Prince EWS]

I'll state it again as you can't be bothered to read properly.

The national media hates northerners. Fact. This then influences the gullible masses. It even influences the weak characters involved in selections. Harmison and Collingwood have been on the end of it badly over the past decade. There have been plenty of players in the past such as Trueman and Boycott who've suffered because of a bias towards southerners, whether it be because of the media, old boy network or whatever. In football Stewart Downing gets ripped to pieces whatever he does, Brian Clough as a manager was never allowed to manage England. If you're a southerner you get noticed more whether you're a player, coach or whatever. Southern players are always there or thereabouts the national side if they do the slightest thing.

Didn't you even consider that maybe - just maybe - the reason you think the whole world has an anti-Northern-England bias is because you actually have a pro-Northern-England bias, and not because of some absolutely massive chain reaction?

 

[Goughy]

Didn't you even consider that maybe - just maybe - the reason you think the whole world has an anti-Northern-England bias is because you actually have a pro-Northern-England bias, and not because of some absolutely massive chain reaction?

There is a pro-Southern bias in the media. I wouldnt go as far to say an anti-Northern bias but possibly there is.

I wouldnt present it as a stone cold fact as Scaly has, but there is a an Everest of evidence to suggest it.

England is strange. It is a tiny country but it is a London-centric country. London is the seat of everything important. The further away from London, the less certain important people consider it to be.

To some, a three hour drive takes them into an untamed wilderness. The further from the seat of power (and supposed culture) the less respect that is given.

Northern people are often horribly charicatured.