**Official** Tour Matches

[Uppercut]

Jeez there's been some nonensense posted in here recently

Lee has bowled quickly and accurately on a flat deck

He should've had 1-0 and 2 for not many

This! What match has everyone been watching? Lee's been ****ing awesome. Only Lee could pick up 2/30 off 10 (plus what should have been the wicket of the centurion first ball) when his team-mates got nothing on a pitch tailor-made to make a bowler like Lee look ****e and still be so heavily criticised on CW.

I think some people just see what they expected to see in warm-up games.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Always easy to come up with a prediction with the benefit of hindsight, though. Someone mentioned 20/20 vision before...

It's also pretty easy to lambast someone then say "hey, at least I had a go blah blah".

Doesn't make you any less wrong.

 

[Nate]

This! What match has everyone been watching? Lee's been ****ing awesome. Only Lee could pick up 2/30 off 10 (plus what should have been the wicket of the centurion first ball) when his team-mates got nothing on a pitch tailor-made to make a bowler like Lee look ****e and still be so heavily criticised on CW.

I think some people just see what they expected to see in warm-up games.

Uppercut and I in agreement shock.

Dale, you were talking before on Ponting's decision to bat first - Punter said at the toss he thought it was going to swing around early on and wanted to give the batsmen some practice. Just ftr.

 

[tooextracool]

Johnson
Lee
Clark
Siddle

Done and dusted.

Cant believe it took you guys this long to settle that.

Yeah real tough choices there between Lee, McDonald, Hauritz and Hilfenhaus.

I still think Lee is going to end up with a 30+ average for the series, but seriously even then hes far better than the rest in that group. The thing that you have to love about Lee is that on a flat pitch you can always throw him the ball and just tell him to put everything into it and he'll run in with dynamite. He might not take wickets consistently, but hes a great partnership breaker.

 

[Andre]

It's also pretty easy to lambast someone then say "hey, at least I had a go blah blah".

Doesn't make you any less wrong.

Like I said before, I'm happy to be wrong, and I hope I have been proven comprehensively so by the end of the summer. But just because he's bowled a cracking spell here doesn't mean he'll dominate the Test series.

 

[Uppercut]

Uppercut and I in agreement shock.

I do sometimes rate Australian players highly you know

Cant believe it took you guys this long to settle that.

Yeah real tough choices there between Lee, McDonald, Hauritz and Hilfenhaus.

Looks daft that there was ever a question when you put it like that. If he's fit, and he obviously is, he should play.

 

[Nate]

Cant believe it took you guys this long to settle that.

Tbf, Pasag and I have been saying it since March.

 

[TT Boy]

Another successful poach off the yarps then. Fair play to Mooreo.

& that's tea. 185/2.

Super spell from Lee just before the break. Might be a crim, but he seems a good sort so fair play to the old boy.

Complete change of subject, but why are we playing Solanki? Just a hometown cop, surely? 33yo who averages less than 40 in FC and less than 30 in ODIs. Good fielder, but curious, curious call.

Credit to Moore but even his selection is rather curious. Poor start to the season (averages just over 20 in four day cricket), just a shy over 40 in his career and doesn't come across as an international batsman. Solanki at least has been in decent form this year.

But just looking at the first class leading run scorers and it is a bit hard to find England A, sorry Lions material there. Most are either ineligible unable to poach (currently*) Seth Africans (van Jaarsveld, Rudolph, Human, Prince), the overseas (Hughes), the failure(s) (Ramps) and the useless (Blackwell, McGrath).

 

[Hoggy31]

4 quicks (2 coming off long term injuries) in a 5 test series? can't see it working. McDonald or Hauritz has to play, not keen on North and Clarke bowling too many overs.

 

[Nate]

4 quicks (2 coming off long term injuries) in a 5 test series?

We can rest them after we've won the first three. (face)

 

[tooextracool]

Credit to Moore but even his selection is rather curious. Poor start to the season (averages just over 20 in four day cricket), just a shy over 40 in his career and doesn't come across as an international batsman. Solanki at least has been in decent form this year.

But just looking at the first class leading run scorers and it is a bit hard to find England A, sorry Lions material there. Most are either ineligible unable to poach (currently*) Seth Africans (van Jaarsveld, Rudolph, Human, Prince), the overseas (Hughes), the failure(s) (Ramps) and the useless (Blackwell, McGrath).

Trott? Shah? Patel?

 

[superkingdave]

Moeen Ali's had a decent season as well, but Patel should definitely have been in the side

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Haha, I had a feeling watching the game that people on CW would be bashing Lee. He's been a lot better than Johnson has today. Any doubts about his place should be well and truly gone by now.

 

[tooextracool]

For me, as an England fan, the benchmark is, would I be happy with him bowling in the Ashes the way he's bowled over the last months? The answer is "hell yes".

Anderson hasnt certainly been very accurate, however, if hes swinging the ball both ways he doesn't have to be. Like Zaheer Khan, if he gets enough balls in the right zones he will take wickets. Anderson is a good bowler, but hes no Simon Jones.

 

[tooextracool]

Stephen Moore actually looks like a decent player from what I've seen so far. Has a compact and simple technique.

 

[TT Boy]

Trott? Shah? Patel?

Trott's being doing the business in limited overs cricket. I didn't notice either Shah (only played a few games though) or Samit in the leading run getters.

Most runs

But my middle order would have been Shah, Trott, Morgan, Samit, Davies.

 

[King Pietersen]

Anderson hasnt certainly been very accurate, however, if hes swinging the ball both ways he doesn't have to be. Like Zaheer Khan, if he gets enough balls in the right zones he will take wickets. Anderson is a good bowler, but hes no Simon Jones.

Think you're confusing the Jimmy Anderson of 18-24 months ago to the Jimmy Anderson of today. He is now accurate, has superb control of the swinging ball and swings it both ways at pace both conventional and reverse. I'd say he's as good as Jones who was pretty over-rated after 1 exceptional series. Anderson's been consistently doing it for the last 12 months.

I think the England selectors have moved on from Shah tbh, hence him failing to be included in this game and in the Ashes Squad.

I'd have gone for Moore, Denly, Bell, Trott, Morgan, Patel and Foster

 

[Uppercut]

Lee gets another one. Great ball to get Solanki.

 

[tooextracool]

Both Patel and Trott had good Lions tours of NZ, Patel has had 3 consecutive successful county seasons although he hasnt started off that well this season. Trott is doing alright this season and had a good season last year as well. Certainly would have them over Solanki.

 

[social]

Stephen Moore actually looks like a decent player from what I've seen so far. Has a compact and simple technique.

Just got to work on that first ball he faces .....

Anyway, it's those pieces of luck that can make a career