*Official* Second Test at Lords

[Matt79]

Swann's a spinner and his a better batsman then Broad, so really, Broad should be dropped for Harmison. I can't see Onions giving our batsman any trouble either, so maybe Broad should keep his place and Harmison come in for Monty.

If I was Australia I'd probably make the hard decision and drop Hauritz. In the first innings, he had 1/90 and picked up the last 2 wickets and in the last innings, all of his wickets came from assistance from the pitch and you'd think 2nd time round that England will treat Hauritz with a little more respect, which will lessen his affectiveness. Lords is generally pretty flat and won't offer much for spin, so I'd probably bring in Stuart Clark.

Effectiveness tbh.

Most bowlers have bad figures until they take wickets. It's not like Monty proved a pushover in his second dig.

 

[Stapel]

It's bizarre, I've generally ranted and ranted against Harmison having anything to do with England ever again, but I'm actually starting to think that replacing Broad with Harmison at Lord's might not actually be the worst call in history.

Same here, I never thought I would think so, but saturday I was missing Harmy.....

I guess I would fit him in for Panesar. Broad may have another chance, I suppose.


Just to forget about Harmison: The obvious change would be Onions for Panesar. If Broad underperforms again at Lord's, he will be dropped.

 

[simmy]

Last game, tense though it was, showed that England are way behind the 8ball at the moment.

To have a hope of competing we need to play our best 4 seamers. Onions, Harmison, Flintoff and Anderson.

With Swann batting so well, I don't think Broad's absence with the bat is too hard-felt.

The batting is fine as it is but need a real kick up the backside and should all be forced to watch how Ponting and Katich batted in real-time to drum it into them that this is an Ashes series not a World Twenty20.

My team.

Cook
Strauss
Bopara
Pietersen
Collingwood
Prior
Flintoff
Swann
Anderson
Onions
Harmison

That team should be able to score runs and take 20 wickets and is less dependant on swing as they have new options.

 

[simmy]

I have honestly never rated Broad. He doesnt swing it, has lost pace and has no temperament when bowling.

Who wants loads of cutters and inaccurate bowling when you can have Harmy banging em in at 90mph?!

 

[pasag]

Broad can bat, Harmison can get Hughes out. Aside from that I don't think either have much going for them unless conditions are favourable in which case Harmison should be there. Play Hoggard IMO

 

[Matt79]

Are Prior and Flintoff good enough to bat 6 and 7 given their performances in what will hopefully be the most placid conditions of the series?

 

[four_or_six]

Yep.

 

[Matt79]

We'll see.

 

[howardj]

Last game, tense though it was, showed that England are way behind the 8ball at the moment.

To have a hope of competing we need to play our best 4 seamers. Onions, Harmison, Flintoff and Anderson.

With Swann batting so well, I don't think Broad's absence with the bat is too hard-felt.

The batting is fine as it is but need a real kick up the backside and should all be forced to watch how Ponting and Katich batted in real-time to drum it into them that this is an Ashes series not a World Twenty20.

My team.

Cook
Strauss
Bopara
Pietersen
Collingwood
Prior
Flintoff
Swann
Anderson
Onions
Harmison

That team should be able to score runs and take 20 wickets and is less dependant on swing as they have new options.

This.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Really don't think we should replace Broad, who's had one bad match, with Harmison who had a million bad matches. Give Broad this test, and then if there's still a problem we can call up Harmy.

He averages close to 40...he must have had more than 1 bad match.

 

[inbox24]

England should keep playing Broad, he's good for international cricket.

 

[Uppercut]

Broad's better at bowling than Harmison. Would be shocked if England manage to take 20 wickets at Lord's whichever one they pick so they may as well stack the batting with Broad at 9 and try to stay in the series.

 

[The Sean]

Broad's better at bowling than Harmison. Would be shocked if England manage to take 20 wickets at Lord's whichever one they pick so they may as well stack the batting with Broad at 9 and try to stay in the series.

Hope that's exactly what they do - I'm there on days 4 and 5 so the longer the match goes on the better!

 

[GIMH]

Really don't think we should replace Broad, who's had one bad match, with Harmison who had a million bad matches. Give Broad this test, and then if there's still a problem we can call up Harmy.

Yep, he'd been in good form prior to this match, give him another shot.

I have honestly never rated Broad. He doesnt swing it, has lost pace and has no temperament when bowling.

Who wants loads of cutters and inaccurate bowling when you can have Harmy banging em in at 90mph?!

Broad can bang them in at 90mph as well, just as often as Harmison in fact

 

[pup11]

Well as an Aussie supporter eventhough I was left pretty disappointed after yesterday's result, when one one analyzes their over all performance, one can't deny that they were pretty damn good as a bowling unit to take 19 wickets on that placid track at Cardiff.

Now don't know whether a change could or should be made to the Australian side, the batting line-up pretty much picks themselves, and the it would be pretty hard to drop any of the bowlers either, though there could be a temptation to pick Clark, who might use that slope at Lord's to his advantage, but then even Siddle and Hilfenhaus can do that if they bowl well.

The England side have more uncertainty looming over it, and I think they just have to get rid of Panesar and Broad and show faith in likes of Onions and Harmison, with Harmison they would always be taking a gamble, because if he's not on top his game he can prove pretty piss-poor, but still he is a match winner and he can't prove to be any worse than Panesar, its a bit of toss up between Broad and Onions, and I think England might just favour Broad over Onions for his batting.

 

[GIMH]

All of you Aussies calling for Harmison, claiming it would benefit our side. You're kidding no-one, I know why you want to see him in the team

 

[Redbacks]

He would appear to have the wood on Hughes which is a good start for the innings, rather than the plans being moved around for flintoff to come in and work him over with the new ball.

He also bowls ok to Ponting. You just feel that if he is in form England can maintain more pressure, due to his ability to make batters nervous for their safety, whilst the two best bowlers Anderson and Fred rest.

From the tour match though Onions appears to have good control and consistency. In the first test England put it together when Freddie and Anderson bowled that good spell as a team with the 2nd new ball. Problem was that the pressure release valve came off to easily after their great spells. They probably bowled a few overs too many also because:
a) they were bowling well.
b) Strauss didn't have the confidence that the replacement could do the same job.

 

[zaremba]

Well as an Aussie supporter eventhough I was left pretty disappointed after yesterday's result, when one one analyzes their over all performance, one can't deny that they were pretty damn good as a bowling unit to take 19 wickets on that placid track at Cardiff.

I wouldn't say they were "pretty damn good" tbf. The England 1st innings batting was incredibly wasteful and careless and they mostly got themselves out. The Aussie bowling looked a bit flat to me, although of course the pitch didn't particularly suit them.

The Aussies then batted supremely well and it was the lead they achieved, and the no-win situation that the English batsmen were therefore placed in on the 4th and 5th days of the game, that produced the wickets in the 2nd innings. It was a classic case of the Aussie batsmen taking English wickets.

Johnson in particular had a puzzling match. His bowling yesterday was at times unbelievably bad. Yes he took wickets and should have had Broad first ball, but I'm sure he can bowl a huge amount better than that.

I don't want to be unfair on the Aussie bowlers, they outbowled England for sure, but I think that they will need to improve in the coming Tests. I expect that they will do so, particularly if they continue to have the luxury of their batsmen racking up massive totals.

 

[pasag]

Johnson is no where near the finished product and is still going to have plenty of ordinary and perplexing games that come with inexperience. He has shown since his debut, however, that he's a quick learner and can improve his game rapidly so it won't suprise to see him getting better and better as the series go along.

 

[Jack88]

As much I love Harmy, the guy shouldn't be given all the chances in the world. Let Broad have another crack, with Onions in for Panesar, if he fails again then Harmison has his FINAL chance, if he doesn't take it, that has to be it for him.

Other than Onions, I don't expect any other changes since I don't think Lee will be ready?(not sure about that, but he would be in for Siddle). The fact England got out of this meltdown was a great sign, and should spur the team on to do better...............YEAH RIGHT -_-