*Official* Australia in England T20s and ODIs

[andyc]

Haha, definitely should've done.

 

[King Pietersen]

For the SA ODi's I'd go with:

1. Andrew Strauss
2. Steven Davies
3. Kevin Pietersen
4. Jonathan Trott
5. Eoin Morgan
6. Paul Collingwood
7. Luke Wright (Flintoff won't be fit)
8. Stuart Broad
9. Graeme Swann
10. James Anderson
11. Graham Onions

12. Ed Joyce
13. Tim Bresnan
14. Adil Rashid
15. Alex Hales

I'm not particularly keen on Onions in ODi cricket, but he bowled decently in his debut, and he looked a heck of alot better than Sidebottom, who never looked like he was going to get a wicket. He should do well on the pitches in SA as well. I didn't really want to pick Collingwood either, but just so long as Morgan's batting ahead of him I'm not too fussed.

 

[Prince EWS]

For the SA ODi's I'd go with:

1. Andrew Strauss
2. Steven Davies
3. Kevin Pietersen
4. Jonathan Trott
5. Eoin Morgan
6. Paul Collingwood
...
8. Stuart Broad
9. Graeme Swann
10. James Anderson

I agree with this 100%. I'm not sold on Wright, Onions or any of your reserves, but there aren't many other options and they certainly aren't terrible picks so I can't be too critical. It's certainly a much, much better squad than the one going to the Champions Trophy or indeed the one that'll probably be picked after that.

 

[Uppercut]

For the SA ODi's I'd go with:

1. Andrew Strauss
2. Steven Davies
3. Kevin Pietersen
4. Jonathan Trott
5. Eoin Morgan
6. Paul Collingwood
7. Luke Wright (Flintoff won't be fit)
8. Stuart Broad
9. Graeme Swann
10. James Anderson
11. Graham Onions

12. Ed Joyce
13. Tim Bresnan
14. Adil Rashid
15. Alex Hales

I'm not particularly keen on Onions in ODi cricket, but he bowled decently in his debut, and he looked a heck of alot better than Sidebottom, who never looked like he was going to get a wicket. He should do well on the pitches in SA as well. I didn't really want to pick Collingwood either, but just so long as Morgan's batting ahead of him I'm not too fussed.

Alex Hales is an interesting one. Has played one (admittedly, ****ing awesome) innings in a game his side lost anyway. Kinda shows how bare the cupboard is that he's getting a look in.

I wouldn't be opposed to his inclusion, he has the mentality for it, shown by how he didn't ease off even when wickets were tumbling at the other end. The whynot attitude is pretty rare in English cricketers. Can't play the short ball though, that's an issue.

 

[King Pietersen]

I think it's the mentality of Hales I like. He's effortlessly aggressive. Hits ball incredibly cleanly, is very powerful and strong down the ground, 3 things that this England side are lacking without Pietersen in the side. He's got 2 domestic List A hundreds, is averaging 38 with a strike rate of 104.65. He may have only played 12 innings, but I see something there. The only problem could be such a quick step-up to international cricket, and the short ball issue, which is something quite a few tall batsmen struggle with, Pietersen for example. I just think he'd be worth a punt. He can't do much worse than Bopara, Shah or on current form Collingwood. Stick him in the squad. Not going to find out if he's good enough if he's not given a go, I certainly see some real potential there.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Seen him bat about 5 or 6 times, has made 1 very, very good innings and the rest were pretty mediocre. Let him bash it around in List A and Championship before he gets in the ODI side. Get Key in there instead.

 

[Uppercut]

Seen him bat about 5 or 6 times, has made 1 very, very good innings and the rest were pretty mediocre. Let him bash it around in List A and Championship before he gets in the ODI side. Get Key in there instead.

Ewww. Key's turgid. At least if you pick Hales and it comes off you've got a classy young player who'll score match-winning innings. If you pick Key and it comes off you've got a player who will play a decent holding innings with a strike rate of 75 that allows other players to bat around him aggressively, which unfortunately is something that none of the English batsmen can actually do. And that's the best-case scenario.

 

[Uppercut]

There is one other name that could be thrown out there. He's got the aggressive style, he's in incredible form and he's bowling beautifully too at the moment. He's currently ranked as the second most valuable player in the county circuit and has been arguably the single biggest contributor to Durham's runaway county championship victory.

Problem is, he's played ODIs before, and he was absolutely ****e. No chance of a recall for Ian Blackwell?

 

[PhoenixFire]

Yeah and he is your classic flat track bully that would be next to useless against international class bowlers and batsmen.

 

[Jarquis]

Yeah and he is your classic flat track bully that would be next to useless against international class bowlers and batsmen.

He'd fit right in then

Edit : Well actually dominating on any kind of track and being anything other than useless means he's too good for this England ODI side

 

[Manee]

There is one other name that could be thrown out there. He's got the aggressive style, he's in incredible form and he's bowling beautifully too at the moment. He's currently ranked as the second most valuable player in the county circuit and has been arguably the single biggest contributor to Durham's runaway county championship victory.

Problem is, he's played ODIs before, and he was absolutely ****e. No chance of a recall for Ian Blackwell?

I think he is just the sort of player that England need. He is, in form, can take the impetus to the opposition through aggressive batting and can rarely be accused of leaking runs with his bowling, heck, his ODI economy rate is just 4.27 (although he will be wanting to take more wickets than before).

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah and he is your classic flat track bully that would be next to useless against international class bowlers and batsmen.

Take a peek through some of the innings he's played for Durham this season.

 

[four_or_six]

Denly
Strauss
Trott
KP
Collingwood
Wright
Foster
Broad
Swann
Anderson
Mahmood

Davies
Bell
Mascarenhas
Sidebottom
Onions
Rashid

That's the kind of side I'd like to see. Something around that.

 

[Jarquis]

Take a peek through some of the innings he's played for Durham this season.

Just did exactly that for the Pro 40 and FP games. Distinctly unimpressed, might have missed one or two but besides some decent bowling performances and two fifties there's nothing to write home about besides the fact that by in large he strikes ~ a run a ball.

Gloucestershire v Durham at Cheltenham, Jul 24, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
23(19b) and 4 wickets.

Durham v Worcestershire at Chester-le-Street, Aug 6, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
36(24b) and 3 cheap wickets.

Durham v Essex at Chester-le-Street, Sep 5, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
59(46b) only the 1 wicket but was economical in the context of the match.

Group C: Durham v Surrey at Chester-le-Street, May 3, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
3 wickets, pretty average in all honesty.

Group C: Yorkshire v Durham at Leeds, May 13, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
3 wickets in a good economical 10 overs.

Group C: Surrey v Durham at The Oval, May 15, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
57(49b) again exonomical bowling.

Group C: Durham v Gloucestershire at Chester-le-Street, May 20, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
64(67b)

 

[Uppercut]

I was more objecting to the flat-track bully statement.

Here he is hitting 102 off 109 balls against a "best of the rest" attack in the season opener. Seriously good conditions for seam bowling in that game too.

Here he hit 95 from 135 with the team on 82/4. Four former or current internationals in that attack too.

Here's a 68 in one of the lowest scoring games of the entire season.

Here is a 74 off 85, the highest score of the match, on the worst deck for batting of the season (probably against the best non-Durham attack)

Here's a 158 in a game where no other player remotely looked like scoring a century and Durham were in the **** when he came to the crease.

It's just such a horrid and unfair thing to accuse him of. As it usually is when people band the term "flat-track bully" around.

 

[Jarquis]

Oh fair enough, only looked at List A games as that's what I thought you were referring to. Apologies.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Yea Blackwell has been awesome in FC cricket this season. He was poor with the bat in the limited overs stuff but did better when he opened.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Still probably a better limited overs option than Rashid at this stage. Not a huge turner of the ball, but incredibly accurate.

Not sure someone with his waist measurement will find a spot in the new, lean, mean, shyte but skinny England set up either. Although as far as I know he's never actually failed any fitness tests like Sammy.

One of those lardos-in-denial tho, isn't he? Once said he'd have to cut off a limb to make sixteen stone. Well, that or eat less, eh, tubby?

 

[King Pietersen]

Even if Fats Patel had got off the pies he wouldn't be in contention for an England place. Had a pretty abysmal season. With the bat he averaged 20 in the FP Trophy, 24 in the Pro40, 21 in the T20 cup and 30 in the Championship. Top score of 95 all season. Not done too much better with the ball in any competition bar the FP Trophy either. Averaged 17 with the ball in that competition, but 61 in the Championship, 50 in the Pro40 and 29 in the T20 cup. That's a pretty terrible season for old Fats.

 

[aussie]

Highest strike rates in List A Cricket in England this season:

SM Davies - 116.17
C Kieswetter - 96.91
P Mustard - 85.87

86 clearly faster than 116.

Davies, as well as scoring his runs significantly quicker than both Kieswetter and Mustard, has also scored more runs at a better average than his competitors.

edit: one more thing in favour of Davies. He's scored just 3 sixes all season, far less than Kieswetter (10) and Mustard (12), yet has a strike rate which is massively superior. This would suggest 2 things - that Davies is adept at finding gaps in the field without risking going aerial (he's scored far more 4s than both Kiewsetter and Mustard), and he's adept at rotating the strike - something England's top order are crying out for.

When it coming to judging players in our OD domestic tournament, you really can't look at stats TBH. The gab in quality is so big as you would know, you really have to look at vague instances where these players may be in international standard situations to judge them.

Blokes like Ali Brown & Mal Loye, Maddy woud score at near run a ball in domestic cricket & not be able to replicate that at international level for obvious reasons.

I dont have a problem with Davies opening. But given the dynamics of our ODI middle-order i'm not sure if Davies really can be that Trescothick force as an opener againts international attacks. Thats why i would work with Denly along with Strauss & let Prior bat @ 7.

If things dont work out with Denly & Prior doesn't replicate his test form @ 7 in ODIs in the coming months. Kiewsetter when he qualifies i reckon has the over game to be a quality keeper/bat ODI opener that we are looking for.