Craig Kieswetter qualifies for England

[Dano.85]

No, true. Has rather justified the love. I just have a nagging suspicion that we were at least partly motivated by the fear he might rediscover his inner yarp if we hadn't grasped him unto our collective bosom.

I think you are right. I heard that sa had a few words to try to change his mind while he was over in sa with the preformance squad. To be fair to craig he came out straight away and said he wants to play for england, but maybe that rattled england alittle, but he does deserve the chance in my view.

 

[marc71178]

According to Cricinfo Kieswetter has a better batting average than Davies in all 3 disciplines (4 day game, 40/50 over and 20/20)

In the last 2-3 seasons Davies is averaging more (over 50 I believe) at a higher SR (over 100?) in one day games whilst not having the benefit of playing at Taunton half the time.

 

[Furball]

In the last 2-3 seasons Davies is averaging more (over 50 I believe) at a higher SR (over 100?) in one day games whilst not having the benefit of playing at Taunton half the time.

Davies has been the best English batsman in domestic OD competitions over the last 2 years.

Wouldn't be adverse to seeing both Davies and Kieswetter in the ODI side. With such a dearth of good England qualified OD bats, picking one over the other doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Davies
Trott
Kieswetter
Pietersen
Collingwood
Morgan
Flintoff
Swann
Broad
Anderson
Bowler

doesn't look too bad a side.

 

[marc71178]

To be fair, I think I did say that Davies ought to be in as an opener without adding his keeping. Problem is, if you pick both, then which one doesn't open (since you seem to have forgotten the captain in that team)

 

[Furball]

To be fair, I think I did say that Davies ought to be in as an opener without adding his keeping. Problem is, if you pick both, then which one doesn't open (since you seem to have forgotten the captain in that team)

I'd give the captaincy to Pietersen.

 

[marc71178]

Not going to happen though is it?!

Given that Strauss has to play, I'd say it's between Trott and Kieswetter at 3 in that line-up, although if Flintoff were unfit, I'd be tempted to play both and rely on Colly / Trott / KP.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah, and Trott's one of very few England batsmen with a better List A record than either. Could conceivably see middle orders like Kieswetter, KP, Trott, Morgan in the near future. Without wishing to get all jboss on yo asses, it's got to be a little embarrassing.

 

[Richard]

Whoever doesn't keep wicket would naturally do best to open, and vice-versa.

Personally wouldn't be unhappy with something like:
Strauss (C) (for as long as he keeps performing - if he stops he's out, same way Vaughan should've been)
Kieswetter
Trott
Pietersen
Davies (W)
Flintoff
Morgan
Swann
Broad (for the time being - still not 100% convinced of him)
Other bowler
Other bowler

Via luck rather than basic-minimum-quality selection (ie, "pick the players who are obviously the best ones") England finally seem to have acquired a reasonable number of decent ODI batsmen - Trott should've been playing a while back, and Morgan, incredibly, seems to have come in at about the right time. The bowling still leaves more than a little to be desired though - I don't think Mascarenhas is likely to play again.

 

[Furball]

Anderson has to be un the side on current form.

 

[social]

Qualifies via a Scottish relative

Young English players must be delighted

 

[superkingdave]

I think one thing to think about is that Internation Limited Overs wickets are probably more taunton like than most other wickets in the CC. We've usually done better as a side on wickets that do have something in them and struggled on the flatties as we've not had the batsmen to take advantage of the wicket, in that sense Keiswetter might be a good choice.

 

[jboss]

I can see the tabloid headlines: Kieswetter and Prior. 2 South Africans battle for English keeper position.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Qualifies via a Scottish relative

Young English players must be delighted

Is his mother tbf. "Relative" implies it could be his sister's husband's cousin thrice removed.

 

[Furball]

I can see the tabloid headlines: Kieswetter and Prior. 2 South Africans battle for English keeper position.

I've found a cure for insomnia: make jboss a journalist.

 

[Richard]

Qualifies via a Scottish relative

Young English players must be delighted

So does anyone born and raised in Scotland, or Wales, or NI. The "England" cricket team is that nominally only - in reality it's the UK or British (And Irish) Isles cricket team.

 

[Richard]

Anderson has to be un the side on current form.

For sure he does, but I'm still far from convinced of him on a long-term basis, just like Broad.

 

[Richard]

I think one thing to think about is that Internation Limited Overs wickets are probably more taunton like than most other wickets in the CC. We've usually done better as a side on wickets that do have something in them and struggled on the flatties as we've not had the batsmen to take advantage of the wicket, in that sense Keiswetter might be a good choice.

However similar the wickets are, only boundaries roped-in by about a hundred miles will simulate the postage-stamp size.

And it's the tiny ground rather than the runway-esque deck that makes Taunton most bat-friendly.

 

[King Pietersen]

I'd like to see us go with:

Andrew Strauss *
Craig Kieswetter +
Kevin Pietersen
Jonathan Trott
Paul Collingwood
Eoin Morgan
Andrew Flintoff (when fit)
Graham Napier
Graeme Swann
Stuart Broad
James Anderson

Depth in batting, 5 more than decent bowling options and we get rid of Prior. I'm biased towards Kieswetter, as he's played well whenever I've seen Somerset play and looks a class act at the crease, but if Davies opened with Strauss I wouldn't be too bothered. Definitely think Napier deserves a shout for the ODi side too, believe he's a hugely under-rated bowler, with many people still thinking he's a batting all-rounder, which just isn't the case.

 

[Richard]

Napier is the sort of bowler who gets spanked most of the time he bowls, but does pick-up stacks of wickets. Looking at the county games I've seen him play I've never really understood how - much of it appears to be courtesy purely of being in the right place at the right time rather than actually bowling wicket-taking deliveries.

Either way, I simply cannot see him being given the new-ball in ODIs and repeatedly tearing through ODI top-orders. Just cannot see it.

 

[King Pietersen]

He bowls at between 87 and 90mph consistently, gets abit of movement in the air and off the seam, has a good bouncer (ask Martin Guptill and Anaru Kitchen), is pretty accurate and has a good yorker. He doesn't go for that many runs either, his highest economy rate in List A cricket since 2007 has been 5.40. He's been consistently good for 2 English seasons and in NZ playing domestic cricket there for 2 seasons, and I think he's hugely under-rated tbh. Better option than Sidebottom, Plunkett, Mahmood or Shahzad for me.