England Provisional and final World Cup Squads

[Prince EWS]

Since Yardy's proper recall, he has played 18 ODIs and taken 12 wickets @ 61.66 at an economy rate of 5.13. Frankly, he's not a bowler - that's gash. His batting has improved but if Yardy's being picked primarily for his one day batting, England really do have problems.

No doubt he'll play anyway though, IMO.

 

[Julian87]

Should have picked Blackwell tbh.

 

[Prince EWS]

Should have picked Blackwell tbh.

Deja vu.

 

[L Trumper]

Easy with the over-optimism. Presumably you've installed us as strong favourites for the tournament ?

While there is a degree of reality in some of your observations, you have also identified the worse case scenario in a lot of the selections. While I don't propose we're going to win the WC, I do expect we'll produce a better showing than what you are expecting. On the other hand, what do I know!

I am expecting they will go out in QF, originally I thought they might make it into SF or even finals with a bit of luck. I think most fans are expecting the same. Just a bit disappointed after 18 months of doing really good, almost back to the square one.

 

[L Trumper]

Like all teams that will get far, it's going to take a few of the batsmen and bowlers to have great tournaments and that's what it's always about at WC, the teams with the most amount of form players ,win. Like in last years 20/20 WC, who'd have thought we could win before the start, nobody did, I know it's not the same format, but very similar conditions and the point is still the same. If you can get on any kind of roll on and players find good form and start enjoying themselves, they'll do well. If the players come to the table, like they have done in the past 18 months or so and play to their potential, we should do quite well.

But the thing is there aren't enough batsmen in the side, very long tail. Expecting two of four batters to be really kick on through out the WC seems a bit optimistic. Pretty disappointed mostly because even after 18 months of constant improvement side is back where it began, KP dependent. During that time trott is the only real improvement.
Still think Yardy as a LO bowler is joke, Colly's form is dire as of now, prior is going to be **** in middle overs not sure whether he can cut it as a opener. Bresnan is bits and pieces. That means four passengers in the team eerily similar to awful sides of the past.

Agree with your point with T20 though, but still constructing ODI innings is really different matter something KP lost touch with. Also bowling 10 overs in SC is not same as bowling 4 in T20. KPs innings against SA is the real turning point along with clearly defined roles for the openers. Now not even sure who the openers & what their clear roles are!

Sad thing about the whole side is they simply messed it up whether through injuries or stubborn decisions. I understand luke wright being picked as a utility man, sub fielder generally for entire 50 overs. But picking treadwell in squad? Yardy in side? Dropping Davies? Batting position of bell? Losing morgan? Consequently failing to chase mid level totals!! Seems like 18 months of progression is undone because of one long meaningless ODI series!

In T20 WC I thought england will make it to SF and can win it with some luck[KPs return to form helped immensely]. Not so sure in ODI WC.

P.S. I would love to be proven wrong though.

 

[vcs]

I think England's bowling definitely looks stronger than it's batting as of now (mind you, most of these bowlers got badly pasted last time they played in India). TBF, they have improved since then and should do much better this time around. The batting, seems to be pretty reliant on Bell and Pietersen.

 

[Jacknife]

But the thing is there aren't enough batsmen in the side, very long tail. Expecting two of four batters to be really kick on through out the WC seems a bit optimistic. Pretty disappointed mostly because even after 18 months of constant improvement side is back where it began, KP dependent. During that time trott is the only real improvement.
Still think Yardy as a LO bowler is joke, Colly's form is dire as of now, prior is going to be **** in middle overs not sure whether he can cut it as a opener. Bresnan is bits and pieces. That means four passengers in the team eerily similar to awful sides of the past.

Agree with your point with T20 though, but still constructing ODI innings is really different matter something KP lost touch with. Also bowling 10 overs in SC is not same as bowling 4 in T20. KPs innings against SA is the real turning point along with clearly defined roles for the openers. Now not even sure who the openers & what their clear roles are!

Sad thing about the whole side is they simply messed it up whether through injuries or stubborn decisions. I understand luke wright being picked as a utility man, sub fielder generally for entire 50 overs. But picking treadwell in squad? Yardy in side? Dropping Davies? Batting position of bell? Losing morgan? Consequently failing to chase mid level totals!! Seems like 18 months of progression is undone because of one long meaningless ODI series!

In T20 WC I thought england will make it to SF and can win it with some luck[KPs return to form helped immensely]. Not so sure in ODI WC.

P.S. I would love to be proven wrong though.

If it was me picking the side I'd go in like this-
1)Strauss
2)Bell
3)Trott
4)KP
5)Bopara
6)Prior
7)Colly
8)Bresnan
9)Broad
10)Swann
11)Anderson
I'd get rid of Yardy altogether, especially now Morgan's out, let Colly and Bopara bowl because I think both those 2, will do a better job than Yardy in the sub continent and take more wickets than him. Then we get the extra batting of Bopara, who can clear the ropes when he wants to, as well as play proper cricket shots. I'd open with Bell instead of Prior, basically because he's got more shots and likely to be more successful and those crucial overs at the beginning, he can make use of. The rest speak for themselves.
Strauss has been good these past 18 months opening and as he's shown, he can clear the ropes and score quickly, which he couldn't before. Calling Bresnan a bits and pieces cricketer, is a bit unfair, he's a bowler (as he showed in the Ashes) who can bat a bit and he's scored some decent runs down the order. If Prior is used down the order, I think he will be better than he was a few years ago, but we'll have to wait and see.Colly is in the side now as much for his bowling, than his batting and like I said I expect he will be useful in the sub continent. If he could find a bit of form because before this Aus tour, he was still performing in limited overs cricket, so hopefully he can fire down the order.
Even though the ODi series against Aus left a bitter taste in the mouth after a great winter, I don't think it should take away from the obvious improvements that England have made these last 18 months in one day cricket.

 

[Furball]

Swap Collingwood and Prior and I'd go with that as the strongest side we could put out.

 

[Howe_zat]

Swap Collingwood and Prior and I'd go with that as the strongest side we could put out.

I'd be okay with that side turning out. I'd quite like to see Shahzad in the first XI but there isn't really room considering he can't bat like Bresnan or Swanny.

Overall the first XI doesn't bother me that much, it's the squad players that look terrible.

 

[Jacknife]

I'd be okay with that side turning out. I'd quite like to see Shahzad in the first XI but there isn't really room considering he can't bat like Bresnan or Swanny.

Overall the first XI doesn't bother me that much, it's the squad players that look terrible.

Yes, I don't understand this ,lets take Tredwell because he's a spinner rubbish, you take your best batsmen and bowlers you have in the Country.

 

[Howe_zat]

So the Mail came out with this article last night, claiming KP was retiring from ODIs in order to concentrate on Tests and T20. Article was suspicious in that there weren't any quotes.

Cricinfo reported on the story but amusingly headlined with a sceptical question mark. As of this morning, it is indeed complete bollocks.

Daily Fail strikes again.

 

[Woodster]

If it was me picking the side I'd go in like this-
1)Strauss
2)Bell
3)Trott
4)KP
5)Bopara
6)Prior
7)Colly
8)Bresnan
9)Broad
10)Swann
11)Anderson
I'd get rid of Yardy altogether, especially now Morgan's out, let Colly and Bopara bowl because I think both those 2, will do a better job than Yardy in the sub continent and take more wickets than him. Then we get the extra batting of Bopara, who can clear the ropes when he wants to, as well as play proper cricket shots. I'd open with Bell instead of Prior, basically because he's got more shots and likely to be more successful and those crucial overs at the beginning, he can make use of. The rest speak for themselves.
Strauss has been good these past 18 months opening and as he's shown, he can clear the ropes and score quickly, which he couldn't before. Calling Bresnan a bits and pieces cricketer, is a bit unfair, he's a bowler (as he showed in the Ashes) who can bat a bit and he's scored some decent runs down the order. If Prior is used down the order, I think he will be better than he was a few years ago, but we'll have to wait and see.Colly is in the side now as much for his bowling, than his batting and like I said I expect he will be useful in the sub continent. If he could find a bit of form because before this Aus tour, he was still performing in limited overs cricket, so hopefully he can fire down the order.
Even though the ODi series against Aus left a bitter taste in the mouth after a great winter, I don't think it should take away from the obvious improvements that England have made these last 18 months in one day cricket.

Agree with much of that. That is the XI I'd go in with, just in a slightly different batting line-up. I'd prefer Trott up top with KP in at three and Bell at four. Other than that, it gets the thumbs up from me.

 

[Howe_zat]

I've just seen BBC sport's page on the England team. It talks them up quite a bit, as you would expect, as they're sort of advertising the cup as well as providing info.

I was interested to see how they talked up Wright, and was amazed to discover:

He has demonstrated his qualities in Twenty20 cricket - a format in which he has made the majority of his England appearances - where he has excelled. During the 2007 World Twenty20 he was leading run scorer with 346 runs.

Er... No he wasn't. I would have remembered that. I definately would have remembered Luke Wright scoring an average of 69 runs per game (In fact he scored 43 runs at 8.6).

Poor lad. They can't even twist the facts any more, they have to make 'em up.

 

[Spark]

Haha he's not even on the page!

 

[L Trumper]

Today's game showed again how ****ing dire the batting is. They are too trottpendent, and just hope KP will come good. At least Broad got into the rhythm quickly. Will have a great attack once swann is back, even then don't think they can chase anything over 240 against proper teams. Don't think prior willl score that many against quality spinners.

PS: Tredwell is ****ing waste of place. Wright should be sub fielder, not in the team

 

[grecian]

Today's game showed again how ****ing dire the batting is. They are too trottpendent, and just hope KP will come good. At least Broad got into the rhythm quickly. Will have a great attack once swann is back, even then don't think they can chase anything over 240 against proper teams. Don't think prior willl score that many against quality spinners.

PS: Tredwell is ****ing waste of place. Wright should be sub fielder, not in the team

Yep a number of spinners should be ahead of Tredwell, and some would say Yardy.

Oddly though, I think we can take some positives from todays games. Prior seems to have finally found a niche in ODIs, whether it'll be lasting I doubt, but we're stuck with him for the tourney. Broad, Anderson, Swann, Shahzad , look a decent four bowlers, and we can fiddle the fifth quite comfortably, I'd of thought. Recurrence of injuries to the first 3 and wer'e ****ed though.

Even England have to accept that Wright can't play, Bopara doesn't feel me with glee, but he's better then him.

The top-order is very troublesome though.

 

[Woodster]

Can fully understand the concern surrounding our batting. Since the start of 2010, there's really only Strauss and Trott, of the current squad, that have played anything like in ODI's. Morgan of course has been a revelation, which makes his absence harder to take.

The move of KP to top of the order may work, but it seems as though his name was the latest out of the hat and it's a late stage to trial a player, even as talented as KP, in a position he has never batted in for England. They seem reluctant to move Trott up to open due to his success at three, personally would have preferred that to KP going up.

We are just hoping that KP, Collingwood, Bell, Prior, all raise their game. I have a feeling they will, I have nothing to substantiate my claim in terms of stats or past history, it's just a gut feeling, or is it wishful thinking, I'm not too sure at this stage.

 

[Jacknife]

Yes, not the most inspiring victory and when they had them at 28-5 it looked like plain sailing, saying that, a very good innings by Cheema. The positives were, Broad came back very well and so did Shahzad, but as we knew before, England lack any bench strength, especially in the batting.As long as we don't have any injuries, which is probably expecting too much,we should be OK, but no way on earth, should Wright and Tedwell be any where near the England team. I was surprised Bopara didn't get a bat or a bowl today, especially because he's better than Wright and they should be giving him a chance to get ready.
I've never considered opening with KP , but I can definitely get behind it, especially in the sub continent, where it's the best place to bat and make use of his hitting. Hopefully it may do him some good, the new added responsibility and make use of the power plays.Good to see Prior score some runs and he looked comfortable against the slow bowlers,lets hope he can carry it on. Strauss and Bell need to get some runs in the next game,if anything else for their confidence, I think Strauss will come good when it matters.
None of what happened today changed my mind that, Yardy should be replace by Bopara and if KP's going to open I'd bat him at 5. Like we knew before, god forbid if anything happens to Swann,or for that matter any of the batsmen.

 

[Howe_zat]

Intercepted E-mail to Andy Flower's inbox from a call centre in Dhaka:

Are you an international cricket team with multiple outstanding dilemmas? Why not take the chance on KP Opening direct, and consolidate all your dilemmas such as "what the frig do we do with Pietersen" and "No way in **** should Prior be opening" into one, easily managable headache.

At KP Opening direct we can help you get your opening partnerships back on track. He could average anything from 0 to 247 at a very competitive strike rate, and you can spread the rest of your misfiring batting lineup all over the middle order in a way that suits you.

It's quick and easy to arrange. Why not put him there for a no-strings, no-obligation warm up game at no personal cost. Do it today!

Itstl.

 

[Jarquis]

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