**Official** Sri Lanka in England / Scotland - 2011

[Howe_zat]

After all that.

I'd have quite liked Shahzad to get the call, but would've been harsh on Finn.

 

[Pizzorno]

Get in there Eoin! He's obviously not the complete package in Test cricket yet and I think there will be times this summer when he will struggle, but there's currently no English batsman I find more exciting to watch than Morgan. Or Irish batsman, whatever .

 

[superkingdave]

Lol Andrew Mcglashan must be pissed off with his source right now

Eoin Morgan has been unexpectedly named in England's squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Cardiff. The strong tip had been for Ravi Bopara to earn a recall to fill the No. 6 spot vacated by Paul Collingwood

 

[Howe_zat]

McGlashan has been saying nothing but how Bopara is definately going to be picked all week. It never made sense.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Lol.

I suppose it shows what a reflexive beast the meedja is. They report (somewhat counter-intuitively) that Bopara has the inside run to the test XI and then when (as most observers suspected all the way along) Morgan is actually picked, it's a "surprise".

IMHO, once Tiny Tim was broken, the XI always looked like a done deal. Happily the imcumbant selectors don't seem to be given to the sudden volte face that was so beloved by some of their predecessors.

Third seamer's slot might have been a ticklish shout had Bres been fit tho.

 

[Spark]

Think someone had a good ol' fashioned troll, myself.

Mildly surprised to see Finn there but I guess they're going with the "what ain't broke..." mentality.

 

[Howe_zat]

The Guardian has chipped in with this:

You heard it from the experts.

 

[Spark]

The lol thing about this is that I'm pretty sure everyone here predicted exactly this side (assuming Broad gets picked over Finn) four-five months ago anyway.

 

[Jacknife]

One thing that''s surprised me, when cricket writers and pundits have been picking the team, before Bresnan got injured they had him in before Tremlett and even now Aggers is saying it's between Finn and Tremlett for 12th man. Have I've I missed something, because I would have though the only 2 fast bowlers who were defo's for the Tests are Jimmy and Tremlett.

 

[Woodster]

I like Morgan a great deal as a batsman, was hugely disappointed he didn't commit to finding some form and time at the crease with Middlesex in some worthwhile cricket, rather than taking the cash on offer with a few games of 20-over cricket.

With Bopara turning down the IPL offers (despite initally putting himself into the auction) I did hope for these reasons he'd get the nod over Morgan. Perhaps I'm still a bit old fashioned in thinking runs and form in four-day cricket (albeit second division) eclipses anything achieved in a 20-over slog. That said, Bopara could have performed better in the CC to give the selectors a real dilemma, and Morgan's 193 for the Lions certainly strengthened his case.

 

[Jacknife]

Dirtbag in both innings, has made light work over knocking Sri Lankas' tail over.

 

[FBU]

Sometimes I get the impression that the media think if they go on and on enough about a player he will be selected. A lot of them thought Bopara's bowling would get him in the team as if we were going to play with 5 bowlers.

 

[Howe_zat]

I wouldn't say that the tail was knocked over, they still put on nearly a hundred for the last four wickets. Tricky chase this.

 

[Jacknife]

Sometimes I get the impression that the media think if they go on and on enough about a player he will be selected. A lot of them thought Bopara's bowling would get him in the team as if we were going to play with 5 bowlers.

I agree and now a couple of those same jounos are talking Morgans innings down, Etheridge from The Sun, left a tweet saying
'His 193 v SL this week was as close to a 'gimme' century against international oppo as you could get' , then said, the reason Bopara failed, is because he batted in much worse conditions, unbelievable but to be expected from these mugs.

 

[Jacknife]

I wouldn't say that the tail was knocked over, they still put on nearly a hundred for the last four wickets. Tricky chase this.

It was more the 10 and 11 batsmen he got quickly in both innings, I was referring to. It is one of those very tricky totals, of just over 200, that can end up making you look a bit silly.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I like Morgan a great deal as a batsman, was hugely disappointed he didn't commit to finding some form and time at the crease with Middlesex in some worthwhile cricket, rather than taking the cash on offer with a few games of 20-over cricket.

With Bopara turning down the IPL offers (despite initally putting himself into the auction) I did hope for these reasons he'd get the nod over Morgan. Perhaps I'm still a bit old fashioned in thinking runs and form in four-day cricket (albeit second division) eclipses anything achieved in a 20-over slog. That said, Bopara could have performed better in the CC to give the selectors a real dilemma, and Morgan's 193 for the Lions certainly strengthened his case.

I agree it'd have been nice if Morgan had played in the early season CC, but to exclude him for not doing so smacks a little of the old-fashioned "jobs for the boys" attitude that used to infect English cricket. If Eoin is the best man for the gig, not picking him for reasons other than cricketing ones would be cutting off nose to spite face stuff.

Anyway 15/1 and Ravi strolls to the crease; can he make mugs of the selectors yet?

 

[LegionOfBrad]

One thing that''s surprised me, when cricket writers and pundits have been picking the team, before Bresnan got injured they had him in before Tremlett and even now Aggers is saying it's between Finn and Tremlett for 12th man. Have I've I missed something, because I would have though the only 2 fast bowlers who were defo's for the Tests are Jimmy and Tremlett.

I don't understand this either. There is no way they were ever going to drop Tremlett after the ashes, and Jimmy is a shoe in. I would have thought the most vulnerable would be Broad but they're not going to drop him So the bowlers just pick themselves.

Perhaps the press see Tremlett as Broads replacement as he was in the Ashes, and thus only one can play? Which is nuts.

I said in the ashes threads that given everyone fit right now the pace attack would be Tremlett Jimmy and Broad. With Bresnan as first sub, and I think thats the way Strauss and Flower think too.

 

[Howe_zat]

If Finn were considered more likely to play than Tremlett he wouldn't have been playing for the Lions.

Anyway, it's nice to have so many options. If Dernbach of all people is coming good here than it says something for the bowling depth. He's probably our 8th best seamer, if that.

 

[LegionOfBrad]

If Finn were considered more likely to play than Tremlett he wouldn't have been playing for the Lions.

Agreed. Maybe the England set up under Flower doesn't brief off the record in comparison to previous regimes. Exposing all the journalists as the unknowledgeable hacks they really are.

 

[Prince EWS]

The Guardian has chipped in with this:

You heard it from the experts.

Welshman?