**2007 World Cup**

[aussie]

Australia will have three openers in the squad, so that means two out of Katich, Jaques and Hayden. Since Australia wouldn't suffer too much if they had to go with an all-pace attack, I'd retain Haddin for insurance and remove the luxury of the reserve spinner, Cullen. Of course, if Watson fails in Malaysia, India and back home against England, that decision might not come up at all.

Not sure if Australia will take 3 openers TBH especially if they find a solid back-up between Jaques/Katich/Hayden with in the next few months to partner Hayden. But i wont rule out the possibility.

I think Cullen is very likely to go as back up to Hogg since i reckon spin bowlers will play a key role in the WC.

The top nine are perfect and it looks as if Strauss will end up opening with Trescothick. Having two spinners in addition to Dalrymple is a strange idea because England are unlikely to play more than one spinner (including Dalrymple) in a match. Either Blackwell or Giles makes the cut, but not both. I haven't watched Gough bowl recently, but his figures don't reflect too well so I'm not sure if he'll really last till the World Cup. Plunkett or Mahmood are more likely, probably the former because of his 'batting potential'.

Well the reason i picked both Blackwell & Giles is in looking at the possible back-up even though Blackwell hasn't really lived up to his county potential with the bat & international level i'm picking him as a batsman who can bowl at bit while Gilo is the main spinner.But in the event that lets say Giles doesn't recover in time to play Blackwell could hold on to his place as back-up spinner to Dalrymple & someone like Michael Yardy or an extra keeper may in Jones/Foster may go.

I'll give Gough some time since i reckon if he can do well in the upcoming ODI tournaments before the world cup he can be a valuable member of the pace bowling attack along with Flintoff/Harmison/Anderson. But if he deosn't cut it at this stage i wouldn't pick either Plunks or Mahmood, more so Tremlett or Chapple but still along way to go in this area.

Replace Botha with Hall and it looks about right. Not sure about Boje either, perhaps Robin Petersen or Thandi Tshabalala.

Oh Geez don't know how i forgot Hall, he definately will go, the reason i reckon Botha may go is well i read on cricinfo he was making a comeback & during the VB series he looked fairly good as an all/round player & i think South Africa have high hopes for him & reckon he may well & get the #1 spinner role for the world cup. The second spinner for me would go to Boje for his experience but if Thandi T can impress he may get the nod over Boje since i dont rate Peterson that much based on what i've seen of him.

Take out Arafat and put Farhat, Butt or Hameed in there. I'd also prefer Bazid Khan to Faisal Iqbal, but I haven't seen much of Iqbal.

Well i dunno i like the look of Arafat from what i've seen at international level & the other day in the C&G trophy final for sussex, that ball that he bowled Freddie with in Karachi last winter was off the mat, plus he is a good batsman. I think he would fit into the ODI very well TBH.

The reason i picked Iqbal over Farhat was as back-up to the middle-order bats of Younis/Yousuf/Inzi but maybe Farhat may go who knows..

Kumble could find a spot in place of Powar and I'm not very confident about Zaheer Khan making a one-day comeback. RP Singh is a better bet as of now but let's wait and see.

Probably Kumble could replace Powar, although i reckon India's young pace attack could do with Khan's experience if he is bowling well at the time.

Does Gillespie have a chance of replacing Adams or Franklin? What about Jesse Ryder?.

Never heard much of Gillespie but i'd say Franklin is a main seamer in the Kiwi side ATM & Adams is a more than handy all-rounder. Dont know much about Ryder either but i dunno maybe him Taylor or How will get the nod.

I'd consider Andrew Richardson over Collins.

Nah, Collins is arguably the windies best bowler, if he can bowl like how he bowled in VB series 2004 in upcoming ODI series if you are windies selector you would be foolish not to pick him. But overall the windies dont have 2 stress that much on replacements they are right at home

 

[marc71178]

Well the reason i picked both Blackwell & Giles is in looking at the possible back-up even though Blackwell hasn't really lived up to his county potential with the bat & international level i'm picking him as a batsman who can bowl at bit while Gilo is the main spinner.

In ODIs Blackwell is definitely not a batsman who can bowl a bit - his bowling has been far and away his strongest suit somewhat bizarrely, but in both disciplines he's been worse than Giles, so cannot expect to go if Giles is fit.

But in the event that lets say Giles doesn't recover in time to play Blackwell could hold on to his place as back-up spinner to Dalrymple & someone like Michael Yardy or an extra keeper may in Jones/Foster may go.

What would the point of a 2nd keeper be in a limited squad?

If the worst were to happen, Trescothick can fill in.

Well i dunno i like the look of Arafat from what i've seen at international level & the other day in the C&G trophy final for sussex

I would've thought the fact he's not been near a call up on this tour suggests the Pakistani selectors don't like the look of him as much as other players they have...

 

[Sir Redman]

NEW ZEALAND:

1.Fleming
2.McCullum
3.Vincent
4.Astle
5.Styris
6.Marshall
7.Fulton
8.Taylor
9.Oram
10.Adams
11.Franklyn
12.Mills
13.Bond
14.Vettori
15.Patel

That will probably be our WC squad IMO. Gillespie was impressive in the recent Top-End Series and will be pushing Adams and Franklin for a spot, but the selectors seem to like Franklin in particular (despite the fact that he's just not economical enough for ODIs) and they also have the bonus of being useful batsmen. Gillespie's fielding is also apparently not too flash, and you factor in that he hasn't played a single game yet for NZ and all up it seems unlikely that he'll be included.

Ryder and How will be pushing Vincent, Marshall, Fulton and Taylor for spots. Both of them have shocking OD domestic records but have done well in 'A' tours, and How's done okay in his 10-odd ODIs. Taylor's the opposite, he has an exceptional OD domestic record (average of 60-odd) but hasn't done so well on 'A' tours, but I think he will get more chances for NZ in ODIs between now and the WC where he can press his claim.

 

[aussie]

In ODIs Blackwell is definitely not a batsman who can bowl a bit - his bowling has been far and away his strongest suit somewhat bizarrely, but in both disciplines he's been worse than Giles, so cannot expect to go if Giles is fit.

.

I don't think there is much separating either Gilo or Blackwell's bowling.

What would the point of a 2nd keeper be in a limited squad?

If the worst were to happen, Trescothick can fill in..

Why not Australia & possibly Sri Lanka may carry back up keepers in there squads. But if you look at a possible squad of 15 for England, the batsmen would be Trescothick, Bell, Strauss, KP, Colly, Joyce, allrounder in Flintoff, Dalrymple, bowlers in Giles, Harmison, Anderson, Broad, Gough/Tremlett/Chapple & keeper in Read. Overall adds up to 14, so the last spot could either go to an extra bat, seamer, spinner, all-rounder or Keeper.

I would've thought the fact he's not been near a call up on this tour suggests the Pakistani selectors don't like the look of him as much as other players they have...

Possibly but Pakistan still have a few ODI's to play between no & the world cup so i won't be surprised if he makes the WC sqaud.

 

[marc71178]

I don't think there is much separating either Gilo or Blackwell's bowling.

Apart from the majority of Giles' bowling being in unhelpful conditions you mean?

.Why not Australia & possibly Sri Lanka may carry back up keepers in there squads.

So what if they do? It is a wasted spot in a limited squad, and when you don't lose much by getting Trescothick to cover there's absolutely no need to put him in.

Possibly but Pakistan still have a few ODI's to play between no & the world cup so i won't be surprised if he makes the WC sqaud.

Yes, they're playing a series at the moment, and he's not in the squad or by any reports actually close to being in judging by the number of players they've had over here this summer.

 

[IndianByHeart]

PAKISTAN:

1.Inzamam
2.Akmal
3.Malik
4.Hafeez
5.Younis
6.Yousuf
7.Iqbal
8.Afridi
9.Razzaq
10.Arafat
11.Akhtar
12.Asif
13.Naved
14.Gul
15.Kaneria


.

I don't believe it, a Pakistani team without sensational Sami?? How can it be?
Sami will get a place in the team coz he has some pace, never mind his consistently lowsy performance.The likes of Arafat and Gul might find it hard to make it especially when there is possibility of Shabbir making a comeback if he gets cleared for suspect action.
Kaneria should never be in the team as his Oneday performance has always been terrible and even in test cricket he's way overrated.Also Pak have three spin in Afridi,Malik and Hafeez, don't need another one that too when he's least effective.

The way Akmal has fared lately behind the stumps, Pak might be tempted to have another WK in the team.If Akmal fares well after English series then he might be the lone wk, however if he continue to struggle then Pak has an headace.

My team.

Hafeez
Malik
Younis
Inzi
Yousuf
Razzak
Afridi
Rana
Akmal
Akhtar
Asif

--Farhat/butt.... Close call, on the basis of current performance its clearly going to be Farhat, However i prefer Butt over Farhat.If Butt find his form with the bat b/f the cup then he might get the nod.

--Faisal/Bazid/Asim/Shahid....Asim Kamal has never been tested in Onedayer, so he can count himself out.Faisal seems to be a safe bet only coz he's the most experiance out of the 4, however i would go for a more talented in Shahid Yousuf, even though he's inexperianced.

--Gul/Sami... Clealry Gul, however i seriously think that Sami will again get a place in the team.

--Arafat/Nazir/Shabbir... If Shabbir get his action cleared (i seriously doubt that though) then clearly Shabbir should be in team.Otherwise its going to be a close call b/w Nazir and Arafat.

 

[IndianByHeart]

INDIA:

1.Dravid
2.Dhoni
3.Tendulkar
4.Sehwag
5.Yuvraj
6.Kaif
7.Raina
8.Mongia
9.Powar
10.Harbhajan
11.Pathan
12.Agarkar
13.Patel
14.Sreesanth
15.Khan


.

There should be room for Kumble in team, his experiance can be vital for Indian team.Also if Ganguly's presence is not detrimental to the team then i would like to have in possibly in place of Mongia.

Khan's selection is justified in light of his recent performance and he should be preferred over likes of VRV,VRS, Balaji etc.

 

[IndianByHeart]

So here my India and Pakistan squad.

INDIA.

Tendulkar
Sehwag
Dravid
Yuvraj
Raina
Dhoni
Pathan
Powar
Munaf
Sreesanth
Harb

--KHan
--Ganguly (can open if Tend/Seh is unavailable and can bowl effectively too)
--Kaif
--Ajit.

Pakistan

Hafeez
Malik
Younis
Inzi
Yousuf
Razzak
Akmal
Afridi
Naveed
Akhtar
Asif

--Gul
--Shabbir (dependent on his clearnce)
--Shahid Yousuf
--Butt.

 

[IndianByHeart]

ENGLAND:

1.Strauss
2.Read
3.Trescothick
4.Bell
5.Pietersen
6.Collingwood
7.Joyce
8.Flintoff
9.Dalrymple
10.Blackwell
11.Giles
12.Gough
13.Harmison
14.Anderson
15.Broad

.

Why isn't Panesar in the squad? i think he should get a place.
And where the hell is Jones?? don't tell me that he won't even make it to WC either.Its a shame to lose a champion bowler for so long coz of injury.

Hoggard should also be in the team.

 

[aussie]

Why isn't Panesar in the squad? i think he should get a place.
And where the hell is Jones?? don't tell me that he won't even make it to WC either.Its a shame to lose a champion bowler for so long coz of injury.

Hoggard should also be in the team.

I dont think Panesar is ODI material just as yet, Giles has done well for England in ODI's so if fit he should play no doubt. Jones its highly unlikely he will go because of his injury & he wont have played enough cricket, Jones is better of preparing himself for next season.

Hoggard is not a good enough ODI bowler so he should not be picked.

 

[Tim]

NEW ZEALAND:

1.Fleming
2.McCullum
3.Vincent
4.Astle
5.Styris
6.Marshall
7.Fulton
8.Taylor
9.Oram
10.Adams
11.Franklyn
12.Mills
13.Bond
14.Vettori
15.Patel

Well im going to assume that we have no serious injuries from now until the World Cup. The bulk of that squad will go to the World Cup but Adams, Franklin, Taylor, Fulton, Marshall and maybe even Astle will need to perform well as I don't think they are certain selections.

Im not convinced about Franklin as an ODI option as he is far too expensive and it does not appear he has improved over the season for Glamorgan. Adams is currently languishing in 2nd XI cricket for Essex struggling for form and fitness, but I believe he has the X-factor for ODI cricket, he can make vital break throughs with the ball or blaze a quick 30 runs..he's just a bit too unpredictable e.g. his brainmelt in the last world cup against Australia. Taylor needs to play a few more games but he'll really need to take his opportunities..much like Marshall and Fulton will have to. Astle is a concern because he has been appalling for Lancashire this season, it's a real worry if you ask me.

I've seen Mark Gillespie a few times and I think he's got genuine pace. There is just a concern over his attitude and fielding ability at times but I think they need to give him a chance soon, preferably in the Champions Trophy. Jesse Ryder likewise, I think he should be given a chance to open with Vincent.

So I think out of the 15, there are about 5 or 6 contentious spots for Bracewell and co to mull over and we have alot of ODI cricket to come before the World Cup so hopefully we can get it sorted come March 2007.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Haddin won't go. Hussey will be back-up keeper.

 

[AussieDominance]

what about jaques i think he used to keep a bit in Sydney Grade and Hussey can bowl handy mediums

 

[aussie]

i'd say Haddin's is about 80% assured of going to the WC.

 

[AussieDominance]

id say about 40% chance as it is only a squad of 15

 

[aussie]

id say about 40% chance as it is only a squad of 15

well with the Australian selectors trying to preserve Gilchrist during this twilight part of his career as much of possible, in such a long tournament as the WC i'm pretty certain Haddin will go as back-up.

 

[marc71178]

How long is it though?

The games per day ratio is surely much higher than in something like a tri-series.

 

[hyper878]

I think PAK will lose

well i would like to say some thing about **** playerz!
i m a **** and sry to all ****'s!!
but i cant controll ma self
we had all good playerz!
like our faster bowler shoaib akter mohammed asif abdur razzak
and few more!
we r loosing all of em!
and fr this i think we will loose the world cup!and i think pak can never win abmgladesh with this team!
i m afraid of tat time!
and i wish the playerz wich r liek inzy afridy akmal danish and some more dwont leave the team!
or its better fr pak to get the hell out of the world cup and give some other team a chance!
sniffz!
tataz wat i would like to say
well lets forget about this and would any one liek to join ma comp?
1173121772 :P
hey plz dont delete this post if u want to jus message me!
thx!all urs cricket fanz!fr every!

 

[Pup Clarke]

well i would like to say some thing about **** playerz!
i m a **** and sry to all ****'s!!
but i cant controll ma self
we had all good playerz!
like our faster bowler shoaib akter mohammed asif abdur razzak
and few more!
we r loosing all of em!
and fr this i think we will loose the world cup!and i think pak can never win abmgladesh with this team!
i m afraid of tat time!
and i wish the playerz wich r liek inzy afridy akmal danish and some more dwont leave the team!
or its better fr pak to get the hell out of the world cup and give some other team a chance!
sniffz!
tataz wat i would like to say
well lets forget about this and would any one liek to join ma comp?
1173121772 :P
hey plz dont delete this post if u want to jus message me!
thx!all urs cricket fanz!fr every!

 

[Hoppy1987]

Who's going to win the WC then?