Can the VB Series be England's saviour?

[jf2001]

Watch OUt for Blackwell

I expect exciting stuff from Ian Blackwell if given the chance by England. His batting can be really destructive and he is useful for a few overs with his spin...:O

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by jf2001
I expect exciting stuff from Ian Blackwell if given the chance by England. His batting can be really destructive and he is useful for a few overs with his spin...:O

Yeah but Blackwell, Flintoff, Collingwood and Irani...all destructive and all capable bowlers. Also I heard Nick Knight mentioning Snape as a suprise package. It will be interisting to see how he does as he's done allright so far but has played mostly against teams who are strong at playing spin and he's had to fight with Giles for a place in the squad...which won't be a problem now, he's got the entire series to impress in. He's not an orthodox spinner either. Watch out for him.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I think that we'll make the final - just - over Sri Lanka (their pace attackl being the weakness), but get beat 3-0.

 

[marc71178]

he's had to fight with Giles for a place in the squad...which won't be a problem now, he's got the entire series to impress in.

Not necessarily, that squad is only for the 1st 4 games, Giles should be fit for the second 4, and will probably come back.

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by marc71178

he's had to fight with Giles for a place in the squad...which won't be a problem now, he's got the entire series to impress in.

Not necessarily, that squad is only for the 1st 4 games, Giles should be fit for the second 4, and will probably come back.

I'm not sure though, I've heard nothing about him for a while and before he left Australia he wasn't even sounding too confident of being fit for the Tests after the ODI series...

 

[marc71178]

He's stated he should be fit, and I think they'll want to get him back for the ODI's, even if they keep Dawson in the Tests.

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by marc71178
He's stated he should be fit, and I think they'll want to get him back for the ODI's, even if they keep Dawson in the Tests.

Ok fair enough, I hope Snape does well though, he's more than a useful player. But I would prefer Giles to Dawson in the Tests, people keep saying how well Dawson bowls and how he should be Yorkshire captain but he's not really done anything of note yet...

 

[Anil]

Originally posted by Rik

Originally posted by jf2001
I expect exciting stuff from Ian Blackwell if given the chance by England. His batting can be really destructive and he is useful for a few overs with his spin...:O

Yeah but Blackwell, Flintoff, Collingwood and Irani...all destructive and all capable bowlers. Also I heard Nick Knight mentioning Snape as a suprise package. It will be interisting to see how he does as he's done allright so far but has played mostly against teams who are strong at playing spin and he's had to fight with Giles for a place in the squad...which won't be a problem now, he's got the entire series to impress in. He's not an orthodox spinner either. Watch out for him.

Blackwell, Irani, Collingwood & Flintoff destructive? No way. Bits and pieces players at best except for maybe a fully fit Flintoff who can be termed a batting all-rounder. True Blackwell had that great game against India(that too as a batsman) and Irani had one good game in the Natwest, but to qualify them as destructive and/or capable bowlers based on that(what else is there to base that argument on? and don't quote me stats from domestic cricket, they really don't mean that much) is ridiculous.

The fact is that because of the injuries, England has a very young and inexperienced squad and the bowling is severely depleted. Add to that the fact that they are a bruised and battered side from the test series, it is an understatement to say that their chances don't look very bright.

SL will miss Murali and Jayasuriya, sure and they will struggle against Australia, but to say that they will struggle against this English side is the height of optimism.

 

[Bazza]

Well we beat SL in the summer without some key players, what's so different?

 

[Rik]

Im sorry but Flintoff has destroyed many a ODI bowling attack. Blackwell has the ability to become another Flintoff and can be a useful Bowler. Irani is a destructive batsman and a very capable bowler, he has proved quite a bit lately even in the ICC Trophy. Collingwood made 71* against India a year ago in India off not many balls and he has done very well lately as a finisher and is also a useful bowler. I don't know what you have against them, they have all proved themselves to be International Standard except Blackwell who needs a few more games yet. Kirtley will enjoy the wickets over in Australia and is a very good bowler. So I don't know what you've got a problem with with this squad. They won't take the Test Series to heart, they will look at the ODI series as a different series all together which it is. The Test Series result will have no effect on the ODI series for England.

 

[marc71178]

It's also a lot different squad to the Test squad, which can only be good.

 

[Tim]

I don't think you can call Paul Collingwood a proven performer as yet after 26 ODI's when he averages 24 with the bat & 45 with the ball.

 

[Anil]

Originally posted by Rik
Im sorry but Flintoff has destroyed many a ODI bowling attack. Blackwell has the ability to become another Flintoff and can be a useful Bowler. Irani is a destructive batsman and a very capable bowler, he has proved quite a bit lately even in the ICC Trophy. Collingwood made 71* against India a year ago in India off not many balls and he has done very well lately as a finisher and is also a useful bowler. I don't know what you have against them, they have all proved themselves to be International Standard except Blackwell who needs a few more games yet. Kirtley will enjoy the wickets over in Australia and is a very good bowler. So I don't know what you've got a problem with with this squad. They won't take the Test Series to heart, they will look at the ODI series as a different series all together which it is. The Test Series result will have no effect on the ODI series for England.

.....but the result will be the same nevertheless.

Honestly, I have nothing against these players, but the way you spoke of them, they sounded like a bunch of super bowlers and all-rounders. Flintoff is an explosive bat and a decent bowler, Blackwell can score quickly, Irani and Collingwood are useful bits and pieces players. None of them as far as I have seen are the "destructive" bowlers that you describe them to be(Ok, so Irani had a 5 wicket haul in the Natwest, so what? Tendulkar, I think has a couple of 5 wicket or 4 wicket hauls in one dayers, that doesn't make him a destructive bowler, does it?). The point is that you are rating them that high based on one or two international performances and you are also writing off SL just based on the absence of Murali and Jayasuriya(agreed they will be sorely missed, but it would be foolish to write the team off because of that). Comparatively England are missing several key players. So, your statement sounds patriotic, but not at all realistic, that's all.

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by Tim
I don't think you can call Paul Collingwood a proven performer as yet after 26 ODI's when he averages 24 with the bat & 45 with the ball.

When you realise he has to bat down the order in the slog overs and has finished off quite a few games then I feel he is. He's a sorta English version of your Harris, a useful bowler and a finisher with the bat.

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by anilramavarma
Honestly, I have nothing against these players, but the way you spoke of them, they sounded like a bunch of super bowlers and all-rounders. Flintoff is an explosive bat and a decent bowler, Blackwell can score quickly, Irani and Collingwood are useful bits and pieces players. None of them as far as I have seen are the "destructive" bowlers that you describe them to be(Ok, so Irani had a 5 wicket haul in the Natwest, so what? Tendulkar, I think has a couple of 5 wicket or 4 wicket hauls in one dayers, that doesn't make him a destructive bowler, does it?). The point is that you are rating them that high based on one or two international performances and you are also writing off SL just based on the absence of Murali and Jayasuriya(agreed they will be sorely missed, but it would be foolish to write the team off because of that). Comparatively England are missing several key players. So, your statement sounds patriotic, but not at all realistic, that's all.

No they are not super players but they are all useful players who can win matches for you. And Irani has been impressive with his bowling lately even after the Natwest Series, like in the ICC Champions Trophy in which he did well. I'm confident England will do well because they look a better team on paper than Sri Lanka and have had quite a bit of success against them.

 

[jaspalsinghrana]

Originally posted by Gregory Blewett
Australia vs England Final for me...

And what a final it will turn out to be, England will be annihilated by the Aussie team, not only in the prefinal games, but also in the final)if England ever make it to it)

 

[Tim]

Collingwood bats 5 or 6 for England..thats not low order!

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by Tim
Collingwood bats 5 or 6 for England..thats not low order!

...but gets booted down to 7 or 8 quite often...and is usually given 3 overs or so to boost the score up 20 runs and gets out. Also he had a poor series in NZ but has done well since.

[Edited on 4/12/2002 by Rik]

 

[age_master]

as if england can afford to have a half descant batsman batting at 7 or 8

 

[Rik]

Originally posted by age_master
as if england can afford to have a half descant batsman batting at 7 or 8

So go on, Impress me...who's your ODI number 7 then