England Squad for Bangladesh & Sri Lanka

[SpaceMonkey]

Well with england playing an extra spinning for the winter tour, and flintoff automatically taking 1 seamers spot that just leaves 2 seamer spots left.
Hoggard will almost certainly take one of them.
That leaves 1 spot left with the likes of Johnson / Harmison / Anderson / Kirtley to fight for.
Johnson has shown that if he is fit he is one of our best bowlers which means he will get the left over place, and i cant see them taking both Harmison and Anderson to sit on their heels for 2 months.
You're probably be right that it will be Anderson who will spend the first part at the acadamy but i wouldnt be totally shocked if Harmison was given to Troy Cooley at the Acadamy to try and smooth out his action a bit.

 

[marc71178]

There's also the fact that the conditions in SL and Bang are more likely to be condusive to bowlers who give it a bit of shape than those that are pace merchants.

For me:

Vaughan
Trescothick
Butcher
Thorpe
Hussain
Collingwood
Read
Flintoff
Giles
Batty
Hoggard
Johnson
Kirtley
Bicknell
Foster
Smith

 

[Neil Pickup]

I'd take Harmison rather than one of Johnson/Bicknell as 1) he's going to lead the attack for 7/8 years, no time like now to learn, 2) let's get some Bangladeshi rabbits and 3) some variety please in the attack. Freddy might need a break at some point...

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I'd take Harmison rather than one of Johnson/Bicknell as 1) he's going to lead the attack for 7/8 years, no time like now to learn, 2) let's get some Bangladeshi rabbits and 3) some variety please in the attack. Freddy might need a break at some point...

1/ I'm not sold on that yet.
2/ Those rabbits are maturing...
3/ Very true.

Overall, I think Harmison should go to Bangladesh. Personally I would have sacked him before the Zimbabwe series. However, the England selectors have faith in him and seem willing to persist, so I would send him. Gough showed a couple years back that a foreign pace bowler can do well on the subcontinent. I can't see it harming his game, as he has probably already seen the worst of his international career already.

 

[marc71178]

I don't think anyone can deny that Harmison has come on in leaps and bounds this summer, and the selectors are beginning to get rewarded for their faith.

 

[Bazza]

Harmison finally looked like a test match bowler at The Oval for me. Still alot of loose balls (so bad they couldn't be punished!), but he's improving, and has to go on tour surely!

For me:

Vaughan
Trescothick
Butcher
Hussain
Thorpe
Flintoff
Read
Giles
Croft
Harmison
Anderson
Collingwood
Strauss
Jones (Geraint)
Johnson
Hoggard

 

[marc71178]

If Croft goes then Gareth Batty may as well pack up the game.

Surely being called up twice this summer suggests he's 2nd in line to Ashley Giles!

 

[Bazza]

It does, but I personally would take Croft. His batting is much improved (at least the equal of Giles), as has his fielding. He also boasts these stats overseas:

9 394.2 863 35 5/95 7/143 24.65 2.18 67.6

Giles:

12 565 1344 42 5/67 7/132 32.00 2.37 80.7 2 0

As you can see both players boast much better records away form home, but Croft was always a good bowler and very effective overseas.

I accept he probably won't go, having shot himself in the foot by not going to India (Giles took 17 wickets at 24), but I'm just saying I would take him, the same way you would take Foster, Smith, Bicknell (thought he was only effective in English conditions?) and Kirtley.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Vaughan
Trescothick
Butcher
Hussain
Thorpe
Flintoff
Read
Giles
Croft
Harmison
Anderson
Collingwood
Strauss
Jones (Geraint)
Johnson
Hoggard

Isn't Geraint Jones still in his debut season? Personally I wouldn't select him for England yet. They should give him at least one more season of FC cricket first.

At 33, is Croft really in the future of England cricket? Some may argue the same for Giles, but he is 30 and I just think that if you're going to replace him, pick someone who will be around and contributing at the next WC and beyond. That said, there probably isn't anyone worthy of replacing Giles at this stage in his (the potential replacement's) career.

 

[Langeveldt]

At 33, is Croft really in the future of England cricket?

Im fed up with this argument, if he is the best man for the job, then take him... Lets concentrate on winning games now rather than whats going to happen in the future, most of which we have no control over...

 

[Neil Pickup]

Assuming we take 16:

Vaughan
Trescothick
Butcher
Hussain
Thorpe
Flintoff
Read
Giles
Harmison
Anderson
Collingwood
Hoggard

Those 12 are certainties.

We then need a second keeper, extra batsman, and two more bowlers - a spinner and either a seamer or third spinner.

Keeper: James Foster vs Geraint Jones
Foster has experience of Test Cricket and whilst not setting the world alight, he hasn't Dawson-ed either. However, he has very little with the bat this year. Jones has tailed off since mid-summer with the bat and is still inexperienced. Foster - just

Batsman: Andrew Strauss - Anthony McGrath - Ed Smith
Both McGrath and Smith have failed to grasp hold of their chances this summer, with Smith looking out of his depth and McGrath's extra string of bowling being of very little use in the sub-continent. This leaves the in-form and consistent Strauss - who also offers cover as an opener as favourite for the position. He may even perceivably be taken as cover behind the stumps.

Spinner: Gareth Batty vs Robert Croft
Croft may be worth a shot for the ODI matches with his batting and fielding but Batty is likely to earn the Test call on the basis of his being Giles' deputy all summer.

Bowler: Batty/Croft - Richard Johnson - Martin Bicknell - James Kirtley - Kabir Ali
It's unlikely to be a spinner as Vaughan provides a competent third spin option and Kabir Ali has not impressed in England colours. Bicknell is not likely to tour somewhere where swing will be negligible which leaves Kirtley and Johnson - this might go either way but personally... I'd take both with Strauss as reserve wicket-keeper.

Vaughan
Trescothick
Butcher
Hussain
Thorpe
Strauss
Collingwood
Flintoff
Read
Batty
Giles
Johnson
Kirtley
Harmison
Anderson
Hoggard

 

[Rik]

I can't see England leaving Anderson out of the Bangladesh tour, and he will play in all the ODIs. Harmison will probably go though I doubt he will have much joy, the pitches over there have never suited fast bouncy bowlers. Batty and Giles will play, Flintoff as the all-rounder and I reccon Anderson + probably Kirtley or Hoggard (performing his stock role like in the 1st Test against Zimbabwe) as the seamers. I wouldn't want to play both Harmison and Anderson as the only speciallist seamers and Anderson is the better bowler, and should be raring to go after his long-overdue break. That said I don't want England to go into a Test without a young bowler, they need to learn and Bangladesh are a good team to get your confidence up against. Harmison will be used more in the West Indies, although again I doubt he will get much joy with the batting line-up the WIndies have.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Well, this is what Wisden/CricInfo think:

England Test squad (possible)
Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe, Nasser Hussain, Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Chris Read (wk), Geraint Jones (wk), Ashley Giles, Robert Croft, James Kirtley, Martin Bicknell, Steve Harmison, Richard Johnson, Matthew Hoggard.

England one-day squad (possible)
Michael Vaughan (capt), Vikram Solanki, Marcus Trescothick, Jamie Troughton, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Rikki Clarke, Andrew Flintoff, Chris Read (wk), Ashley Giles, Gareth Batty, Darren Gough, Richard Johnson, James Kirtley, Matthew Hoggard.

Note the lack of Anderson, and the complete disagreement with me over the second spinner

 

[marc71178]

I must say I agree with Rik about Harmison in this instant, the ptiches don't really suit, and it may be better to hold him back for the Windies - gives him a good break, and utilises him where conditions are best for him.

 

[marc71178]

It does, but I personally would take Croft. His batting is much improved (at least the equal of Giles)

As good as Giles before this season maybe, but not any more.

He also boasts these stats overseas:
9 394.2 863 35 5/95 7/143 24.65 2.18 67.6

Giles:
12 565 1344 42 5/67 7/132 32.00 2.37 80.7 2 0

As you can see both players boast much better records away form home, but Croft was always a good bowler and very effective overseas.

Interestingly enough, Giles has outperformed the man generally regarded as the greatest leggie of all time in both India and Pakistan - and his Asian record is IMO good enough to suggest he could well be the key man in the first half of the winter.

Croft is IMO a backward step, and it'd be a better option asking the Cat to return.

 

[Rik]

I must say I agree with Rik about Harmison in this instant, the ptiches don't really suit, and it may be better to hold him back for the Windies - gives him a good break, and utilises him where conditions are best for him.

As Andre said to me, it's a good idea to have a "horses for courses" policy. Anderson is likely to get more out of the pitches in Bangladesh compared to Harmison, he also swings the ball and would be a good pick. Really we need Hoggard back because he did a superb job in India last time, blocking up an end. Unfortunately the England selectors are about as smart as my breakfast cerial and will end up taking both and playing Harmison in every Test. Hell they will probably take Bicknell even though the conditions in every one of the countries England are visiting this winter will not suit him.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Croft is IMO a backward step, and it'd be a better option asking the Cat to return.

And considering his Ashes exploits in 2001....

 

[marc71178]

As Andre said to me, it's a good idea to have a "horses for courses" policy. Anderson is likely to get more out of the pitches in Bangladesh compared to Harmison, he also swings the ball and would be a good pick. Really we need Hoggard back because he did a superb job in India last time, blocking up an end. Unfortunately the England selectors are about as smart as my breakfast cerial and will end up taking both and playing Harmison in every Test. Hell they will probably take Bicknell even though the conditions in every one of the countries England are visiting this winter will not suit him.

For once we agree on the Harmison situation, but I expect the selectors don't.

I feel a spell in the Academy would be more useful to him at this stage, especially since he's likely to be a part of our attack for a long time to come, whether we like it or not.

Still, Cricket is a funny game, and if he goes, he may end up with a stackful of wickets!