**Official** 2004 Natwest Series (Eng, NZL, WI)

[meatspx]

No there hasn't. Before this series, the minimum overs required for a result was 25 per side.

Well no.....during the 1992 World Cup the minimum no. of overs was 15

New Zealand vs Zimbabwe was a game where the NZers were desperately trying to bowl more than 15 overs, and just succedded. Martin Crowe even considered dropping a catch to make sure they bowled their allotment of overs.

So yeah...this wouldn't be the first match to have been played in such little overs.

 

[roseboy64]

Pietersen looks to be a good player.Why would anybody want to play for England instead of Africa?Maybe he wasn't good enough for South African cricket.

 

[wpdavid]

Pietersen looks to be a good player.Why would anybody want to play for England instead of Africa?Maybe he wasn't good enough for South African cricket.

He came over here complaining about the quota system which he claimed was hindering his progress in SA. Maybe you're right that he just wasn't good enough to establish himself there.

 

[roseboy64]

Has the match been called off?

 

[Langeveldt]

He came over here complaining about the quota system which he claimed was hindering his progress in SA. Maybe you're right that he just wasn't good enough to establish himself there.

I heard his skin was a horrible shade of white...

Now he will be playing for England... good one...

 

[marc71178]

I suppose Tresco would be your main example, and not without justification.

And the bowling attack.

Harmison anyone?

 

[marc71178]

He came over here complaining about the quota system which he claimed was hindering his progress in SA. Maybe you're right that he just wasn't good enough to establish himself there.

I find it hard to believe that he wasn't good enough to even play at FC level over there.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Pietersen looks to be a good player.Why would anybody want to play for England instead of Africa?Maybe he wasn't good enough for South African cricket.

Erm...because we're IMO as good as them.

I'd say the series coming up will be mighty close.

 

[Langeveldt]

I find it hard to believe that he wasn't good enough to even play at FC level over there.

He was, read my comment up the page...

 

[wpdavid]

And the bowling attack.

Harmison anyone?

Until the Oval last summer, SH's test performances were as poor as his CC record would suggest. IIRC the improvement was down to a combination of Cooley and SH having a series of wakeup calls by not getting a central contract, getting a load of flack after coming home from Bangladesh and finally training with NUFC. What is certain is that, if he was to play for Durham in the forseeable future, the locals would see a vastly better player than they remember from when he used to play for them.

Anyway, the conversation was originally about batsmen. Bowlers who aren't yet the finished article will always have the safety net that if they bowl a poor spell they can always come back later and try again. Batsmen don't, which is why Bell, for all his "class" (whatever that means) isn't likely to cut it at international level if he can't manage a decent average against what passes for county attacks on the current batsman friendly tracks.

 

[Revelation]

Two words: English Selectors.....don't worry....they seem to coem from the same stock that WI selectors do.

 

[Langeveldt]

Two words: English Selectors.....don't worry....they seem to coem from the same stock that WI selectors do.

Not so..

English selectors are all for persevering with random players who don't look good enough but have been around for a while.. And they do this until there really is no hope (or they are averaging 9 with the bat in 20 odd matches)

WI selectors seem to be a bit more ruthless, yet just as incompetent.. With a penchant for picking guys out of the blue, who look good, but are so inexperienced..

 

[wpdavid]

Not so..

English selectors are all for persevering with random players who don't look good enough but have been around for a while.. And they do this until there really is no hope (or they are averaging 9 with the bat in 20 odd matches)

Trueish in ODI's but not so in tests. There's been more consistency and sense in the selection of the English test side over the last 4 years than at any time since I started watching the game.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

WI selectors seem to be a bit more ruthless, yet just as incompetent.. With a penchant for picking guys out of the blue, who look good, but are so inexperienced..

That said, the WI selectors have unearthed in the last year or two look to be real raw diamonds:

Fidel Edwards
Ravi Rampaul
Tino Best
Jermaine Lawson
Dwayne Bravo
Even Dwayne Smith

That against England's:

Anthony McGrath (who IMO is better than what he's shown so far)
Rikki Clarke
Ian Blackwell
James Anderson
Andrew Strauss
Steve Harmison

Overall I'd say the West Indies have spotted more gold than their English counterparts.

 

[Mingster]

What about thjis for NatWest XI

Stephen Fleming (c)
Chris Gayle
Hamish Marshall
Andrew Strauss
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Andrew Flintoff
Chris Cairns
Jacob Oram
Gareth Hopkins+
Ian Bradshaw
Stephen Harmisson

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

What about thjis for NatWest XI

Stephen Fleming (c)
Chris Gayle
Hamish Marshall
Andrew Strauss
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Andrew Flintoff
Chris Cairns
Jacob Oram
Gareth Hopkins+
Ian Bradshaw
Stephen Harmisson

Hopkins by default alone surely? Dwayne Bravo has to be there for his bowling.

 

[roseboy64]

I think so too.Just one bad game and he's the leading wicket taker.

 

[Mingster]

Hopkins by default alone surely? Dwayne Bravo has to be there for his bowling.

Well Hopkins was by far the most tidy keeper on display. Bravo did have a bad game, who would you replace Bravo for?

 

[Tim]

Well it would have to come down to either Cairns, Oram or Bradshaw..let's not forget that Oram has opened the bowling in this series so there could be justification to leave out Bradshaw & have Bravo.

 

[Tim]

Chris Gayle would have been lucky to be there if he hadn't scored that century. Apart from Fleming no other opener in the series really batted that well at all.