*Official* England in Bangladesh Thread

[Rich2001]

Anyway i know its been said plenty of times before on here but it can be said again what on earth is ricky clarke doing playing. Typical London bias(or should that be Surrey bias), Collingwood is by far the better option or even another bowler in this game(against Bangladesh im sure Reid could bat at 6.)2 seamers seems plain daft, to accomodate 2 very average spinners.If we had Warne and Macgill to get in the side or spinners of quality i could understand the policy but lets be honest neither Giles or Batty are really, well any good at all.

I have to agree Collingwood has proved himself to be the far better batsman and IMO is a far better bowler too.

On the 2 spinners view, i agree as well... with only 15 overs there has been no sign of the spinners so unsure excatly how the pitch will play, but it was obvious today it was obvious in the warm up's and it's been obvious in the whole time that Bangladesh have played Test cricket that their weakness is agaist a moving ball (I mean a swinging ball ok :P ) and Hoggard has been getting good movment in his 7 overs so to play just Hoggard is a strange decision to say the least, it has been shown on tour that Saggers is clearly in that mode and taken wickets, Johnson gets less swing but still has the capiblites to move it when he wants. Harmison if he bowls in their half of the pitch it's a once in a lifetime event not to be missed!

The spinners are about the same standard and basically they couldn't leave Batty out as he has out performed Giles thus far and they seem to love Giles enough to refuse to drop him over Batty so have taken the cowards way out and played both, IMO Batty probley should have been given the nod based on tour figures and Clarke shouldn't have been anywhere near the team sheet (based on his "performances" if you can call them that so far) I could have lived with Collingwood or Saggers/Johnson in there, because quite frankly if Trsco, Vaughan, Thrope, Butch, Nasser etc couldn't get enough runs on the board then we deserve to lose :rolleyes:

 

[luckyeddie]

I listened to an interview with Harmison just after the close of play and he said that he has made a conscious effort to pitch the ball up (about time).

When he does that, he forces the batsman to play more often than not - and he gets swing too. His height is a major asset - he will always get the ball to lift more than most others so why bother pitching it short?

I'll give the guy credit - he looks twice the bowler now compared to when he first made the team (not difficult, I know).

 

[marc71178]

Seems to me over the last couple of matches he has picked up the baton and run with it.

And is fulfilling what the selectors saw in him a long while ago, but people kept doubting him!

 

[Richard]

How annoying when you get up at that ungodly hour of the morning and its raining.Anyway i know its been said plenty of times before on here but it can be said again what on earth is ricky clarke doing playing. Typical London bias(or should that be Surrey bias), Collingwood is by far the better option or even another bowler in this game(against Bangladesh im sure Reid could bat at 6.)2 seamers seems plain daft, to accomodate 2 very average spinners.If we had Warne and Macgill to get in the side or spinners of quality i could understand the policy but lets be honest neither Giles or Batty are really, well any good at all.

London, or Surrey, bias?
Isn't it more likely that the fact that Clarke's FC-average is 9 higher than Collingwood's is being reflected in selection?
And don't go on that rubbish about "you can't judge on statistics". You can, and it's all you can fairly judge on.

 

[PY]

London, or Surrey, bias?
Isn't it more likely that the fact that Clarke's FC-average is 9 higher than Collingwood's is being reflected in selection?
And don't go on that rubbish about "you can't judge on statistics". You can, and it's all you can fairly judge on.

Collingwood is proven to have the mental toughness at international level.....our friend Rikki hasn't.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

And don't go on that rubbish about "you can't judge on statistics". You can, and it's all you can fairly judge on.

Fairly judge? That means that Graeme Hick is a better batsman than Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Brian Lara, Adam Gilchrist and Viv Richards :wow:.

 

[Tim]

lol Rikki Clarke starts with 2 overs for 12 runs as 3rd seamer while the other bowlers all have fairly tidy spells so far.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

And Vaughan has wisely decided not to use Clarke as a bowler again.

Hints of rain in the air as Giles comes back in the 64th over. Bangla at 132/5 (Rahman 34*, Mashud 27* - partnership of 60). Harmison continues to impress with 3-27 from 20 overs today. Vaughan will be kicking himself for a difficult drop of Mashud at 23 - Rahman is hitting the ball all over the place lately with 13 from the last 13 balls.

I think eventually Giles, Harmison or Hoggard will break through and trigger a Bangla batting collapse to 200. Hoggard just bowled a good bouncer.

EDIT: LE's Rikkiter scale must have been smashed to pieces - Clarke just removed Mashud lbw for 51 to leave Bangla at 182/8 - could end up pretty close to my prediction.

 

[Bazza]

Well Clarke got the vital breakthrough.

Bangladesh 203 all out, Harmison 5-35! :O :O

Apparently he bowled really well though - wish I'd seen it, I just can;t picture it! :P No apparently he was our best bowler, though Hoggard and Batty also bowled well it seems. Giles was turning it but didn't get any success.

I can definitely see Batty becoming our premier spinner soon. Oops, maybe I'm getting carried away...

England are 62-0 in reply atm, with 17 overs left today. Vaughan took an age to get going but is really hotting up now, while Trescothick looks in good touch. At one point England had 34 with Trescothick 32 and Vaughan 1. Vaughan had 1 off 36 balls at one stage and was looking really scratchy. He had a bit of luck to survive but now is making hay, with 20 off 51 ballls , 3 fours. Trescothick has 41 off 69 balls, 7 fours.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

England just made a crazy decision - 5 ovs left, no wicket lost, both Trescothick and Vaughan in demonic form and they accept the light and walk off??? OK, I don't watch the match, but that sounds very weird to me.

Anyway, England 111/0 at stumps, Trescothick 77* from 112 balls with 13 fours and a six, Vaughan 30* from 76 balls with 5 fours.

Very good English batting at the moment - I can see them cruising to 500/4 tomorrow, before declaring and bowling Bangladesh out on the fourth and fifth day.

 

[Rik]

And is fulfilling what the selectors saw in him a long while ago, but people kept doubting him!

Or just cashing in against a team who have the sum total of 2 good batsmen...

 

[Rik]

I saw an interview with Vaughan before the Test and he said Clarke was exactly the kind of player they need to give experiance and stick with...Oh no not another free ride

Thanks to Ch4 typically taking the **** again, there are no highlights of this tour...which means I'm going to have to "live" the game through Cricinfo...AGAIN

 

[luckyeddie]

Or just cashing in against a team who have the sum total of 2 good batsmen...

Sometimes, you talk a lot of sense, Rik.

This time, however (Harmison), is not one of them (although your following remark about Clarke is, IMO).

Match report for day 2 posted

match report for those too lazy to go back to front page (Mr Ponting)

 

[luckyeddie]

Thanks to Ch4 typically taking the **** again, there are no highlights of this tour...which means I'm going to have to "live" the game through Cricinfo...AGAIN

Doesn't forgive your condemnation of Harmison on this occasion (free rides etc). Remember the last test against South Africa? Were they sub-standard too?

 

[Rik]

Doesn't forgive your condemnation of Harmison on this occasion (free rides etc). Remember the last test against South Africa? Were they sub-standard too?

Just because a bowler takes a cheap 5for against Bangladesh does not mean they are repaying anything.

I'll take your bet and double it, Harmison bowled well once during the entire series, yet you conventiently forget that he was almost appaulingly sub-standard during the entire series up till the last Test...

 

[Rik]

Sometimes, you talk a lot of sense, Rik.

This time, however (Harmison), is not one of them (although your following remark about Clarke is, IMO).

Match report for day 2 posted

match report for those too lazy to go back to front page (Mr Ponting)

If Marc wants to say that he can, but I don't see any performance against Bangladesh as definative proof of anything being forfilled. Remember Harmison against Zimbabwe? Yes he cashed in, but do you remember the 1st 3 Tests against South Africa? No? I'll remind you, Graeme Smith wacked everyone around and Harmison looked like a rabbit in the headlights, oh and James Kirtley came in and out-bowled him on Test debut...
There's enough evidence for Marc to laugh off...

 

[luckyeddie]

The point that many people have been making is that Harmison is a much-improved bowler now (and still far from the finished article). I'm quite encouraged by his improvement - and if Simon Jones fully recovers, England in a year or so could have one of the most hostile attacks in world cricket.

Then again, it could be a flash in the pan, but even miseryguts (Bob Willis) has been hard-pressed to say anything detrimental about the guy of late (and he used to rate Harmison even lower than Rik does).

 

[Rik]

The point that many people have been making is that Harmison is a much-improved bowler now (and still far from the finished article). I'm quite encouraged by his improvement - and if Simon Jones fully recovers, England in a year or so could have one of the most hostile attacks in world cricket.

Then again, it could be a flash in the pan, but even miseryguts (Bob Willis) has been hard-pressed to say anything detrimental about the guy of late (and he used to rate Harmison even lower than Rik does).

Well the problem is I still haven't seen anything pointing to an improvement. 4-60 in the last Test against South Africa doesn't make up for his displays in the other Tests in the Series, Wickets against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh don't prove anything because they are by far the weakest batting teams in the world, and not even County Standard.

I have my opinion, you have yours.

 

[marc71178]

England just made a crazy decision - 5 ovs left, no wicket lost, both Trescothick and Vaughan in demonic form and they accept the light and walk off??? OK, I don't watch the match, but that sounds very weird to me.

Sounds like the umpires played their part in it from LE's report.

 

[marc71178]

Or just cashing in against a team who have the sum total of 2 good batsmen...

For crying out loud, you have a go at him when he performed as well as the rest of the attack in his early matches against the top 2 batting sides in the world on generally good pitches.

Then you have a go when he gets the things in his favour and performs well.

If he'd taken 10-0 off 2 overs you'd still complain that he bowled 2 balls that didn't get men out!