***Official*** England in India

[silentstriker]

Dean: Did you have a chance at the halfway mark?
Dravid: Not really

 

[DanielFullard]

My inital reaction is obvious dissapointment that England lost. However, when we had Inida out for a smidge over 200 I was not as optimistic as the commentators and some England fans as I knew India would cause us severe problems.

Saying that, when Flintoff and Pietersen where playing so well I did think we had it won and Im sure most people watching the game did. But then we collapsed. Well done Harbanjanh though

 

[adharcric]

LOL @ Dravid's honesty. Really happy for Harbhajan though, finally got his wickets.

 

[adharcric]

England should really rue this. India go in with 6 batsmen and still manage only 200, that too thanks to Harbhajan the top-scorer ... and still come out on top. It's really time for England to think about Geraint Jones as a batsman. Honestly, he's utter ********. Pietersen is extremely talented but he needs to play with responsibility that suits a world-class #4 batsman. He's a bit like a Dhoni with better technique and just a little more patience. Collingwood is a real good one for England, especially in the tests ... love his temperament. Having Trescothick back will really help give some stability to this side.

Strauss and Shah can't be blamed too much, those were two great deliveries from Pathan, although they could've been handled better. Pietersen and Flintoff, as the key men, should've known better when only 3 rpo were required ... that sweep shot was deadly.

 

[DanielFullard]

I agree with what Botham said. England are guilty of changing thier team too much. For me, on this tour we should have stuck with basically the same team for Tests and ODI, with only a few changes, and just see how it worked

 

[adharcric]

I agree with what Botham said. England are guilty of changing thier team too much. For me, on this tour we should have stuck with basically the same team for Tests and ODI, with only a few changes, and just see how it worked

Yeah but I don't agree with the thing about Hoggard not playing. Sure you want stability and consistency in who will represent the nation regardless of which form of cricket it is, but don't blame guys like Ali and Plunkett for this. The bigger problem is the reckless batting, England and India have similar problems on hand with their wicketkeepers, except that Dhoni is more talented and at the moment crappier behind the stumps.

 

[Jono]

Wow, India actually has a chance of defending a 200 total. It's against England A, but its still a suprise to me.

I agree with wpdavid. The England A thing definitely rang true in the tests (Tresco, Giles, Simon Jones and Vaughan were crucial players) but even at full strength I think the England ODI team is weak, and they definitely looked better without Vaughan in their ODI team anyway. Simon Jones too isn't anything special in ODIs with an average nearing 40.

The first step to England improving in the shorter form of the game is simply getting rid of that good for nothing Geraint Jones. Everytime I see him bat in ODI cricket (Actually test cricket too, but to a lesser extent) I shake my head at how he can make the team. Shocking. Just keep Prior in ODIs, its not like Jones is anything special with the gloves that he warrants a place on his keeping alone. His ODI record is horrible with the bat. Get him out of there before the World Cup before its too late.

 

[Jono]

I agree with what Botham said. England are guilty of changing thier team too much. For me, on this tour we should have stuck with basically the same team for Tests and ODI, with only a few changes, and just see how it worked

Nah that's stupid, and it usually doesn't work. A lot of England's test players are crap in ODIs anyway. Geraint Jones, Vaughan (granted didnt play the tests), Hoggard.

Really who did they leave out that should have played?

 

[SJS]

Two sets of stupid batsmen

It was a contest between the batsmen on both sides as to who could be more inept and stupid at the crease. In what seemed like a close contest, England, with captain Flintoff showing the way, won with a fair degree of ease in the end.

 

[SJS]

Loved it! The Indian team is so hopelessly unpredictable!

It was the English batting side that provided the ultimate result.

 

[adharcric]

It was the English batting side that provided the ultimate result.

Hey, a result is a result, and at least Bhajji thinks he got that 5-fer due to his own bowling prowess!

 

[Scaly piscine]

Sounds like I can just copy Jono's signature again with slight amendment:

Another day, another typically pathetic batting performance from England, Flintoff does his usual comfortable cameo and then switches to village idiot sweeper mode.

Bowlers did all the work as usual.


Anyway you can tell it is the mickey mouse ODI stuff when Turbinator picks up a fifer and Kabir Ali gets four-fer.

 

[SJS]

Hey, a result is a result, and at least Bhajji thinks he got that 5-fer due to his own bowling prowess!

Oh Bhajji bowled well but boy do the English love the sweep. There are three types of batsmen in the world.

Firstly there are those who do not sweep and play spinners with a straight bat unless they pitch too short.

Then there are those who can play spinners very well without sweeping but once in a while they will sweep for variety, for disturbing the field or just to show that even this low percentage shot can be played well and with complete control.

Finally there are a huge majority who have absolutely no clue as to how to tackle the turning ball and resort to a horizontal sweep of the willow in the fond hope that somewhere along the line the blade will come in contact with the ball.

Most English batsmen have traditionally fallen in this category.

 

[aussie]

what the hell happpened in Delhi?, i left home this morning at 8:35 for school with KP & Freddie in full cry now i'm in school check go on cricinfo to see England lose by 39 runs , dalm..

 

[Scaly piscine]

I agree with wpdavid. The England A thing definitely rang true in the tests (Tresco, Giles, Simon Jones and Vaughan were crucial players) but even at full strength I think the England ODI team is weak, and they definitely looked better without Vaughan in their ODI team anyway. Simon Jones too isn't anything special in ODIs with an average nearing 40.

Giles becomes vaguely useful in ODIs, Tresco is still crucial. Simon Jones is an unknown because he's not really played that many ODIs, I would think if he were fit he'd be ahead of the likes of cannon fodder Kabir.

 

[honestbharani]

Yes. This is the reward for never giving hope on this match. Shame on all those fans who gave up on the Indian chances!

Guilty as charged.


But I don't give two hoots about it. We won.

 

[honestbharani]

That's our plan B, Nasser.



I know that was trollesque, but hey after 3000+ posts, I deserve the odd trollish post, right?


But I think SJS was right on the money. The pitch was tough to bat on, no doubt about it. Especially in the first innings, when there was variable bounce. When England were batting, it was only low bounce, there wasn't much variation there. That was why Freddie and KP, both predominantly front foot players with HUGE strides were playing extremely well. But what happened after that, or what happened with a majority of the Indian wickets, only they themselves can explain. If both sides keep batting this way, neither will do well in the WC.

 

[SJS]

what the hell happpened in Delhi?, i left home this morning at 8:35 for school with KP & Freddie in full cry now i'm in school check go on cricinfo to see England lose by 39 runs , dalm..

KP swept a full toss high to mid wicket, Freddie swept an over pitched delivery and was hit bang in front, Jones decided he was going to sweep even before the ball was released and by the time he realised it was a near yorker, the ball had gone past his half horizontal/half vertical bat.

Thats more or less the story.

 

[Jono]

That's our plan B, Nasser.



I know that was trollesque, but hey after 3000+ posts, I deserve the odd trollish post, right?

?

 

[honestbharani]

WEll, I think you would have watched STraight DRive where Nasser Hussain kept telling Manjrekar that India don't have a plan B in ODIs... I know one match is nothing to boast by, hence I referred my own assertion as trollesque.


Hope that explained things.