***Official*** England in India

[Kweek]

marital problems. huh...cheater :P

 

[Prince EWS]

That said, the advantage of picking Munaf Patel is that you can play a fifth bowler.

I think you've become a bit over-excited when it comes to his batting. You've mentioned him as a possible allrounder that bolsters the batting every time, but he averages under 18 with the bat in first class cricket - quite substantially less than Kumble (who just so happens to have six hundreds) and even less than Harbhajan. I dont see him batting any higher than #9 to be honest, even if you picked Pathan at #7, so his batting shouldnt really come into it.

 

[Arjun]

I think you've become a bit over-excited when it comes to his batting. You've mentioned him as a possible allrounder that bolsters the batting every time, but he averages under 18 with the bat in first class cricket - quite substantially less than Kumble (who just so happens to have six hundreds) and even less than Harbhajan. I dont see him batting any higher than #9 to be honest, even if you picked Pathan at #7, so his batting shouldnt really come into it.

Initially, he batted at number 11 when he played for Mumbai, which explains his low FC average. Since he shifted to Maharashtra, he's been batting at eight or nine, but averaged 23 with a strike rate over 85.

People who have seen him bat will tell you he can bat, and rather well, too. There was this story of how he came in with four wickets down (this was a club match) and suddenly he scored a hundred in 40 balls. A fan in Delhi says he's a clean hitter and is very steady, and from most descriptions, that reminds one a lot more of Justin Kemp or Shahid Afridi.

When Kumble scored his six FC centuries, dinosaurs walked the earth, but you don't find any now. You don't have to be Geoffrey Boycott to say how good or bad he is– the former England opener has just three words– "Kumble can't bat!" Harbhajan didn't practice, and his shot-selection is terrible. Let's not even talk of Agarkar, who would be extremely lucky to score more than 30. In the Indian team, you would have him after Dhoni and Irfan, so it's not too big a risk, but the return you get is a lot more. Not only do you get as many runs as the sixth batsman (you can't expect a big score over 100 from Laxman, Raina, Kaif or Ganguly very often now), but you also get that extra wicket. Look at England– they have Giles scoring in chunks, which adds value to his place in the team.

 

[Langeveldt]

Latest heads up on the Trescothick situation is that it could be 'marital problems'

I really hope not, he has a really young kid...

Lets hope he hasn't been caught doing a local up the Hilary..

 

[Prince EWS]

Since he shifted to Maharashtra, he's been batting at eight or nine, but averaged 23 with a strike rate over 85.

Oh wow... 23 in first class cricket... he's the next Bradman! That's only slightly more than Anil Kumble, who you insist cant bat.

When Kumble scored his six FC centuries, dinosaurs walked the earth, but you don't find any now. You don't have to be Geoffrey Boycott to say how good or bad he is– the former England opener has just three words– "Kumble can't bat!" Harbhajan didn't practice, and his shot-selection is terrible.

I wasnt disputing this - this is my point, actually. These two decidely ordinary batsmen average more than Patel in first class cricket, yet you are convinced the man can bat well enough to change the balance of the side.

 

[Arjun]

Oh wow... 23 in first class cricket... he's the next Bradman! That's only slightly more than Anil Kumble, who you insist cant bat.



I wasnt disputing this - this is my point, actually. These two decidely ordinary batsmen average more than Patel in first class cricket, yet you are convinced the man can bat well enough to change the balance of the side.

What do you want? Someone who can bowl and score centuries in every match? Munaf's batting stats may not impress many too much, but they're very good, for a bowler. Even if he gets 20 runs or so (mostly in big hits), he's done enough, because his main job is to take wickets.

Besides, Michael Clarke averaged a little over 35 when he made his Test debut, and it was an unforgettable debut for him. Even Marcus Trescothick was a bit of a batsman until he was asked to open the innings, and the rest, they say, is history. Stats don't tell you everything. Kumble, for his batting exploits in first-class cricket, looked dreadful with the bat in the last five years, while Munaf, going by reports, is not too bad, and very powerful. If that doesn't convince you, suggest an alternative.

 

[Arjun]

For a change, I'll switch sides What do you think of this England XI?

• Cook (or your choice of opener)
• Strauss
• Vaughan
• Pietersen (hopefully recovered)
• Bell
• Flintoff (RFM?)
• Geraint Jones (WK)
• Plunkett (RMF,subject to fitness)
• Panesar (SLA)
• Harmison (RF)
• Hoggard (RMF)

Or else, choose Blackwell and Simon Jones (subject to fitness) in place of Panesar and Plunkett. If you've seen Plunkett in action, how is he? Would you have him as a strike bowler in the England lineup? Or is he another Kabir Ali or Alex Wharf type of player? The choice of spinner is open to debate, or one may ask whether the team needs a spinner at all.

 

[superkingdave]

For a change, I'll switch sides What do you think of this England XI?

• Cook (or your choice of opener)
• Strauss
• Vaughan
• Pietersen (hopefully recovered)
• Bell
• Flintoff (RFM?)
• Geraint Jones (WK)
• Plunkett (RMF,subject to fitness)
• Panesar (SLA)
• Harmison (RF)
• Hoggard (RMF)

Or else, choose Blackwell and Simon Jones (subject to fitness) in place of Panesar and Plunkett. If you've seen Plunkett in action, how is he? Would you have him as a strike bowler in the England lineup? Or is he another Kabir Ali or Alex Wharf type of player? The choice of spinner is open to debate, or one may ask whether the team needs a spinner at all.

Plunkett won't play( i hope).

Graveney was saying today that the prognosis on Jones, Pietersen & Collingwood was better today.

Strauss
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Jones
Blackwell
Hoggard/Panesar
Jones
Harmison

is the team i expect

 

[TheEpic]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/4752162.stm

Owais Shah has been drafted into the England squad as cover for Marcus Trescothick

 

[Arjun]

Plunkett won't play( i hope).

Graveney was saying today that the prognosis on Jones, Pietersen & Collingwood was better today.

Strauss
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Jones
Blackwell
Hoggard/Panesar
Jones
Harmison

is the team i expect

Why not this new man Cook? Maybe he's even worse than Collingwood, who hasn't done enough to hold onto a place in a Test side, but if you know how he's played so far, do tell me. And what's wrong with Plunkett?

 

[aussie]

The likes of Jono, Masterblaster and all don't have Indian roots then?

And coincidentally they're also able to accpet and discuss the weaknesses in their sides performances...

Indian connection in the sense that their are just Indians living in a predominant white country & they support India or they are like migrants?, anyway it doesn't take awy the fact that this is argument is stupid are you are an absolute pain..

 

[superkingdave]

Why not this new man Cook? Maybe he's even worse than Collingwood, who hasn't done enough to hold onto a place in a Test side, but if you know how he's played so far, do tell me. And what's wrong with Plunkett?

He'll only get out to India tomorrow so he'd only have a limited time to acclimatise and wont have played in the conditions.

Collingwood whilst not having a good start to his test career, scoerd 96 and 80 in the last test in Pakistan so he'd be next in line.

Plunkett, he can bat a bit for sure, whether he can bowl effectively at test level is certainly open to debate.

 

[Sanz]

Except nobody has yet called him an all time great.

TEC has.

 

[luckyeddie]

TEC has.

I value his judgement as much as I do Ricky Ponting's.

 

[aussie]

No, he's English but thinks he can support Australia in the Ashes and now be 100% behind England in this series...

so what if i want england to win in India?, is that a crime now geez. Has i have said before i'm english so i will be interested in england's performances has i've always been. So again i ask would it be too much if this stupidness is dropped, but knowing you are such a blasted irritant i dont expect you to oblige.

 

[aussie]

Plunkett won't play( i hope).

Graveney was saying today that the prognosis on Jones, Pietersen & Collingwood was better today.

Strauss
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Jones
Blackwell
Hoggard/Panesar
Jones
Harmison

is the team i expect

yea the team will be something like this...

 

[Autobahn]

Plunkett's a sort of hit the deck bowler but without the steep bounce or pace of harmy and so is unsuited for test bowling in india, in england however you could make the arguement for his bowling.

 

[grecian]

I expect and hope for this side:

Strauss
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Jones
Blackwell
Hoggard
Jones
Harmison

I really hope they pick Hoggy, hes got a great record for getting a wicket with the new ball, and I fear the workload on Freddie else. The frightening prospect of Panesar and Blackwell being slammed out of the attack, is not to be countenanced

One rookie spinner is enough of a risk, and I know Blackies first-class record is poor, but he has turned the ball so far, on these sojourns to the sub-continent. The batting and fielding is secondary, well to me, maybe not to Fletcher.

Bell and Collingwood are capable of playing the type of cricket to score lots of runs in the sub-continent, which can not be said of the more senior batsmen in Pakistan anyway!

 

[Barney Rubble]

My expected side:

Strauss
Cook
Bell
Collingwood
Pietersen
Flintoff
G Jones+
Blackwell
Hoggard
S Jones
Harmison

I have this nagging feeling that Vaughany's not going to make it. That may actually turn out to be a plus, because Cook's got to be given his debut some time, and without injuries it's tough to see how else it's going to happen - for the foreseeable future, anyway.

 

[marc71178]

What do you want? Someone who can bowl and score centuries in every match? Munaf's batting stats may not impress many too much, but they're very good, for a bowler. Even if he gets 20 runs or so (mostly in big hits), he's done enough, because his main job is to take wickets.

So how come you keep saying he shouyld be picked based on his batting then if that's not his main job?

And why do these runs have to come in "big hits"?