***Official*** England in Pakistan

[ClownSymonds]

And hence they would've been bowled out, so the over rate wouldn't have been an issue, so it was irrelevant.

I thought you were asking if the issue of bowling the spinners was relevant. Of course the over rate wouldn't have been an issue.

Really, I don't know what you're talking about.

 

[TT Boy]

KP is out of the series now, flying home to get treatment on a long standing rib injury.

 

[irfan]

wow big blow there for england, Is it the rib injury sustained when B Lee bowled a bouncer at his ribs in the ashes??

 

[Jono]

Wow, massive blow. KP is amazing in ODIs and has played pretty well in the first 2 matches with injury if he has been carrying it.

 

[Hazza]

Yeah... hard to find a replacement for someone like Pietersen, but Bell will probably come into the side.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Well, this completely disrupts England's game plan - they're going to have to bring in someone of a completely different type of batsman (most likely Bell) to replace him, and when you add to that the fact that the man averages over 70 in ODIs, you have to wonder how likely a series victory for England is now. Huge blow.

 

[marc71178]

In some ways it is a blow, but it is also an opportunity.

Do they stick Bell in to see what he can do, or do they shove Blackwell up the order?

 

[TT Boy]

In some ways it is a blow, but it is also an opportunity.

Do they stick Bell in to see what he can do, or do they shove Blackwell up the order?

So he can be made to look like a right tool again?.

 

[deeps]

Afridi returning should be great to see

Some big hitting and some good spin bowling

 

[Barney Rubble]

In some ways it is a blow, but it is also an opportunity.

Do they stick Bell in to see what he can do, or do they shove Blackwell up the order?

I had an interesting and probably quite insane thought earlier. For the purposes of having a no4 capable of maintaining momentum throughout the middle overs, and of not promoting Blackwell a good place or two too high at no4, how about this:

Tres*
Prior
Strauss
G Jones+
Flintoff
Collingwood
Blackwell
Solanki
Plunkett
Harmison
Anderson
(Bell)

Seeing as Solanki's a specialist fielder these days, he won't mind batting 8.

 

[marc71178]

Interesting, and in Jones we have statistically the best ODI keeper of the last 2 years!

 

[Barney Rubble]

Interesting, and in Jones we have statistically the best ODI keeper of the last 2 years!

Really? Hehe, lucky us.

I was never convinced by him as an opener, but the few times has has looked comfortable at no7 in ODIs have been when he's come in earlier on after a collapse - witness the tied game against Aus this year, and, IIRC, one of the games against Zimbabwe where he was given 50-odd balls to face and hit 80. Think he could do a good job in the middle order.

 

[godofcricket]

End of Pietersens Pakistan tour and end of any chance of England winning the ODI series.

 

[Barney Rubble]

End of Pietersens Pakistan tour and end of any chance of England winning the ODI series.

Quoted for posterity, just in case.

 

[greg]

End of Pietersens Pakistan tour and end of any chance of England winning the ODI series.

Because he's been the difference between the sides thus far.

 

[greg]

I had an interesting and probably quite insane thought earlier. For the purposes of having a no4 capable of maintaining momentum throughout the middle overs, and of not promoting Blackwell a good place or two too high at no4, how about this:

Tres*
Prior
Strauss
G Jones+
Flintoff
Collingwood
Blackwell
Solanki
Plunkett
Harmison
Anderson
(Bell)

Seeing as Solanki's a specialist fielder these days, he won't mind batting 8.

There is zero point in Blackwell coming in to bat with any more than 2 overs to go.

 

[greg]

wow big blow there for england, Is it the rib injury sustained when B Lee bowled a bouncer at his ribs in the ashes??

Yes.

 

[Barney Rubble]

There is zero point in Blackwell coming in to bat with any more than 2 overs to go.

In an ideal world, that's exactly what would happen with him at no7.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's a real shame to be losing KP (not least because I have him in my fantasy team... ), but for me Bell has to come into the XI. Preferrably at first drop, I don't think he's an inventive enough batter to be able to manipulate the strike later on. I'd personally move Strauss up to open with Tres & have Bell in at 3. Prior can hopefully come in at 4 to biff a few quick runs a la KP & I'd leave the rest of the team as it was.

I can't see any point playing Bell as the super-sub, because I doubt he could play the kind of innings Solanki played in the 2nd ODI. Bell strikes me as too correct a batter to hit the ground running.

 

[ClownSymonds]

Oh God, now I have to put up with "Belly" again. Though I wish England the worst of luck, I would've rather had Pietersen stay in the side with his average of 70 if it meant not having to deal with the premature naked mole rat.