***Official*** England in Pakistan

[Scaly piscine]

well England batsmen have failed again, maybe its just rustiness but hopefully the get runs in the 2nd game especially Mr.Bell & Collingwood...

I doubt both will play, unless they're both in the Test XI - I'd be very surprised if the 2nd game team differed to the Test team.

 

[luckyeddie]

well England batsmen have failed again, maybe its just rustiness but hopefully the get runs in the 2nd game especially Mr.Bell & Collingwood...

Well, they're playing a decent team, with a decent attack.

Not over-the-hill rubbish like the Australians.

 

[vandemataram]

You are very nice joker may be you should be become professinal one, did u check the scores end of the day at stumps?
3-0 england? DREAM ON

Well that's my prediction, and i would like to still stick to it.


AS for the match in progress, i still think England can win it, Patron eleven batters are probably going to struggle more than English batsmen in second innings.

 

[Neil Pickup]

We'll need to set a target of 150+ first - do that, and I think we can manage it. Come on Marcus, it's obvious no one else can bat on this thing...

 

[aussie]

Well, they're playing a decent team, with a decent attack.

Not over-the-hill rubbish like the Australians.

you refering to the patrons XI?

 

[Scaly piscine]

you refering to the patrons XI?

At least half of them have played Tests for Pakistan.

 

[nightprowler10]

Here we go with another Tresco partnership, this time with Collingwood.

BTW, Yasir Arafat is impressive as always. 7 wickets in the match so far.

 

[tooextracool]

At least half of them have played Tests for Pakistan.

considering how fickle the pakistani selectors are, i'd say about half the players in their domestic system have played test cricket at some point in time. you only need to bring out a calculator to count the number of openers they've had in the last few years.

 

[luckyeddie]

you refering to the patrons XI?

Reels in another one, not big enough, throws him back.

 

[GladiatrsInBlue]

Great news for Pak cricket, Sami got injured and is now out of atleast first test match, his absence is going to only strengthen Pak bowling attack.

I think Pak should either bring in UMar gul or Give Yasir Arafat a chance in place of Sami.Arafat has taken 9 English wickets in the tour opener, he should be rewarded for the good work that he has done so far.

 

[wpdavid]

We'll need to set a target of 150+ first - do that, and I think we can manage it. Come on Marcus, it's obvious no one else can bat on this thing...

Unfortunately our quicks can't bowl as well as the Pakistanis on it either. Still, at least Giles seems to have picked up where he left off 5 years ago.

EDIT
Apart from Liam Plunkett .......

 

[Pedro Delgado]

105 all out, Eng win by 50 odd. Giles and Plunk run riot. Tres did well whilst others fell, he's just a seamers' paradise bully really.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Hopefully England will pick Collingwood and Plunkett for the Test side - 3 Durham players in the side would always be an asset.

 

[luckyeddie]

Hopefully England will pick Collingwood and Plunkett for the Test side - 3 Durham players in the side would always be an asset.

I've sung the praises of Liam Plunkett on this forum for some time, and it's true to say that he is a huge prospect as a bowler (no mug with the bat either).

It's not too long ago that I remember Durham being the great 'giant killers' in the Gillette Cup, then becoming the 18th county in the championship, signing Botham, becoming a test venue, producing our lord and master Steve Wayward-Harmison and now, as you say, having 3 players who just might get into the same test side one day.

Reminds me when Derbyshire had Taylor, Miller and Hendrick all in the England side.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I'm so happy that James Anderson is back. That guy is really talented.

 

[PY]

Great news for Gil-o to be in the wickets and good to see Trescothick on relatively good form, it's under-rated IMO how much his form dictates England's fortunes as he more than anyone sets the tone at the top of the order.

 

[aussie]

whoa Gilo really likes Pakistan, immediately in the wickets good sign for England. Now that Colly got a score in the 2nd innings i think in some way he may have gotten himself over Bell for the 1st test.

Sami is out so methinks Pakistan should pick Naved or Shabbir.

Predicted 1st Test teams:

Marcus Trescothick
Andrew Strauss
Michael Vaughan
Kevin Pietersen
Paul Collingwood
Andrew Flintoff
Geraint Jones
Ashley Giles
Shaun Udal
Matthew Hoggard
Steve Harmison

Salman Butt
Shoaib Malik
Younis Khan
Inzamam Ul-Haq
Mohammad Yousuf
Asim Kamal
Kamran Akmal
Naved Ul-Hasan
Mushtaq Ahmed or Shabbir
Shoaib Akhtar
Danish Kaneria

 

[aussie]

Hopefully England will pick Collingwood and Plunkett for the Test side - 3 Durham players in the side would always be an asset.

hmm why so, but honestly i can only see Collingwood playing...

 

[wpdavid]

whoa Gilo really likes Pakistan, immediately in the wickets good sign for England. Now that Colly got a score in the 2nd innings i think in some way he may have gotten himself over Bell for the 1st test.

Sami is out so methinks Pakistan should pick Naved or Shabbir.

Predicted 1st Test teams:

Marcus Trescothick
Andrew Strauss
Michael Vaughan
Kevin Pietersen
Paul Collingwood
Andrew Flintoff
Geraint Jones
Ashley Giles
Shaun Udal
Matthew Hoggard
Steve Harmison

You're probably right, and it would be a brave move to drop Hoggard, but I do wonder how dangerous he'll be in these conditions. A wicketless pair of opening bowlers would be less than ideal.

 

[Scaly piscine]

hmm why so, but honestly i can only see Collingwood playing...

Probably, Collingwood would give England 4 80mph+ bowlers so they'd probably pick Udal. I definitely think we'll see 3 Durham players in the ODIs tho.