***Official*** England in Pakistan

[Barney Rubble]

I'd guess Strauss would be the other option as skipper. He's done it enough for Middlesex. Although, I'd stick with Tres as Strauss may be ratting us out for the 3rd test for his wife's confinement.

I reckon we need another batter out there myself. I don't think a middle order of

Collingwood
Bell
Pietersen
Flintoff
Jones

looks all that solid. There for a good time rather than a long time! How far I trust Fat Bob or Owais or Joyce is another issue. Butch still crocked...?

I forgot about Strauss missing the 3rd Test, that kind of rules him out.

Strauss
Tresco
Pietersen*
Bell
Joyce
Fred
GoJo
Giles
Udal
Hoggy
Harmy

That would be a candidate for biggest gamble of all time! He'd probably promote himself to open........batting and bowling!

 

[Hazza]

My top order:

Tresco
Strauss
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
G Jones

 

[open365]

Tres
Strauss
Collingwood
Bell
KP
Freddie
Jones
Giles
Udal
Shaggy
Harmison

does anyone else thinks Fletcher's reason for not origanaly picking Bell was an excuse as to not damage Bell's confidence?

 

[Sanz]

Don't really see how.

"...neither side was going to be able to buy a result on a benign pitch offering little to the bowlers. "

http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_ESSEX_03-04SEP2005.html

http://live.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/AUS_IN_ENG/SCORECARDS/AUS_LEICS_15-17JUL2005.html

 

[Neil Pickup]

Fact of the Day:

Paul Collingwood's batting average in Test Matches is lower than Rikki Clarke's.

Fact of the Day 2:

Mark Ramprakash averaged 74.66 in the County Championship this season.

Fact of the Day 3:

Jamee suggests:

Strauss
Tresco
Pietersen*
Bell
Joyce
Fred
GoJo
Giles
Udal
Hoggy
Harmy

Fact of the Day 4:

It would be better for everyone if Jamee shut up more often

 

[Kweek]

Fact of the Day 4:

It would be better for everyone if Jamee shut up more often

Fact 5:

the dutchie agrees.

 

[superkingdave]

Owais Shah needs to be called up now.

 

[marc71178]

I see Fred's not hanging around today.

As for Vaughan's injury, if it does keep him out of the 1st test, the squad's lack of alternatives in the top 3 is going to look rather silly. Ditto Strauss' paternity leave in the final test.

Key will be flying out I guess.

 

[Choora]

And both teams England have played so far have found it so damn easy, haven't they?

I don't want to join in with the whining about the pitch - the argument isn't to do with England failing, it's to do with both teams failing.

.

NO. The argument is about England failing ONLY.

I had said earlier that ppl shouldn'r refer to Pak A batters failing because the kind of batters they have in their A team, they would fare POORLY on any surface (especially against a good attack). Today the PCB chairman voiced his concern about the openers in A team failing against England which he said that has to do with their technique and never put it down to the pitch, as he understand that pitch has nothing to do with their failures.

Face the facts, England batted poorly and wasted opportunity to get batting practice by occupying the crease.Blaming the pitch for everything is a laugh!

 

[Choora]

. The reason why you're going to look stupid is because you've done more whining about the whining Englishmen than they've done themselves, and you clearly don't actually pay any attention to what anyone says to you.

I

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction!

 

[Choora]

when in fact all you've done so far is whine and the series hasn't even started yet,

I wish most English fans understood this.

 

[wahindiawah]

Shahid Nazir scored 43 runs in second innings while facing the finest pace attack, can't really be that awfull a wicket as some people have been suggesting.

 

[GladiatrsInBlue]

Hasan Raza scores a half century in second innings and is fighting for his team's win.Regardless of result, Raza seems to have done enough work to get a place in the test team ahead of Asim kamal.

The likely Pak 11 for first test could be,

Malik
Butt/Farhat
Younis
Inzi
Youhanna
Raza
Akmal
Akhtar
Sami
Danish
Shabbir.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Key will be flying out I guess.

Pigs do fly then.

 

[GladiatrsInBlue]

I would really like to see Mohd Asif or Yasir Arafat play for Pakistan in place of Sami.

Also i don't think Butt should open for Pak, but then i don't know as to who can really replace him?

 

[GladiatrsInBlue]

Shahid Yousuf scores a fifty too, Pak A needs just 24 runs to win the match, they still have 7 wkts in hand.

 

[Steulen]

Pak A 245/4, win by 6 wickets.

Vaughan may be out of the whole tour, if he needs surgery on his knee.

Not a good tour so far for England then.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

I think Vaughan's captaincy is as important to us as Brearley's was back in the day, and if he indeed does have to take himself off to the woods to heal himself, he'll be sorely missed. Chapeau Pak A by the way, quite a scalp.

 

[honestbharani]

wow.

 

[luckyeddie]

NO. The argument is about England failing ONLY.

I had said earlier that ppl shouldn'r refer to Pak A batters failing because the kind of batters they have in their A team, they would fare POORLY on any surface (especially against a good attack). Today the PCB chairman voiced his concern about the openers in A team failing against England which he said that has to do with their technique and never put it down to the pitch, as he understand that pitch has nothing to do with their failures.

Face the facts, England batted poorly and wasted opportunity to get batting practice by occupying the crease.Blaming the pitch for everything is a laugh!

Totally and utterly agree with everything said here.

Will England pull themselves together in time for the first test? Probably.

It's a worry, though.