***Official*** England in Sri Lanka 2012

[Biryani Pillow]

Morgan's form allowed the Patel pick - which certainly for this tour is good.

With several talented young batsmen around it could easily be the end of Morgan's Test career - always saw him as a ODI twenty20 player anyway.

Patel or Bopara will be the 6 in the Test team and provide bowling support. Both are talented and worth a proper look, good to see Patel has at least tried to avoid the pies. His bowling always reminds me of Sanath Jayasuriya's for some reason - not front line but decent support in the right conditions.

Finn and Monty also fighting over a 'conditions dependent' spot.

Tredwell would compete for a spot in the worst England XI that I have seen.

 

[M0rphin3]

Tredwell's a bizzare pick IMO - even if Swanneh gets injured, should go in with one of the pacers, not sure why you'd have him as your third spinner.

Patel looked fairly comfortable against spin from whatever little I've seen - I know, different format and all that - but surely worth a shot tbh. Not sure about Bopara though.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Patel or Bopara will be the 6 in the Test team and provide bowling support. Both are talented and worth a proper look, good to see Patel has at least tried to avoid the pies.

Bopara has played over 100 times for England. Been consistently rank in all formats. I think that's way beyond a proper look.

Patel does look noticeably fitter, credit for that but he needs to keep going really because I would imagine the other squad members would still slaughter him in fitness tests.

 

[Biryani Pillow]

Bopara has played over 100 times for England. Been consistently rank in all formats. I think that's way beyond a proper look.
.

Firstly he has not been consistently rank.

Secondly he's been up and down the order like a whore's drawers and never been allowed to settle in any role in any format.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Firstly he has not been consistently rank.

Secondly he's been up and down the order like a whore's drawers and never been allowed to settle in any role in any format.

Averages below 35 in Test cricket and even that is heavily boosted by 3 centuries against a stinkingly awful West Indies on flat pitches who still had to drop him half a dozen or so times.

Averages 30 at a slow strike rate in ODIs.

Averages below 20 at a comical sub-100 strike in T20Is.

Where amongst that lot has he not been consistently rank. Not been allowed to settle into any role? He's played the same role in all the games, an embarrassingly piss poor batsman with glaring technical deficiencies and awful temperament who has never once looked fit for international cricket. He wouldn't be good enough to stay in Bangladesh's side, to get 100+ games for the leading cricketing nation is just appalling.

 

[Howe_zat]

"Consistently rank" is a pointless over-generalisation. That's the record of someone who averages 12, not 30 or 35. He's not just in the side for batting either, especially in one-day cricket.

Bopara's had several good series in ODIs and had a good run in Tests in 2009. It's flat out dishonest to deny that. It's also wrong to suggest he's done less at county level than Patel or any of the young batsmen we'd otherwise be taking a punt on.

 

[Biryani Pillow]

Averages below 35 in Test cricket and even that is heavily boosted by 3 centuries against a stinkingly awful West Indies on flat pitches who still had to drop him half a dozen or so times.

Averages 30 at a slow strike rate in ODIs.

Averages below 20 at a comical sub-100 strike in T20Is.

Where amongst that lot has he not been consistently rank. Not been allowed to settle into any role? He's played the same role in all the games, an embarrassingly piss poor batsman with glaring technical deficiencies and awful temperament who has never once looked fit for international cricket. He wouldn't be good enough to stay in Bangladesh's side, to get 100+ games for the leading cricketing nation is just appalling.

These days England usually give a player more of a settled run than they've given Bopara.

If Australia had done that with Steve Waugh back in the 80s (he took quite a while to do anything even slightly above 'meh' you might know him as Mark Waugh's brother who didn't make it.

I do think other young players come past him (I can't recall so much - and so good - young talent in the English game) but if he'd been given a settled chance at, say, the No6 spot I reckon he'd have done well at it.

 

[Jacknife]

"Consistently rank" is a pointless over-generalisation. That's the record of someone who averages 12, not 30 or 35. He's not just in the side for batting either, especially in one-day cricket.

Bopara's had several good series in ODIs and had a good run in Tests in 2009. It's flat out dishonest to deny that. It's also wrong to suggest he's done less at county level than Patel or any of the young batsmen we'd otherwise be taking a punt on.

Agree, I'm no fan of Ravi's but the constant bashing is ridiculous and saying he's 'constantly rank' like you say is absolutely dishonest. He is what he is, a average international player, nothing more nothing less, that can occasionally play a role in the England side and has pulled off quite a few decent performances for us. I mean, it's only this last series he played a couple of decent knocks for England when we where in a bit of a hole.

I too hope we eventually move away from him but I really don't see the need to constantly slag the bloke off.

 

[Woodster]

The Tredwell selection was perhaps the most surprising part of today's announcement, and not a particularly exciting inclusion. Tredwell is a steady off-spinner and while I can understand the reasoning behind his selection - ie he can be relied upon should he be called into the XI at a moments notice being a solid County pro and knows what touring is all about, is a right-hand offie and will cover for Swann - I agree that a paceman should get the nod ahead of him should Swann fall ill or get injured. He didn't let England down in Bangladesh and so probably they'll keep the faith in him, there are few right-arm offpsinners pushing for selection, so let's just pick the best bowler available.

Eoin Morgan's exclusion is not a big surprise, a seriously poor UAE tour in all formats and little proof of real Test calibre to his name as yet means hopefully Bopara gets a go at six now. I was disappointed Morgan got the nod ahead of Bopara last year when Collingwood retired with Morgan deciding the IPL was the best preparation for Test cricket, now it seems that decision is going to backfire (well, not financially) with few opportunities for him to fight for his Test place till well into the domestic season after fulfilling his IPL contract this year.

I'm unsure about Samit Patel. He is a talent, I appreciate that, I just have reservations about any cricketer that is more rotund than the new ball. His left-arm spin is effective in one-day cricket, I'm not sure if he has enough guile to make an impact in Test cricket. He does offer us decent balance batting at number seven and a fifth bowling option, just not sure either of his disciplines are quite good enough.

 

[Cabinet96]

Like other I can see the reasoning of Tredwell being picked but I highly doubt we'll see him in the tests.

The inclusion of either Bopara or Samit at #6 ought to have put paid to any plan of five frontline bowlers. So our attack is either:

Anderson, Broad, Swann, Monty, Bopara

or

Anderson, Broad, Bresnan, Swann, Patel

I prefer the latter for obvious reasons but I actually think - assuming he plays with the the two spinners in the attack - Ravi's bowling could be very useful on this tour. He'd effectively be bowling as third seamer and his skiddy in-movement should work on those pitches, they did in the World Cup. Could well find himself with a few poles.

Agree, I've seen Bopara get prodigious reverse swing recently and you could have worse bowlers to come on a bowl a few when the spinners aren't do anything.

Yeah but I am pretty sure that if Swann was Injured/ ill they would just bring in a quick, is not as if playing two spinners is suddenly a hard and fast rule.

Ravi obviously far from a certainty to get runs but can see him doing ok and then plundering the Windies (after being dropped 65 times) all over again.

Yeah, this is why the selection is strange. If they go in with Swann and Monty surely they would bring Bresnan in. And if they were playing just Swann they would bring Monty in. Would be willing to bet quite a lot that, no matter what the pitches are like, Bresnan would do better than Tredwell.

"Consistently rank" is a pointless over-generalisation. That's the record of someone who averages 12, not 30 or 35. He's not just in the side for batting either, especially in one-day cricket.

Bopara's had several good series in ODIs and had a good run in Tests in 2009. It's flat out dishonest to deny that. It's also wrong to suggest he's done less at county level than Patel or any of the young batsmen we'd otherwise be taking a punt on.

Thank you, I get extremely tired of people constantly saying how bad he is. For a 26 year old his performances are hardly resembling that of someone who should never be thought of for England selection again.

 

[Pothas]

"Consistently rank" is a pointless over-generalisation. That's the record of someone who averages 12, not 30 or 35. He's not just in the side for batting either, especially in one-day cricket.

Bopara's had several good series in ODIs and had a good run in Tests in 2009. It's flat out dishonest to deny that. It's also wrong to suggest he's done less at county level than Patel or any of the young batsmen we'd otherwise be taking a punt on.

Yeah yeah but he is not good, we all know this.

 

[pup11]

Was about to bitch about the 2 tests, but SL players need IPL $. At least it was the LOIs cut and not the tests, so this counts as a positive.

How can you really blame them for that?! The Sri.Lankan team has been playing without any wages for almost 12 months so its not really easy for them to ignore the IPL riches, so if anyone deserves the flak then its the Sri Lankan cricket board.

 

[Howe_zat]

Yeah yeah but he is not good, we all know this.

That's fine. I'm just sick of people equating "not brilliant" with "completely useless".

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Happy enough with the squad, hopefully we win and Bopara fails and we can be shot of him for good by time the English summer series starts and taylor/AN Other young bat gets a chance.

A big chance for Fatit to stake a claim for the India tour later in the year, show he is hungry (not just for food) for the role of squad member and bide his time ready for a chance. A bat who could be a passable 3rd spin option is obviously a bonus in tours like this, not really had one since Hick.

 

[wpdavid]

Happy enough with the squad, hopefully we win and Bopara fails and we can be shot of him for good by time the English summer series starts and taylor/AN Other young bat gets a chance.

A big chance for Fatit to stake a claim for the India tour later in the year, show he is hungry (not just for food) for the role of squad member and bide his time ready for a chance. A bat who could be a passable 3rd spin option is obviously a bonus in tours like this, not really had one since Hick.

Vaughan or Pietersen maybe? I suppose Patel is a step up from them though. No that I've ever bought into the idea that moderate spinners will do much against SL or India.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Vaughan or Pietersen maybe? I suppose Patel is a step up from them though. No that I've ever bought into the idea that moderate spinners will do much against SL or India.

Nor me but Patel is as good a bowler as say Collingwood was as a seamer, so useful to have to get through 5-10 overs an innings without worrying they will get smashed and may even pick up a wicket.

 

[Lostman]

How can you really blame them for that?! The Sri.Lankan team has been playing without any wages for almost 12 months so its not really easy for them to ignore the IPL riches, so if anyone deserves the flak then its the Sri Lankan cricket board.

I am not blaming the team for it..
Just saying why it makes sense that it is a two test tour.

 

[Scaly piscine]

"Consistently rank" is a pointless over-generalisation. That's the record of someone who averages 12, not 30 or 35. He's not just in the side for batting either, especially in one-day cricket.

Bopara's had several good series in ODIs and had a good run in Tests in 2009. It's flat out dishonest to deny that. It's also wrong to suggest he's done less at county level than Patel or any of the young batsmen we'd otherwise be taking a punt on.

Don't be silly, nobody playing for a Test nation as a batsman is going to average 12 over 100+ games. But it doesn't really get much worse than Bopara. Find me an England player who's had 100 games and has been worse than him. His fielding his poor, his bowling is useless apart from a few overs against his favourite team, West Indies. He scores at a poor average at a poor strike rate. In Test cricket if you look at his efforts against genuine Test teams, not that complete shambles of a West Indies team (these days they'd own him in Test cricket just like everyone else does) he's probably not far off averaging 12 actually.

He is the bottom of the pile. He is worse than pretty much everyone who's had a ton of games for England and worse than most who've only had a shorter run. He somehow manages to be a lot worse than his stats suggest.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Don't be silly, nobody playing for a Test nation as a batsman is going to average 12 over 100+ games. But it doesn't really get much worse than Bopara. Find me an England player who's had 100 games and has been worse than him. His fielding his poor, his bowling is useless apart from a few overs against his favourite team, West Indies. He scores at a poor average at a poor strike rate. In Test cricket if you look at his efforts against genuine Test teams, not that complete shambles of a West Indies team (these days they'd own him in Test cricket just like everyone else does) he's probably not far off averaging 12 actually.

He is the bottom of the pile. He is worse than pretty much everyone who's had a ton of games for England and worse than most who've only had a shorter run. He somehow manages to be a lot worse than his stats suggest.

Imrul Kayes is waving at you Scaly.

Bopara isn't up to it but I hope he gets a chance and when he fails he is finally discarded with.

 

[Biryani Pillow]

Imrul Kayes is waving at you Scaly.

Bopara isn't up to it but I hope he gets a chance and when he fails he is finally discarded with.

I wonder how many here were saying the same about Ian Bell 3 years ago.