***Official*** England in West Indies 2015

[Magrat Garlick]

Windies are moving towards minnow status every passing year.

why respond seriously to the troll

 

[fredfertang]

What on earth are England expected to learn by playing this current match? - we'd have been better off hiring a pitch shipping out a few ringers to give Trott a proper working over

 

[Ashtomar]

why respond seriously to the troll

Excuse me? And who are you exactly? How rude. Are you classed as a troll if you ask what the point of this tour is? If you ask how many first choice West Indies players are going to be missing?

Back on topic, did anyone else find it odd and somewhat selfish of Cook to bat on until securing a ton in what is essentially a pub match? What is the point in a meaningless hundred, why not retire over night and give the others a go? I've read elsewhere that only 6 of the opposition have first class experience, and that they're even fielding a 16 year old. I mean FFS.

 

[Spark]

All set for Broad to come out and declare this the strongest England side he's ever played with, then.

EDIT: Ballance got only 16? The **** are you doing, son?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Excuse me? And who are you exactly? How rude. Are you classed as a troll if you ask what the point of this tour is? If you ask how many first choice West Indies players are going to be missing?

Making your fourth post on a cricket forum to say some cricket shouldn't happen is a bit...churlish, at least. And given England's recent performances I don't particularly see how they should be clamoring to play opposition of particularly high calibre.

Anyway I won't go on because I'm guilty of spoiling the thread for others too. Have the last word if you like.

 

[OverratedSanity]

You mean Darren?

Surely Dwayne is playing IPL

Yeah meant Darren. He went "missing" a few months ago.

 

[Spark]

England Cricket @ECB_cricket
England will also bowl for the full 90 overs in tomorrow's second two-day warm-up match, regardless of the wickets/score. #EngvSKNXI

uh... how exactly is this going to work? are they just going to take ten wickets and then have an opener come out as the #12? then the next at #13?

could be seeing an interesting scorecard tomorrow.

 

[Howe_zat]

England Cricket @ECB_cricket
England will also bowl for the full 90 overs in tomorrow's second two-day warm-up match, regardless of the wickets/score. #EngvSKNXI

uh... how exactly is this going to work? are they just going to take ten wickets and then have an opener come out as the #12? then the next at #13?

could be seeing an interesting scorecard tomorrow.

Assuming the home team, with a best first class average of 26, won't just bat all day

 

[grecian]

Bowl against their own team-mates perhaps, could be interesting.

 

[Spark]

so basically it's a 90 over net session?

 

[Furball]

Excuse me? And who are you exactly? How rude. Are you classed as a troll if you ask what the point of this tour is? If you ask how many first choice West Indies players are going to be missing?

Back on topic, did anyone else find it odd and somewhat selfish of Cook to bat on until securing a ton in what is essentially a pub match? What is the point in a meaningless hundred, why not retire over night and give the others a go? I've read elsewhere that only 6 of the opposition have first class experience, and that they're even fielding a 16 year old. I mean FFS.

Cook hasn't scored a ton since WG Grace was a lad, so if he wants to score the extra 5 runs then fine. Calibre of opposition doesn't mean anything, psychologically starting the tour with a ton could be massive for him.

 

[Spark]

This is a complete farce. Call it off and go have a proper training session tomorrow.

 

[Beamer]

I know lots of teams like to make it hard for the touring side by giving them no decent practice but playing St Kitts & Nevis is an absolute farce, this is light years away from facing Taylor and Roach with the new ball or bowling against a Kraigg and Shiv mega partnership. St Kitts have nobody even of FC standard.

Cozier said England insisted on training in St Kitss & Nevis and that's why they haven't put together a better warm up team.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Nah, pick a strong team for warm ups and beat them - that's what we did last time England toured here (WC excepted):

Tour Match: New Zealand XI v England XI at Queenstown, Feb 27-Mar 2, 2013 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

Good luck West Indies

 

[Gnske]

Why not put together West Indies A? None of the West Indies FC teams on themselves would ever give England a quality warm-up.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I know lots of teams like to make it hard for the touring side by giving them no decent practice but playing St Kitts & Nevis is an absolute farce, this is light years away from facing Taylor and Roach with the new ball or bowling against a Kraigg and Shiv mega partnership. St Kitts have nobody even of FC standard.

Cozier said England insisted on training in St Kitss & Nevis and that's why they haven't put together a better warm up team.

really?

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Windies are moving towards minnow status every passing year.

This was less than 10 months ago. That side they beat by 10 wickets is much better on paper than this Eng side.

2nd Test: West Indies v New Zealand at Port of Spain, Jun 16-20, 2014 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

The England-WI test series could do either way AFAIC.

 

[Beamer]

really?

He's got a test match hundred against Steyn, Morkel and Philander in their own backyard. Another Test hundred against Boult and Southee in helpful conditions at Port of Spain. He's averaging way over 50 since his return to the side. He scored 4 hundreds in our FC competition. He bats for forever and a day if you let him. All this at aged 22.

So yes, really.

 

[grecian]

I really preferred it when Kiwis were always moaning, to how they are now, with the arrogance.

 

[michaelmax]

How many IPL players will be missing? really? How many of those IPL players been in a West Indies Test team? The ONLY player who West Indies would really be missing is Chris Gayle, no one else. Russell doesn't play Test cricket and has not since his one Test ages ago. Pollard has never played a Test. Simmons cannot walk into a WI Test side with an average of 17. Sammy-many in West Indies quarrelled at his automatic selection s you were invariably either a bowler or a batsman short. Bravo hasn't played Tests in ages and even he could not be considered an automatic pick. Narine has not played that many Tests and he may have had a shout. It's a nice narrative being spun by the English press but it's not really true. WI had a competitive home series against NZ and several of the names in this side were a part of that series. Roach, Taylor, Holder, Benn, Chanderpaul,Braithwaite, Darren Bravo, Samuels,Blackwood, Ramdin, Chanderpaul. Braithwaite did quite well as opener and Blackwood scored a fifty on debut. Roach, Taylor and Benn bowled well generally and Holder did well in with bat and ball in the single match he played.

All of those names except Bravo also played in SA with Braithwaite doing no discredit to himself, Blackwood in and out of the side but still scored a fifty in last Test. So yeah, really missing the eight IPL players. It's crap as a statement since as I said ONLY Gayle of the IPL brigade could be considered an automatic selection.