*Official* England in West Indies

[wpdavid]

IMO, we have pretty much zero chance of winning now.

I wasn't being serious.

 

[Woodster]

Well done the Windies. Showing a lot of spine in this series.

There's a realistic outside chance that England could lose this one. If we're out before tea, we're in big trouble.

Yes fair play to WI, I know this is as good a batting track as you're likely to come across, but a few WI sides of yesteryear may have crumbled with such an imposing first innings total on the board as England managed. Big credit to Sarwan, who ensured they had a focal point in which to bat around, three partnerships (all involving Sarwan) in excess of 100 was testament to his importance.

I think any side would have struggled to rattle WI out on this track, and the bare facts are, that in this XI there are no X-factor bowlers. There is no-one with extreme pace to really rough-up the batsmen, and no mystery spinner, it was always going to be difficult. Swanny did an admirable job all the same.

In the right conditions, a fully-fit Sidebottom, Anderson and Broad may be a handful, but sadly it was not these conditions at Barbados.

 

[Goughy]

Except the reasons why Bell was chosen ahead of Bopara in the first place were still there too presumably.

Yeah, the selectors dont have a clue who their best players are and there is no consistency of selection. Currently the XI chops and changes and guys come in and out of favour on almost a game-by-game basis.

IMO, Bell should not have been in the team but the England selectors obviously had a logic and then to abandon that logic after 1 bad Test is poor.

 

[Flem274*]

Hows Uppercut feeling?

 

[Richard]

Dunno, you'd have to ask him.

 

[Jamee999]

My Final Test Team:

Strauss*
Cook
Shah
Pietersen
Collingwood
Bopara
Ambrose+ (presuming no Prior)
Broad
Swann
Anderson
Panesar/Amjad (based on pitch)

 

[Richard]

While not disagreeing with much if anything there, I have no memory of England ever going in with two specialist seam-bowlers, so thus can't see it happening this side of 2050.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Thrilled to see Ramdin in the runs. Definitely the best he's played since his first handful of matches.

 

[Scaly piscine]

England have to go 5 bowlers I think. It's not ideal but unless the pitch is an obvious result pitch then England have to give themselves a better chance to bowl WI out.

Would be looking at Harmison back in for Sidebottom and Rashid in for one of Shah/Bopara.

Not expecting England to comfortably draw this match btw, expect they'll make hard work of it at the very least.

 

[pskov]

Sarwan needs to score 232 more runs to be the highest runmaker ever in a 4 test series (though of course he won't officially be, but you know what I mean). Can he do it? It's not impossible...

 

[SpaceMonkey]

We just dont seem to have a bowling lineup thats capable of claiming 20 wickets on flat pitches. For that reason i really would like to see one of Khan / Rashid given a go. Yes, they're likely to be expensive but they're the 2 bowlers (along with Harmison) who could bowl wicket balls in between some of the dross even on lifeless pitches

 

[social]

Sad to see the once great Barbados pitch in this state - the number of pitches that need to be dug up around the world is really reaching joke proportions

Anyway, at leat it will give Richard cause to revise his thinking and declare the current era the easiest batting conditions in history

 

[TT Boy]

All this game needs is a century from Ramdin and it will be as bad and arguably even worse then that game where Gayle got 300.

At least that game had the laugh of seeing Bouch get a wicket and AB bowl ‘sharp’ inswingers. This has been rank ****e.

 

[roseboy64]

Makes it seem like Ramdin has no ability with the bat.

 

[TT Boy]

Makes it seem like Ramdin has no ability with the bat.

Poor average with the bat and not a half century in more than 2 years tends to do that. He hasn't looked good with the bat since he toured Aus many moons ago.

 

[Goughy]

How many 4 or 5 man County county attacks would rank above this England one?

 

[wpdavid]

While not disagreeing with much if anything there, I have no memory of England ever going in with two specialist seam-bowlers, so thus can't see it happening this side of 2050.

I think it happened in Guyana in 1998 - and we were stuffed out of sight.

Prior to that, maybe the India tour of 1984/5, when Chris Cowdrey was the 3rd seamer.

 

[wpdavid]

How many 4 or 5 man County county attacks would rank above this England one?

Maybe Worcestershire when everyone's fit.

 

[Craig]

Look I know freaks of nature occur and blokes like Jerome Taylor (who I do rate highly) come and slog their way to a Test century, but if he is able to come in and smash half centuries, then you really are up the creek without a paddle.

 

[Goughy]

How many 4 or 5 man County county attacks would rank above this England one?

Maybe Worcestershire when everyone's fit.

Ive just checked and the CC attacks are poorer than I remember.

Possible that none of, or all of, these attacks are better than the current England one. Clearly though no County attack stands out like I thought it would.

Lancs
Chapple
Cork
Flintoff
Keedy

Durham
Harmison
Thorp
Davies
Onions

Neither Saj or Plunkett make it in

Northamptonshire (this may be the most dubious)
Panesar
Boje
Hall
van der Wath
Lowe

Worcs
Simon Jones
Kabir Ali
Magoffin
Batty

Yorks
Hoggard
Bresnan
Morne Morkel
Rashid
Kruis