***Official*** Pakistan in England

[SpaceMonkey]

You go straight to the forum, you're not meant to do that

Im afraid most do i reckon i have 'Cricket Chat' forum bookmarked and just come straight here and nowhere else! sorry! I stick mainly to BBC site for most my cricket news.

 

[stumpski]

Well well well, Asif and Rana are back. Seems a bit out of the blue, one minute they were ruled out and the next they're fit for the fourth test.

They're on their way over, doesn't mean they'll definitely play of course. We probably won't know till about half an hour before the start on Thursday. Do you think Asif is more likely to play if Shoaib doesn't? You really need one genuine quick at the Oval (or preferably more than one). And who would he replace, Nazir? Naved maybe is coming over for the ODIs.

 

[TT Boy]

Doubt Asif, Rana or even Shoaib will play at the Oval, considering it is a dead rubber and only Shoaib has bowled (eleven overs) in the last month.

 

[James]

Im afraid most do i reckon i have 'Cricket Chat' forum bookmarked and just come straight here and nowhere else! sorry! I stick mainly to BBC site for most my cricket news.

That's fine - it's your choice after all, but you're wrong about most do.

The forum only gets 1/3 of the number of visitors the rest of the site as a whole gets. To put it plainly, for every 10 visitors Cricket Web gets, only 3 will visit the forum.

 

[vic_orthdox]

That's fine - it's your choice after all, but you're wrong about most do.

The forum only gets 1/3 of the number of visitors the rest of the site as a whole gets. To put it plainly, for every 10 visitors Cricket Web gets, only 3 will visit the forum.

How many use the arcade?

 

[James]

How many use the arcade?

No idea actually, doesn't break it down that far.

 

[Nishant]

Im afraid most do i reckon i have 'Cricket Chat' forum bookmarked and just come straight here and nowhere else! sorry! I stick mainly to BBC site for most my cricket news.

i do the same actually...i mainly use cricinfo and the bbc for all the latest info.

 

[ramu]

Doubt Asif, Rana or even Shoaib will play at the Oval, considering it is a dead rubber and only Shoaib has bowled (eleven overs) in the last month.

it does not matter wheather Asif, Rana or Shoaib play pakistan gonna lose anyways

 

[Sanz]

it does not matter wheather Asif, Rana or Shoaib play pakistan gonna lose anyways

Do you live in the same neighbourhood as Fraz ?

 

[Gloucefan]

i do the same actually...i mainly use cricinfo and the bbc for all the latest info.

I use all three, usually something different on each.

 

[Barney Rubble]

First chance I've had to comment on England-Pakistan on here - I think the first thing I should say is a big "I told you so" on the subject of Ian Bell.

He's done brilliantly in these last few Tests, and barring a miracle innings from Paul Collingwood in the last Test, has probably booked himself a spot at number five for the first Ashes Test this winter.

Been nice to see Harmy back to his best again, and I don't think there's much I can say about Monty that hasn't already been said - fantastic performances from both so far this summer. All good news for an English fan.

 

[Scaly piscine]

First chance I've had to comment on England-Pakistan on here - I think the first thing I should say is a big "I told you so" on the subject of Ian Bell.

He's done brilliantly in these last few Tests, and barring a miracle innings from Paul Collingwood in the last Test, has probably booked himself a spot at number five for the first Ashes Test this winter.

Not really, Colly still averages more when you take out the Bangladesh freebies. Bell has still yet to score tough runs, he needs to perform when the pressure is on and the bowling is vaguely challenging (there were healthy totals every time he'd come in this series, except once when there was a bit of pressure and a bit in the pitch he scored 4) - we already know he can flay rubbish bowling about that's why he has a good FC average.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Not really, Colly still averages more when you take out the Bangladesh freebies. Bell has still yet to score tough runs, he needs to perform when the pressure is on and the bowling is vaguely challenging (there were healthy totals every time he'd come in this series, except once when there was a bit of pressure and a bit in the pitch he scored 4) - we already know he can flay rubbish bowling about that's why he has a good FC average.

Yawn.

Yet again you criticise Bell (harshly, too) and fail to come up with any reasons why Collingwood is any better. Fact is, Bell has three hundreds in three Tests, Collingwood doesn't. Pressure or no pressure, good bowling or bad bowling, runs are runs, and while Bell is scoring more runs than Collingwood, he'll be the man in possession.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Yawn.

Yet again you criticise Bell (harshly, too) and fail to come up with any reasons why Collingwood is any better. Fact is, Bell has three hundreds in three Tests, Collingwood doesn't. Pressure or no pressure, good bowling or bad bowling, runs are runs, and while Bell is scoring more runs than Collingwood, he'll be the man in possession.

Err Colly has had a mucher tougher run of games even after you remove Bell's Bangladesh freebies, he's a better bowler, he's a better fielder and he has a better batting average even in those circumstances. If we're on about who's going to play in the Ashes you aren't going to get soft runs (unless Warne and McGrath are injured) and that's why Bell failed so spectacularly last time - he had two fifties, one in a soft situation where it was all about England declaring on a good batting pitch and the other where he was let off so many times I lost count.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Err Colly has had a mucher tougher run of games even after you remove Bell's Bangladesh freebies, he's a better bowler, he's a better fielder and he has a better batting average even in those circumstances. If we're on about who's going to play in the Ashes you aren't going to get soft runs (unless Warne and McGrath are injured) and that's why Bell failed so spectacularly last time - he had two fifties, one in a soft situation where it was all about England declaring on a good batting pitch and the other where he was let off so many times I lost count.

What do you mean, a tougher run of games? Performances beyond the beginning of this series are irrelevant - my point was that when a man scores three hundreds in three Tests, you don't leave him out two Tests later. Until Collingwood does something to prove that he is worthy of his place ahead of Bell, Bell will be the man in possession. Conjecture is one thing, performances are another.

 

[wpdavid]

Looking at the stats for the summer last night, I realised that Monty is actually our leading wicket taker this summer: at 26, he has 3 more scalps than Hoggard. Apologies if that was obvious to the rest of you, but it was news to me. Obviously that owes something to Flintoff & Harmison each only playing in one series, but their combined total is only 2 ahead of Monty, and I wouldn't bet against that changing at the Oval.

FWIW in 2004, Giles took 31 wickets in the English summer. Whilst I don't see Monty threatening Laker's 46 in 1956, there must be a decent chance of him overtaking Giles and, possibly (unless anyone can tell me otherwise) putting himself in 2nd place for the number of wickets taken by an English spinner in an English summer.

 

[aussie]

FWIW in 2004, Giles took 31 wickets in the English summer. Whilst I don't see Monty threatening Laker's 46 in 1956, there must be a decent chance of him overtaking Giles and, possibly (unless anyone can tell me otherwise) putting himself in 2nd place for the number of wickets taken by an English spinner in an English summer.

But the big difference between Gilo & Monty's performances was that Giles bowled againts the windies who played him very poorly while Monty bowled againts 2 sub-continent sides who are known to be good players of spin.

 

[no1_gangsta_786]

Another opening pair for Pakistan in Imran Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez and Mohammad Asif is going to play instead of Mohammad Sami.

 

[marc71178]

Looking at the stats for the summer last night, I realised that Monty is actually our leading wicket taker this summer: at 26, he has 3 more scalps than Hoggard. Apologies if that was obvious to the rest of you, but it was news to me. Obviously that owes something to Flintoff & Harmison each only playing in one series, but their combined total is only 2 ahead of Monty, and I wouldn't bet against that changing at the Oval.

It owes more to luck apparently...

 

[stumpski]

Right on cue, it started raining at 10.57.