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***Official*** South Africa in England

Should Freddy be included in team for the second Test?


  • Total voters
    44

jammay123

State 12th Man
Would be good to see it happen with more series though, wouldn't it?
would be great but with the current staus of cricket(t20 being top) it is very surprising that england against South africa got 'icon' status especially with the somewhat farcical epl also being announced today.
btw who decides on icon status?
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
maybe recall Prior if his keeping has really improved as Alec Stewart claims.
Not wishing to doubt the gaffer's acumen, but his management company do take care of Prior's affairs so he's possibly not the most neutral judge. Link:

Alec Stewart may be Surrey through and through having served the county with such distinction for more than two decades but, above all, he is a patriot.

That is why the former England batsman/wicketkeeper has no qualms about his new role as manager/mentor and specialist coach to Sussex's gloveman Matt Prior.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engvrsa/content/current/story/361407.html

Apologies if it's been posted but...he is so right. Nine draws in a row in the capital now I believe, 6 at Lord's, 3 at The Oval, though tbf one of those had a result at the time (8-))

Didn't realise we had won quite so many outside of London though. IIRC India and Sri Lanka both did us outside the capital, but nobody else.

Obviously these are stats but it does prove that Old Trafford should have a Test, maybe even four :ph34r:
 

tooextracool

International Coach
Bull****, on so many counts.

I really don't see what Smith has to do with anything. Because he has failed, this affects Flintoff's failures how?
I think most would agree that Smith is a decent player, not good but decent and worthy of a place in the side as a batsman. Essentially he has done what Flintoff has been doing for about as long as Flintoff as been doing it. Not many people have called for his head.

I think that there are plenty of players around the world who do not score consistently against the top sides, it doesnt make them poor players or unworthy of a place in the side, it just means that they are not great. Not everyone can be as consistent as Jacques Kallis or Shiv Chanderpaul. Flintoff has scored some runs against good attacks and failed against some others, but he hasnt done significantly worse than many other regular top order batsmen around the world.
 

tooextracool

International Coach
Over his career, Flintoff will be looked upon as the better bowler, but as for who would have the most success were they recalled to the team right now, i'd certainly have my money on Jones.
I would too, and I would have said so even right after the Ashes in 2005. I've been a vociferous supporter for him right after *that* spell that he bowled against McCullum at Lords in 2004. However, in his career to date, he hasnt accomplished as much as Flintoff has done and whether he will do so remains to be seen as not many people have watched him bowl this season and fewer still are convinced that he will be able to have a consistent injury free run in the England side.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I think most would agree that Smith is a decent player, not good but decent and worthy of a place in the side as a batsman. Essentially he has done what Flintoff has been doing for about as long as Flintoff as been doing it. Not many people have called for his head.
I certainly wasn't calling for his head. I was trying to emphasise that he wasn't perhaps quite as good a batsman as Martyn was suggesting.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
:laugh: So true! To think some people actually wanted Stewart to retire earlier! :@
Aye. Wish he was still playing now TBH.
I think this comes under the "and damn right too" heading TBH. Hard to get too excited about something that, for mine, should go without saying.

Highly disappointed myself that this series is only four Tests.
 

jammay123

State 12th Man
Aye. Wish he was still playing now TBH.

I think this comes under the "and damn right too" heading TBH. Hard to get too excited about something that, for mine, should go without saying.

Highly disappointed myself that this series is only four Tests.
i agree completley that england south africa should be 5 match series but nowadays it is not a given and very easily could have gone the other way like englands away series to india where their are only two tests( which btw is ludacris) so im happ this is the case because i would have been sorely dissapointed if the next series between these two nations wasnt at least 4 tests which could have been the case.
 

superkingdave

Hall of Fame Member
Will miss the start tomorrow because i'll be at the dome but hopefully i'll catch some of the play later on. Fully expecting a hiding.
 

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Will miss the start tomorrow because i'll be at the dome but hopefully i'll catch some of the play later on. Fully expecting a hiding.
I've no idea what will happen. I'd say it hinges on whether the South African pace attack gets their act together. Flintoff will probably bowl alright and take a couple of wickets, score no runs, and receive credit for "lifting the spirits of the team" if anyone else happens to perform.
 

Mr Mxyzptlk

Request Your Custom Title Now!
CricInfo said:
"I can just see England batting first at Lord's and Andrew Strauss gets a 'roughie'. Then they'll wish they could have appealed."
Mickey Arthur, miffed by England's refusal to use the umpire review system, gets his prediction spot on a fortnight before the series
The man is a genius!
 

Zinzan

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Bull****, on so many counts.

I really don't see what Smith has to do with anything. Because he has failed, this affects Flintoff's failures how?
Not at all. I'd love to do a vote on it TBH, but I know and understand that would be inappropriate on this forum. You are well known for filtering and manipulating players stats to suit your arguments and I'm guessing TEC brought Smith up as an example because he is someone that has generally struggled against top attacks and suceeded against minnows, but of course because you champion him you are unlikely to point these shortcomings out. I actually thought it was a top post by TEC and his point was very well made
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
tec's post was fine apart from the Smith-Flintoff comparison, which was irrelevant, it was yours that was nonsense. Anything suggesting that I "manipulate stats to suit my argument" is nonsense TBH, I don't and never have done such a thing. I look at the stats then form my opinions. If people don't like that and have different opinions they look upon it as "manipulating the stats" because the stats I show don't show what they want to believe.

I'm not very likely to point-out Smith's shortcomings, however I've not for a while now denied their existence when others have brought them up. Smith's career, to date, disappoints me greatly because I do and always have believed he has the potential to be a very, very, very good batsman. To date, though, he's generally been something of a weak-attack bully. He's never going to score double-centuries against stronger attacks, but mostly he hasn't even managed 60s and 70s against them.

None of that, however, is relevant to Flintoff.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Will miss the start tomorrow because i'll be at the dome but hopefully i'll catch some of the play later on. Fully expecting a hiding.
I thought that a week ago too.

Mind, just because you expect something and it doesn't happen once, doesn't mean it won't happen the next time it seems likely as well.

But I've a little more faith in England now, at least on the batting front, than I did a week ago.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Haha, beat me to that exact link by about half a second - was just going to post
No indication of whether it'll be Collingwood, Flintoff, Ambrose or Ambrose, Flintoff, Broad. O0O0O0O0O0O0h, the suspense is terrible.

At least we know he's going to play though, which is one thing off the agenda.
 

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