**Official** Sri Lanka in England / Scotland - 2011

[superkingdave]

Twenty20 squad Stuart Broad (capt), Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright
One-day squad Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonanathan Trott, Chris Woakes

Terrible selection picking Finn IMO

 

[nsniks]

England Squad announced

Twenty20 squad Stuart Broad (capt), Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright

One-day squad Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonanathan Trott, Chris Woakes

 

[Daemon]

Broad as captain is really odd.

 

[Himannv]

England weakening themselves a bit there IMO.

 

[weldone]

While Sangakkara is a great player (I use the word judiciously), I'd disagree with the bolded part.

IMHO, De Silva is the best player the island has ever produced. The greatest ever since Mahadevan Sathasivam anyway.


De Silva was as assured a player as one could see against pace and spin. A complete natural. The way he dominated genuine pace and especially those fierce hook strokes put him on a different pedestal. I am not too much of a statisticaly-oriented person, so for pure talent and the ability to play crucial knocks, I'd rate Aravinda very, very highly indeed.

I don't rate players on talent alone. If I did, I would rate Kevin Pietersen as a better player than Steve Waugh.

While De Silva was extremely talented against both pace and spin, he wasn't a world-class batsman for the first 11 years of his career. It's only in the last few years in his career that he became a world-class performer with the bat. During the first 11 years of his career Sri Lanka was not a premier force in test cricket, and he was their best batsman. But he was quite a few notches below the best batsmen of the world till 1997.

You may not be statistically-inclined, but it's hard to ignore De Silva's first 11 years when he scored 3227 runs @ 34.7. Overall during his entire career also, he didn't set the world on fire. The best 5 bowling countries in his time were West Indies, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and England. He averaged less than 40 in the last 4 countries, and averaged exactly 40 over 2 tests in West Indies.

Of course, De Silva was a better player than those numbers suggest (because the quality of bowling overall was much better in the 80s and 90s), but it's not always very prudent to completely sideline stats and judge talent alone. Batting is sooo much more than talent, that's one of the reasons this game is so beautiful. If I had to measure talent only, I would rate De Silva alongside Sangakkara (or even higher). But the other qualities of a great batsman has been much better displayed by Sangakkara.

 

[FBU]

Haha, see, I always miss out someone really obvious

The squad above isn't what I'd pick but what I'm expecting. Thought about Dernbach, especially as I'm not sure they'll pick Anderson - would be no bad thing if they just asked him to focus on Tests, IMO.

I agree on Bell and Bopara but think they'll both get a go. Wasn't sure on Wright but thought if they do open with Kieswetter they might want him down at 7.

Anderson's last 20/20

2nd T20I: South Africa v England at Centurion, Nov 15, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Howe_zat]

On the ODI squad, not bad I guess. CK over Davies and Finn over Shahzad are fair if you're picking on form, so I can't complain.

Patel and Dernbach called up on the basis of performances this summer which is fine, but if that's the case why do we have Bopara? Still, rather him than Wright, who seems to be at least demoted to T20. Hopefully he'll be on his way out entirely.

I'd have liked to have seen one of Taylor or Buttler picked but I can't think who for, aside from Bopara, and even that's not like-for-like.

Picking Jimmy isn't what I'd have done but he's done the business in ODIs before so maybe he can again. Very happy to see Woakes.

ODI team: Cook, Kes, Trott, KP, Bell, Morgan, Patel, Woakes, Swann, Broad, Anderson

Hoping they get KP to open in the T20. I don't really rate Lumb and that was a plan that showed some promise in the World Cup before he got injured. Batting order aside, leave Wright out, ofc.

T20 team: KP, Kes, Bell, Bopara, Morgan, Patel, Lumb, Swann, Broad, Dernbach, Finn

 

[Bun]

England's ODI squad is announced in a couple of years. My tips:

Cook
Kieswetter
Trott
Pietersen
Bell
Patel
Wright
Swann
Broad
Bresnan (if fit)
Anderson
Shazhad
Woakes
Bopara
????

Probably missed someone obvious, did it off the top of my head

wow you are a visionary and an optimist, but certainly a bit too optimistic to predict wright will still make it in 2 years time? :P

 

[Daemon]

Anderson's last 20/20

2nd T20I: South Africa v England at Centurion, Nov 15, 2009 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

Lol at trott's 3 sixes in that game

 

[biased indian]

So it will be Freerunssanth instead? Even worse.

we don't have much choice rt... other wise will have to go with 8 batsmen

 

[S Chanderpaul]

Bopara

He has a **** odi record and has got double figures just twice in his last 12 innings, yet he's in both sqauds?

 

[Spikey]

i'm certain they actually had Yardy's name down in there too before someone said something.

 

[Howe_zat]

Bopara

He has a **** odi record and has got double figures just twice in his last 12 innings, yet he's in both sqauds?

Was decent at the world Cup to be fair. Saved our neck against South Africa.

 

[GIMH]

wow you are a visionary and an optimist, but certainly a bit too optimistic to predict wright will still make it in 2 years time? :P

Ooopsie

 

[superkingdave]

Bopara just warming Stokes' place while he's injured naturally

 

[Jacknife]

Bopara just warming Stokes' place while he's injured naturally

Yes, I agree, if not for the injury to Stokes, I can't see how Bopara would have had a place in the ODi team. I also wonder who's taken Bresnan's place, from what I can see, that's why they brought in Finn, add to that Shahzad's complete loss of form, I suppose it makes sense.

 

[Howe_zat]

Yes, I agree, if not for the injury to Stokes, I can't see how Bopara would have had a place in the ODi team. I also wonder who's taken Bresnan's place, from what I can see, that's why they brought in Finn, add to that Shahzad's complete loss of form, I suppose it makes sense.

Would say Woakes is covering for Bresnan with respect to role.

 

[TopCat]

Bopara just warming Stokes' place while he's injured naturally

They can't be serious about Bopara, he's just got out for 1 from 7 balls in Essex's T20 against Glamorgan. Looked completely out of form and couldn't cope with the accurate bowling of Wagg.

Are the selectors actually looking at the form players or just picking those they always have?

 

[Jacknife]

They can't be serious about Bopara, he's just got out for 1 from 7 balls in Essex's T20 against Glamorgan. Looked completely out of form and couldn't cope with the accurate bowling of Wagg.

Are the selectors actually looking at the form players or just picking those they always have?

I wouldn't want Bopara any where near a England team atm and it's almost as if the selectors have felt sorry for him, for not giving him a test spot.
With Stokes' injury should have gone for Taylor in ODi's or Buttler in both. I hate the thought, that he's got in because he bowls a bit.
I'm also really surprise they haven't given Rashid a crack in the T20 because he's taking wickets for fun. He's bowled gash in first class cricket but brilliant in T20.

 

[FBU]

Bopara

He has a **** odi record and has got double figures just twice in his last 12 innings, yet he's in both sqauds?

His fielding isn't very good either.


I hope England have decided to take the batting powerplay straight after the bowling powerplay and not in the last 5. Also not think they have to hit sixes off every ball.