The England Thread

[Richard]

Here we go guys, about a year to go and we still have no idea of our strongest ODI lineup. Hmmm......

Simply put... we have Trescothick (who as David Lewis pointed-out a couple of weeks ago has been a waste of space for a year), Flintoff and Pietersen... and Gough if he lasts the course and stops bowling the rubbish he bowled last year.
Can't see either Read or Ealham being recalled and I think Knight was stupid to call it a day when he did... if he's not still playing (and playing well) next season I'll be amazed. But it's too late now.
I've said it plenty of times and I'll say it again... with Strauss, Vaughan, Collingwood, Blackwell, Geraint Jones, Plunkett and in all likelihood Harmison and Simon Jones, too, around we have absolutely no chance whatsoever. We might, possibly, avoid whipping-boy status, but that'd be a grievious blow for the hosts.
If we had a skeleton like this we might, just, have a ghost of a chance...
Trescothick
Knight

Afzaal
Pietersen
Flintoff
Read
Ealham


Gough
Quite why Afzaal is still nowhere near the picture is a total mystery to me - I fully expect Cook to be rushed into the side when it should be palpably obvious to anyone that he's not even good enough at the domestic level (yet, at least) just because he looks to have the makings of a useful Test player.
Simply put, though, there are just not enough good one-day batsmen in the country (available), and few bowlers either. Time is running out, and even if we do see Strauss, Vaughan, Solanki, Collingwood, Jones, Plunkett, Harmison and Jones dropping-out of the picture, there simply doesn't seem to be the calibre of player available to come in.
The only stupidly obvious omission at present is Afzaal... whoever else is picked alongside him and Pietersen, even Trescothick and Flintoff, can't possibly be relied upon. Both are reliable enough massachists of mediocre bowling, but I can't see them doing much to Pollock, Nel, Ntini, McGrath, etc. etc.
Unless someone (probably more like 2 batsmen and 2 bowlers) were to pop-up out of nowhere next season I rate our chances as close to zero.

 

[marc71178]

Afzaal, Gough, Ealham

 

[Richard]

So... Vaughan, Harmison and Plunkett are better?
Pull the other one.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Afzaal, Gough, Ealham

I bet Ealham/Gough would be the fastest bowlers in Motson's side by a country mile as well.

 

[Richard]

I bet speed makes no importance whatsoever in my side.
Because most fools can realise that speed is not really very important in ODIs.
Most fools, however, do not make a scratch on EXD's foolishness.

 

[superkingdave]

ah Mark Ealham, a fat waster, he can plod along to the pie shop, but lets not go into that

your thoughts on Jonathon Trott, Richard?

 

[Richard]

ah Mark Ealham, a fat waster, he can plod along to the pie shop, but lets not go into that

If there's one thing it's utterly stupid to accuse Ealham of it's wastage - he's one player who's wrung every drop from his ability. I hardly see how he qualifies as "fat", either.
He does, though, qualify as a very good one-day bowler, and when you put bowlers like Plunkett, Tremlett, Lewis, Jones, Wharf, Mahmood, Kabir Ali, Harmison, Anderson, Batty, Blackwell, Tudor, Sidebottom, Snape, Kirtley, Hoggard, Franks and Swann up against him they look like jokes.

your thoughts on Jonathon Trott, Richard?

You've not heard my thoughts on EU-passport players before?

 

[superkingdave]

You've not heard my thoughts on EU-passport players before?

i think he's as English as pietersen isn't he?

 

[Richard]

Nope, he's one of those typical South Africans who's proven not good enough in South Africa so has come to batter around a few English county attacks and get himself a nice fat import's pay-packet (plus presumably airfares, sponsored-cars and the works - though he may be a UK resident, if so I'd admit to being harsh on him).

 

[superkingdave]

Nope, he's one of those typical South Africans who's proven not good enough in South Africa so has come to batter around a few English county attacks and get himself a nice fat import's pay-packet (plus presumably airfares, sponsored-cars and the works - though he may be a UK resident, if so I'd admit to being harsh on him).

well he qualifies this autumn and has said that he has set his sights on playing for England

 

[Richard]

If Jonathan Trott ever plays for England we could well lose every series very badly.

 

[superkingdave]

If Jonathan Trott ever plays for England we could well lose every series very badly.

seriously sometimes you are hard to understand Richard you place so much emphasis on List A average, but trott averages over 40 in List A, a figure which only one player in the England side can match, and you say we would lose every series very badly if he played?

 

[Matteh]

what about Jamie Troughton?....

 

[aussie]

well he qualifies this autumn and has said that he has set his sights on playing for England

that would be good, seems a decent all-rounder in the making..

 

[superkingdave]

that would be good, seems a decent all-rounder in the making..

argh no, He's a batsman - his bowling is poo

 

[aussie]

what about Jamie Troughton?....

shouldn't play for england again, they are much better batsmen coming up.

 

[aussie]

argh no, He's a batsman - his bowling is poo

Well i haven't seen much of him but i remember him bowling in the C&G Final last year & well he took 3 wickets, his bowling admitedly wasn't fantastic but their is something to work with

 

[marc71178]

If Jonathan Trott ever plays for England we could well lose every series very badly.

Says the bloke championing Darren Gough...

 

[Richard]

seriously sometimes you are hard to understand Richard you place so much emphasis on List A average, but trott averages over 40 in List A, a figure which only one player in the England side can match, and you say we would lose every series very badly if he played?

I place emphasis on the fact that a bad List-A-OD average means someone almost certainly won't make the grade in ODIs, but I certainly don't think that a good domestic record will automatically translate into a good international one and having seen Trott bat quite a few times it's a mystery to me why he averages so high and I can't conceive he'd do anything of note in ODIs.

 

[Richard]

what about Jamie Troughton?....

Hopefully won't get picked for ODIs again, should never have been picked ITFP.