Andrew Strauss - Genuine Opener?

[Teatime FatCat]

There is a school of thought to get Tresco away from Gillespie and McGrath and closer to Warne, which would mean dropping him down the order. I firmly believe that putting Vaughan back up to open would bring out the best in him again. Leave Strauss there to make a LH / RH combo to upset the Aussies. Drop Tresco to 3 in the hope that if Brockett and Vaughan do put a partnership together, he could then plunder.

Personally I would drop him down the order, if there was another ready-made no3 in the wings, which, with this XI there isn't.

Another (brave) option would be to drop Thorpe pre-series and bring in Bell. Bat him at 3, Pieterson 4 and Tresco 5. But that will never happen.

[Glamorgan Wanderer]

Why the need to drop Thorpe TTFC? Also, why the need to drop Tresco down the order?

Thorpe gives solidity to the middle order and would allow players like Pietersen and Flintoff to play their shots. Thorpe is also one of our most adept players of spin.

Tresco and Strauss have formed an incredibly successful opening partnership in Test matches - why on earth would you want to disrupt that? We can't change the side about simply because we are worried that Tresco was Gillespies bunny the last time the sides met because that was a couple of years ago and also in Australia.

[Paoli]

Seems a good team. Lack that extra fireful bowler, but make up for it with Freddie. Ashes, No.

[Milo]

Originally Posted by Teatime FatCat

Another (brave) option would be to drop Thorpe pre-series and bring in Bell. Bat him at 3, Pieterson 4 and Tresco 5. But that will never happen.

Brave? Not the word I would use.

[Teatime FatCat]

I'm really playing Devil's advocate here, as I'm quite a Thorpe fan. However, I think with his limited foot movement Tresco will be as much in trouble here against the aussie opening attack as he was in Australia. However, I think he has the ability to take Warne apart, and knock him out of the attack, which will be far more useful to England. After all, to win the ahses, it's what's best for the team, and not what's best for Marcus.


The Thorpe call is a tough one, my comments were based on heaing Athers comments on the radio, that Thorpe's physical decline in the field has been alarming. One option for keeping him in is to play him as the extra batter, use Harmy, Hoggy, Gilo and Freddy as the main bowlers, with back up from Bell, Vaughany and KP. Produce soggy greentops, and e don't need 5 bowlers!

[Milo]

Atherton is wrong. If physical decline in the field was anything to go by, Atherton should have retired at 25. We need Thorpe's runs, it is not one day cricket, stick him in at short leg. He will play Warne better than anyone in the team and has just scored 5 centuries in the last 12 months (all when despeerately needed). Atherton shouldn't even think of replacing him with a novice.

Atherton is probably jealous as he sees a player from his era with the chance of ending their career as a winner instead of a perpetual underachieving loser.

Produce soggy greentops and we will need Thorpe at 4.

[adamski]

Hmmm, Strauss is a definite as opener, and I do agree with you that Tresco has had a hard time of late. But when he gets it right, he gets it right, (remember that 150 + against the Aussies in 2001>??) - Thorpe has gotta stay if for nothing else than sheer grit. But Key???? there's a different matter, someone has gotta go for either Bell or Pietersen, and he looks most vulnerbale.

[John]

I see Tresco and Oliver England team which is more or less the best.
What my question would be is how they going to bowl the Aussies out? The batting lineup of the Aussies is far better than SA. In fact it is one of the better lineups over the last 20 years. Packed with class players. So you can put down the best England side but the question remains how do you get them out?
Hoggard may well trouble SA but I don't see him doing it to Australians . You really need strike bowlers which I don't see in your lineups.

[Kirsty Harris]

Originally Posted by Teatime FatCat

I think with his limited foot movement Tresco will be as much in trouble here against the aussie opening attack as he was in Australia. However, I think he has the ability to take Warne apart, and knock him out of the attack, which will be far more useful to England. After all, to win the ahses, it's what's best for the team, and not what's best for Marcus.

The Thorpe call is a tough one, my comments were based on heaing Athers comments on the radio, that Thorpe's physical decline in the field has been alarming. One option for keeping him in is to play him as the extra batter, use Harmy, Hoggy, Gilo and Freddy as the main bowlers, with back up from Bell, Vaughany and KP.

Trescothick has a record to set right against Australia, that is for sure, but footwork or no, there is nothing stopping him from setting the record straight this summer. The Aussies may feel they have Trescothick all figured out...but they could be wrong. One big innings from Trescothick this summer could be the difference between England winning and game and England losing a game. That, IMO, makes him a valuable player, regaurdless of his "weakness" or past history.

There have been signs that Thorpe isn't the fielder he once was, true, but I don't see that as a reason to radically change the formate of the team (by playing an extra bat) to compensate. His fielding isn't so bad as all that yet, IMO. Thorpe will play a big role this summer, if England are to do well.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by John

I see Tresco and Oliver England team which is more or less the best.
What my question would be is how they going to bowl the Aussies out?
Hoggard may well trouble SA but I don't see him doing it to Australians . You really need strike bowlers which I don't see in your lineups.

As I said John...

Originally Posted by Ollie

[Harmison's] place there at all, is rather dependant on him finding some form in the opening weeks of the season.
Otherwise our bowling attack will once again look distinctly ordinary.

I have to agree with you John... while everyone I know (practically everyone) has been saying England three-two, I've been firmly in the Australian three-one camp.

It's sad, but Harmison's fragile ego has already fallen apart again, and like England's Rugby Union team being unable to function without the "real-deal" kicker and captain Jonny Wilkinson, our boys did look to struggle just a little against the South Africans.

I think the best thing for Harmison is to get up to St. James' Park, just as he did before the Caribbean tour last year, sort out his fitness with his football heros and get on down to Durham for the start of the 2005 County campaign.
Maybe then we will see him at his best during the summer.

Harmison at his very best is crucial to our chances.