Tour Schedule

[flanflinger]

Well the kiwis start their second tour game today, yes the weather has not been with them and the IPL has taken away some of their key players, but they still have this and another game to prepare for a Test series.

That means by the time the first Test starts they will have had three first class games, none with pointless 13 vs 13 and a one day game. Compare this with England when they tour!!

And we wonder why after th 1st Test of a tour we are playing catch up. The Kiwis have been given themselves the best chance of competing in the series, why oh why do out tour schedules do the opposite?

[Rachael]

What I wrote the other day but failed to post (possibly due to my 3 year old daughter wanting to access the cbeebies website) was:

Doesn't look like a full strength Essex side though: Flower isn't playing, and neither is Nel. I'm not sure what the Essex attack should look like at full strength... but Tudor, Palladino, Chambers didn't play the other day.... and I'd bet at least one of Chopra, Wright and Masters would be in the first choice line up.

The wickets column in the NZ first innings suggests some of the missing bowlers might have been very badly missed...

[flanflinger]

England will arrive in Barbados on Wednesday, January 21, where they will play two three-day warm up matches before moving to Jamaica for the first Test against West Indies at Sabina Park on Wednesday, February 4.

Cricinfo - England unveil Caribbean itinerary

ARRRRRRRRRRR I hate the ECB and their inability to put together a decent tour schedule!!

Why not the 10th Jan, still gives the players a nice Christmas and New Year break and then have three 4 day games...

Oh and joy of all joys, in between the third and fourth test we have a two day waste of time... why? Why? WHY??

It is this kind of tour itinerary that has left us coming from behind on every tour for the last four or five years, we never seem to learn. The Schofield report was a complete waste of paper, a simpleton could have told the ECB what they needed to do, and a proper tour itinerary should be high on the list. It is truly pathetic...