New coaching team for ODIs

[south beds mikey]

After yet another abject performance by our one day team has the time come for Duncan Fletcher and his staff to be replaced for this form of the game?

The dichotomy of our results in Test and one dayers is there for all to see. It seems clear that whilst he has done a superb job in test cricket the ODI performances have gone from merely bad to depressingly useless and that he and his team even now still don't have a clue of the best way for us to approach this form of the game. The non selection of our best spinner for 30 years for a tournament in Asia still baffles me even now.

I think I'm right in saying that most of us consider test cricket far more important. Surely this is even more reason to let Fletcher concentrate on this full time. After all he himself has decided that certain players aren't suited to both; surely the same should apply to coaches. As this will give him a bit more time off it may even have the result of Fletcher staying longer in the job at test level where I think we all agree he is quite superb.

Losing is one thing but we are not even coming close to competing at the moment in this form of the game and have not done so consistently for far too long.

It is my assertion that unless some drastic measures are taken with the ODI set up we will continue are current slide down the rankings.

[Mr Cricket]

I think yes and I think the perfect guy out there for this job is John Wright. I dont really like the guy that much but I think hes the best coach out there. With experince with India. I suggested him for Bangladesh because hes the best experinced coach out there.

[Rachael]

This is surely an excessive, knee jerk reaction: England did well against the Aussies in the 20-20 and ODI as well as in the Ashes... and the current 'B' side recently recorded two excellent wins against a full-stremgth Pakistan side.

The difference between the ODI form and the Test form from the Ashes is surely that Fletcher had a first XI in the first four Test matches and was only missing one player (Simon Jones) for the final Test. If you recall, Fletcher's full strength ODI side also tied the Natwest Series final prior to the Ashes having also dismissed Australia comparatively cheaply in the curtailed d/n match... and then stomped on the Aussies in the first Natwest Challenge game.

Since then England's ODI 'B' side have recorded some notable victories: see here (including the first ODI in Pakistan where they posted and defended, 327/4, the 5th ODI in Pakistan where they defended 206). They have also batted very well in other matches, as here (a list that includes a match against Sri Lanka where the batsman posted a seemingly untouchable 321 and then saw Bresnan and Ali, those well known stalwart's of Fletcher's ODI side, concede 100+ runs off 8 overs).

Right now, the first choice XI for ODI might read as follows (player in bold are those currently playing in their full capacity):

Tresco (missing, 123 ODIs)
Vaughan (missing, 74 ODIs)
Bell (in great form but just 25 ODIs)
Pietersen (top 10 ODI batsman, just 40 ODIs)
Strauss (doing OK, 63 ODIs)
Flintoff (Not bowling, out of form, 104 ODIs)
Collingwood (doing fine, 102 ODIs)
Read (doing OK, just 35 ODIs)
Blackwell (missing, just 34 ODIs)
S. Jones (missing, comparative novice - 8 ODIs)
Anderson (doing well, 52 ODIs)

The fringe players

Solanki (51 ODIs)
G O Jones (out of form, 49 ODIs)
Giles (missing, 62 ODIs)
Harmison (46 ODIs)

On the fringes lie a further crew, all of whom are comparative ODI novices: Cook (2 ODIs), Shah (18 ODIs), Dalrymple (looking good, 13 ODIs), Yardy (4 ODIs), Joyce (3 ODIs), Plunkett (16 ODIs), Lewis (7 ODIs), Mahmood (14 ODIs), Broad (5 ODIs).

ps. If you at England's performances since the Ashes... the ODI wins at home againsta full strength Pakistan ODI side are amongst the highlights: it has been the Test side that has looked ropey, struggling on tour in Pakistan and India and then batting and bowling diabolically against Sri Lanka and against the bowler-less Pakistan 'B' team.

[Notts Exile]

I don't think Fletcher will be England manager next summer. Unfortunately I firmly believe we will lose the Ashes and be disgraced in the World Cup. After that he will go. Then we will be able to concentrate on doing well in both forms of the game. We will use the same players and be better. Other countries do it, why shouldn't we?

[Teatime FatCat]

All interesting points Rachel, but there are some baffling decisions from Fletch at the mo -

KP is neve a number 3 in any form of the game

Freddie is never a number 4, especially on Indian tracks, and especially against the Aussies - all you are doing is handing them a mental advantage.

Harmison is so out of sorts it's ridiculous - he shouldn't be palying ODI's, certainly not in the same side as a patchy Mahmood.

Lewis - see point above. If one of the other two is playing, then this boy has to play as well.


I'm a fat, 35 year old, 3XI club captain - and I reckon I could manage the ODI side better than Fletch. I'm a big fan of his, but he has one trait that really irritates me - stubbornness! He will not change his mind on certain players - That's why Monty's not at the tournament, why Harmy still is, why Hollioake never got the ODI captaincy, why Irani played (dreadfully) ahead of him and why Vaughan never got dropped from the ODI side.

It will be this stubbornness which will eventually besmirch what could have been a brilliant coaching career.

[darksideofthemoon]

ODI coach - Adam Hollioake, Mark Alleyne, Ray Jennings.
Batting coach - Graham Thorpe
Fielding coach - Jonty Rhodes
Bowling coach - Wasim Akram or Darren Gough
Selectors - Rod Marsh, ODI coach and captain.

[Teatime FatCat]

Ray Jennings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wouldn't let that nutjob anywhere near the England team!!!!! We want to coach them, not beat them up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[darksideofthemoon]

They need sorting out. Running 5 times round the ground for a wide or no ball.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Teatime FatCat

KP is neve a number 3 in any form of the game

He should go back to number 5 where he averages just over 100. I know some people will say that he should bat through as much of the innings as possible, but batting at 5 wouldn't be a problem if the other batsmen decided that they'd perform.