New England Vice-Captain?

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by greatbear

Bring back Strauss in the team for Dalrymple, Flintoff for Bopara, make Strauss play at no. 6 ahead of Flintoff, and also make him the vice-captain of the team. Pietersen, Vaughan, and Bell can cover up Dalrymple's overs, if needed.

But Strauss was dropped for lack of form - how can you bring back a dropped player and present him with the vice captaicy of England.

Tell you what - after this World Cup what about this team.

Trescothick (if fit).
Chris Adams (C).
Vaughan.
Pietersen
Collingwood (VC)
Flintoff.
Read.
Panesar.
Mahmood.
Plunkett/Hoggard.
Harmison/Anderson.

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Ernest

But Strauss was dropped for lack of form - how can you bring back a dropped player and present him with the vice captaicy of England.

Tell you what - after this World Cup what about this team.

Trescothick (if fit).
Chris Adams (C).
Vaughan.
Pietersen
Collingwood (VC)
Flintoff.
Read.
Panesar.
Mahmood.
Plunkett/Hoggard.
Harmison/Anderson.

Sorry Ern, but Adams is an inferior player and captain compared to Vaughan.

Harmison for Anderson and Hoggy for Plunkett and you have the makings of our strongest side. If fit S. Jones would come in for Mahmood. Read will never play for England again

[adamberry]

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

Sorry Ern, but Adams is an inferior player and captain compared to Vaughan.

Sorry Ern, but I don't like the idea of a Test rookie taking the captaincy straight away. The thought of making someone captain just because they have tactical nous, but no consistancy, is akin to making a soufflé just because you have eggs. It doesn't work.

[pie_chucker]

I dont like the idea of picking a second class batsman for the test team!

Adams had a go at teat cricket and the flaws exposed in his technique suggested he'd never cope against test quality bowling.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by adamberry

Sorry Ern, but I don't like the idea of a Test rookie taking the captaincy straight away. The thought of making someone captain just because they have tactical nous[...]It doesn't work.

In Bothams Ashes in the late 1970's - Bothon was sacked and Mike Brearley new to the Test team, and no great shakes with the bat - had immediate success.

I can't think of one person in the England set up as it is - that would make a great captain.

Vaughan won the Ashes as captain in 2005, but has shown to be fallible since, and his for is only second to that os Strauss for being poor at the moment.

Trescothick is not fit, Flintoff has sailed away - there really is no one left, except to experiment with Collingwood.
Adams I think would be a good leader, but more important he would be a fresh new face in the England set up.

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Ernest

........Flintoff has sailed away ......

Like it Ern.

Our batting is fragile enough without having a walking wicket opening up.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Ernest

Trescothick (if fit).
Chris Adams (C).
Vaughan.
Pietersen
Collingwood (VC)
Flintoff.
Read.
Panesar.
Mahmood.
Plunkett/Hoggard.
Harmison/Anderson.

Terrible team Ern...

1. Trescothick - it's not about fitness, but the fact that the guy is mentally unfit. He may never be mentally able to play Cricket again, let alone play for England
2. Chris Adams - played for England in SA several years ago and didn't make an impact, and yet you would have him back as skipper - with Vaughan in the side
3. No Bell or Cook, you talk in one post about bringing in new blood, and the you drop the best young players we have
4. Mahmood the only player secure in his place - seriously has he done that well that he should replace Hoggard?
5. Plunkett or Hoggard... Hoggard everytime, would you really want to drop England's most consistent bowler?

Terrible team Ern, and that team would lose a lot of Test series, not just against Australia!!

Originally Posted by Ernest

Adams I think would be a good leader, but more important he would be a fresh new face in the England set up.

If you want a new Fresh face - lets look at Compton first. Picking a 36 year old with a Test average of 13 is not the answer!!

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/engla...ayer/8487.html

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Ernest

In Bothams Ashes in the late 1970's - Bothon was sacked and Mike Brearley new to the Test team, and no great shakes with the bat - had immediate success.

Yes but Ern, where you have this 100% wrong is that Brearley was new to the team and too the Captaincy.. He had been the sides Captain between 1977-1980, and after Botham was stripped from the Captaincy, he was then recalled as skipper.

Yes, he was not a brilliant batsman but when he was given the Captaincy in 1977, he had already been a Test player for a year and was established in the team.

So this is a totally different case!!

Originally Posted by Ernest

Vaughan won the Ashes as captain in 2005, but has shown to be fallible since, and his for is only second to that os Strauss for being poor at the moment.

The only fallibility he has shown is to injury!! He has hardly played a Test since that Ashes series.. if he is fit, and in the team, Vaughan should be leading it!!

[Rachael]

As I see it the first choice Test XI for the spring will (and should) look very familiar... with Vaughan as captain and Strauss and Collingwood as No 2 and No 3:

Strauss
Cook
Bell
Vaughan
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
<'keeper>
Hoggard
Harmison
Panesar

First reserve batsman: Joyce <large gap> Bopara / Compton

First reserve bowler: Simon Jones if he's recovered and finding form, otherwise between Plunkett and Anderson

Early season form might have a bit of an impact... and if Simon Jones really DOES come back at full strength then some rethinking might need to be done... but the guys in place look to me to be an excellent medium-long term bet... and the side looks to me to be better now than at any time since the heady when Atherton, Thorpe and co were backed up by Gough / Caddick and White - and with the increasing strength in depth the squad is certainly more promising than in 2005.

Rarely, in recent years, has the side look so promising: radical change strikes me as completely un-necessary.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Rachael

Rarely, in recent years, has the side look so promising: radical change strikes me as completely un-necessary.

That's pretty much the team I would have. I also share the sentiments that this side as a lot more going for it then Ern likes to think.

I agree with your choices of reserve batsmen and would just add one more name Owais Shah.

As for the bowling attack, you have gone for four front line bowlers - if you needed a fifth/injury replacment then you need look no further than Broad, Plunkett, Jones, Anderson and Mahmood

As for the keeper, I can't see them sticking with Read (as wrong as I think that is) so I hope they go for Foster or Davies over Prior and Jones.

Otherwise, a far better team than Ern selected... and one that could win a lot of Test matches...