Time to go.

[greg]

Well those who are saying Vaughan should go are right but only in one day cricket.I hope that he stays on as test captain provided he proves his fitness for Yorkshire by playing a couple of championship games before the first test.

Fletcher should go and so should Graveney.They have served us well over the years but we need a fresh outlook at the top.As for the players i don't think we need to tinker too much with the test side but obviously we have problems in one day cricket,but not as many as Pakistan and India because at least we made the super 8's.

My team for 1st test v West Indies

Strauss
Vaughan (capt)
Cook
Pietersen
Collingwood
Bell
Flintoff
Davies
Panesar
Harmison
Hoggard

I think we have no chance of picking that side as we won't play Flintoff at 7 but that is the team i would go for,give Davies a chance if Read is being disposed of.If we play 5 batsmen then Cook or Collingwood will probably get dropped which would be a mistake.

[flanflinger]

Greg,

That is pretty much my team, dependant really on the form of Simon Jones.

Sounds like all the pundits are suggesting Fletcher will go today (with a £300,000 pay off - wish I had a job like that, get a massive pay off for not doing my job!!).

For me the change in coach should be enough, he has done a great job, but maybe it is a job that has a lifespan, and 8 years is too long. Tom Moody will be a big favourite, as will Peter Moores. To be honest it is hard to say who should succeed.

the fact is that we have some great new talent coming through, and we cannot afford to waste these next five years, if the talent is matched by performance, we could end up the Number one test team.

It will still be good to see what the Schofield report comes up with, but for me Central Contracts are not the problem, I feel that has benefited the England side, as has two divisions in the county game, four day cricket and covered pitches. For me lack of preparation and decent practice matches prior to tours has been key, along with a very average and unproven Bowling Coach (we should never have let Cooley go) and in terms of ODI's lack of imagination in terms of tactics.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by flanflinger

as has two divisions in the county game,

Would be nice if there were fewer teams though, so there'd be more competition for places. I feel that too many mediocre players are playing county cricket because they're allowed to do so.