Four weeks to go to the first test

[Collyisamackem]

Coach: Tom Moody

Chairman of Selectors: Michael Atherton? (First name that popped into my head, Graveney doesn't do ODIs and must go, no matter how nice he is on Sportsweek!)

My test side:

Strauss, Cook, Vaughan*, Pietersen, Collingwood (ODI captain), Bell, Foster/Davies+, Plunkett, Hoggard, Harmison, Panesar.

I like Bell as a test number 6, he has done very well there and I'd give him another go there. If Vaughan doesn't rediscover his test form, Strauss finds a regular ODI spot and Tresco (okay, long shot) recovers:

Strauss* (Test and ODI captain), Tresco (or Shah if he doesn't recover, at 3), Cook, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Foster/Davies+, Plunkett, Hoggard, Harmison, Panesar.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Strauss
Cook
KP
Vaughan
Colly
Bell
Davis/nixon - not sure
Plunkett
Hoggy
Monty
Anderson

I will take alot of convincing that harmo can play test cricket agan. He might and I stress might be OK at home but if I have to hear him whinging after another inept performance I'll take a bat to him.

And is that a world beating side ? No. The return of tresco would be nice and or simon jones (both in form of course) and it would change the side totally.

[flanflinger]

Cook
Strauss
Vaughan*
Pietersen
Bell
Collingwood
Flintoff
Davies+
Hoggard
Harmison/Broad/Jones/Anderson
Panesar

[Pete]

Not keen on seeing Davies picked. Hasn't done enough to warrant being picked as an England player, he's still got heaps to prove - he's only 20 and it's not like his batting and keeping is of some godlike status to put him in the team so early. Our keeper has to be Foster and if not him, then 'possibly' Luke Sutton.

Vaughan has to go as captain and player. He just hasn't done enough after his purple patch to command a regular spot in the team. Graveny can go, waste of space. Fletcher can go, past his sell by date and is too stubborn to see past his favourites.

Strauss to take over as captain, Owais Shah to come in place of Vaughan.

My team would look something like..

Strauss (captain)
Cook
Shah
Pietersen
Bell
Joyce (Much more suited to the 5 day game imo)/Collingwood
Foster
Flintoff
Hoggard
Anderson (Prefer Simon Jones)
Panesar

4 Man bowling attack is better for us, we've seen over the past year and a half that 5 means someone crap comes in and either gets tonked or doesn't bowl much.

[Ninjaman]

You're only playing the West Indies who you should beat comfortably as long as you approach it correctly.

Furthermore, a West Indies that looks increasingly like being Lara-less.

[Harmy's Army]

Originally Posted by Collyisamackem

Coach: Tom Moody

Although Moody says he is undecided on his future Justin Langer is convinced he will return to Western Australia after the WC. Whether he would want the England job or not is debatable, but intransigence on the part of the ECB will probably lead to him either extending his Sri Lankan contract or accepting a WA one way before England get around to saying goodbye to Duncan and tabling an offer Moody might have been interested in.

I agree with you Colly that Graveney should go - along with Miller. And also do away with that ludicrous team advisory committee they were running down under. The problem is, the likes of Atherton, Boycott and Botham (who could all potentially do a good job as selectors) have lucrative media contracts.


Some questions...

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

I will take alot of convincing that harmo can play test cricket agan. He might and I stress might be OK at home but if I have to hear him whinging after another inept performance I'll take a bat to him.

The issue is: Does Harmison deserve a place on home form alone and thus deny invaluable experience to someone else who actually wants to play away - and may actually perform well overseas (which Harmison obviously can't because his thoughts are on St James Park during the footy season)?

Is Michael Vaughan's position as captain sacrosankt, even when his form with the bat is woeful? Why can't he see what has been blatantly obvious to the rest of the world for years - that he is a hapless ODI player? It annoys me that he put his own pride ahead of the needs of the country to the extent that England were effectively batting a man short.

Has Kevin Shine justified his position after replacing Troy Cooley? (Who the ECB said they couldn't afford any longer). The ECB also say they can't afford a fielding coach (which is why Trevor Penny went to Sri Lanka). Isnt it a bit odd that Sri Lanka and South Africa (Jonty Rhodes) can afford one when we can't? Does this imply that we are paying our (underperforming) centrally contracted players too much and leaving too little in the kitty to afford quality back room staff? I would find it hard to believe that the Sri Lankan and South African cricket boards are wealthier than our own.


We have the West Indies and India this summer, followed by Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the winter. Lets think ahead to the next Ashes and blood the players now who need the experience ready for the Ozzie onslaught. The batting, bowling and wicketkeeping definately needs freshening up after the Ashes and World Cup debacles (I take my hat off to Nixon but he isn't the future).

Test team:

Strauss (captain)
Cook
Nick Compton
Pietersen
Bell
Flintoff (unless he needs a break - Bopara if he does)
Davies (lets get a young talented wicketkeeper in now)
Broad (a bowler with great potential who can bat - unlike Mahmood)
Simon Jones (Anderson or Plunkett if he isnt fit)
Hoggard
Panesar

In addition Adil Rashid and Owais Shah considered.

ODI Team:

Strauss
Trescothick if fit
Pietersen
Collingwood (captain)
Bopara
Flintoff
Davies
Broad
Plunkett
Panesar
Anderson

[Trescothick's Footwork]

Test team :-

Cook
Vaughan (c)
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Read
S Jones
Hoggard
Harmison
Panesar

Seems to be a lot of panicking in this thread, I don't think the selectors will panic to be honest. If Jones and Harmison show enough form they'll both be in, and I'd like them both to be in also. Harmys had a fair rest, but if he shows the same abject form as last summer then no mollycoddling this time, he needs to be told, and indeed dropped. Same goes for Freddie, if he carrys on drinking, etc then his career is starting it's end right now. Strauss is unlucky, but after a disastrous winter he has to be the one to make way for Vaughan. We've got to give Vaughan a go in test cricket and see if he can get it back in terms of batting. I'm not sure he can and i'm not sure if he'll be around for much longer. If Simon Jones isn't fit enough then i'd go based on form out of the usual suspects. There's not much to choose between Broad, Plunkett, Mahmood (Anderson is more of a Hoggard back up one feels?), but I think Mahmood is in the driving seat. Good point somebody made about giving Read a go with full backing. He's apparently the best keeper in England and his first class form shows he can bat, so show some faith. He's been shoddily treated, but I don't agree with him speaking out mind you.

One-Day

Trescothick
Flintoff
Pietersen
Collingwood (c)
Bell
Bopara
Blackwell
Read
S Jones
Hoggard
Panesar

It's time for us to realise that the first 3 positions in one day cricket are the most important and we have to have players who can go over the top. It's been 10 years since Sri Lanka wowed the world with their approach and we go into a WC with the likes of Vaughan, Strauss, Bell and Joyce, all "proper" batsman in the top 3. That's why it is so important we get Trescothick back into the one day team, despite him appearing to be a bit of a soft fruitcake. He's not just a hitter, and like the two Australian one day openers, he's a proper batsman as well. Again, if there's a problem with Jones i'd go with Jon Lewis, another guy who I think has been treated poorly. Not sure if he's ever let England down in the one day arena? If Tres still has his problems, then i'd be tempted to open with Blackwell and play Cook after Bell and before Bopara. Looking through some of the young batting hopefuls domestic one day records is shocking, they all seem universally to be terrible with some very average strike rates. That's why I would go for Cook above, I know his strike rate is poor but he does score runs in one day cricket, so he could prove very useful in the middle of the innings to keep things ticking over. I think we'll only get players better suited to one day cricket if we have only one domestic one day competition, so more stall is placed onto it by the counties. Ramble over

[Occasional Fan]

A lot of these teams don't seem to be showing enough change after a crushing winter and a humiliating exit from the World Cup. I had something more like this in mind:

Bats: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch
All rounders: Romulus and Remus
Bowlers: John, Paul, George and Ringo

Looks like an improvement to me, and at least three of them are dead.

[Speedboy Salesman]

You forgot wicketkeeper...I'd suggest Brian Wilson

I'm a bit unsure about the tests. People on this thread have said "It's only the West Indies" (I think), far gone from the days of the "blackwash". So it's a bit of an opportunity to break in some young players, in my opinion, who will replace older folks in the future.

Who will be the wicketkeeper? I always thought Nixon was brough in just as an ODI specialist, so it's between people like Foster, Read, and (in a quiet voice) Geraint Jones. I'd think I'd go for Read in the Tests.

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by Speedboy Salesman

Who will be the wicketkeeper? I always thought Nixon was brough in just as an ODI specialist, so it's between people like Foster, Read, and (in a quiet voice) Geraint Jones. I'd think I'd go for Read in the Tests.

If it's Peter Moores' choice then surely Matt Prior will be given the gloves?

I hope Read is given the gloves but I don't really see it. Much will depend on Moores thoughts on the subject.