England team for the 1st Test vs WI

[cantplaycantalk]

Well the team has been announced

Strauss *
Cook
Bell
Peitersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Prior +
Plunkett
Harmison
Hoggard
Panesar
Owais Shah

Shah expected to miss out with Peitersen fit.
3 Durham players in the first test of the summer and all look in good form.
Strauss is the safe option for stand in captain, you can't give it to freddy in case he goes out to celebrate being made captain...
Prior is the only slightly contraversial choice, he has not been in the best of form so far this year and plenty of other keepers have been scoring freely, Ambrose, Batty and Brophy just for a start and that is just an alphabetical list without even getting past B!
I would tend to think that this team has too much for the West Indies who are rather light on talent at the moment.

[pie_chucker]

Thats probably the team that I expected to be named.

With the bowlers all firing and some and the batters hitting form you are right and barring bad weather I see a confortable England victory.

[Gremlin]

I am happy with the team selected - hopefully Prior will justify his selection. Graveney had said that it was the most debated position so England choose the player who has shown the poorest form this season thus far.

Pleased to see Shah is in the selector's eyes once again - he deserves another go at the top level.

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

Pleased to see Shah is in the selector's eyes once again - he deserves another go at the top level.

IMO he does deserve another go, but weather he will get a game will depend on Pietersons fitness and if we play 4 or 5 bowlers.

[Gremlin]

Quite. I'd prefer to see four bowlers with Flintoff batting at seven, however the selectors will go for five bowlers surely.

I wonder if they are tempted to bat Prior at six to allow Flintoff to bat with a bit more freedom?

[pie_chucker]

I also think 4 bowlers is enough especially as Hoggard and Harmison are in decent form. If we play 4 seamers than Plunket is also in good from.

Do we play 4 bowlers or 5 and do we play a spinner or not??

[adamberry]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

I am happy with the team selected - hopefully Prior will justify his selection. Graveney had said that it was the most debated position so England choose the player who has shown the poorest form this season thus far.

Erm... poorest would be Geraint, wouldn't it?

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

Do we play 4 bowlers or 5 and do we play a spinner or not??

I would always play a spinner, the only time I wouldn't is if we had a pace attack like the West Indies had in the eighties, with a batsman as the spinner if required.

However, I think there would be enough cover from Collingwood / Pietersen (if he plays) / (god help me) Bell to get away with four bowlers. Harmison, Hoggard, Flintoff and Panesar maybe, playing Shah instead of Plunkett? At least that way we could ditch Prior and play Read at number 8!

[pie_chucker]

I would always like to play a spinner (especially agaist decent opposition) but if we play Hoggard, Harmison, Plunkett and Flintoff I would imagine that we should skittle the Windies for less than 200 easily.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

hopefully Prior will justify his selection

He's not CAPABLE of justifying selection: he's just not got it in him to be a fitting heir to the likes of Bob Taylor and Jack Russell.

With any luck he'll get the cricketers equivalent of the yips, let through nearly 50 runs in byes, drop catches and end up handing the gloves to Collingwood before the Test is out, paving the way for a real gloveman in the next Test.

That said.. I'd settle for Harmison breaking his arm with a bouncer in the nets prior to the start of the match: might do his county a favour as well if that happens.

THE GUY CAN'T 'KEEP!

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Rachael

That said.. I'd settle for Harmison breaking his arm with a bouncer in the nets prior to the start of the match: might do his county a favour as well if that happens.

You may get your wish.... Harmison has a habit of injuring team mates in the nets.

Never mind about keeping, I'm not convinced the guy can bat either!