Winter tours 2007/08: Sri Lanka and New Zealand

[Golden Shower]

I wonder what anyone's opinion is on a one-off recall for Robert Croft.I know he retired rather abruptly in 2001 (mainly due to differences with Duncan Fletcher) but he's having a fairly good season (42 wickets @ 35),and has been Glamorgan's most reliable bowler for the last couple of seasons.Good enough to bat at 8 or 9 without making a fool of himself.

[pie_chucker]

I couldnt see Croft taking any wickets though. The last time I watched him bowl he was incapable of turning the ball, infact he was getting that little action on the ball it was going with the arm and he was bowling away swingers

[south beds mikey]

Blimey!! If Crofts in the side you might as well pick me! He has to be comfortably in the worst 10 players to represent England.

[engssmoothcriminal]

Well the call up of Swann to the one day side does kind of imply that he is going to be the guy chosen to partner Panesar and fill the problem batting position at 8. To be fair to him he's had a perfectly respectable season in the county championship (allied to an outstanding one day season) scoring 516 runs at 32.25 and taking 45 wickets at 33 on not the most condusive of surfaces for finger spinners. However the previous year up a level in division 1 his output with the ball was 28 wickets at 44.53 which kind of says it all and I fear a repeat of Gareth Batty's inefectual displays from 2003. Though fingers crossed he won't end up batting as high as 6 this time .


The rest of the England's one-day squad to tour Sri Lanka:
Paul Collingwood (captain, Durham)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Stuart Broad (Leicestershire)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire)
Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire)
Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)
Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)
Matthew Prior (Sussex)
Owais Shah (Middlesex)
Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)
Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
Luke Wright (Sussex)

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by engssmoothcriminal

Though fingers crossed he won't end up batting as high as 6 this time .

He'd do a far better job as an opener than Prior has done.

Unlike Monty, he also knows his one day game (just as Sidebottom knows his game too). He will bowl in an attacking manner even when the pressure is on.

A much deserved call up. He's matured a lot in the last year or so.

[engssmoothcriminal]

Sorry Notts should have made it clearer I meant in test cricket. The memory of Gareth Batty batting at 6 on the last tour of Sri Lanka still haunts me .

I've absolutely no objection to Swann being used as a pinch hitter in the one day side and I agree he would indeed be preferable to Prior in that role. I'm looking forward to seeing whether he can replicate his oustanding domestic one day form into the international arena and put pressure on (or even force out) the sides one luxury player Panesar.

[Notts Exile]

Swanny's not even batting in the top seven for Notts this season. (But then even Paul Franks has been coming in at ten and he's a very handly bat!). I'd happily see Swan at eight in a Test, he's easily as good a bat as Giles was.

[flanflinger]

Don't have any problems with the selection of Swann for the ODI's in Sri Lanka. I think the bigger debate will be who the second spinner for the Test series will be..

With Giles retired, I am wondering whether it is too early for Rashid. For me the field is wide open and it will be interesting to see who the go for...

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by engssmoothcriminal

Sorry Notts should have made it clearer I meant in test cricket. The memory of Gareth Batty batting at 6 on the last tour of Sri Lanka still haunts me

in truth, Batty's batting was pretty impressive on that tour. Tuffers reckoned he was one of the two best players of spin in the entire side, and he played Murali pretty reasonably.

Shame about his bowling though

Originally Posted by flanflinger

I think the bigger debate will be who the second spinner for the Test series will be..[...] I am wondering whether it is too early for Rashid.

I'm assuming The first choice pairing will be Panesar and Swann... with Rashid bagging the third spot so that he can get used to being part of the England setup, get a taste of touring and be sized up for a future role.

Touring sides almost always include one such player... and given that he's such a multi-dimensional player I'd have thought he was an ideal candidate.

He'd not play if both Panesar and Swann remained fit... but he could bat at 7 and bowl a bit if the team faced an injury crisis.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Rachael

I'm assuming The first choice pairing will be Panesar and Swann... with Rashid bagging the third spot so that he can get used to being part of the England setup, get a taste of touring and be sized up for a future role.

But Swann has not (as yet) been selected for the Test squad, he is a surprise call up for the ODI's, I personally feel that he may not get into the Test squad.

Possible candidates for me are

Louden - I am not a fan but the selectors are
Batty - I think his time may have passed, but he might be a surprise
Swann - Got the ODI nod, maybe (now Fletcher has gone) he can get the Test call
Rashid - Is he two young, would a Lions tour be better?
Schofield - An outside bet, but he could be in the frame

Have I missed anyone?