Twenty20 WC Squad

[feverpitch]

Squad: Cricinfo - England go for Twenty20 specialists

Pretty good squad in my opinion; they'll always be a few gripes (particularly Loye out and Prior in for me) but basically it's fine.

A job well done

England’s selectors are so often lambasted that it is only fair to give them credit after picking a Twenty20 World Cup squad bursting to the rim with specialists. Darren Maddy, Jeremy Snape and James Kirtley are each highly unlikely to play any more one-day internationals for England, but they are shrewd Twenty20 players, and will offer England much more than James Anderson, Ian Bell, Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar would in this form of the game. Chris Schofield and Luke Wright, meanwhile, will hope selection proves the springboard for other national honours.

The winning skipper on Twenty20 finals day, Rob Key, made an astute point when asking whether good Twenty20 Cup players had the necessary class to excel against the world’s best. However, the trio of Maddy, Snape and Kirtley have proved they are excellent players in this form of the game who, one would think, have the skills to do well internationally. The great gambles are Wright and the rejuvenated Schofield, two players selected solely on their performances in this season’s competition. Schofield, with 17 wickets at 8.82 (and an economy rate of just 6) is a worthy selection, especially given his ability to improvise with the bat in the final overs; Wright is perhaps a little luckier considering that, during his innings of 103 and 98 in this season’s competition, the highest calibre bowler he faced was Yasser Arafat.

Of those who did not make it, the unluckiest is surely Mal Loye, who has an outstanding Twenty20 record and played some exhilarating cameos in the CB Series; he would have been a fine replacement for Trescothick. Key and Mark Ramprakash have mixed big shots with nous, to great effect, in this form of the game and had merit over Wright and possibly Vkram Solanki, though he is a marvellous fielder, attractive batsman and worthy selection.

With the ball, England look to have got it just right. Their two spinners are better suited to this format than Monty Panesar, and are also very useful batsmen; the all-too-hittable James Anderson has surprisingly been omitted; and it is very hard to argue with the four seamers, with the inclusion of Chris Tremlett’s bounce and consistency a clear indicator he is part of Peter Moores’ long-term plans. Kirtley has bowled expertly at the death for Sussex this campaign, although forgotten man Jon Lewis, so impressive on finals day and with an exemplary ODI record, is hugely unfortunate to have been overlooked for both the Twenty20 and one-day squads.

Put simply, this is a very good squad which gives England the best possible chance of taking advantage of having played more domestic Twenty20 than anyone else, although the management’s lack of coherent thinking is impossible to ignore: the games against the West Indies would have been most useful for gauging the specialists' international suitability. The only real gripe, in fact, is that there is the faintest whiff of home bias on Moores’ part. Wright and Kirtley were borderline selections; but Matt Prior is undeserving of the wicket-keeping job ahead of Paul Nixon and Tim Ambrose.

My line-up (from the 15):
Maddy, Prior, Pietersen, Shah, Collingwood, Flintoff, Bopara, Schofield, Broad, Sidebottom and Tremlett with Solanki, Wright, Snape and Kirtley in reserve

[darksideofthemoon]

I don't think Anderson did that badly in his last 20/20 games against the West Indies but I wouldn't have him in the 20/20 World Cup squad.

2 matches 3 wickets at 21.33 econ 8.00 s/r 16.00 - Anderson
2 matches 3 wickets at 22.33 econ 8.37 s/r 16.00 - Sidebottom
2 matches 3 wickets at 31.50 econ 9.00 s/r 21.00 - Broad

Wright, Maddy, Solanki, Bopara, Collingwood, Flintoff, Prior, Schofield, Snape, Broad and Sidebottom
I wouldn't have Pietersen in the side as he says he is rubbish at 20/20.

I think Lewis is very unlucky to be left out and Nixon should have replaced Prior.

[Collyisamackem]

Wright, Prior+, Maddy, Pietersen, Flintoff, Collingwood*, Bopara, Schofield, Snape, Kirtley, Sidebottom.

Just to note, Phil Mustard is an ideal Twenty20 player and would have been well worth considering, given his limited overs performances this season and spectacular run chase to win the game along with Michael Di Venuto a few days ago against Warwickshire in CC1.

[engssmoothcriminal]

Well I can't say I give a toss about this mickey mouse ICC money spinner but this is a fair enough squad. I'm not remotely convinced that the so called 20/20 specialists will be able to make the step up in class against the ODI squads of the other test nations but we might as well go down that route and settle the experience versus talent debate once and for all. The only two gripes I have with the choice of personnel are over the selection of Flintoff and Kirtley. Kirtley's action is still (despite all the remedial work) a disgrace and he simply shouldn't be playing club cricket let alone international cricket however irrelevant. In terms of Flintoff I really don't want my key all rounder still barely half fit prancing about in South Africa in a few hit and giggle games ahead of a crunch tour of Sri Lanka where he is so badly needed. He should either play some proper cricket for Lancashire or be rested.

[Barmy Harmy]

I must admit I'm not a fan of 20/20 and to be honest I can't see England winning it.

It would be better if they scrapped the ICC Champions trophy if this is to become a permanent tournament.

[Sixhitter]

England have missed a trick they should of put Mal Loye