With that kind of optimism they would continualy re-cycle 8 year old cars and engine's in Formula 1 races and expect them to win.

These are obviously very serious injuries that Flintoff and Jones are trying to get back from, the chances of either of them bowling at the pace they had 2-3 years ago and being able to sustain it is extremely low.

If you take time to stop and smell the roses, you will notice players like Anderson even in the past 2-3 months are showing good signs of steady impovement at test level.

Why throw that out the window and them out of the side, to what I would consider at best to be a very temporary and short sighted fix by bringing back in some players with short term futures at best.

One of Flintoff, Hoggard, Harmison or Jones maybe, more than one and you have just discounted the medium and long term future of Englands pace bowling very heavilly.

The biggest problem I currently see with England is batting problems rather than bowling problems.

So far this summer Flintoff has bowled consistently at top pace and caused all sorts of problems. Langer has already been quoted after receiving a bruising as saying " Flintoff is the best FAST bowler in the world..". It was unfortunate he got a side strain but these things can happen. As for Jones, he has started bowling quick again and so for this season his pace is up from the '05 Ashes, BUT I would place no hopes on him playing for England unless he survives a full domestic season. At least his new county seem to be managing his fitness/rehab from injury better.

Anderson is still too inconsistent to be part of a 4 man attack. When he goes AWOL, like he frequently does there is a lot of work to be placed on the other 2 seamers.

That is true. The bowlers lack penetration and the is a problem there but their jobs would be made easier if the batsman could post some decent scores. The bats are also protected species. A bowler can have 1 bad test out of 50 and get dropped but the bats can have 2 bad series and still get picked.

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Mark.

Most current discussions seem to be centred on the way the side as a whole is showing signs of feeling the pressure: that doesn't mean the personnel need changing, merely that the inexeperienced side needs time to grow and develop.

Quite how bringing in Bopara or Shah would help is unclear: that would reduce the experience level of the side, and the precedent would leave the remaining batsmen even more worried about their place - I'm trusting that the management has already assured the batsmen than they will all be playing in the final Test so that today's innings doesn't begin with players feeling they are playing for their place (with perhaps just today's innings to stake their claim).

Most certainly. Sidebottom isn't a spearhead and Andersons to inconsistent.

Which is what I've been saying for a while. Vaughan doesn't want trundlers in his team he likes having fast bowlers to "bully" the opposition. Not many batsman succeeded against our "fast" attack.

I agree. With Flintoff and AN Other we can have 2 fast bowlers and then Siders/Hoggard and Broad as the change bowlers with Panesar for spin. That would be a good attack. One which would have won us this series 3-0 (weather permitting) and would give SA a hard time.

Again, I've been saying this for a while and after the SA series we can evaluate his his performances at test level. The only tests he's had have been against India and Sri Lanka and the results were.........


I'd go with that. To me Broads bowling figures (over his career) will be no better than that of Giles but his batting should be a bit better. This will gives us reasonable strength at 6,7 and 8 and give us more than adequate compensation for dropping a batsman.

It sounds unpatriotic but I want us to lose this match and get hammered against SA - which we will if we persist with this team / tactics, so we can get rid of Moores and at least give us a winter to prepare the side for the Ashes. I don't want another 5-0 Ashes defeat if Moores is in charge that will happen.

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Mark.

Then you are rewarding failure.

This is becoming a sad side effect of current British culture. In schools pupils cannot now fail exams incase they get upset. In schools competitive sport has been banned as someone has to lose.........

Hoggard was dropped after one bad match. The batsmen have failed for at least 3 series now and 2 of them (Colly and Bell) are totally out of form.

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Mark.

Funnily enough, Collingwood and Bell, the best two batsmen on tour, are the ones having difficulties now, whereas Vaughan, Strauss and Cook are all getting back into form. I don't think it's rewarding failure to give players who've recently shown form adequate opportunity to get it back.

First p_c I am pleased with the form of Strauss and Vaughn, but the rest have a lot to prove. New Zealand have been no pushovers as some predicted.

On the weather THUNDER last night, bright but cool today - should be good when you go. I have saved you some beer

Back to the cricket I hope Pietersen performs the way he can, and Collingwood shows his usuall Northern grit.

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Ern

Colly wasnt in great form on tour and at the moment he's hopelessly out of form. Its funny how Harmison and Hoggard got dropped after one test though.....

A lot of that is down to our performances though. It looks like Strauss may see us home, which i have mixed feelings about.

Cheers, I'll enjoy that beer and hopefully the weather too!

It looks like the batsman are much more positive at the moment so this attitide should suit Pieterson. He's at his best when he plays naturally and attacks . I'm still worried about Collys form though.

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Mark.

KP with a foolish run out....followed by a VERY close LBW to the out of sorts Colly, out in my mind, just naturally looked on in real time...

44 needed with 5 wkts, 1 in the over and Ambrose out there? Anyones game..

As it just happens Bell has hit back to back boundaries off O'Brien, game over now, 34 needed, 6 wkts left.

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Hoggy Hoggy Hoggy...OI OI OI!!!

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He wasn't in great form, but his form was still good. An average of 40 with three fifties in six innings- what England wouldn't give for that kind of consistency now.