Dalrymple - WHY ???

[Ernest]

Why on Earth have the England selectors picked

Originally Posted by BBC

England have added off-spin all-rounder Jamie Dalrymple to their squad for the second Test against Pakistan with Andrew Flintoff set for surgery.

It's bad enough that lewis is in the England squad, but I find picking Dalrymple as a replacement for Flintoff as one of the most bizzare England selection ever, on a par with the repeated selections of Pringle in times gone by.

Originally Posted by BBC

Dalrymple was England's second-highest scorer during the one-day series against Sri Lanka, with 202 runs in five innings, and took four wickets.

So what - what has ODIs (in which England lost all in any case) got do do with choosing Test players, oh I see it Read and Jones all over again, he's been picked because he managed to score some runs of the Sri Lanka bowlers, well I bet the Pakistan players and supporters hope he gets into the final 11.

I have nothing against Dalrymple - but he is not the correct replacement for Flintoff IMO.
Anyone agree's with his selection?.
Link click here

[Mr Hutt]

hehehe i agree dude ) inzi and co like offspinners specially those who cant bowl too well.. it seems like someones got up on the wrong side of the bed in the english selection panel.. but i think they are running out of options

[mudney]

Yeah he did score some runs in the ODI series, and was one of the few good things to come out of that debacle of a series. It is easy to say that ODI's are nothing compared to tests and players shouldn't be selected on good ODI performances, but if that was the case, Ernest, then we would not have had Trescothick playing for the test team. Trescothick's first class average was lower than Dalymple's currently is at present when he was selected. So what's the problem?

[greg]

Who else is there in all honesty?The cupboard is empty as we have had to make so many changes already.

[Teatime FatCat]

Originally Posted by Ernest

Why on Earth have the England selectors picked
I have nothing against Dalrymple - but he is not the correct replacement for Flintoff IMO.
Link click here

And who is Ern? There is no like for like!

Besides, in Jamies defence, he's a good bat and he would offer an England skipper options if bowling at Pakistan on the 4th and 5th days - far more so than Bell or Collingwood. Either way, I can't see any circumstances in which he might get picked, unless someone shoots Monty - in which case Keedy would be drafted in.

However, don't dismiss the boy out of hand - he's gonna be a 'good 'un' in the future.

[Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Ernest

I have nothing against Dalrymple - but he is not the correct replacement for Flintoff IMO.

In all honestly Ern...No one can really be the "correct" replacement for Flintoff. Like Andrew Strauss said : ""He does the job of two players but can only be replaced by one.""

[Alison]

Originally Posted by Ernest

I have nothing against Dalrymple - but he is not the correct replacement for Flintoff IMO.
Anyone agree's with his selection?.

I agree with what's already been said, there is no 'correct' replacement for Flintoff, so we need to be looking for the least worst replacemet.

I would add that, considering the effect all this hot dry weather we're getting at the moment is likely to have on the pitches, a spinning all-rounder might well turn out to be a good option

[adamberry]

And we might be able to use a spinning all rounder as the second spinner as opposed to a spinning batsman (Pietersen).

As Fletcher himself said in the News of the World yesterday:

No one can replace Flintoff, it's almost impossible to balance the side without him.

I'd be prepared to see how Dalrymple performs: we never know, he might prove to be a very shrewd choice.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Teatime FatCat

And who is Ern? There is no like for like!

I don't think I have seen so many united replies but the problem for me is Dalrymple has only ever played in an England one day side that played the worst cricket ecer on public view, it is IMO to big of a step up to filling Flintoffs boots - not helped by the fact that Englands pace attack is not firing that well, also playing Dalrymple with Panesar (both rookies) is a huge gamble.

Alison is of the opinion that England should have just 4 bowlers - well if we go down that road then we need a good extra bat, but packing the side with batsmen has never really stopped a collapse, I myself would go for broke and pick Anderson when fit.

Originally Posted by Teatime FatCat

However, don't dismiss the boy out of hand - he's gonna be a 'good 'un' in the future.

No one can dismiss him out of hand - what little he has done thus far makes him look good for the future, but being an off spinner he will have to be special because England have not had a decent off spinner since Embury, batsmen have worked out the ball that spins in.

Originally Posted by Wanderer

In all honestly Ern...No one can really be the "correct" replacement for Flintoff. Like Andrew Strauss said : ""He does the job of two players but can only be replaced by one

That's true but the England selectors in selecting Dalrymple have tried to do just that, he has been selected for no other reason IMO than for his batting form in the England/Sri Lanka ODIs - it really is not fair on Dalrymple who needs time to develop.

[Collyisamackem]

I'd have preferred Bresnan really. Seems more of a 4/5-day bowler who can bat pretty well than an ODI bowler. Dalrymple, well I'm prepared to give him a chance after being largely our man of the ODI series, one of few emerging with credit after he played fairly well IMO. The fact is that we are down to the bare bones and must try these things.