The Ashes 2006-07: The Build-up

[Moss]

I saw all the coverage of Freddie's leakage (!) this morning.

I think it's a big mistake, overburdening him when he's not even fit to play.

Australia will fear him more if he's left to bowl and bat.

Like Botham, he won't be a good enough captain.

(However, if in January I am wrong, I will gladly eat my words.)

[Mr Hutt]

wrong choice.. IMO strauss is the better captain hands down.. he showed it against pak, but then freddie has always been englands golden boy hasn't he? i agree with moss too much of a birden on him bowling batting and now captain as well... too much too expect

[greg]

I guess in a way the selection of captain for this series is similar as the choice of captain for the football team as there are 2 excellent candidates and either one will be a good choice.I am just concerned about Freddie being given too heavy a load but he isn't a bad/poor choice if he gets it.

[greg]

Oh well,the squad has been announced but i would be surprised if more than 2 of the 4 bowlers currently injured will end up playing in the tests.

[Collyisamackem]

Ashes squad Andrew Flintoff (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Ashley Giles, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Geraint Jones, Sajid Mahmood, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Chris Read, Andrew Strauss, Marcus Trescothick.

Champions Trophy squad Andrew Flintoff (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Rikki Clarke, Paul Collingwood, James Dalrymple, Steve Harmison, Ed Joyce, Sajid Mahmood, Jon Lewis, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Read, Andrew Strauss, Michael Yardy.

Academy squad Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Rikki Clarke, James Dalrymple, Steven Davies, Ed Joyce, Robert Key, Jon Lewis, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Tom Smith, Chris Tremlett, Michael Yardy.

Jones (G), Giles and Anderson in, Broad, Lewis and Tremlett off to the academy along with Shah, Key and Read. Seems sensible to me given all the options they had to consider.

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by Collyisamackem

Champions Trophy squad ........, Rikki Clarke.

Why????????

[Collyisamackem]

I don't know, but I expect Yardy to play ahead of him anyway. I will re-post this squad in the ODI forum for discussion there...

[Mike]

Some points worth mentioning:

1. Ashley Giles will travel to India for the ICC Champions Trophy with the ODI squad in order to continue his rehabilitation from a hip injury. He won't be eligible to play in the tournament but will need to prove his match fitness prior to the Ashes tour, and arrangements will be made for him to play competitive cricket within India. (Source: ecb.co.uk)

2. The Academy squad will be based in Western Australia for a five-week period during the Ashes Test series under the management of National Academy director Peter Moores. The squad’s winter programme has been revised to ensure that it is now of maximum benefit to both the England team and the Academy players. (Source: ecb.co.uk)

3. England have two three-day warm-up matches prior to the Brisbane Test match. One in Sydney and the other in Adelaide. Before this they play a one-day match against a Prime Minister's XI.

4. Harmison and Anderson have to play some more County cricket before the ICC Champions Trophy to prove their fitness.

[Occasional Fan]

On point 4, surely there can't be much of that left, can there?

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Rachael

Bell "could not get a score together against the Aussies"? At Old Trafford he hit consecutive half-centuries! His 59 and 65 (that's 124 over two innings) was topped only by Vaughan (and in terms of occupation of the crease Bell bettered even Vaughan: 258 balls, and more than six hours).

Rachael there was 10 innings, and if all Bell could do was to score two 50s, then that is very ordinary indeed, there is no other word for it.

Bell bettered Vaughan you say, well that was not very much to be proud of the form Vaughan was in - in 2005, he was in the middle of a very lean spell.

Bell was poor - as were other members of the England batting - I am not being wise after the event I wrote post after post saying Australia's batting was better than England, but I thought we would win the Ashes back with the then best bowling attack in the world IMO.

Originally Posted by Rachael

More to the point.. Simon Hughes understands cricket better than most, possibly better than everyone on this board put together... and in today's paper he says "he now has the best all-round game in the team

No I don't agree with respect Rachael, why does he know more that us who write on message boards with years of playing or watching cricket behind us.
Do you know if Simon Hughes picked England to win the Ashes in 2005 Rachael?, or more that a handful of other experts.

Talking of experts the England team of selectors (experts on England cricket) dropped Bell in Pakistan, because of his summer form which included the Ashes series.

I don't say Bell is no use - I would take him to India Pakistan or Sri Lanka, I have watched him play pace and he does not look in charge of his game.

Also another fact is that it's not always the pace bowler who gets the wickets, I have seen England players softened up by the West Indian quick's, and Richards collect wickets.