I sympathise with the general sentiment on your post TTFC and agree that England's ODI selection can charitably be described as shambolic. However, not sure what you mean by the three 'English' medium-pacers; are you implying that one (or more) of Mehmood, Plunkett or Ali is South African?

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A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes
Mark Twain

And another wicket falls. Owais Shah for third time in a row has failed with the bat and goes for 11. Another wicket for Pathan. England out for less than 150 anyone?

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Watch this for a perfect about.
James May

No it's more a referral to the fact that they are all typically English medium-fast (certainly in Indian conditions), so unless they can become canny, they will not pose much of a threat.

By the way, my mood is further improved by the terrific start we have made to the chase. Why is KP not playing, and why is Solanki slated to come in at about no8?

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I'll have the Mouseburger please, with a side of Goldfish.

Pietersen is ill.

Why have we picked Mahmood.Surely the worst bowler ever to pull on an England shirt.If he is international class then i am Don Bradman.

Once more our pathetic team selection has helped us on our way to another stuffing.

Why 2 wicketkeepers and why no 2nd spinner?

Feels like we are saying the same things over and over again.Oh,i forgot we are because our selection in one day games is pathetic.

I'm off to my second lesson now, science to go and feel quite embarassed about England's ODI game in general. See ya later people.

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Watch this for a perfect about.
James May

Maranello just proves my point as far as I am concerned, England are a poor one day side, have been for years.

just shows the need for a professional one day England set up divorced from the Test side, with it's own players and management, this poor form will just spill over into the Test side, and fatigue for sure will.

Wee have a ready made team to take over in Chertsey, the sooner the better.

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Ern

Oh dear. This is beyond a joke.

1. No Batty on a turning wicket.
2. Sajid Mahmood over Hoggard. You are having a laugh, right?
3. Flintoff bowling Mahmood and leaving Jimmy with an over spare. Oh dear. Especially as he went for 22 in that last over.
4. Blackwell at 3 with Solanki in the side. Are they on drugs or what? Surely, SURELY Fletcher, Flintoff or Maynard were smoking a big pipe of crack when he/they decided that?
5. Has Ian Bell done something wrong? Why is he not in the side instead of Shah?
6. Our fielding. Appalling.
7. Our passion. None.
8. Our body language. Beaten.

I haven't witnessed a worst shambles in the England ODI team ever. Its like the bad old days in the Test side, only worse. I'm sorry, but as an ODI coach and selector, Fletcher just hasn't got a clue. I think everyone here can see that quite clearly.

How embrassing. I suggest they get on the plane now otherwise its going to be an ever bigger whitewash.
Pathetic.

Disgusted of Chiselhurst.

Can't disagree with any of that Six & Out, and Fletcher's ODI incompetence puzzles me.

You forgot to mention the wonderful "two-wicket-keepers-strategy" - don't think that will catch on, somehow.

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A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes
Mark Twain

Hoggard was picked but went down with an illness.
Flintoff and Anderson both came back for an over and went for 12 and 9 respectively so then Mahmood was given ago but i suppose isnt hindsight a wonderful thing.

Blackwell was rightly brought in at 3, the idea would of been for him to slog a quick 40 or 50.

I'm rather taken aback by the criticism of Fletcher in this thread: I can't stand the guy's approach to Test cricket... but his approach to the ODI side makes sense: he's 99% sure of at least 9/10 first choice players for the world cup... and in the absense of Tresco, VAughan, Giles, Simon Jones and Harmison he's doing exactly the right thing in looking to build the experience of his "reserves".

Sure, Prior isn't needed in the same XI as Jones... but Prior IS the reserve wicket-keeper for the World Cup... and if Stewart is right that it takes about 30 games for players to adjust from the low intensity of domestic ode-day cricket then Prior has to be given as many games as possible at this stage.... and it's working: the guy hasn't done badly by wicket-keeper batsman standards.... and was playing well again today ahead of the mix-up in the middle.

By contrast.. with Tresco, Vaughan, Strauss, Pietersen and Collingwood as 1st choice specialist bats... and with Solanki already having a fair bit of experience.... it makes sense to give a player as promising as Shah an extended run: sure, Bell looks more suited to balancing THIS side... but Shah is the obvious ODI prospect.

Hoggard was picked for today's game... which makes sense... but in terms of building for the world cup.... an extended look at Kabir Ali, Liam Plunkett and Sajid Mahmood bowling alongside one another makes sense.

The best suggestion I've heard for the remainder of the series (aired on TMS) is release Flintoff: winning the series ain't on the cards... and that would really put the pressure on the reserves to step up and be counted. with Bell playing in Flintoff's place there would be absolutely no-where for Anderson, Plunkett, Mahmood, Blackwell and Collingwood to hide... as they would all KNOW they had to bowl a full 10 overs per match!