If ever a paragraph descibed englands ODI for the past 5 years, let alone the world cup, that was it. We have plodded along and never done anything exciting or different to the batting line up and had it not been for the occaisional spark from the bowlers we'd have lost to other poorer sides ie the bangles.

India and pakistan crying there collective eyes out that a team as poor as england were one match away from the semis.

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Nothing says "Obey Me" like a bloody head on a fence post!

Neither can have any complaints; England beat both Bangladesh and Ireland

True, but I sensed, only just.

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Nothing says "Obey Me" like a bloody head on a fence post!

Good to see the dodgy action man taking wickets. Should make a good play-off for third place with Sri Lanka.

Oh England, so many problems, where to start?

1. Bye bye Michael Vaughan. And while I'm about it: Thanks so much for following our boys all around Australia, generally butting in and helping to disorder the team's spirit.
Do you remember when Hussain stood down from the captaincy, realising he'd lost the team... couldn't you've done the same?

2. Bye bye Duncan Fletcher. So desperate to constantly play the XI that won the 2005 Ashes that you continued to pick guys who hadn't even played for a year. Well done you.
Helped to destroy team spirit by dropping a "cult" player and bringing back all your "excellent" team picks.
And how well did they do? Well not very, you'd dropped them all (but Collingwood) by the end of third Test.

3. Bye bye David Graveney. Finger on the pulse? I don't think so. It's a wonder you're not the chief superintendant of Kingston Jamaica, letting Fletcher get away with all that blue murder.

4. Can England now at last start to pick a top six of Test quality batsmen?

5. Can we bring back Trescothick in place of Flintoff until the big man sorts out his head?
I'd say he is suffering bigger mental problems than the Somerset sausage fan at the moment.

6. Rage, rage, rage, rage.... I don't know why? I don't like one day international cricket. But this/that was the most appalling thirty-five overs or so. And doesn't it just show up exactly how far we have come in the last fifteen years?

7. And one for Ernest. If Bopara is so poorly experienced at ODI level, why is it that he produced the ONE fanastic and vain-glorious English batting effort of the entire World Cup? Surely his time is NOW.

And if I think of any more I'll continue my list tomorrow.

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Red-it, Red-it, Read it and wept

Oliver, you missed "Bye bye Collingwood" surely? Not agreeing of course, but I'd hate seeing you forget things.

This is pathetic, it's sad to see the state of our cricket. I wish we'd just been knocked out at the group stage instead of enduring this prolonged Groundhog Day of utterly awful, demoralising cricket. Sadly Vaughan has to go, we can't have two captains and he has seemingly had his day. Give Strauss the captaincy and see if he can continue what he started against Pakistan, and give Freddie a rest!!!

Oh, sack Fletcher now and seriously beg Tom Moody to give us a chance.

In fact bopara continues to chug along nicely (that will put the kiss of death on him), and the so far fairly-ineffective-with-the-ball-so-far monty at the other end. Didnt we have a economic SLA knocking around who can punish part timers ?

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Nothing says "Obey Me" like a bloody head on a fence post!

No, I think I did say that. It was just a slightly veiled comment which you obviously missed.

See point 4.

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Red-it, Red-it, Read it and wept

Let us not get too dramatic in writing off people. Anyone can have a bad day. It is all very well to 'bye bye' the current players, but who are you going to replace them with? But I agree a change of management is necessary. Why does not Gooch make an offer?

Then you have tempered your rage against Colly? Pourquoi? Is it because he's really not to blame for the shambles that is English international cricket at the moment???

I was rather expecting something longer.

Come on Jimmy, have a slog and end the misery...

He has batted well, but he is inexperienced I am not arguaing that he is not better than 9/10's of the England batting.
I also agree with most of your post, at last someone can see that David Graveney is a waste of space, that England can't play one day cricket.

Fletcher said yesterday "tampering with the top order is maybe to much a gamble" - or words to that effect.

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Ern