Cricket

[TigerGoneNorth]

Re: Cricket

Hey Ready or TGN

Saw on news highlights last night on news of 20/20 match.
Stuart Broad (son of Chris) looked impressive with his height and bounce, is he a chance to tour for the Ashes or the one day series.
Have you a guess what the squad for tests series will be.

It's a bit hard, there are still a lot of injury question marks. (Harmison is having some back problems now.)

I think Broad is a certainty - they speak very highly of him and from what I've seen he's just the sort they should take on tour. He gets some steep bounce from a good length given his height and he's pretty quick. I'm not sure how much test cricket he'll play but he is a certainty for the one dayers I think. The Poms are really struggling in the shorter games (lost the 20/20 the other day) and need something different.

I've been thinking about the English touring squad and I'm struggling for batsmen. I assume the squad will be 15 strong so;

Strauss, Trescothick, Cook, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Read, Flintoff, Hoggard, Harmison, Panesar is a fair stab at the first test team (depending on Flintoff's fitness). Add G. Jones as the reserve wicket keeper then I suspect they'll take Broad and one of Plunkett or Mahmood. That leaves room for another batsman but I can't find anyone who stands up asking to be picked. Owais Shah played one test on the tour of India making 88 and 38 and Key has had a few tests and been ok (15 tests @ 31) but neither has been in any form to speak of at County level. As is often the case the best batsmen have been the test players or the imports.

They may look for another spinner in place of a quick but again, no-one stands out - I can't see Giles going when he has been out so long and they may be tempted to go with the extra quick as insurance for Flintoff or Harmison. Other spinners such as Batty, Udal or Blackwell are too old not good enough or both.

Anyone have a suggestion for the final spot?

 

[mk33]

Re: Cricket

Thinking they will take 16
6 bats 1 ar 2 wk 2spiners 5 quicks
or if 15 drop a quick or spinner

Bats Strauss, Trescothick, Bell, Cook, Pieterson
last spot Shah, Clarke, Key, Compton, Crawley ;D or a young player I have not picked up on

Flintoff all rounder

wicketkeepers
Read and Jones

spinners
Panesaar last spot from Batty or Giles if fit

quicks
Harmison, Hoggard, Plunkett
Jones will still miss from what I read
remaining quick from Broad, Lewis, Tremlett, Mahmood, Kirtley, Anderson or DeFreitias

England usually have a couple of players break down on tours so would not surprise if they have a few players on the verge playing district cricket to be fit for a call up in such an important series.

Looking fwd to it and hope it does not rain Boxing Day

 

[TigerGoneNorth]

Re: Cricket

Pick your 15/16 MK!

 

[mk33]

Re: Cricket

Pick your 15/16 MK!

sorry have not seen enough TGN, will get Wisden during the week and have a stab probably first 11-12 pick themselves. Still think we may in trouble especially if Punter does not make runs.

 

[TigerGoneNorth]

Re: Cricket

Yeah I agree, the first 12 pick themselves and the next couple probably do too.


I snuck out to Lord's today to see England's woeful one day form continue. Pretty awful day for cricket - a few rain interruptions early saw the game reduced to 40 overs a side and the rest of the day was very windy, cool to cold and in the latters stages very dark.

The Poms got rolled for 166 and basically put in a ordinary effort with the bat. Akhtar knocked a couple over early, Pietersen got out playing a stupid shot, Rikki Clarke and Chris Read got them to a half decent score then Akhtar came back to bowl a few overs consistently over 93 mph knock a few stumps out and that was that. I was sitting side on - man he is quick.

The Pakis lost a couple early to some good tight medium pace bowling from Lewis (who took another with a no ball) but they really never looked troubled. The new boy Broad got a bit of stick - he had lots of bounce, bowled at about 84 mph but was too wide and a bit too short. Khan hammered him early and Inzi touched him up as well. Darren Gough didn't go too well either and I wonder how certain his place is.

Pietersen was down by the fence in front of us and I was impressed with how he tried to sign as much as he could for the kids. A steward came and stopped the kids from standing at the fence so Pietersen ran around to the next aisle and signed there instead. He won quite a few points with the crowd - helped when he took a catch right on the rope as well.

The game finished in near darkness with Inzi and Yousuf carting them around. . . Don't put too much on England for the World Cup, they have a long way to go.

I took my boy in to see the Museum during the change of innings. Great to see the Ashes again. Is there anything in world sport as unique as them? It's a pretty small museum but has some great things within (Bradman of course, WG, and a cabinet devoted to Keith Miller) and the displays are turned over so it's worth going back if you've been there before. There is a Patrick Eager exhibition of some fantastic old photos at the moment.

Roll on The Ashes!

 

[mk33]

Re: Cricket

My favourite Muesam is the Lords Muesam TGN.
Have to agree with you re the Ashes trophy, more people know the world cup but there is more history with the Ashes and the fact it stays at Lords and how it orginated makes it that more special.

I think their test side is pretty good but gee they struggle in the one day format and have for 15 years.

 

[TigerGoneNorth]

Re: Cricket

My favourite Muesam is the Lords Muesam TGN.
Have to agree with you re the Ashes trophy, more people know the world cup but there is more history with the Ashes and the fact it stays at Lords and how it orginated makes it that more special.

I think their test side is pretty good but gee they struggle in the one day format and have for 15 years.

Yep I think their test side is pretty good. I don't understand why they are so bad at one dayers! Since they tied with Australia in the final of the triangular series before The Ashes last year their record in one dayers is played 20, won 4, lost 16. (I have excluded the no result last week due to rain and the game against Ireland at the start of the season which they won).

That's pretty close to as bad as it gets!

 

[TigerGoneNorth]

Re: Cricket

Make that won 4 and lost 17 from 21.

 

[Liverpool]

Re: Cricket

I reckon the new Aussie one-day uniform is bloody poor too.... :-X

Its too much like South Africa and Pakistan, with the predominant green look.....whereas past uniforms (and 99% of Aussie sporting teams) wear a predominant yellow strip (with maybe a bit of green there somewhere).

 

[mb64]

Re: Cricket

New 1 day outfit is very average.Suggest they will be used for 1 season before a more creative uniform is designed.

 

[jb03]

Re: Cricket

I reckon the new Aussie one-day uniform is bloody poor too.... :-X

Its too much like South Africa and Pakistan, with the predominant green look.....whereas past uniforms (and 99% of Aussie sporting teams) wear a predominant yellow strip (with maybe a bit of green there somewhere).

Agree, looks identical to a Saffers outfit.

 

[TigerGoneNorth]

Re: Cricket

Hey! The Poms finally won a one dayer!!

 

[SfB_AkA._DeLiCiOuS]

Re: Cricket

It doesn't matter who the pom's pick in there squad, Their going to get flogged either way by the aussies.

 

[tigertim]

Re: Cricket

I was watching the highlights of the last one dayer against the Pakis and I barely recognised the team: Mahmood, Dalrymple, Broad, Joyce, Clarke, Lewis, Yardy, Read(along with Strauss, Pieterson, Bell and Collingwood). Seems more like a 2nd XI but they still one!

 

[an_oxford_man]

Re: Cricket

Agree with everyone's thoughts about the new one day uniform. Very bland and too similar to other uniforms. Yuk.

 

[Ready]

Re: Cricket

Test Squad to tour Australia, 2006/07

A Flintoff (Lancs, capt.)

AJ Strauss (Middlesex)
ME Trescothick (Somerset)
AN Cook (Essex)
IR Bell (Warwicks)
KP Pietersen (Hants)
PD Collingwood (Durham)

CMW Read (Notts)
GO Jones (Kent)

AF Giles (Warwicks)
MS Panesar (Northants)

SJ Harmison (Durham)
MJ Hoggard (Yorks)
SI Mahmood (Lancs)
JM Anderson (Lancs)
LE Plunkett (Durham)

 

[mb64]

Re: Cricket

Ponting fined his total match payment for another dummy spit.Disappointing signs coming up to the ashes.

 

[Yellow n Black!]

Re: Cricket

Test Squad to tour Australia, 2006/07

A Flintoff (Lancs, capt.)

AJ Strauss (Middlesex)
ME Trescothick (Somerset)
AN Cook (Essex)
IR Bell (Warwicks)
KP Pietersen (Hants)
PD Collingwood (Durham)

CMW Read (Notts)
GO Jones (Kent)

AF Giles (Warwicks)
MS Panesar (Northants)

SJ Harmison (Durham)
MJ Hoggard (Yorks)
SI Mahmood (Lancs)
JM Anderson (Lancs)
LE Plunkett (Durham)

No Simon Jones?? Michael Clarke can sleep easy in the lead up to the Ashes...

 

[mk33]

Re: Cricket

Test Squad to tour Australia, 2006/07

A Flintoff (Lancs, capt.)

AJ Strauss (Middlesex)
ME Trescothick (Somerset)
AN Cook (Essex)
IR Bell (Warwicks)
KP Pietersen (Hants)
PD Collingwood (Durham)

CMW Read (Notts)
GO Jones (Kent)

AF Giles (Warwicks)
MS Panesar (Northants)

SJ Harmison (Durham)
MJ Hoggard (Yorks)
SI Mahmood (Lancs)
JM Anderson (Lancs)
LE Plunkett (Durham)

Good squad if middle order fire we're in trouble

 

[Tigers of Old]

Re: Cricket

Ponting fined his total match payment for another dummy spit.Disappointing signs coming up to the ashes.

Punting is an absolute whingbag! I wish Captain Sookypants would just STFU.
He sets a terrible example to his team mates, soon enough we'll be known as the whinging Aussies if we aren't already.
I'd far prefer someone else to have the captaincy.