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Final England squad

Penguinissimo

U19 12th Man
Just announced:

Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Andrew Flintoff, James Foster, Robert Key, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright

Guaranteed inclusions: Colly, Anderson, Bopara, Broad, Flintoff, KP, Shah, Swann.

Fringe picks: Mascharenhas (good tight bowling and good hitting - makes sense), Sidebottom (indication that he's still favoured if he can get properly fit).

Surprise picks:

Foster - thank god, someone's finally got the plot! And his inclusion was stated to be because of his keeping skills, which is an implied criticism of Prior. Let's hope this is an indication that if Prior is bad again WI in the Tests, Foster might get a run in the Test side...god knows he deserves it.

Key - rage - don't like the bloke and don't think he's that special as a batsman.

Morgan - has all the makings of a very good T20 batsman, but has never faced sustained top class bowling so is a risk.

Napier - picked on the back of a couple of innings last year, don't think he's done anything since. His bowling would be a liability at international level.

Luke Wright - seriously, what embarrassing pictures of some England selectors' orgy does this guy hold? There's no other possible justification for his inclusion.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Less left-field selections than last time out. Interesting to see Foster get a chance.
 

Penguinissimo

U19 12th Man
Although if you were worried that the England selectors had "a plan" (don't think they know the meaning of the word), compare and contrast with the ODI squad to face the WI immediately beforehand:

A Strauss (captain), J Anderson, R Bopara, T Bresnan, S Broad, I Bell, D Mascarenhas, K Pietersen, P Collingwood, E Morgan, M Prior, O Shah, R Sidebottom, G Swann.

Strauss and Bresnan for Napier and Wright I understand, but what makes Prior and Bell (god help me) so much better than Foster and Key over 50 overs but worse over 20? As far as I can see it, Bell never plays long innings anyway, and Prior just has more opportunities to concede byes.
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Also makes no sense that Davies has been discarded after just 1 20twenty match. I mean what has changed? It's not even as if he has had a bad start to the season.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Also makes no sense that Davies has been discarded after just 1 20twenty match. I mean what has changed? It's not even as if he has had a bad start to the season.
A fair point. Top-scored in his one innings too.

Suspect Fozzie was just holding the parcel when the music stopped.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
I think the reasoning of having the best glovesman in Foster is just from the selectors. This T20 WC has come too soon for Davies.
 

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