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*Official* Fourth Test at Headingley

pup11

International Coach
Its looking very likely that Freddie might not play at Headingley, and that's very good news from our perspective, without Freddie, English team-combination goes for bit of a toss and they might have to consider playing with just four bowlers and adding an extra batsmen to the XI.

Sidebottom is a pretty good bowler, and in swinging conditions could be very dangerous, and him being a left handed bowler also adds bit of variety to the attack, still think Harmison would be a better replacement for Freddie, but since Flower and Strauss don't seem big fans of his, they might prefer Sidebottom instead.
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Really wish Broad could not bat, would make things so much easier. We would have no option but to pick a batsman if Fred was injured and drop Broad for a test standard bowler.
 

Top_Cat

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That was just coming off a home series though, where he'd been doing a lot of bowling. I remember Tubby (I think) saying at one stage that he's very much the kind of bowler that needs a lot of overs under his belt to get in to a groove and start bowling like he was in SA. I think we're just starting to see that now, and I'm excited to see how he goes in this Test. Obviously though, this isn't exactly an ideal trait for a bowler, but hopefully with time he'll get over it.
Yup, this is true. Johnson an infinitely better bowler after solid hit-outs. He'd had a break before this series and, although I think he also just bowled arse in the first two Tests, he was probably a little bit under-done too.
 

pup11

International Coach
Interesting. Shows the selectors aren't just rigidly sticking to "next cab off the rank" thinking. If fit (big proviso, admittedly) I think Sid would be more of a threat than Harmy at Leeds tho. As a straight swap for Fred it makes the batting look paper thin, however. :unsure:
The ideal way to go would be to pick either Harmison or Sidebottom instead of Broad, and pick a batsman to replace Freddie, it could either be Shah or Key, make him bat at 3 and push Bopara down to no.6 and Prior to no.7.
 
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four_or_six

Cricketer Of The Year
Its looking very likely that Freddie might not play at Headingley, and that's very good news from our perspective, without Freddie, English team-combination goes for bit of a toss and they might have to consider playing with just four bowlers and adding an extra batsmen to the XI.

Sidebottom is a pretty good bowler, and in swinging conditions could be very dangerous, and him being a left handed bowler also adds bit of variety to the attack, still think Harmison would be a better replacement for Freddie, but since Flower and Strauss don't seem big fans of his, they might prefer Sidebottom instead.
Don't think Fred out for one match is as major a problem as that. Sidey/Harmison and Key in for Freddie and Broad seems fine in terms of team balance. Just like Australia's balance tbh.
 

pasag

RTDAS
Clark overrated at this stage for mine, he was in my starting XI before the series and I'd still have him in the side but before his injury he'd become somewhat ineffective (even before India). If he'd have played I don't know that he'd have done any better than Siddle tbh and it's not the error of epic proportions some are making it out to be.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Reckon Fred will play. Sidebottom in for Broad IMO, Swann more than good enough to bat at 8, Sidey & Jimmy make a decent 9/10 between them, sound
 

pup11

International Coach
Don't think Fred out for one match is as major a problem as that. Sidey/Harmison and Key in for Freddie and Broad seems fine in terms of team balance. Just like Australia's balance tbh.
It sure is a problem, Fred's all-round capabilities provide England with that flexibility of playing an extra bowler or batsmen, and without him in there, it increases the pressure and responsibility on other bowlers, especially Jimmy, and not forget Aussies would also be chuffed to bits, that they won't have to face him in such an all important game.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Sidebottom in for a one-off match is no mug though, will take a 10fer if picked, mark my words
 

Uppercut

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Clark overrated at this stage for mine, he was in my starting XI before the series and I'd still have him in the side but before his injury he'd become somewhat ineffective (even before India). If he'd have played I don't know that he'd have done any better than Siddle tbh and it's not the error of epic proportions some are making it out to be.
I think Clark is highly rated in the minds of fans because he never frustrates. Lee, Siddle and Johnson all have Aussies screaming at their TVs on occasion as they get smashed around the park. When Clark bowls badly, he still doesn't get smashed.

That doesn't necessarily mean he's building pressure though. Sometimes people confuse pressure with simply having a low economy rate. Graham Onions is a bowler who goes for a few runs but keeps the batsman under pressure because he constantly makes them play. Stuart Clark sometimes does the opposite, having a low economy rate but putting no pressure on that batsman- particularly evident in India.
 

Uppercut

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Hey I'm a McD backer too but I dunno if you can call Hauritz a horses-for-courses pick any more. For mine, things have changed and reckon he should be a regular pick unless the prevailing conditions are ridiculously in favour of one of the other bowlers.
No way should Hauritz be an automatic pick now IMO. He's benefited both from low pre-series expectations and the rest of the team's sub-standard bowling, but 10 wickets in 3 games @ 32 doesn't justify him playing every time. McDonald's record is fairly similar and he adds batting to the picture. IMO they should at least have a look at fitting him in, depending on conditions at Headingley.
 

pup11

International Coach
Clark overrated at this stage for mine, he was in my starting XI before the series and I'd still have him in the side but before his injury he'd become somewhat ineffective (even before India). If he'd have played I don't know that he'd have done any better than Siddle tbh and it's not the error of epic proportions some are making it out to be.
Its Johnson's form that is making people say that Clark should come in for Siddle, Clark might not have the same nip he had when he was bowling well, but he still is very accurate and that's his biggest asset.

Siddle hasn't been bad, its just that he hasn't been accurate enough, and in between all the good balls he bowled, he also has been bowling one or two boundary balls almost every second or third over, and that sort inconsistency is something we can't afford atm.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
If Flintoff isn't fit The Prince should come in for Huss, will decimate them without Flintoff.
All reports suggest that of Fred misses out, he gets replaced by Harmy. Now I'm as sceptical about Harmy as everyone else, but I'd back him to get Hughes out again.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Trott in as 'potential extra batsman' rather than a replacement for Bopara. Well, that's the way I interpreted it.
 

pup11

International Coach
No way should Hauritz be an automatic pick now IMO. He's benefited both from low pre-series expectations and the rest of the team's sub-standard bowling, but 10 wickets in 3 games @ 32 doesn't justify him playing every time. McDonald's record is fairly similar and he adds batting to the picture. IMO they should at least have a look at fitting him in, depending on conditions at Headingley.
T_C isn't saying Haurrie should be an automatic pick in every condition, all he and me are saying is that Haurrie should definitely be playing in normal test match conditions (which are flat, slow, dry pitches), he is an accurate spinner, keeps an end tied and bowls to a plan, and that certainly complements the Australian pace attack.

I rate Macca, and the work he has done is commendable, but even in fast-bowling friendly conditions, there is no way I would play Macca as a front-line bowler, ahead of guys like Clark and Lee.
 
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GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
:@ Miller states that Bopara definitely isn't being dropped, Trott also isn't in as cover for Fred though apparently, doesn't seem to know what he's going on about tbh

Tipping this XI

Strauss
Cook
Bopara
Bell
Collingwood
Prior
Flintoff
Swann
Sidebottom
Anderson
Onions
 

Matt79

Global Moderator
I think Clark is highly rated in the minds of fans because he never frustrates. Lee, Siddle and Johnson all have Aussies screaming at their TVs on occasion as they get smashed around the park. When Clark bowls badly, he still doesn't get smashed.

That doesn't necessarily mean he's building pressure though. Sometimes people confuse pressure with simply having a low economy rate. Graham Onions is a bowler who goes for a few runs but keeps the batsman under pressure because he constantly makes them play. Stuart Clark sometimes does the opposite, having a low economy rate but putting no pressure on that batsman- particularly evident in India.
That's judging him on the basis of a series where with an injury problem he turned in by far his worst performance to date. When he's bowling well, which has been the case for the significant majority of his test career, he puts a stack of pressure on the batsmen.
 

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