England A in West Indies

[Barney Rubble]

England A squad has been named, at the same time as Panesar was named to the full squad:

Vikram Solanki (capt), Kabir Ali, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Ian Blackwell, Rikki Clarke, Alastair Cook, Jamie Dalrymple, Ed Joyce, Alex Loudon, Sajid Mahmood, Chris Read, Owais Shah, Alex Wharf, Michael Yardy

Blackwell is on standby if Giles isn't fit for the senior squad. Assuming he remains with the A team, the side will probably look like this:

Solanki*
Cook
Shah
Joyce
Clarke
Blackwell
Read+
Loudon
Ali
Mahmood
Anderson

It looks a decent side - it'll be interesting to see how the spinners go.

 

[marc71178]

Loudon below Read?!

Clarke at 5?!

 

[Barney Rubble]

Clarke bats 5 for Surrey most of the time. And if I'd put Read below Loudon someone would have come in and said that Read averaged 40-odd last year in FC. Loudon's there to develop his bowling, and Read's there to develop his batting, as we know he can keep well already - hence it's more important that Read gets quality time at the wicket than it is that Loudon does.

 

[aussie]

Kinda suprised to see Alex Gidman nor Robert Key not in the squad over lets say Yardly cause i really dont know much about him.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

^ LOL. That's mildly ignorant.

Yardy looks a decentish player. Useful batsman and has a tendency to cash in with cheap wickets in OD matches. Scored a double ton and took some wickets against Bangladesh I think.

 

[Barney Rubble]

^ LOL. That's mildly ignorant.

Yardy looks a decentish player. Useful batsman and has a tendency to cash in with cheap wickets in OD matches. Scored a double ton and took some wickets against Bangladesh I think.

Indeed - 257 and a Michelle, IIRC.

Apparently he only switched to SLA from LM last year, then he goes and takes 5 against Bangladesh. Guess that says a lot about Bangladesh.

 

[aussie]

Indeed - 257 and a Michelle, IIRC.

Apparently he only switched to SLA from LM last year, then he goes and takes 5 against Bangladesh. Guess that says a lot about Bangladesh.

well yea seems as if Gidman didn't too much last season because i remember he was touted as a future england player. Also i though david harrison form glamorgan may have made the squad, heard troy cooley talk well of him.

 

[Langeveldt]

Just disagree with the Sajji Mahmood pick, he couldnt burst a paper bag open, would have like to have seen Harrison in..

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

David Harrison who averages 36 and gives up 3.5 runs per over? He bursts paper bags open generally?

 

[aussie]

David Harrison who averages 36 and gives up 3.5 runs per over? He bursts paper bags open generally?

its not all about the stats maybe cooley saw something good in him that we haven't. Even Jones FC stats wasn't fantastic b 4 he made the test side.

 

[Prince EWS]

Im really shocked to not see Key anywhere. He may not be the best player around but he has some big test scores... surely a better option than Solanki or Clarke...

 

[BoyBrumby]

Im really shocked to not see Key anywhere. He may not be the best player around but he has some big test scores... surely a better option than Solanki or Clarke...

I dunno if he's fit yet, he had an op on his knee just before Xmas. If he is tho, I agree. He has far more potential as a test bat than either. Although, to be fair, I guess Clarke is nominally an all-rounder.

 

[Prince EWS]

I dunno if he's fit yet, he had an op on his knee just before Xmas. If he is tho, I agree. He has far more potential as a test bat than either. Although, to be fair, I guess Clarke is nominally an all-rounder.

I've seen Clarke bowl... there's not even any real potential there. I'd bowl Bell and Collingwood in a test before him, which shows there's no real need for England to be persuing his bowling. If they dont think he has the potential to make the side as a batsman, he shouldnt be in the squad, because his bowling isnt good enough to really work in his favour for selection.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Clarke is capable of 90mph. I've seen it with my own eyes (or, more accurately, not seen it because it was too quick), on a dead pitch at Bristol, knocking out the Gloucester top order with real, raw pace.

Unfortunately that was his one bowling performance of note of 2005. The potential is undeniably there... but whether it will ever come out more than sporadically...

 

[chaminda_00]

The sqaud for me looks one batsmen short and one opener short. I guess if Key injury that explains his absence. But what about these two:
- Steve Moore: 1399 runs @ 48.24 (Last Season)
- Scott Newman: 1286 runs @ 47.62 (Last Season)

 

[Neil Pickup]

Newman is an over-aggressive flat track bully without a work ethic - he's been fringes of Academy for three or four years and gone nowhere, and Moore's average is swelled - like Matt Wood's - by a couple of really big numbers. Maybe after another year matching that.

 

[Prince EWS]

Clarke is capable of 90mph. I've seen it with my own eyes (or, more accurately, not seen it because it was too quick), on a dead pitch at Bristol, knocking out the Gloucester top order with real, raw pace.

Interesting, but is it actually something thats worth persisting with from a Team England point of view? Do you think his bowling could ever be useful enough at test level to gain him selection as an allrounder (again..)? After all, he does average over 40 with an economy rate well over 4 in FC cricket...

 

[Barney Rubble]

Newman is an over-aggressive flat track bully without a work ethic - he's been fringes of Academy for three or four years and gone nowhere, and Moore's average is swelled - like Matt Wood's - by a couple of really big numbers. Maybe after another year matching that.

Just you wait, Neil.....just. You. Wait.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Interesting, but is it actually something thats worth persisting with from a Team England point of view? Do you think his bowling could ever be useful enough at test level to gain him selection as an allrounder (again..)? After all, he does average of 40 with an economy rate well over 4 in FC cricket...

Yes. We won't have Freddie forever. Rikki is still young, and with three or four years' worth of development he could easily be a more than adequate fifth bowler and capable number six batsman (he's played some very, very good knocks in the county game)... a Watson-like role.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yes. We won't have Freddie forever. Rikki is still young, and with three or four years' worth of development he could easily be a more than adequate fifth bowler and capable number six batsman (he's played some very, very good knocks in the county game)... a Watson-like role.

Well, he's a fair enough selection then.

What about Solanki though? Does anyone really still hold hopes for him to enjoy a test career? Particularly opening the batting, as it looks like he will have to do in this series...