How would you Pick Englands ODI team After the world cup

[Bob Bamber]

For me its time for some drastic changes to Englands One Day side. Unless England do something remarkable at the world cup , which really doesn't seem likely , then they need to make some personel changes -

1) Strauss - Not a one day batsman , doesn't have the powerful strokeplay.
2) Vaughan - His selection is based on a specialist captain. He just cannot bat in ODI's. So many games with a hundred. His commenwealth bank selection resembled desparation from the selectors.
7) Nixon/Read/Jones/Prior - Nixon is too old to have any effect after the world cup , and the other three have tried and failed in ODI's.

I think Bell should be given some serious match time at number three. I think he has the ability to do well there.

So this leaves england needing two openers , a wicket keeper , and either (3 seamers) or (2 seamers and a spinner).

So openers.

Jonathan Batty - 116 innings , 2054 runs at 21. A bit dissapointing for a opening batsmen. But with his ability to keep could give England the oppertunity to add a decent slogger / finsiher down the order at 7 or 8.

Mal Loye - 256 innings , nearly 8000 runs at 36. Vastly experienced batsmen. 10 hunderds aswell , cannot argue with that.

James Benning - 46 innings , 1500 runs at 35. Destructive Opener , not terribly experienced but I saw the 189* and he has some real talent. Maybe one for the future.

Darren Maddy - 272 innings , 7400 runs at 31. Should definatly be considered for the Twenty20 world cup. Could definatly do it at the top of the odi team.

I think that England need guys to score quickly at the top. Mal Loye should be given the chance alongside probably Batty. Batty would solve the wicket keeping situation .

Not sure who would go at 7/8. Any suggestions , needs to hit a big ball and really needs to be able to offer something with the ball.

For the bowlers England need some wicket takers who can bowl economically. Easy enough to say I know. I'd pick Broad along with Lewis and Tremlett. Broad and Tremlett are both wicket takers and Lewis can bowl economically even if he isn't taking wickets. And for the spinner - Panesar.

So the England side for next Summer -

1) Loye
2) Batty (wk)
3) Bell
4) Pietersen
5) Flintoff
6) Collingwood
7) (A Biffer)
8) Darlymple
9) Tremlett
10) Broad
11) Lewis

With Panesar being picked if the selectors wanted.

[Richard]

Loye, Batty, Lewis and Maddy are way too old to be thinking about for 2011 (will be 38, 36, 35 and 36 respectively then). In any case, as you mentioned, Batty's hardly a top one-day batsman, good as he is in the First-Class game (must count himself a bit unlucky that Jones got so many Tests while he got none). Maddy should indeed be in the Twenty20 picture, but that's a totally different matter.

James Benning is one I rest fairly assured will get a chance sometime soon, but I have been thinking that about Usman Afzaal for the last 6 years. He undoubtedly has the requistite skills.

It seems to have escaped most people's notice that Dalrymple, after an excellent, level-headed start, has barely scored a run recently. Yet he's being talked-up as a top prospect... a little worrying.

As for wicketkeeper-batsmen: there is, I maintain, no better one-day wicketkeeper-batsman than Chris Read. Why on Earth Prior and Jones were ever picked ahead of him is a complete mystery to me. Neither should ever have been picked, and surprise surprise both barely even managed to average 20. Nixon I'm not sure about, though there have been worse selections in recent times.

I seriously think we need to hope and pray Trescothick gets himself sorted and comes back to play ODIs. He'll only be 35 in 2011, and he's been comfortably England's best ODI batsman in the post-Knight-Hick-Fairbrother-Thorpe era.

As for Strauss, IMO his problem is the precise opposite to what you suggested - he's too reliant on strokeplay and boundaries, and doesn't possess the skill to nudge the ball about. Same with Vaughan. And they're both orthodox batsmen who profit (in the longer game) from hitting the ball on the ground.

If I had to pick a side right now, with everyone in the country who played last season available, I'd pick:
Trescothick
Loye
Afzaal
Pietersen
Bell
Flintoff (c)
Read
Mascarenhas
Martin-Jenkins
Ealham
Gough
Plenty of calibre in the top-order and all four bowlers can bat a bit, too.
Unfortunately, not many of them are going to be available in 4 years' time.

I think, personally, that we need to worry about next summer when that comes round.

[BoyBrumby]

Mal Loye's too old at 34, but Gough & Ealham are ok at 65 & 66 respectively?

Dalrymple's downturn has coincided with him moving down the order I think. He's scored all his runs @ 6.

[Richard]

Eh? Where did Gough and Ealham gain 31 years each and where did I say Loye was too old for the 2007 campaign?

I said he was too old for thinking about next season, when, amazingly enough, Gough and Ealham will be too.

[Bob Bamber]

I'm not entirely sure Dalrymple works at number 8. He is good at 6 becaus he can accumulate runs in the middle 20 - 40 overs. At number 8 he comes in after that period and is inneffective.

[open365]

Martin-Jenkins?

I know his dad can commentate but that's no reason to pick him, we might as well pick David Leatherdale if we pick him.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Bob Bamber

I'm not entirely sure Dalrymple works at number 8. He is good at 6 becaus he can accumulate runs in the middle 20 - 40 overs. At number 8 he comes in after that period and is inneffective.

Picking a specialist-batsman at eight is crazy.

If Dalrymple plays, he should be batting five, or six at the lowest.

[Bob Bamber]

Originally Posted by Richard

Loye
Afzaal
Pietersen
Bell
Flintoff (c)
Read
Mascarenhas
Martin-Jenkins
Ealham
Gough
Plenty of calibre in the top-order and all four bowlers can bat a bit, too.
Unfortunately, not many of them are going to be available in 4 years' time.

Your basing your bowling attack on 5 allrounders?

And None of them apart from Flintoff have any major pace.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by open365

Martin-Jenkins?

I know his dad can commentate but that's no reason to pick him, we might as well pick David Leatherdale if we pick him.

Err, what? David Leatherdale was one of the best line-and-length bowlers in the country, was he? Never mind still is?

No, he was a batsman who took wickets but almost always went for plenty. Martin-Jenkins is a good bowler incredibly unfortunate to see rubbish like Bresnan, Plunkett, Kabir Ali, Broad, Mahmood, Harmison, Anderson, Tremlett, Wharf, Clarke, Batty, Blackwell, Snape, Tudor, Sidebottom, Kirtley, Franks and Swann picked ahead of him. Hell, even Lewis has never been anywhere near as consistent as RMJ, he'll be brilliant one day and all over the shop the next.

Lewis is about the most enigmatic bowler you'll ever see after Chaminda Vaas.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Bob Bamber

Your basing your bowling attack on 5 allrounders?

And None of them apart from Flintoff have any major pace.

Because having major pace has done so much good for the likes of Harmison, Mahmood and Anderson?

Pace is not important in the one-day game - what matters is accuracy.

And since when have Mascarenhas, Martin-Jenkins, Ealham and Gough been all-rounders? They're all bowlers-who-bat-a-bit.

[open365]

Acctualy, i take what i said about Martin-Jenkins back.

[vic_orthdox]

Originally Posted by open365

Acctualy, i take what i said about Martin-Jenkins back.

His Dad can't commentate?

[Richard]

O...K...

Be imprudent to ask why?

[Richard]

Originally Posted by vic_orthdox

His Dad can't commentate?

Superted is orthodox (or orthdox)?

[Langeveldt]

I'd go to South Africa with a bloody great chequebook and a pen..