English hopes

[Goughy]

I know you're a bowling coach and whatnot, but do you imagine you could turn Sajid Mahmood into Shaun Pollock if he listened to you enough?

Without wanting to doubt your skills () I have to doubt you could.

Sure, accuracy can be developed but I personally find it inconceivable that Broad will ever be as accurate as Smith.

And IMO - if you have the speed of 80mph and the accuracy, any decent bowling-coach can teach you to take wickets.

Of course not. But you would have more chance of doing that than turning Paul Collingwood into Wasim Akram.

And no, any decent bowling coach cannot teach you how to take wickets. Otherwise the worldwould be full of quality wickettaking bowlers and it isnt.

 

[Richard]

I did qualify that with "if you can bowl at 80mph with decent accuracy" (which, unless I'm much mistaken, not too many can).

 

[NZTailender]

Not bad, but the selectors may go for a team that looks more like this.

1. Chris Rogers (32)
2. Philip Jaques (30)
3. Ricky Ponting (34)
4. Michael Hussey (34)
5. Michael Clarke (28)
6. Shane Watson (28)
7. Bradley Haddin (31)
8. Brett Lee (32)
9. Nathan Hauritz/Dan Cullen/Cullen Bailey/Beau Casson/Aaron Heal/Jason Krejza/Jack McNamara/Xavier Doherty/Cameron White/Some Spinner
10. Stuart Rupert Clark (33)
11. Shaun Tait (26)/Mitchell Johnson (whoever made the most progress by then in terms of technique and how they've actually gone test wise.

Not too bad a call, tbh.

Personally:

1. Chris Rogers
2. Phil Jaques
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Michael Hussey
5. Michael Clarke
6. Simon Katich*
7. Luke Ronchi+
8. Brett Lee
9. Ben Hilfenhaus
10. Stuart Clark
11. Mitchell Johnson

Oh dear.

Also, I didn't seem to rate Johnson's batting at the time.

Should stop digging up old threads to congratulate self. Feel like Richard.

 

[Richard]

Was worrying that you were on for a repeat of MitchellThomasGate'07 TBH.

Seriously though - Hartley? Ronchi?

BTW this should be merged with the 2009 Ashes build-up thread.

 

[NZTailender]

Was worrying that you were on for a repeat of MitchellThomasGate'07 TBH.

Seriously though - Hartley? Ronchi?

BTW this should be merged with the 2009 Ashes build-up thread.

IIRC, at the time I hadn't seen Ronchi bat much at all, so thought he was alright and given his age a decent punt to skip Haddin and become a long-term keeper-batsman.

 

[andruid]

And in 2009, too...

I mean, if I had to take a stab-in-the-dark at the 2009 side right now (hoping and praying for no career-ending injuries) I'd probably go for...
Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Flintoff
Davies
Tom Smith
Hoggard
Anderson
MSP
Cook? Mebbe. But only if Trescothick comes back and does as poorly as he has post-2004. I have to honestly say I think Vaughan's knees are less likely than more to last this long but I can hope. Stranger things have happened.

And there are several on that list who I would not back 100% to last the next 2 years on performance, never mind injury, grounds.

Bangers is gone for good, Hoggard unlikely to play ahead of Sidebottom and for the last time* no England will not pick players along your very unique parameters for a test class side esp if they only have 6 months odd to gather international experience before Australia. (Out of Interest who is this Tom Smith you speak of)

It probably won't be the last time*

(Skives accusations of trolling by picking likely English and Aussie XIs)

England

Cook
Strauss
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Prior/Ambrose
Anderson
Sidebottom
Harmison
MSP

Braod ends up an ODI specialist as Sidders finally stays fit
Australia

Katich
Jaques
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Watson
Haddin
Lee
Krezja
Johnson
Clark

Tipping Watto to undo Symonds for the allrounder's slot

 

[Richard]

Bangers is gone for good, Hoggard unlikely to play ahead of Sidebottom and for the last time* no England will not pick players along your very unique parameters for a test class side esp if they only have 6 months odd to gather international experience before Australia. (Out of Interest who is this Tom Smith you speak of)

It probably won't be the last time*

There weren't really any "unique Dickinson selection" picks in that side TBH, though obviously since I made that post (19 months ago) it's become clear Hoggard and Trescothick's Test days are over and that Sidebottom is now in the picture. As well as that Tom Smith hasn't developed anywhere near as quickly as I'd hoped.

As for who is Smith, well as I say he's a good Lancashire seam-bowler (and can also bat a bit) but he's not developed at quite the rate I and a fair few others were hoping. The chances of him playing in next summer's Tests are miniscule to zero and, now, rightly so. 2007 and to a lesser extent 2008 were considerable disappointments for him. Hopefully he can finally nail down a first-team place next season though, and I still very much believe he has it in him to play for England at some point. IIRR, he's the same age as me, in school-year terms.

(Skives accusations of trolling by picking likely English and Aussie XIs)

England

Cook
Strauss
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Prior/Ambrose
Anderson
Sidebottom
Harmison
MSP

Braod ends up an ODI specialist as Sidders finally stays fit
Australia

Katich
Jaques
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Watson
Haddin
Lee
Krezja
Johnson
Clark

Tipping Watto to undo Symonds for the allrounder's slot

Krejza is extremely unlikely for mine. Johnson now seems a much surer bet than he would've been last week but there's still some way to go. Also if Jaques and Katich open Jaques will take first strike. Strauss and Cook will also bat that way around and not the other.

And obviously I really, really hope Harmison doesn't play at all in that series.

 

[Uppercut]

Uhh i think Krejza's sure to be in the touring party. Maybe they'll have McGain back by then though (bit of a forgotten man) or even at a long shot Warne. He's unlikely to start in England, but if the pitch looks like it'll turn i'd say Krejza's as good a shout as any.

Apart from the loss of Hayden, which i don't actually expect to happen, it's hard to see any big unforced batting changes to the Australia side before next summer. I don't think Watson will get another look in at batting 6 and he's not a frontline bowler, so Symonds should hold on to the loosely-used "all-rounder" position. Lee and Clark will not and should not be dropped, the selectors seem to like Johnson and he's come pretty good of late, Siddle is the man in possession of the fourth bowling spot and whether he still is next summer depends on his own performances. I'll go for, injuries permitting:

Hayden
Katich
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Symonds
Haddin
Johnson
Lee
Clark
Noffke or Tait, fitness depending- i don't think Siddle will be a big success, and i don't think Australia will want to bring in someone new to an away Ashes team. Or Krejza, if the first pitch looks like it'll turn, which it probably won't.

England will probably recall Vaughan when they realise how poor their batting is in India and the West Indies, mistakenly believing he'll make any difference. Collingwood will be the man to give way after continuing to not be very good. Sidebottom's broken, Pietersen loves Harmison and loves his five-man attack, Prior will put in a good show with the bat on Indian pitches and keep the gloves. I'll go:

Strauss
Cook
Vaughan
Pietersen (c)
Bell
Prior (wk)
Flintoff
Simon Jones if fit will get a recall, otherwise Broad will hang onto his place with no wickets and a pretty 40 not-out
Anderson
Harmison
Panesar

 

[Richard]

If Pietersen gets Harmison despite what I reckon will be pretty moderate performances in the meantime, he'll also get Flintoff ahead of Prior, regardless of Flintoff's performances. Personally I hope neither will happen - ideally Flintoff would be at seven and Harmison would be not in the side.

I also genuinely hope Prior won't score many runs - maybe not even play - in the India Tests. There's 3 more ODIs and the prospect of him having a genuinely woeful series (especially now they've discarded the idea of him opening) now appears stronger than ever, so maybe Ambrose is still in with a shot.

I'm just totally undecided on the wicketkeeper thing now though. I don't really want either Davies or Foster in at such short notice (it'll be 1 opponent, home and away, at best in the meantime) before THE biggest series of them all. But Ambrose has to convince damn soon if he's to stay.

And Prior's wicketkeeping in the short format suggests to me that he's still nowhere near good enough to be keeping in the long format. I dread to think how many he'd put down if he played all five Ashes Tests next summer, given that English fielders generally drop more against Australia than anyone else.

 

[Langeveldt]

Surely not!!

Yeah! Check my sig

 

[Langeveldt]

Broad had the best economy rate for all Twenty20...........

And Loots Bosman, Darren Maddy, Johann Louw and Aftab Habib are all very succesful T20 players...