*Official* England in West Indies

[Richard]

This tour is just about a month away (first game starts on the 25th of January so I imagine they'll be flying out 3 or 4 days before that) and England's series in India and West Indies' in New Zealand (if not the ODIs in the latter) has just finished, so it's about time to start this thread and I can't remember any previous ones about this tour.

Two warm-up games are scheduled, and both as of now are down as "England XI" which is vaguely encouraging. Opening Test starts on the 4th of February and the tour is concluded by the 3rd of April, which is vaguely encouraging as well, as the season won't - quite - have started by the time the players are home. One of the better schedules we'll see at the current time.

Anyone know when the England squad is announced? Must be pretty early in the new year else there won't be time to pack.

I guess there are 7 certainties: Strauss, Cook, Pietersen, Collingwood, Flintoff, Sidebottom and Anderson. Surely very unlikely that the party won't include Bell, Prior, MSP, Swann, Harmison and Broad, and obviously a second wicketkeeper (hopefully Ambrose) will also presumably go. I presume it'll be a 16-man squad with 4 Tests so that's presumably 2 places left. I'd take a guess at Shah and Vaughan but they might go with another bowler and I'd not be sorry to see a reserve opener, Key, picked either. I wonder what the chances are of a shock exclusion from the surely-very-likelies?

[Jigga988]

Is Sidebottom fit for this series???

I know Bravo will be back for the Windies.

[Penguinissimo]

No chance at all of a shock exclusion from your second group. Just none. Changes to the starting XI, sure, but not dropping from the squad. More likely to be excluded is Sidebottom, who hasn't played a Test since July and so can hardly be deemed a certainty.

One of the extra places will go to Vaughan, I'd have thought. They're going to give him a shot at getting his place back for the Ashes (and I think this is a good thing).

The other is between Shah and Bopara, in my mind. Vaughan can open if we need him to, and both of those can play at no. 3 if needed. I'd personally prefer Bopara, because I think he can make big runs in England whereas Shah tends not to make many runs in early season conditions.

Let's face it, if we weren't going to include Shah in India when he'd been the stand-out player in the ODIs (thus suggesting a real aptitude for Indian conditions, which he does have), we're never going to include him. We may as well just brand him as a ODI specialist and save everyone the heartache.

[Uppercut]

Word on the street is Vaughan's coming back.

[Jigga988]

Originally Posted by Penguinissimo

The other is between Shah and Bopara, in my mind. Vaughan can open if we need him to, and both of those can play at no. 3 if needed. I'd personally prefer Bopara, because I think he can make big runs in England whereas Shah tends not to make many runs in early season conditions.

Let's face it, if we weren't going to include Shah in India when he'd been the stand-out player in the ODIs (thus suggesting a real aptitude for Indian conditions, which he does have), we're never going to include him. We may as well just brand him as a ODI specialist and save everyone the heartache.

exactly what i think, prefer Bopara to Shah, I just think his technique is more condusive to English conditions. I think Richard disagrees though.

[Penguinissimo]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Word on the street is Vaughan's coming back.

Which street?

[Uppercut]

Originally Posted by Penguinissimo

Which street?

Was mentioned by someone on sky during the tea-break earlier today IIRC. Let's hope he replaces Bell.

[Penguinissimo]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Was mentioned by someone on sky during the tea-break earlier today IIRC. Let's hope he replaces Bell.

Please, please, please God let that happen.

[Uppercut]

I don't rate Vaughan much either though tbh, i'd rather have Shah or Key in.

[Jigga988]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Word on the street is Vaughan's coming back.

He should do, needs a chance to get back in the squad, I am guessing that will probobly mean Bell gets dropped. Vaughan should find conditions in Windies easy enough there is no swing and no pace. Only thing is he is coming in cold.

BTW if Cook gets dropped then it will probobly be Vaughan who comes in before Key, England selectors clearly dont like Key by the way they dropped him after he was scoring quite consistently.

[fredfertang]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Was mentioned by someone on sky during the tea-break earlier today IIRC. Let's hope he replaces Bell.

Please, please, please God let that happen.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Jigga988

exactly what i think, prefer Bopara to Shah, I just think his technique is more condusive to English conditions. I think Richard disagrees though.

Right now Shah has a far better case. It may be that at some point Bopara does but right now he certainly doesn't.

As for Sidebottom, if fit he's a certainty. He's the best specialist bowler available to England right now.

As for Vaughan opening - well TBH myself I'd say the evidence really rather suggests he can't. In his last 30 innings as an opener he averages barely over 30.

[Penguinissimo]

Originally Posted by Richard

As for Sidebottom, if fit he's a certainty. He's the best specialist bowler available to England right now.

Only if he's bowling like he did for the 12 month period after his reselection - then I agree wholeheartedly. We saw a half-fit, out-of-form Sidey against the Saffers, and it wasn't pretty.

[Penguinissimo]

Originally Posted by fredfertang

Please, please, please God let that happen.

Deja vu. But it's true.

(See, I'm a poet and I didn't realise)

[Jigga988]

Some predictions now, hoping Windies can cause England a lot more trouble than they would have thought with Bravo coming back and a re-energised Gayle and Edwards, also a good find in Nash and Chanders being as strong as ever. If Sarwan fires along with all others mentioned then this series could get quite close.