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England: A new generation

sawu

Cricket Spectator
I decided to start a new game of ICC 2002 today, taking charge of England (on Normal skill level). I picked an extremely experimental team for the first test against Sri Lanka. It was:
Strauss (debut)
Newman (debut)
Thorpe
Bassano (debut)
Pietersen (debut)
Stewart (keeper)
Mann (debut)
Flintoff
Giles
Hutchison (debut)
Harmison (debut)

Thats right, seven debutants in the first test of the season. Critics were scathing of the team selection before the match, with the likes of Hick, Ramprakash, Gough and Hussain all overlooked for younger talent. Only two front line pacemen (both on debut), a "workhorse" spinner, and an out-of-form allrounder Flintoff in the bowling department.


Sri Lanka ominously won the toss and elected to bat, in perfect batting conditions. Hutchison started brilliantly though, with two early wickets, dangermen Jayasuriya & de Silva gone with just six runs on the board. Harmison & Giles chipped in with a wicket each to leave Sri Lanka reeling at 4-68 at lunch.

Atapattu & Kalu righted the ship however, and Atapattu scored a brilliant, if patient, 140. Despite the middle order resistance, the tail was cleaned up, with Sri Lanka managing 297; a great effort from the makeshift England attack.

Day 2 saw poor weather, including 90 minutes lost due to rain. The England new boys fought valiantly however, all of them getting at least 40. No one really went on to a big score though, with Bassano & Mann sharing top score with 63. The tail didn't last long, but England still had a commanding lead of 71 on a wicket which was offering lots of assistance to the pacemen and spinners.

Sri Lanka put themselves back in the drivers seat with Atapattu and Jayasuriya hammering the bowling attack in the second innings, putting on 135 for the first wicket. The England bowlers then destroyed the Sri Lankans, taking 10 wickets for just 60 runs, Harmison on fire taking 4 and Hutchison taking 3. This left England with just 125 runs to win in their second innings with almost two days to play.

This was when the lack of experience crushed England. Murali, after a very average first innings performance, destroyed England to take 6-33, and England collapsed to an embarrasing 72, noone scoring more than 13. The critics pounded England for managing to lose from such a dominant position; however, the coach said that the new boys had performed admirably and they would've learned a lot from the match.
 

Somerset

Cricketer Of The Year
Nice story so far mate, hard luck after a solid first innings batting and bowling display.
 

_Ed_

Request Your Custom Title Now!
I have tried a similar idea a couple of times with no success at all, hope you manage better, good luck! A few players I've used who actually have done well (apart from ones you are using too like Bassano, Pietersen, etc) are E.Smith, M.Powell (Glamorgan) and J.Hockley. Found the ODIs especially difficult.
 

Kweek

Cricketer Of The Year
Good Story mate :) although i wouldnt try mann tbh i i were you, you shouldve tried Wood from Somerset ithink :) he's very good at times also try Bulback (sp?) dunno if he played tests dont think so but he's a quality allrounder. and if Giles Fails try Fisher, he also can bat and spin :)
 

Somerset

Cricketer Of The Year
Bulbeck hasn't performed particularly well for me at international level, decent number eight batsmen and fourth bowler in ODIs but hasn't achieved anything at test level.

Matthew Wood is a decent player, the Somerset Wood is Very Aggressive so is naturally a quick scorer, I would recommend him too.

I have never tried J.Hockley, looks an average batsman, he could turn into something special but as I said, I've never selected him before.
 

masterblaster

International Captain
I tried this youth experiment too, and this team worked really well for me, and I mean really well.

Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan (captain)
Bell
Pietersen
Flintoff
Kenway (w/k)
Giles
Middlebrook
Hoggard
Harmison

I rotated Kabir Ali and Richard Johnson with Harmison at times, and this team won every series in its first year for me, and to me the first season is the hardest and biggest hurdle.
 

masterblaster

International Captain
Didn't need to pick him, I did when he continued to score century after century in county cricket and when Michael Vaughan had a huge form slump.

But initially in the first year my top 7 batsmen were averaging over 50. With Bell averaging 69 and Strauss 58.
 

Somerset

Cricketer Of The Year
Exactly what I was trying to get at. Bassano is also a more than useful part-time leg spin bowler, seems odd that you preferred Michael Vaughan.
 

masterblaster

International Captain
Vaughan still averaged like 52 in the first season for me, so I had no problem with Vaughan. It was later seasons he became a problem.
 

Kweek

Cricketer Of The Year
hmm weird :) Wood and Pietersen are good part-time spinners for me :) if i were you i would use Foster as keeper he's doing very good for me...kenway is failing all the times i try him...btw guys do you know the mystery around Dean, he''s topping the FC bowling tables for years at my game..but cant take wickers or bowl economic on international level :S
 

sawu

Cricket Spectator
Well, I finished that series, and the ODI trainagular series, and have to say it wasn't too good :(

I lost all 3 tests against Sri Lanka, should've won two of them, hammered in the other. Murali was just unplayable. Then played ok in One Dayers, but only thanks to Graeme Hick scoring 2 hundreds and 2 50s. India ran away with the final though. Bassano had a couple of great knocks, and Harmison bowled brilliantly, Pietersen batted ok, but there weren't too many other positives.

I started my next series against India, and started getting obliterated, so might "discontinue" my efforts :D

Until next time... :)
 

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