Group A - India, England, Australia, West Indies

[tooextracool]

Pietersen at 3, then the Colrymple brothers, then Flintoff at six. If the 3rd wicket partnership is substantial, Flintoff could move up to 5.

Pietersen at 3 is never going to work. He doesnt have the technique or the temperament to succeed in that position, in fact i wouldnt bat him above 5. Flintoff at 6 is a complete waste as well. Id consider moving Collingwood upto 3, bat Flintoff at 4(i think he needs as much time in the middle as he can get), Pietersen 5 with Dalyrmple and Yardy fighting out the next 2 spots.

 

[tooextracool]

Sounds a bit like Flintoff at a similar age...

Why not throw in Irfan while you're at it?

 

[tooextracool]

I think the crux of it all is that the England team that has been playing over the past year is not the number 2 side in the world. Yes, there's an argument for depth needed to be a great side, but neither England nor Australia have any great depth behind their first team (though Johnson is a bright sign). The gap between the England 1st XI and the 2nd XI is immense. The England first XI hasn't played since the Ashes last year.

how many other teams have better depth than England and Australia do then? Im struggling to think of too many sides that would have Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Macgill, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Phil Jacques and Michael Vaughan in their reserves when their team is fully fit.

 

[tooextracool]

This Yardy bloke looks pretty bloody average. Is there a reason why, say, Shah isn't playing? Yardy is averaging 20 in one-day domestic games.

20.

That's pathetic.

Shah isnt playing because hes rubbish in ODIs. dont think he deserves more than 18 ODis with an average of 18 to prove that claim any further.

 

[Mister Wright]

how many other teams have better depth than England and Australia do then? Im struggling to think of too many sides that would have Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Macgill, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Phil Jacques and Michael Vaughan in their reserves when their team is fully fit.

Wouldn't Vaughan and Bell be in a fully fit England side?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Wouldn't Vaughan and Bell be in a fully fit England side?

Certainly they couldn't all miss out. If a fully-fit England picked 5 bowlers, Anderson would be in the team, and if they picked 4, Vaughan and Bell would be. That is, unless one is still counting Simon Jones as part of the side.

Strauss
Trescothick
Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Flintoff
Read
Hoggard
Harmison
Anderson
Panesar

Either that, or drop Anderson for either Vaughan or Collingwood.

 

[Mister Wright]

Certainly they couldn't all miss out. If a fully-fit England picked 5 bowlers, Anderson would be in the team, and if they picked 4, Vaughan and Bell would be. That is, unless one is still counting Simon Jones as part of the side.

Strauss
Trescothick
Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Flintoff
Read
Hoggard
Harmison
Anderson
Panesar

Either that, or drop Anderson for either Vaughan or Collingwood.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Vaughan was the England captain? Not yet dropped from the one day side. So I'd assume if he was fully fit he would be picked in both sides.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Vaughan has a shocking one day record, and shouldn't be in the ODI team. Also, we don't want him knacking his knee in some meaningless one day match against the Cayman Island 3 XI, if it means his cricket career is over.

 

[tooextracool]

Wouldn't Vaughan and Bell be in a fully fit England side?

Depends on what side you pick. No matter who you pick though, you'd have one two of Collingwood, Cook, Bell, Vaughan and Pietersen missing out. all 5 of them average 40+ and most teams around the world would love to have them in their starting lineup let alone in their reserves.

 

[tooextracool]

Certainly they couldn't all miss out. If a fully-fit England picked 5 bowlers, Anderson would be in the team, and if they picked 4, Vaughan and Bell would be. That is, unless one is still counting Simon Jones as part of the side.

Strauss
Trescothick
Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Flintoff
Read
Hoggard
Harmison
Anderson
Panesar

Either that, or drop Anderson for either Vaughan or Collingwood.

If one is to count Vaughan, then one has to count Jones as well. Jones when his knee is sorted is known to be one of the fittest players in the country and has a very good fitness regimen. If he didnt have so much bad luck, hed be playing a lot more.
that leaves Anderson and Mahmood as backups and id go as far as saying that Mahmood is pretty damn good as a back up bowler for any side to have

 

[tooextracool]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Vaughan was the England captain? Not yet dropped from the one day side. So I'd assume if he was fully fit he would be picked in both sides.

id be extremely surprised if vaughan played another ODI again. certainly not after the next world cup.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

If one is to count Vaughan, then one has to count Jones as well. Jones when his knee is sorted is known to be one of the fittest players in the country and has a very good fitness regimen. If he didnt have so much bad luck, hed be playing a lot more.
that leaves Anderson and Mahmood as backups and id go as far as saying that Mahmood is pretty damn good as a back up bowler for any side to have

No argument about Mahmood, he's a big talent. I don't see the point in including Jones as part of the first XI right now though. It's a similar case to Shane Bond for New Zealand. If he's fit, it's a bonus.

 

[pietersenrocks]

No argument about Mahmood, he's a big talent. I don't see the point in including Jones as part of the first XI right now though. It's a similar case to Shane Bond for New Zealand. If he's fit, it's a bonus.

Lewis is definately a better bowler than Mahmood.

 

[Poker Boy]

I wrote this in my blog earlier -there is no guarentee Vaughan will get back into the Test side! It depends on the batting this winter - if Trescothick gets his head right and two of Cook/Bell/Collingwood do well where do you fit him in? Cook's last 7 Tests at no 3 are far better than Vaughan's last seven were. Time marches on and although Michael won't like it his best chance of getting back in is if the top order flops in the Ashes - and even then he'll have to score runs for Yorkshire, prove his fitness and DEMAND selection. Remember his captaincy was better than his batting last year (OT excepted).

 

[Poker Boy]

About Yardy v Shah - I think Yardy plays because Fletcher likes "two-dimensional" players and he's in for his bowling too. I don't think if we played one spinner he'd get in ahead of Dalrymple and if Giles is fit he definately would not get in.

 

[Tomm NCCC]

I would put £10 on it that India beat the Aussies, and then beat the windies, and england also beat the windies (by one hell of a margain) to let India and England progress

 

[tooextracool]

Lewis is definately a better bowler than Mahmood.

In ODIs Lewis is the best bowler available in England after Flintoff.
In tests Lewis is rubbish, Mahmood has potential but cant bowl 2 balls on the same spot. Needless to say id pick Mahmood over Lewis anywhere in the world outside of English conditions.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I would put £10 on it that India beat the Aussies, and then beat the windies, and england also beat the windies (by one hell of a margain) to let India and England progress

And I'll give you 100-1 on it.

 

[Scaly piscine]

And I'll give you 100-1 on it.

Tight git.

 

[aussie]

Depends on what side you pick. No matter who you pick though, you'd have one two of Collingwood, Cook, Bell, Vaughan and Pietersen missing out. all 5 of them average 40+ and most teams around the world would love to have them in their starting lineup let alone in their reserves.

how would KP miss out?