Did England deserve the title of second best in the world.

[C_C]

come on mate does it matter how mcuh times u have played their at least when they go back their they know what to expect. Maybe Vaughan doesn't have a superb average in the sub-continent but if you say his superb 105 in Kandy that would have convinced you that Vaughan has what it takes to make big runs againts spinners in the sub-continent.

Everyone has the ability to make runs against a type of bowling...that isnt the question..the question is consistently.
And with around half the side not playing in IND with the other half having only a series under the belt, it is a very unexperienced team in Indian situations..... Yeah, Vaughan can make a ton against spinners eveyr now and then...consistent runscoring is another matter.

 

[marc71178]

I fail to see your logic.
The 'mentally scared' side has a 7-8 record in the last 10 years and the english have a far worse record.

So which side can win series outside the subcontinent then?

 

[C_C]

So which side can win series outside the subcontinent then?

What does that have to do with 'mentally scared', mate ?

 

[vic_orthdox]

Everyone has the ability to make runs against a type of bowling...that isnt the question..the question is consistently.
And with around half the side not playing in IND with the other half having only a series under the belt, it is a very unexperienced team in Indian situations..... Yeah, Vaughan can make a ton against spinners eveyr now and then...consistent runscoring is another matter.

M. Hayden had never played a series on the sub-continent before the 2001 series. It's a bit harsh to write people off before they have played there. And I don't think that Martyn's sub-continent record was much chop before Sri Lanka, despite having played a few (maybe even only one) series there.

 

[C_C]

I am not writing them off..i am saying that they are unproven....ie, they can do excellently or they might just bomb out.... either which is possible pretty much with equal likelyhood, given that they have no substantial precendence in the subcontinent/india.

 

[tooextracool]

Dawson's and Ormonds figures will be better than Harmisons will be over there.

Mark my words.

i seriously doubt that, but i can safely say that no england batsman will average less than 3.40 in a 3 test match series in india.

 

[a massive zebra]

We are the best England side to play test cricket since the mid to late 80s, but we have only beaten sides that are going through a similar phase as we had in the 90s. Christ, the myth that New Zealand are a tenacious side seems to be rubbished with every match.... and the Windies can't even get a side out at the mo.

The only team we beat of any worth were SA, but before our series with them in the winter they had sacked their coach and lost back to back series home and away. Had there been another test in the series, I doubt Smith would have declared to set us a target and the way they improved (the one day series highlights how the 2 teams form changed over the winter) i'd have felt a tad bit unsure of even coming away from there with a draw.

Before last years 'heroics' we hardly looked like a side that could win home or away. We struggled to draw with SA (weather was the major factor) and were beaten by Sri Lanka where the result didn't reflect their dominance.

Yes we beat the West Indies twice where at no point did they set us a target to win, and the same can be said of the New Zealand series.... we only beat SA 2 - 1 due to the arrogance of their captain.

The last year seems to have proved how poor test cricket is at the moment, and how far everyone is behind Australia.... not necessarily how much we have improved.

 

[GermanShepherd]

One defeat doesn't mean much, yes.
Before talking about England - Pakistan and England - India let's see how the Ashes pans out.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

One defeat doesn't mean much, yes.
Before talking about England - Pakistan and England - India let's see how the Ashes pans out.

I don't think the Ashes can be used as a barometer. If England go on to lose 5-0, or win 4-1, they will remain #2 in my book.

 

[shaka]

All it will mean (if England get thrashed 5-0) is that there is a huge gap between Australia and the rest of the world.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

All it will mean (if England get thrashed 5-0) is that there is a huge gap between Australia and the rest of the world.

Precisely. Also if England win 4-1 it will mean that McGrath and Warne have both died in a bizarre pig-tackling match, somewhere in the New Forest. Both of them happy to slip this mortal coil in that way though, pursuing their great hobbies right to the end.

 

[luckyeddie]

Precisely. Also if England win 4-1 it will mean that McGrath and Warne have both died in a bizarre pig-tackling match, somewhere in the New Forest. Both of them happy to slip this mortal coil in that way though, pursuing their great hobbies right to the end.

Not quite.

Both will perish in slightly more apt but equally bizarre freak accidents.

Glenn McGrath will be found in the British Library, felled by a volume of the Greater Oxford Dictionary which mysteriously leaped off from the automatic filing carousel. The theory will go something along the lines that he was striving to increase his vocabulary to include words starting with one of the letters of the alphabet other than 'F'. Strangely enough, the volume which causes his untimely death will be SA-SP, and it will be found open at page 783. The first word on that page will be 'SLEDGE'.

Warney on the other hand will bleed to death painlessly in his sleep, having severely chewed down to the quick the nail of his texting thumb in a fitful dream, worrying about the next Steve Harmison bouncer to come his way. Doctors will subsequently reveal that said appendage has no feeling in it due to years of overuse. Amazingly, they will also conclude that his brain, although very small indeed, does not suffer from the same level of overuse - quite the opposite, in fact.

 

[King_Ponting]

Not quite.

Both will perish in slightly more apt but equally bizarre freak accidents.

Glenn McGrath will be found in the British Library, felled by a volume of the Greater Oxford Dictionary which mysteriously leaped off from the automatic filing carousel. The theory will go something along the lines that he was striving to increase his vocabulary to include words starting with one of the letters of the alphabet other than 'F'. Strangely enough, the volume which causes his untimely death will be SA-SP, and it will be found open at page 783. The first word on that page will be 'SLEDGE'.

Warney on the other hand will bleed to death painlessly in his sleep, having severely chewed down to the quick the nail of his texting thumb in a fitful dream, worrying about the next Steve Harmison bouncer to come his way. Doctors will subsequently reveal that said appendage has no feeling in it due to years of overuse. Amazingly, they will also conclude that his brain, although very small indeed, does not suffer from the same level of overuse - quite the opposite, in fact.

You should write a novel

 

[Steulen]

So you could get an English literature student to look up the first word on page 783 of the SA-SP section of the Oxford, instead of having to do it yourself?

 

[luckyeddie]

So you could get an English literature student to look up the first word on page 783 of the SA-SP section of the Oxford, instead of having to do it yourself?

Oh, I should thing so. Perhaps Glenn could try to get word to a resident English Lit student in the crowd the next time he wishes to sledge someone.

He could get Warney to text them.

PS. I have no idea whether there is even an SA-SP volume of the Oxford.

 

[Monty]

two words for the the english rank
totally undeserved

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

PS. I have no idea whether there is even an SA-SP volume of the Oxford.

Our university library seems happy enough including the entire letter S in one volume, albeit a good 3,000 pages in length. I'm afraid you're out of luck on this one. I could, if you really want to know, tell you what appears at the top of page 783 tomorrow though. If it's sledge, your luck is that good that England might even win a test.

 

[marc71178]

two words for the the english rank
totally undeserved

Such an insightful post.

Care to share your reasons?

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Not quite.

Both will perish in slightly more apt but equally bizarre freak accidents.

Glenn McGrath will be found in the British Library, felled by a volume of the Greater Oxford Dictionary which mysteriously leaped off from the automatic filing carousel. The theory will go something along the lines that he was striving to increase his vocabulary to include words starting with one of the letters of the alphabet other than 'F'. Strangely enough, the volume which causes his untimely death will be SA-SP, and it will be found open at page 783. The first word on that page will be 'SLEDGE'.

Warney on the other hand will bleed to death painlessly in his sleep, having severely chewed down to the quick the nail of his texting thumb in a fitful dream, worrying about the next Steve Harmison bouncer to come his way. Doctors will subsequently reveal that said appendage has no feeling in it due to years of overuse. Amazingly, they will also conclude that his brain, although very small indeed, does not suffer from the same level of overuse - quite the opposite, in fact.

You just had to trump me, didn't you. And I'm glad you did

 

[Pedro Delgado]

two words for the the english rank
totally undeserved

You missed at least two capital letters, one colon and a full stop.