**Official** West Indies in England Thread

[marc71178]

Windies tipped to play just two specialist pacers. Ridiculous. The carnage will be unbearable.

Utter lunacy if true.

And if true, hope MV calls correctly for once!

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Utter lunacy if true.

And if true, hope MV calls correctly for once!

WI may field just two specialist bowlers

Edwards is hopelessly out of the zone at the moment.
Ravi Rampaul is injured.
Jermaine Lawson is not quite match-fit.

That leaves just Best and Collins with the support of Banks, Smith and Bravo.

I'd still tip them to go with Lawson as a third seamer. I refuse to believe we'd go into a Test with an ODI strategy.

 

[Revelation]

i have faith......hopefully Lords will be at least a draw or win for WI.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

i have faith......hopefully Lords will be at least a draw or win for WI.

Not with just two specialist bowlers. In such a scenario I can't even see the rain saving us.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

A crucial point to look at in this series coming up:

Nasser Hussain and Mark Butcher were crucial in the England victories in the Caribbean. Both will be absent tomorrow.

 

[Richard Jenkins]

Well lads and lasses, they're under starters orders, and they're off. Well nearly.

Weather news . grey skies for most the UK, severe late thunderstorms in SE.warm and sticky in south east. (from bbc site)

Team news .England (from): M E Trescothick, A J Strauss, R W T Key, M P Vaughan (Capt), G P Thorpe, A Flintoff, G O Jones (Wkt) A F Giles, M J Hoggard, S J Harmison, S Jones, S Anderson.

West Indies (from): C Gayle, D S Smith, R R Sarwan, S C Joseph, B C Lara (capt), S Chanderpaul, D J J Bravo, D R Smith, R D Jacobs (Wkt), O A C Banks, T L Best, J J C Lawson, F H Edwards, P Collins.

 

[marc71178]

I'm wondering how much we'll miss Flintoff's bowling, especially as it looks like WI may have a long batting line-up.

Makes me question if Key were the right replacement for Butcher.

 

[Revelation]

RJ, does that mean rain at Lords?

 

[Craig]

Simmons is the current coach of Zimbabwe.

When was he appionted?

 

[Craig]

I'm wondering how much we'll miss Flintoff's bowling, especially as it looks like WI may have a long batting line-up.

Makes me question if Key were the right replacement for Butcher.

Well then Mr Vaughan should start consider how many overs he intends to bowl. Would you have preffered say somebody like Paul Collingwood as a batting replacement and can bowl?

I think Lara will come very close to getting 10,000 Test runs.

As I type he will probably make a pair.

I take no responsibility should Lara make a pair and it contributes to the WI losing was merely coinditential.

 

[Adamc]

Lara won the toss and sent England in. Bravo makes his debut, Edwards in the XI somewhat surprisingly. Will be a very interesting first hour, especially if he opens with Tino Best.

 

[garage flower]

Well, 2 surprises for me. Windies go with the 3 seamers, but include Fidel AND they win the toss and elect to field.

I suppose the latter's understandable if conditions are overcast; the former's a real gamble.

 

[Adamc]

Well, 2 surprises for me. Windies go with the 3 seamers, but include Fidel AND they win the toss and elect to field.

I suppose the latter's understandable if conditions are overcast; the former's a real gamble.

Gamble or not, it is still the way to go I think. Two seamers may work in ODI's, but it is not sustainable at Test level. Will be interesting to see how Omari Banks shapes up as well.

 

[Craig]

Trescothick dropped on 10 with the score on 17.

Under Richard's first chance theroy, even if he gets 205* he still would not have deserved it since he was dropped off a caught and bowled (according to Cricinfo).

However, he Strauss have got England off to a flyer with the score on 29 after 5.3 overs.

 

[Craig]

Tino Best gets his revenge after dropping Trescothick and having being hit for four.

Trescothick lobs a short ball to Ramnaresh Sarwan at short leg.

Trescothick gone for 16, England 29/1 after 5.4 overs.

 

[garage flower]

Gamble or not, it is still the way to go I think. Two seamers may work in ODI's, but it is not sustainable at Test level. Will be interesting to see how Omari Banks shapes up as well.

Wasn't suggesting 2 seamers, I just thought Lawson was the more likely choice based on their relative performances in the warm up games.

Having read the BBC website's commentary (CricInfo seems to be down), the decision to bowl first is beginning to look like a significant error of judgement.

 

[Craig]

Trescothick is gone for 16 already. Lara would be happy after England's quick start.

 

[wpdavid]

Tino Best gets his revenge after dropping Trescothick and having being hit for four.

Trescothick lobs a short ball to Ramnaresh Sarwan at short leg.

Trescothick gone for 16, England 29/1 after 5.4 overs.

Best had a lot to say about it, didn't he. Soft shot by Tresco though. I hope that isn't a taste of things to come now he's facing some quicks afgain.

 

[garage flower]

Tino Best gets his revenge after dropping Trescothick and having being hit for four.

Trescothick lobs a short ball to Ramnaresh Sarwan at short leg.

Trescothick gone for 16, England 29/1 after 5.4 overs.

Speaking of Richard, isn't this another blow to his theories on the game given that he seems to regard short leg as an ineffective position for the quicks.

Anyway, well done Tino. Much needed early breakthrough.

 

[Craig]

Best had a lot to say about it, didn't he. Soft shot by Tresco though. I hope that isn't a taste of things to come now he's facing some quicks afgain.

Was it just general banter or was it the usual stuff a fast bowler would say when he gets a wicket?

Unfortunatly not watching.