Pick your 30!

[Sudeep]

Sehwag
Kallis
Lara
Tendulkar
Dravid
Flintoff
Sangakarra
Pollock
Akhtar/Harmison/Hoggard
Kaneria
Muralidharan

I am tempted at making Kallis open but it sounds very suspect. Tendulkar should be there considering not only that he can bat but also the fact that he would be more than handy in Sydney. As much as I would like to include Kallis in the side, if people have problems with him opening, I guess he would have to go and make room for Strauss (depending upon how he performs in the Ashes) or Smith

Kaneria and Murali would be an awesome combination on a turner in Sydney

*Maybe this should be made into the Super Series 2005 thread and topped*

The question is can Kaneria be as good as Kumble? I wouldn't think so.

 

[Pratters]

The question is can Kaneria be as good as Kumble? I wouldn't think so.

121 wickets in 26 matches at the young age of 24.

If Kaneria peforms well against Windies in Windies and with the skill he has shown, I would be disappointed if Kumble is given preference over Kaneria.

Kumble has shown great maturity in the last series in Australia and so it would be all good even if he is selected.

 

[Sudeep]

If Kaneria peforms well against Windies in Windies and with the skill he has shown, I would be disappointed if Kumble is given preference over Kumble.

You're clearly a little out of your senses today, aren't you?

 

[BoyBrumby]

I would be disappointed if Kumble is given preference over Kumble.

I dunno, they're pretty evenly matched for me!

 

[Pratters]

You're clearly a little out of your senses today, aren't you?

HAHA sleepy man.

Should go to bed in half an hour after having dinner.

 

[Sudeep]

I dunno, they're pretty evenly matched for me!

 

[pakster]

Interesting squad - delighted to see so many pak players, although I doubt many will make it in the final 11..

Sehwag
Strauss/Trescothick
Lara
Dravid (Piterson/Afridi in the ODI)
Kalis
Inzamam
Sangakara
Flintoff
Murali
Akhter
Harmison

Yes, No tendulkar...Inzamam is a better bet on current form IMO.
Bat up to 8, 5 quality bowlers.

 

[tooextracool]

No Fleming? Ok he hasn't been in the greatest of form (in internationals) last summer, and I have seen him play better, but surely he would have offered something captaincy wise, batting and catching wise. I'm sure he would have enjoyed the chance to be involved in leading or being part in a vice captaincy role with a much better squad with all due respect to his own players.

I can understand no Oram, he hasn't played against Australia last time around, although his absence was greatly missed. Afridi? Are there better options?

how in the world can you understand why oram wasnt picked and not understand why fleming wasnt?
fleming averages 25 with the bat against australia, his form this year has been poor. im sorry but you dont make the squad based on captaincy alone.
oram averaged 57.5 last year and 62 against the aussies.

 

[tooextracool]

Vaughan over Thorpe?! Have these guys been watching English cricket the last twelve months?!
*

questions over whether thorpe will be playing after the ashes.

 

[tooextracool]

Is it impossible for the selectors to choose outside the squad of 30 (given poor form or injury) or can they only choose out of the 30?

that just refutes the point of picking the 30 ITFP. but then again the last time a 30 man squad was picked, it was claimed that outside players would be considered

 

[tooextracool]

How can Cairns go from World XI (excluding Asia) in January to not in the top 30 ODI players in the world by May? Especially when Gough still gets a recall, they're in a similar boat one would have thought...

i was going to say just that actually. i was expecting cairns not to be picked, because i thought that basically anyone whos decided to quit one form would barely be considered by the ICC. then i was astonished to see gough getting picked based on a single series.

 

[biased indian]

Exactly, for a start England will be playing Australia in the next few months so they should have the most players in the initial squad simply because any one of them could end up doing really well against Australia and the selectors would then look utterly stupid (which I don't mind too much since Atherton is one of the selectors) - imagine if England win The Ashes/ODIs, how dumb are those selectors going to look in October with just 4 England players in each squad?

if that happens. the current selected team should be dissolved and England should play aganist Aus in the series

 

[tooextracool]

Other than Cairns, there is nobody else who will get picked outside the 30.

err you can basically guarantee that anyone english player that isnt in the squad that has a great ashes series will get picked.
personally i dont see hoggard succeeding in australia, but i still think he should have been in the 30.

 

[tooextracool]

Why not Gayle?

because its arguable whether hes test class let alone world class let.

 

[Pratters]

if that happens. the current selected team should be dissolved and England should play aganist Aus in the series

Not really. It would mean more English players in the squad but I doubt Sangakarra or Boucher would face competition from the English keeper, Sehwag would face no competition from Trescothic.

Also if England play Australia in a one off test in Australia, the conservatives who are already crying over the Super Series happening and being test status, will start shouting as to how the ashes are now being undermined by 6 day tests

 

[marc71178]

"Players like Kevin Pietersen, Brendon McCullum, Andre Nel, Naved ul Hasan, Shahid Afridi and Irfan Pathan have forced their way into the squads on the strength of outstanding performances over recent months."
I won't deny Pathan is a very talented player, but recent months?! He's been in terrible form recently.

I don't think it's just recently.

 

[marc71178]

Will be interesting to guess who gets dropped then. For all the complaints about Rana and Pathan, I'm not particularly surprised that either was picked for the ODI squads, although in Rana's case the test squad is a bit of a shock.

Even though Pathan can't make the India side?

 

[marc71178]

How can Cairns go from World XI (excluding Asia) in January to not in the top 30 ODI players in the world by May?

To be fair that wasn't a full non-Asian World XI.

 

[marc71178]

Atherton clarifies - "The 30 names are not exclusive. You can come into the squads of 20 or the final 13 if you're not in the initial 30"

So why bother even naming a 30 then?!

 

[marc71178]

How is Harbhajan's selection a farce ? There are plenty of worse spinners they could have picked than him.

I would've thought a player should be an automatic pick for his nation to make the 30.