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Squad Passengers

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
James Anderson was 12th man through the 2005 Ashes until a bowler actually got injured when we decided to play an extra bat instead
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
James Anderson was 12th man through the 2005 Ashes until a bowler actually got injured when we decided to play an extra bat instead
That was one of the more conservative selections I can recall England making, yes.

I think Colly was ostensibly selected as an all-rounder, but everyone knew it was because we were 2-1 up and wanted the extra batting.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Jimmy was way out of form by the time that came around as well. He might have got the nod a few tests earlier. Wouldn't have ended well for him or England, I suspect.
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
That was one of the more conservative selections I can recall England making, yes.

I think Colly was ostensibly selected as an all-rounder, but everyone knew it was because we were 2-1 up and wanted the extra batting.
It's probably a selection we should have made a bit more often tbh. By modern standards Flintoff 6, Jones 7 and Giles 8 with nothing to come is playing with fire and we got away with it because of Flintoff's never to be repeated batting form.

As we found out 18 months later when we were lining up Flintoff-Read-Mahmood-Hoggard-Anderson-Panesar. shivers
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Jimmy was way out of form by the time that came around as well. He might have got the nod a few tests earlier. Wouldn't have ended well for him or England, I suspect.
Was that about the time Troy Cooley was dicking around with his action so his head didn't face downwards on delivery? Cost him his swing for a while too.

His average did climb to the very high 30s at one point there or thereabouts?

It's probably a selection we should have made a bit more often tbh. By modern standards Flintoff 6, Jones 7 and Giles 8 with nothing to come is playing with fire and we got away with it because of Flintoff's never to be repeated batting form.

As we found out 18 months later when we were lining up Flintoff-Read-Mahmood-Hoggard-Anderson-Panesar. shivers
Yeah, looks awful on paper and wasn't much better in reality either. We have been spoiled by our lower order of late (well, since Broad and Swann became regulars, pretty much) and it's paper over more than a few top order horlickses.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Yeah it was. His average was close to 40 at one point. Even after he'd been on top form for a few years it didn't go below 30.
 

the big bambino

International Captain
It's probably a selection we should have made a bit more often tbh. By modern standards Flintoff 6, Jones 7 and Giles 8 with nothing to come is playing with fire and we got away with it because of Flintoff's never to be repeated batting form.

As we found out 18 months later when we were lining up Flintoff-Read-Mahmood-Hoggard-Anderson-Panesar. shivers
England were playing that format a few seasons before and after 2005 with success. They traded runs for wickets and it generally worked. I don't think playing the extra bat in 06/07 would've avoided a white wash.
 

AndrewB

International Vice-Captain
Malcolm Marshall was in the WI 1979 World Cup squad but didn't play a game (nor did Bacchus or Gomes).
Similarly in the 1975 World Cup, Rowe and Foster weren't picked, and Gibbs only played (unsuccessfully) in the easy win over Sri Lanka.
 

Moss

International Vice-Captain
Surprised no one from the NZ contingent has already mentioned this one - Neil Wagner on the Australia tour of 2015/16. On those roads, and with the new-ball duo down on pace and fitness anyway, NZ chose to play all of Southee, Boult, Bracewell and Henry ahead of him. Think he put that decision in perspective 4 years later. (Of course this was more a case of stubborn selection policy than an indictment of Wagner, so might deviate ever so slightly from the original criteria for this thread.)
 

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