The England Thread

[aussie]

Blackwell? surely you mean Giles?

in Pakistan his bowling was decent & for the 1st time especially in that innings in rawalpindi he showed some brain with the bat. IF he could show during the ODI's in India that he can contribute more consistently witht the bat he make a better OD option that Gilo IMO..

[Matteh]

It's not like Giles isn't that rubbish with the bat himself for that to be the deciding issue (unless Blackwell start's averaging in the high 30s)
if the world cup was next month(and Giles was fit), i'd definitely pick Giles...just depends how Blackwell develops between now and then

[aussie]

It's not like Giles isn't that rubbish with the bat himself for that to be the deciding issue (unless Blackwell start's averaging in the high 30s)
if the world cup was next month(and Giles was fit), i'd definitely pick Giles...just depends how Blackwell develops between now and then

The ODI in India will be key for Blackwell, if he can impress it would go along way in him being a fixture in the OD XI, since his big hitting ability can't be ignored.

[Barney Rubble]

The ODI in India will be key for Blackwell, if he can impress it would go along way in him being a fixture in the OD XI, since his big hitting ability can't be ignored.

Trouble is, he can't stay in long enough at international level to get a chance to hit big.

[Richard]

The ODI in India will be key for Blackwell, if he can impress it would go along way in him being a fixture in the OD XI, since his big hitting ability can't be ignored.

It can if it keeps on being massively superseded by his extraordinary ability to get himself out, which I predict is extremely likely.

[Richard]

Here we go guys, about a year to go and we still have no idea of our strongest ODI lineup. Hmmm......

Simply put... we have Trescothick (who as David Lewis pointed-out a couple of weeks ago has been a waste of space for a year), Flintoff and Pietersen... and Gough if he lasts the course and stops bowling the rubbish he bowled last year.
Can't see either Read or Ealham being recalled and I think Knight was stupid to call it a day when he did... if he's not still playing (and playing well) next season I'll be amazed. But it's too late now.
I've said it plenty of times and I'll say it again... with Strauss, Vaughan, Collingwood, Blackwell, Geraint Jones, Plunkett and in all likelihood Harmison and Simon Jones, too, around we have absolutely no chance whatsoever. We might, possibly, avoid whipping-boy status, but that'd be a grievious blow for the hosts.
If we had a skeleton like this we might, just, have a ghost of a chance...
Trescothick
Knight

Afzaal
Pietersen
Flintoff
Read
Ealham


Gough
Quite why Afzaal is still nowhere near the picture is a total mystery to me - I fully expect Cook to be rushed into the side when it should be palpably obvious to anyone that he's not even good enough at the domestic level (yet, at least) just because he looks to have the makings of a useful Test player.
Simply put, though, there are just not enough good one-day batsmen in the country (available), and few bowlers either. Time is running out, and even if we do see Strauss, Vaughan, Solanki, Collingwood, Jones, Plunkett, Harmison and Jones dropping-out of the picture, there simply doesn't seem to be the calibre of player available to come in.
The only stupidly obvious omission at present is Afzaal... whoever else is picked alongside him and Pietersen, even Trescothick and Flintoff, can't possibly be relied upon. Both are reliable enough massachists of mediocre bowling, but I can't see them doing much to Pollock, Nel, Ntini, McGrath, etc. etc.
Unless someone (probably more like 2 batsmen and 2 bowlers) were to pop-up out of nowhere next season I rate our chances as close to zero.

[marc71178]

Afzaal, Gough, Ealham

[Richard]

So... Vaughan, Harmison and Plunkett are better?
Pull the other one.

[Scaly piscine]

Afzaal, Gough, Ealham

I bet Ealham/Gough would be the fastest bowlers in Motson's side by a country mile as well.

[Richard]

I bet speed makes no importance whatsoever in my side.
Because most fools can realise that speed is not really very important in ODIs.
Most fools, however, do not make a scratch on EXD's foolishness.

[superkingdave]

ah Mark Ealham, a fat waster, he can plod along to the pie shop, but lets not go into that

your thoughts on Jonathon Trott, Richard?

[Richard]

ah Mark Ealham, a fat waster, he can plod along to the pie shop, but lets not go into that

If there's one thing it's utterly stupid to accuse Ealham of it's wastage - he's one player who's wrung every drop from his ability. I hardly see how he qualifies as "fat", either.
He does, though, qualify as a very good one-day bowler, and when you put bowlers like Plunkett, Tremlett, Lewis, Jones, Wharf, Mahmood, Kabir Ali, Harmison, Anderson, Batty, Blackwell, Tudor, Sidebottom, Snape, Kirtley, Hoggard, Franks and Swann up against him they look like jokes.

your thoughts on Jonathon Trott, Richard?

You've not heard my thoughts on EU-passport players before?

[superkingdave]

You've not heard my thoughts on EU-passport players before?

i think he's as English as pietersen isn't he?

[Richard]

Nope, he's one of those typical South Africans who's proven not good enough in South Africa so has come to batter around a few English county attacks and get himself a nice fat import's pay-packet (plus presumably airfares, sponsored-cars and the works - though he may be a UK resident, if so I'd admit to being harsh on him).

[superkingdave]

Nope, he's one of those typical South Africans who's proven not good enough in South Africa so has come to batter around a few English county attacks and get himself a nice fat import's pay-packet (plus presumably airfares, sponsored-cars and the works - though he may be a UK resident, if so I'd admit to being harsh on him).

well he qualifies this autumn and has said that he has set his sights on playing for England