The England Thread
 

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

We need an opening partnership.

Trescothick's there, yes, but who do we have to go with him?

Strauss is best in the middle order, Vaughan's crap, Solanki's not up to it...

Prior means playing 2 keepers, and he had a pretty poor series in Pakistan.

Then, I'd have Vaughan out, but that looks rather unlikely.

And who do we want as spinner? Giles? Blackwell? Does Monty deserve a chance?

I think that Tresco, Strauss, Pietersen, Collingwood, Flintoff, Harmison have their places secure.

But who needs to go around them?

Time will tell...

Vaughan's only played nine ODIs as an opener - why don't we try him there and Strauss at 3? At least with Tresco becoming increasingly more of an accumulator rather than a destroyer, he'd be able to go out and play his shots without confusing himself trying to work out how he should be playing.

My suggestion (now that the SuperSub has thankfully gone):

Trescothick
Vaughan*
Strauss
Pietersen
Flintoff
Collingwood
G Jones+
Giles
Plunkett
Harmison
S Jones

I think you guys have something special Cooking up on the sidelines. Apparently its an entree as well...

for me:

Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan*
Pietersen
Flintoff
Collingwood
G Jones
Blackwell
Harmison
S Jones
Anderson

Who doesn't even get in the Essex NCL side.

Despite hitting 62 and 94 in his last two matches last season...

Talent is talent, Kapadugura hasn't even played a FC match for CCC and his played for Sri Lanka A and made Test sqauds.

2/5 vowels correct...

We have one batsman who has great difficulty working singles in the ODI side already - we don't need another for 2007.

Blackwell? surely you mean Giles? :blink:

I dunno, Blackwell seemed a good OD player in Pakistan.

I'd take Giles over him though.

Unless Giles isn't the same after his injury i think he's definitely in over Blackwell

He wasn't much before it. :p

If Giles isn't the same as before he might be vaguely useful for a change.

Granted he's never going to bowl a team out....
but in ODIs when you need someone to not give many runs away....he's good at that