Lions side named to play Sri lanka

Lions side to play Sri Lanka

J Hildreth (Somerset - captain), J Adams (Hampshire), J Bairstow (Yorkshire - wkt), D Briggs (Hampshire), R Bopara (Essex), J Dernbach (Surrey), S Finn (Middlesex), E Morgan (Middlesex), G Onions (Durham), S Patel (Nottinghamshire), A Shahzad (Yorkshire), J Taylor (Leicestershire)

Kieswetter & Woakes both injured apparently.

Get in there Jonny and good to see Fat Sam back.... slightly less tittage on display in the current TV game so he must be fitter.

Jimmy Adams? FFS.

Hardly enamoured by the likes of Morgan, Finn, Bopara, Shahzad & Onions. We know what they can do.

Samit looks as fat as he always has, but I didn't ever care about that, he was huffing after 'quick' singles which just isn't on. He's not quite like that now, but is still as doughy as ever.

Suppose the rest of them are the next lot off

No Rashid. No Meaker.

And still persisting with the idea Jimmy Adams could play at a higher level.

Meh.

Dello wrote:No Rashid. No Meaker.

And still persisting with the idea Jimmy Adams could play at a higher level.

Meh.

No second opener. Someone's going to get shafted when it comes down to the batting order. Probably Bopara. I'd be very surprised from here if anyone other than Eoin Morgan filled the spare batting spot in the Test side.

Don't think he'll make it as a Test player. There, I've said it. Mediocre FC record and nothing in his technique suggests that's misleading.

Not that Ravi Bops fills me with any great confidence. Hasn't progressed as a batsman in the slightest over some four years. I suppose he'd be a handy guy at six - might come off once in a while - and will chip some overs in - might nick a wicket or two.

In that regard, he's a better pick than Morgan for the Tests. But only in the sense that vomiting is slightly better than sh!tting yourself. Ideally, you'd rather endure neither.

It is a little bit worrying that they only saw fit to pick one opener - doesn't say much for the other available openers in F/C cricket. Still, the selectors seem to have got Joe Denly out of their system - for that we should be grateful.

I'd imagine Carbs is still the next opening cab, as and when he returns to action.

Dello wrote:I'd imagine Carbs is still the next opening cab, as and when he returns to action.

Forgotten about him actually. How long before he starts playing again?

Was going to big the ginger wizard up for a potential ODI spot if he keeps up the wicketkeeping but looking at his records.... whilst his FC avg is 47, he utterly fails at the limited overs crap with a HS of 46.

Basil wrote:

Dello wrote:I'd imagine Carbs is still the next opening cab, as and when he returns to action.

Forgotten about him actually. How long before he starts playing again?

Undetermined. Can't mess around with blood clots. He was hospitalised for a couple of weeks, and has been taking medication (presumably blood-thinning drugs, from experience) ever since.

Nasty old business. But at least it didn't kill him.

Not sure any of Morgan, Bopara or Bell are going to make it as Test batsmen. Don't even think ol' Malteasers is going to like the move up to 5!

He's got balls of steel now - haven't you heard? Scored a mince hundred (should've been given out on about 50, but the technology failed) in the final Ashes Test, under the pressure of coming in with around 300 on the board, in a match situation and series where England were throughly dominant, and he was able to play second fiddle to Ali Cook with a big ton under his belt.

Form of his life, indeed.

He'll pee his pants at five.

Be fair, he's had decent tours to SA and AUS. However much the 'form of his life' quote wants you to sick up a little inside...

Aye decent tours. I cannot deny that. If you think about it, it is the form of his life. Usually he'd be in the foetal position, hiding in KP's kit bag. Can't see the future but I reckon it involves the word 'failure'.

I don't really care for you lot going on about Ian Bell. I hate him so much that I'm not even prepared to entertain his name being uttered in a horrible or derisive fashion. Can't we just call him I** B*** from now on? Back to this Lions thing and the excess of number four, five and six batsmen that have been picked. I reckon Samit Patel wouldn't have got in the squad if Alex Hales had been fit, leaving Hales to open with Adams and Bopara batting at 3 - providing a sense of balance to the squad. Instead, Hales went and got himself yokel-jawed for a few weeks and the rest is another boring chapter of meaningless cricket history.

Looks as if, injuries permitting, the Test side for Lord's on the 28th is virtually settled bar two places:

1.Strauss
2.Cook
3.Trott
4.Pietersen
5.Bell
6.Morgan or Bopara
7.Prior
8.Broad
9.Swann
10.Anderson
with one of:
Finn, Shazhad, Onions or Dernbach.

Home ground advantage seems to favour the Irish (even the Watford variety!) but Dernbach could be the joker in the pack who ends up getting picked if he were to do well in the Lions match..

Tremlett will play

Tremlett will surely play? Have I missed something?

Looks like you missed Allan's descent into dementia.

If only he'd eaten more bananas and oranges.

What is a Dernbach and what does it do?

Jade "Dirtbag" Dernbach. Surrey quickish bowler. Saffer-born, naturally. But Englished since he was a youngster. Previously thought of as crown Prince of the Gashlords, but had a great tour of the Windies this winter with the England Lions.

Has a sleeve tattoo, a la Bitchel Mongson.

Nothing more to add. He won't amount to owt.

A Saffer and a sleeve tattoo, say no more.

Cheers JD.

Possibly not a reliable slip catcher.

Lordy, he is a box-headed Saffer, isn't he. He was obviously checking out Red in the stands at the time.

Was getting some sharp inswing at the Oval the other day, I was quite impressed.

As for the test side, still don't think Bops is a test player and not sure Morgan deserves a test spot having whored himself out to the IPL whilst others are back here making FC runs.

A bowling attack of Tremlett, Anderson,Broad & Swann seems a given but I wonder if they'll farq Bopara & Morgan off and play the extra bowler in Bresnan who seems to be have outrageously forgotten on here despite a worthy winter.