Sri Lanka v England, 3rd test, Galle, 18-22 Dec

DJ_Smerk wrote:If you drop Monty, watch Styris, McCullum and Oram Walloping Swann!

As I said, not my choice but what I think Moores' will be. It would be worth my Sky subscription to see Ramps walloping Bond and Vettori all over the park at Hamilton but, sadly, I can't see that happening somehow.

I just wish there was a scapegoat as obvious as Steve Mclaren. I suspect Peter Moores is just a convivial middle managment type who's been promoted beyond his capablities. At the same time some of Fletcher's madness may have contaminated Vaughan. It was just bloody odd the way he hung around the squad in the last Ashes series like a jealous spouse.


Agree that there aren't any particularly likely replacements. I suspect there's a better keeping package out there somewhere and Shah should play but that's almost England's finest out there. No Ramps or Mustard please and Strauss shouldn't be a shoe-in.

Ultimately it's Northants fault.

Allan D wrote:

Dello wrote:. This is embarrassing. Sri Lanka are mediocre at best. And they've flippin' murdered us.

Can't see how you can say that since SL have both the current ICC-rated No.1. batsman and bowler in their side and Jaya should come back into the top 10 on today's (and yesterday's) performance (how did he drop out? who replaced him? - Lara Bingley's toyboy, FAC Michael flippin'Clarke no less - c'mon, ICC, you're havin' a larf!)

I can say it because I watched them in Australia and they were abysmal. Even worse than England were out there.

Whats all the doom and gloom for?

Another few defeats, we can be ranked down the bottom again. That was my most fun ever watching cricket from 2000-2005 climbing the test table and beating sides we were supposed to lose against.

Someone should pass that positive onto Vaughan!

I'm sure he's already noted it. Probably out getting a tattoo of it on his arse as we speak.

Before we sharpen the knife and call for heads to roll, we have to ask ourselves- Are the alternatives really any better than the current lot? I guess the players under most pressure would be Bell, Prior, Hoggard......Well it could be argued that they're all under scrutiny. But for example- Is there really a better alternative than Prior as the 'keeper out there? Mustard? Well, to be honest he looked a bit soft and timid to me when I saw him in the ODI's. Ambrose? One great season doesn't maketh the man. Davies? Hasn't really kicked on as hoped...... Let's be honest- Prior is probably the best option.

Hoggy concerns me. Suddenly, he's getting injured all the time, and he hasn't bowled great in this game(Although granted he hasn't had much luck), but he used to be a fit as a fiddle, strong as an ox workhorse who we could rely on to consistently deliver day in, day out. Has the body had enough at 31? Cook and Bell are still pretty naive. Wouldn't want either of them batting for my life. KP clearly doesn't like the Sub Continent. He averages something like 30 in this part of the world. Collingwood? Well, he's a fighter. Always seems to be the one guy who shows a bit of grit when he have a collapse like we did yesterday. But still, he's not the most gifted player technically, and he's unlikely to ever be a big, big run scorer. Vaughan still is a classy batsman, but his captaincy magic has worn off. Bopara isn't ready yet. Sidebottom tries hard, but the new found pace he showed (85-90 mph) against the Windies and India, has now gone, and he's bowling late 70's(to match his haircut). Harmison did well at Colombo and then early on here, but he doesn't really do anything with the ball in the air or off the pitch, and unless the pitch is a bit up and down, he doesn't seem to take many wickets. Monty has been dissapointing. He's trying to slow his pace down, but he hasn't mastered it yet, and as a result he's frequently dropping too short.

I don't think there will be mass changes. In fact, I don't think there will be many changes at all. I think a team for New Zealand will be something like-

Vaughan(c)
Cook
Shah
Pietersen
Collingwood
Bell
Prior+
Sidebottom
Hoggard
Harmison
Panesar

Just Shah for Bopara with Bell dropping down to his favoured position at six (Which really isn't acceptable but he does score truckloads in that position) No one is really crying out to replace the current incubents, although that could just be because there's no county cricket on at the moment. Off the top of my head, Carberry is making runs for the academy, and Onions is taking wickets, but i'm not so sure they're better options than what we already have in the current England squad.

lardbucket wrote:Shame Zat wasn't at the ground.

Rest assured lardy, I was watching on the teev, and they all, without exception, got the send-off you would have expected.

Henry - Why is Bell under pressure? He's our top scorer in this series and top of the English averages with a respectable 45.4. Our next best is Colly who has 100 less runs and averages 4 runs less.

Number 3's should be scoring hundreds. How many hundreds has Bell made at number 3? Has he even scored a test century in that position? He averages about 35 at 3, and 70 at 6. Yeah, I know that no England batsman has hit a hundred in this series, but Bell's trend of throwing it away after passing 50 started long before this series. Ponting, Sanga, Younis Khan, Dravid......All these guys make big hundreds when they get in. Bell doesn't.

Doesn't change the fact that he's our top run scorer. Every position in our top and middle order should be scoring hundreds. Since when is it only number 3s that should be scoring hundreds? Suggesting that we drop our best batsman is ridiculous.

And it's hardly fair comparing him to those four. Three of them are probably all time greats and the other may well be in the future.

Bell has the worst conversion rate out of all the England batsman,barring Bopara, who doesn't have a conversion rate yet.

What is it now....About 6 hundreds and 19 fifties?

So? He's been our best bat on this tour.

Henry wrote: Sidebottom tries hard, but the new found pace he showed (85-90 mph) against the Windies and India, has now gone, and he's bowling late 70's(to match his haircut). .

:laule:

Gee, Vaughan's insistence on Bopara looks like a genius move now. Oh yeah. Bring on the yoof.

Aslong as Nick Compton, James Harris and Graham Onions play in NZ! I'll be ecstatic!!!

So . . . England make 3 for 270 today and the players will demand respect and praise for their pride and determination, just wait for it.

Vaughan gawwwwwwnnnn! Chasing a wide one. 1/67.

England still batting?

It's lunch, so not as we speak we're not........

England could still get out of this with a draw, when it rains in Sri lanka it really rains.

please don't yell wrote:England could still get out of this with a draw, when it rains in Sri lanka it really rains.

Yep, pride and determination can win a moral victory . . . as long as it keeps raining.

Rain, we do rain really well in England.

At least another 2 hours

please don't yell wrote:England could still get out of this with a draw, when it rains in Sri lanka it really rains.

And frankly, that would be a real pity (and daylight robbery for SL).
Total humiliation here would hopefully create a knee jerk reaction at the ECB resulting in
Orangina getting booted out, Vaughan replaced and the issuing of central contracts totally revised.

English cricket, its administrators and the captain have basked in the glory of Ashes 2005 for far too long now.
It's high time for a change.

Can't imagine there'll be anymore play today.