Come Back Fletch, All is Forgiven...

...Before this Sussex nonsense becomes a truly established clique. Only a Sussex player could retain his place after securing a run of ducks that lead to a pond being named after him. To kick Maddy out was a disgrace ahead of that talentless, flat-track slogger.

Seriously though, what are Moores and Collingwood thinking?

Knee Jerk of the week.

Yeah, very knee jerk. Though to be fair, what the hell were they thinking sending Snape in ahead of Mascarenhas?!

Um, it wasn't serious. Just another dig at that useless rabbit Wright who should never have been picked ahead of Samit Patel in the first place.

Moores Test and ODI sides are heading in the right direction, Prior's persistent selection excluded.

He's got a shot at being a decent player, Wright - I quite like the look of him.

But it's really lamb to the slaughter stuff asking him to open the batting against international bowlers when he's basically a number seven or eight batsman.

But 'people' were clamouring for these specialists to be sent to SA?

All thats been shown is its one thing bashing county hacks who bowl a dross wide ball every over, but Wright had nothing to hit for 3 balls and panicked

JKLever wrote:Knee Jerk of the week.

Seconded.

Fletch was finished as a coach. Personally I can't think of anyone who WILL do a better jopb than Moores, well, not at 11:04 on a Sunday evening anyway.

Wright has got something about him and (in the long term ) is worth persevering with: but he did have the startled rabbit in the headlights look about him today. So it might be that he misses out in the game against NZ.

I'm going to call it Wright now, that Wright has no future in any form of international cricket. He can't play at number 7 as a specialist batsman (he can't bowl), and he's not got enough against the new ball to bat in the top 4 in Twenty20. What exactly does he have about him, apart from the ability to slog it hard? He's a full-blooded slogger and credit to him for having the balls, but he's not a batsman.

Samit Patel > Wright.

And while i'm at it, Robert Key should be in the team instead of Wright. He even finished with a better average and more fifties than him FFS.

What's that David Sales?

Yeah.... you're totally right. He should be in the team...

In all seriousness, the bias isn't even subtle. It's so blatant it's unbelievable: Prior, Wright, Yardy, Chuckley... how the hell.... just how the hell.

Stewart Downing.

Peregrine Periwinkle wrote:Stewart Downing.

Exactly Sid. Egg-f'kin-zactly.

Mike Yardy will be back in the team in no time...Just you watch.

One plus of the Moores regime is that they are giving players who perform well in county cricket a chance. Fletcher was so damn stubborn if he didnt like a particular player that it meant a lot of talented players were discarded, or not even considered.

Re David Sales. I think his time has passed. He'll be 30 this winter. And regardless of his run making capabilities, he is a fat, balding geezer who just doesnt look like an international cricketer. Robert Key has everything that Sales has, but he also has hair. Case closed.

David Sales is 30? Geez, the way you people talk of him I had him up there with Ramprakash, Crawley and co. That's quite young.

But not as young as the ever youthful looking Key...

Yeah doremi, he's 29 ATM, is actually only 'chubby' and is losing his hair. What Trev thinks 'look like' international cricketers has no bearing - no, he's not Mudge w@nk-fodder... he's just a damn classy, incredibly talented run-maker. Would slot in a treat in England's middle-order.

If Sales is serious about playing for England, then he needs to switch counties. Yes, it's great that he's been so loyal to Northants etc, but it's just such an unfashionable county for England selections (Unless you're a patka wearing left arm spinner) that he could score 2000 runs in a season and still be overlooked.

Henry wrote:If Sales is serious about playing for England, then he needs to switch counties. Yes, it's great that he's been so loyal to Northants etc, but it's just such an unfashionable county for England selections (Unless you're a patka wearing left arm spinner) that he could score 2000 runs in a season and still be overlooked.

Whatever you think Triv. Monty got in by the simple fact he's f'kin good. Not because he wears a patka.
No, seriously Triv. I'm serious here. He deserved a go and he got one. When England fail, they'll(hopefully) eventually get round to Sales, the volume of runs and the way he's gone about making them should hold stead in time, after they've tried and failed loads of sh!tters.

Im not suggesting that Monty got into the team on racial grounds. God no. Id like to think we're above that in England. It was just a subtle way of me referring to Monty Panesar. Yeah, Monty got into because he's damn good. He's also a quality spinner, which is something that England had long needed.

As far as Sales is concerned, we're a bit better stocked as far as middle order batsmen are concerned, and it's hard to see who he would replace in the England Test side. Bopara, Shah, and Key are ahead of him in the pecking order.

Yeah, I'm pleased Shah is in. To me, Bob's had his go, was OK but a little suspect. Bopara, yes, he'll be above him too. That's pretty much why he hasn't had a go to an extent, however, he's imperious at all three forms of the game and that's always a bonus.

Pfft Key hasn't been given enough of a chance. Need i remind you he was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2005? Not sure how much awesome you can get.

Sales deserves ago after the season he's had. Unfortunately for him he's had a few poor seasons over th years which haven't helped his cause. His overall career stats are good but not outstanding.

But Wright has to go, he's just a liability now.

S F Barnes wrote:Sales deserves ago after the season he's had. Unfortunately for him he's had a few poor seasons over th years which haven't helped his cause. His overall career stats are good but not outstanding.

But Wright has to go, he's just a liability now.

Over 6,000 runs at an average of 50 over the last 5 seasons is consistant enough IMO. His OD stats this season are bordering on the ridiculous, his T20 stats were fine too.

I've seen some bizarre left-field selections down the years and understand sometimes you have take a punt every now and then- but this 20/20 squad is almost a surrealist masterpiece.

Where on earth did Jeremy Snape pop up from? I'd thought he retired and was some negligible part of the coaching set-up. Old neither fish no fowl county pro, famous for bowling moonballs, an erratic leggie who's been around the block and was playing minor counties last season, a Sussex second xi slogger and umm...Darren Maddy. I wouldn't be surprised if Daffy Defreitas was hidden away somewhere in the recesses of that squad along with Derek Pringle's huge thighs and a promising embryo.

There's no way in any version of reality England have their best 11 out there. I admire the weirdness but it's an affront to the dignity of the 20/20 game and an insult to the hosts.

There's so many more (you couldn't get less) logical selections its barely worth stating them. Bottom line is that it's international cricket and however hectic it is you need to have ability or potential to prosper against international bowling or trouble international batsmen. A few slogged runs and gimme wickets against very variable opposition in a season or two county 20/20 proves almost nothing.