England v South Africa, 4th Test, The Oval, Aug 7-11

"New" England:

Key
Cook
Shah
Pietersen*
Bopara
Prior +
Flintoff
Rashid
Broad
Mahmood
Jones

Almost certainly...

Fark off with the Prior shoite.

Or, more realistically:-

Strauss
Cook
Bell
Pietersen*
Collingwood
Bopara
Flintoff
Ambrose +
Harmison
Anderson
Panesar

Brave new world...

Steyn is out again apparently.

At least we'll get some comic relief in the form of Andre Nel.

Key
Cook*
Shah
KP
Bell
Bopara
Flintoff
Foster+
Broad/Jones
Anderson
Monty

I'd go for Broad if you pushed me as we're looking to the future.

No point in them risking Shit Steyn, I s'pose. Dead rubber lips an' all.

Yeah Broad for SideBum for me.

As for the rest - not a diddly.

My first side bats to nine and has six bowlers. Suck that up.

Trescothick
Butcher
Key
Ramprakash
Hick*
Crawley
G Jones
Croft
Cork
Gough
Caddick

Dello wrote:My first side bats to nine and has six bowlers. Suck that up.

Well, two Test quality bowlers.

Newman
Horton
Sales
Trott
Joyce*
Patel
Davies +
Swann
Plunkett
Tremlett
Onions

Gary 111 wrote:

Dello wrote:My first side bats to nine and has six bowlers. Suck that up.

Well, two Test quality bowlers.

That's more than we usually go in with.

Are we looking at a 4 or 5 man attack again?

I don't mind a 4 man attack at all - adding a 5th dross merchant to the line up for the last test wouldn't have won us it either.

What all 4 must be going into a test is 100% fit.

Dello wrote:My first side bats to nine and has six bowlers. Suck that up.

Not a ferkin' chance of a catch at the wicket though.

JKLever wrote:Are we looking at a 4 or 5 man attack again?

I don't mind a 4 man attack at all - adding a 5th dross merchant to the line up for the last test wouldn't have won us it either.

What all 4 must be going into a test is 100% fit.

Panesar's flattered to deceive this summer - thought he bowled quite poorly in favourable conditions yesterday.

Not sure about him in a four-manner, to be honest. Doesn't offer the tight control to lock down an end (allowing the seamers to rotate from the other end) during the first digs and, like I said, hasn't looked too clever coming down the home straight on a worn pitch. 2-91 yesterday, to follow his 60 over 0-116 in the first Test.

JKLever wrote:Are we looking at a 4 or 5 man attack again?

I don't mind a 4 man attack at all - adding a 5th dross merchant to the line up for the last test wouldn't have won us it either.

What all 4 must be going into a test is 100% fit.

Well logically the bowling would have been stronger, so chances are we'd bowl SA out for less - but we wouldn't have had Collingwood's 135, so they've only needed about 140 to win!

Big_Bad_Bob wrote:

Dello wrote:My first side bats to nine and has six bowlers. Suck that up.

Not a ferkin' chance of a catch at the wicket though.

Depends if he's got his mouth open or not.

Odds on the captain for the 4th test

KP - no odds offered.
Strauss 2.2
Key 4
Flintoff 4.5
Cook 7
Bell 16

I think we can assume by that, that KP has the job. At least i'd have hoped he'd tipped off his mates by now.

How funny that Super Booby Key is shorter odds than a bloke that A) has captained England and B) has actually played for England in the last four years.

Paddypower are offering Ed Joyce at 750-1 .

vilkrang wrote:Paddypower are offering Ed Joyce at 750-1 .

Dello wrote:

Big_Bad_Bob wrote:

Dello wrote:My first side bats to nine and has six bowlers. Suck that up.

Not a ferkin' chance of a catch at the wicket though.

Depends if he's got his mouth open or not.

Ba-dum-tish!

vilkrang wrote:Paddypower are offering Ed Joyce at 750-1 .

At least they've given odds on KP!

And Blobster is 2nd fav with PP!

Gary 111 wrote:Trescothick
Butcher
Key
Ramprakash
Hick*
Crawley
G Jones
Croft
Cork
Gough
Caddick

Brave Jurassic Park?

Paddypower pushing the token Paddy...