Corky says five or six England players won't tour...

... at least.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/7761931.stm

Could be a good opportunity for some one.

... to get blown up.

Better than staying in England in winter, surely.

Is Cork really ''in the loop'', or is he just making a wild guess?

Mates with Freddie perhaps....

"What is the point of England taking a diluted squad? You're going to India in their backyard. You have a big series against West Indies, and then Australia. It's not very good preparation. The guys will not be focused.
"My issue is that the guys who are not brave enough to make a decision (not to go) are the ones who are not sure of their place. They will go out not wanting to be there."


The point, old chum, is that it's not all about on field performances. It's about telling the terrorists that they haven't, and wont, win. It's about making a statement that life will go on and it's about providing to the Indian public that age old comforting tool in times of crisis- Sport.

The last sentence that he said is just a load of complete crap. Yeah.....They're "cowards" if they DO go to India, eh Corky? Idiot.

Let's face it, even full strength, they were going to lose. At least if they send a second string side, they'll have an excuse.

I think the weaker the side we send, the better. The last couple of times we've been there we've played repectably depite having woeful sides against theoretically far superior players on their home turf. Going by history, if we sent two men, a cat, a vicar, and Hoggard, we'd probably win.

Going by history, if we sent two men, a cat, a vicar, and Hoggard, we'd probably win.

So we should send Will Jefferson, Phil Tufnell, Michael Vaughan, and Hoggy?

OP Tipping wrote:Let's face it, even full strength, they were going to lose. At least if they send a second string side, they'll have an excuse.

It'd make a change from India claiming 'moral victories'.

Crazy logic, some sort of team ethos to not turning up to play cricket...

Henry wrote:

Going by history, if we sent two men, a cat, a vicar, and Hoggard, we'd probably win.

So we should send Will Jefferson, Phil Tufnell, Michael Vaughan, and Hoggy?

***** off Trev.

You knows it's going to happen - perfect opportunity for Virgil to cement his place back in the team

Would make sense. Vaughan has a great record against us.

doremi wrote:Would make sense. Vaughan has a great record against us.

Again ... all history ... a card Vawn plays extremely well ... "look at my past record"!
FFS

Agree though JKL - seems very likely he'll be picked on the basis of a couple of drop-outs and 2 nets in Bangalore a fortnight ago.
Great prep for a has-been/wanna-be-again, I suppose.

Any reason why they would attach Vaughan's picture to this article.

http://www.supersport.co.za/cricket/article.aspx?headline=Eng%20security%20expert%20to%20inspect%20India%20venues%20&id=280374

Yes.

It is the Michael Vaughan XI in all but name after all....

20 man squad off to the training camp in Abu Dhabi tomorrow, and the Test squad will be selected from that.

Will probably be self selecting once those who still decline to travel have dropped out.

Fred definitely not going to India apparently, though I'm not sure whether he will travel to Abu Dhabi in the first instance.

It's a bunch of bullshit. They're shitbags.

Disconcerting that Fred is in the list of won't goes.

Well, it is. But it's disconcerting that anyone won't tour. Basically, there's no point in sending a second string for a two match wankathon - may as well call it an 'A' tour and be done with it.

I don't think any player can be blamed for not wanting to tour in this situation where UK and US citizens were actively sought out as targets in Mumbai.

An England cricket team would be very juicy targets for any further prospective terrorist activity.

I have no problem with any of them choosing not to travel, as long as they don't then roll up for the IPL in a few short months.

In my opinion, however, they should not be being put in this situation and the ECB should call the tour off themselves.

As BM says, a diluted squad makes it a complete sham, and if one of the originally selected side does not want to travel, then none should travel.

The tour was pathetic anyway. It's going to be even more pathetic now. I concur the ECB should call it off, as soon as a vote goes down between the original touring side. 2 Tests as a 'series' was the height of pathetic. Without 6 first-teamers, it becomes a total farce unworthy of the tag 'International Cricket'.

Concur with all that.