St Kitts and Nevis v England, Warm up match, 25th 27th Jan

The St Kitts & Nevis squad is majorly carp (missing Runako Morton and Kieron Powell) and will not provide any resistance at all. I can't understand why England insisted on going to St Kitts when they would have been able to face a much more competitive Jamaican 2nd xi.

If anyone wants to listen to this farce starting at about 2pm GMT on Sunday I will try my best to find an internet radio link.

The West Indies A match is the real start of the tour, this is probably going to be a fete match.

Pietersen Century
Panesar 5fer
Prior sensual 70


I reckon Cook will find his Century form on this tour, if not on this then the Last Test in the Ashes and will eventually have a similar Strauss golden tour in South Africa.

Watch us stumble and stuff up ...

PeterCS wrote:Watch us stumble and stuff up ...

WIFAN's words 'will not provide any resistance at all' are the nail in the coffin

So... whitewash on the cards, is it?

Only England can stuff this up....

Pietersen may play more conservatively and scratch around for 30.

Harmy aiming to raise his game.

Third slip at the ready.

England have no chance.

Make your time

No woofin or sub-woofin required here friends.

I really do mean it when I say that this St Kitts & Nevis team are awful. Its like playing a Bolton league club side without its 2 best players.

I really hope this match doesn't have FC status as it doesn't deserve it.

Looking forward to the real stuff...it's on Foxsport and doesn't involve any cubi sunts so it's all good.

Shah and Bell are named in England's side as well as Rashid.

According to the BBC, Alistair Cook will be V/C during the tests.

Rashid is going to run amok against these guys trust me. Any leg spinner with a half decent googly always takes wickets against Leeward Islands batsmen (our best leggie took 8/21 against them 2 weeks ago).

Is this a first class game, or one of those meaningless 13-a-side practise matches?

It is 11 a side without FC status.

This is a warm up match in every sense of the word, the proper FC match will be next week against Windies A.

Basil wrote:Is this a first class game, or one of those meaningless 13-a-side practise matches?

I think it had the scope to be a 14-a-side shiz-about, but in the new era of seriousness under Iron-Fist Strauss, apparently England decided to play it like it matters as they are "all business".

Expect them to get rolled for about 120, then.

Looks like Bell's down at three, which would suggest that he's the man in possession for the first Test and the only way Shah is playing is if he outscores him in this game.

Though Strauss did sound like he felt Shah hadn't been given a fair go over the years and is well worth a shot - although whether that counts for anything when the final XI is settled on (which selector is out there? It's not Gashley again, is it?), is anyone's guess.

Interesting to see them having a look at Rashid right from the get go.

Strauss *
Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Shah
Flintoff
Prior +
Rashid
Harmison
Anderson
Panesar

Can't work out why Rashid get's the nod over Swann tbh. It's not as if we're likely to use two spinners in a test in the Caribbean, unless they're guarding against the possibility of Fred pulling up lame, in which case Rashid could play at six with Panesar being dropped to accommodate anextra seamer.

Perhaps it's Strauss' brave new world - wants to see if he's ready to go.

Everyone seems to be excited about the kid, I suppose the only way to find out where he's at in his development is to throw him in and see how he reacts.

They already know what they're going to get with Swanny.

Just looked through the St Kitts & Nevis squad and I have only heard of 5 of them.

Steve Liburd is a talented middle order batsman
Elsroy Powell is an okish medium pacer/lower order batsman.
Joel Simmons is an ok wicket keeper who can't bat
Junie Mitcham is a 35 year old middle order batsman (though he is carp)
Shane Jeffers is an awful left handed opening batsman

All of those players have had a chance at FC level and failed miserably. How the hell are they going to give England any meaningful practice?

Strauss and co are going to go from facing opening bowlers that can't break the 80mph barrier to our A team which is spearheaded by 2 tearaways. Seems a bit stupid to me.

Probably just as well this isn't a F/C game then.

True, and from an England perspective it is a very good job that they are facing a talented Windies A attack before facing up to Fidel and JT at Sabina Park.

Also, this match could put all the batsmen in high spirits. They are facing an awful attack, on a tiny ground with absolute road of a wicket.

Basil wrote:Can't work out why Rashid get's the nod over Swann tbh. It's not as if we're likely to use two spinners in a test in the Caribbean, unless they're guarding against the possibility of Fred pulling up lame, in which case Rashid could play at six with Panesar being dropped to accommodate anextra seamer.

Cor, Rashid would be the least warranted number 6 since Tim Ambrose..... at test level that is

WIFAN wrote:True, and from an England perspective it is a very good job that they are facing a talented Windies A attack before facing up to Fidel and JT at Sabina Park.

Also, this match could put all the batsmen in high spirits. They are facing an awful attack, on a tiny ground with absolute road of a wicket.

England have been known to lose warm-up matches against anyone.

JKLever wrote:

Basil wrote:Can't work out why Rashid get's the nod over Swann tbh. It's not as if we're likely to use two spinners in a test in the Caribbean, unless they're guarding against the possibility of Fred pulling up lame, in which case Rashid could play at six with Panesar being dropped to accommodate anextra seamer.

Cor, Rashid would be the least warranted number 6 since Tim Ambrose..... at test level that is

Bat seven, wouldn't he - with Prior up at six.

Probably how it should be with Flintoff at the moment, but he's still banging on about how he wants to bat in the top six, so I suppose England will keep falling over themselves to accommodate his every wish, no matter how much it doesn't suit the balance of the side...

Trust me that is not going to happen, and the inevitable complaints about the standard of the opposition will be justified.