England Ashes Squad to be Announced at 10am

I'm soooooooooooo excited

Panesar noooooooooooooo

Test squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara,
Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior (wk), Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Graham Onions, Monty Farking Panesar.

where's SiBo?

Injured??

Surprised ding dong was named in the squad.

No Harmison - advantage England.

So, Bell does sod all in the Lions match and predictably makes the squad. I guess if they were going for a backup batsman he was always the likely candidate, Shah wasn't selected for the Lions so perhaps is out of the picture for now, and I suppose a more off the wall selection was unlikely for the first match of a series.

Yeah, Bell won't play he's there as back up in case of an injury/illness on the day.

Predictable squad, 10 places settled just a choice between Onions or Panesar.

Bit pissed a bloke who has taken his last 20 test wickets at an average of 40 gets back in the squad on the back of 6 FC wickets @ 86 to be honest....

Nath wrote:where's SiBo?

Not bowled enough yet, making his way back to fitness and getting overs under his belt.

Although the class of '05 has been reduced to a handful of names now there still seems to be a tendency to favour the established players who are not in form rather than take a chance on someone new. Having said that it's good to see Onions get an opportunity ahead of the more predictable choices of Sidebottom or Harmison, it's right that he's the man in possession of that fourth seamer spot with his efforts earlier in the summer and the others should have to earn the right to get back in.

Bell and Panesar, what a joke.

Bell, meh he wont play.

Panesar is Straussys call obviously. He'll live or die by that decision.

not bothered about whether he can bat as Onions cant either but he also makes us lazy in the field too.

JGK wrote:No Harmison - advantage England.

How did you work that out?

Bradman wrote:

JGK wrote:No Harmison - advantage England.

How did you work that out?

Harmison is rubbish. His one good spell an innings is not worth what he gives up in every other aspect of the game.

Predictable choices, after the Bears outing.

I wouldn't have chosen Bell, and Panesar at best only on a dust arena.

But hey ho. What do I know?

Quietly pleased after his heroics for the Lions:

Probably the best 20 I have ever seen.

PearlJ wrote:Probably the best 20 I have ever seen.

You'll need a strategically placed rogue cricket ball to allow Bell to play though!

JKLever wrote:

PearlJ wrote:Probably the best 20 I have ever seen.

You'll need a strategically placed rogue cricket ball to allow Bell to play though!

Get Brad Hodge on the case.

So, Pietersen wakes up on the first morning of the first Test and his Achilles is tight - it's Bell and Collingwood at four and five.

Inspiring.

Would have picked Foster, he kept really well in the T20 WC

PlanetPakistan wrote:Would have picked Foster, he kept really well in the T20 WC

His batting is pretty crap though.

PearlJ wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:Would have picked Foster, he kept really well in the T20 WC

His batting is pretty crap though.

He could have batted at 8 sandwiched between Broad and Swann

Also hope they play Bell ahead of Collingwood.

PlanetPakistan wrote:Also hope they play Bell ahead of Collingwood.

PP is Horrie.

PlanetPakistan wrote:

PearlJ wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:Would have picked Foster, he kept really well in the T20 WC

His batting is pretty crap though.

He could have batted at 8 sandwiched between Broad and Swann

Well that's just ridiculous. Tail starts at 6 then.