England Ashes Squad to be Announced at 10am

there is a faint look of puzzlement across the Bell brow and deep in his pork pies - Why did Warnie call me the Shermanator?

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Bell and Panesar, what a joke.

A belated PMSL.

Henry wrote:

One interesting question is, who will step up to open if Strauss or Cook get injured?

Denly looked more talented than Stephen Moore. I'd go with him.

It's strange really as until recently for as long as I can remember we've basically had three openers in the side. Strauss/Cook/Vaughan, before that Strauss/Trescothick/Vaughan, etc. There was always an obvious candidate to step up and allow a new player to come into the middle order. Now that's no longer the case and they will have to take a chance on a newcomer or bat someone out of position if anything happens to the current pair. Perhaps not the situation you want to be in going into an Ashes series. Having said that both Cook and Strauss got their chance as a result of injuries to others and have stayed there virtually ever since!

Well well well, no surprises here then.

Bell back in the team following a stunning, gritty and awe inspiring performance with both bat and with his genius captaincy.

holcs wrote:Well well well, no surprises here then.

Bell back in the team following a stunning, gritty and awe inspiring performance with both bat and with his genius captaincy.

Relax Charles Charlie-Charles, he isn't going to play is he?

Snot the point JK, he should be nowhere near the squad at all!! And if we have a freak injury, then he does blinking play!!

They obviously want someone to cover incase of injury who has been there and done, er ..... pretty 30's and 40's before!

beamer wrote:

Henry wrote:

One interesting question is, who will step up to open if Strauss or Cook get injured?

Denly looked more talented than Stephen Moore. I'd go with him.

It's strange really as until recently for as long as I can remember we've basically had three openers in the side. Strauss/Cook/Vaughan, before that Strauss/Trescothick/Vaughan, etc. There was always an obvious candidate to step up and allow a new player to come into the middle order. Now that's no longer the case and they will have to take a chance on a newcomer or bat someone out of position if anything happens to the current pair. Perhaps not the situation you want to be in going into an Ashes series. Having said that both Cook and Strauss got their chance as a result of injuries to others and have stayed there virtually ever since!

I would imagine Bobby Key was their back-up of choice at the start of the summer, but he's been in shocking form this season. If he can't get his act together, they'll have to try Bell out of position or take a punt on a newbie - as you said.

Having said that, Australia haven't got any back-up openers in their squad either. Suppose they'd push Hussey up top, if they had to make a change.

JKLever wrote:They obviously want someone to cover incase of injury who has been there and done, er ..... pretty 30's and 40's before!

It has been mentioned before, in print, that Andy Flower is a big fan of Bellyup.

Who knows - maybe he can get to the bottom of his girlish diffidence and make a batsman out of him.

We're struggling for middle-order options if Shah has been written off and Patel placed on the naughty step.

Thankfully most of the decent bats - KP....er, Strauss........er.... are a decent age.

We'd be stuffed if they were getting past it now.

There's certainly a missing generation of batsmen in England. Around the 25-29 range - nothing.

Couldn't even say that there were some quality youngsters on the way either.

Couldn't even say that there were some quality youngsters on the way from South Africa either.

Fixed.