England v Pakistan, 1st Test, Trent Bridge, July 29-Aug 2, 2010

Bops to get the gig?

Or Margan the Moighty to continue?


Tragically, Bellhop ruled out with an injury.

Bopara gah.....

Pick them both and drop Pietersen. He hasn't played enough cricket and when he has, he's looked like an Ian Bell impersonator (2005 vintage). Plus Mohammad Asif will get him out every time anyway.

Bopara was a Bell impersonator all last summer wasn't he? Not sure facing this attack will relaunch his Test career.

Actually, looking at Pakistan we might as well play 7 batsmen and 3 bowlers.

They'll go with Morgan, for sure. He didn't do terribly against Bangladesh.

Anyway, Asif won't get KP out, unless he starts bowling part-time left arm spin...

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Pick them both and drop Pietersen. He hasn't played enough cricket and when he has, he's looked like an Ian Bell impersonator (2005 vintage). Plus Mohammad Asif will get him out every time anyway.

Totally agree. Anyway isn't Cook still suffering with his back in which case I would pair Strauss with Trott to open and play Morgan at 5 and Bopara at 6 (with KP at 3). If KP is still not 100% (or even 80%) I would bring in Carberry to open with Trott dropping to 3.

Bowling attack will presumably consist of Anderson, Broad, Finn and Swann with Shahzad as reserve?

Colly is a thin fifth bowler.

There's always Kev to go to, but he's in the occasional class too.

The last Test played at Trent Bridge against the Kiwis in 2008 had an England attack consisting of Sidebottom, Anderson, Collingwood, Broad and Panesar which still sufficed to give England an innings win (Anderson 7 wickets in the Kiwis' 1st innings, Sidebottom 6 in their 2nd). Apart from The Oval the Bridge is still the best batting surface of England but the current Pakistani batting line-up should not offer too many difficulties to England on the basis of the Australian series unless Mohammed Yousuf and Younis Khan are flown in before Thursday.

I don't expect the Pakistani attack, which is useful, to extract the life out of the Trent Bridge wicket that they did at Headingley. All in all, with the England players having rested and the Pakistanis experiencing 'let-down' after the highs and lows of their tussles with Australia Nottingham represents the best chance of England going one-up in the series, weather permitting.

Allan D wrote:

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Pick them both and drop Pietersen. He hasn't played enough cricket and when he has, he's looked like an Ian Bell impersonator (2005 vintage). Plus Mohammad Asif will get him out every time anyway.

Totally agree. Anyway isn't Cook still suffering with his back in which case I would pair Strauss with Trott to open and play Morgan at 5 and Bopara at 6 (with KP at 3). If KP is still not 100% (or even 80%) I would bring in Carberry to open with Trott dropping to 3.

I don't believe in makeshift openers in Tests at least, if Cook isn't fit then we have to play Carberry or another specialist. England have just seemed so reluctant to give other openers an opportunity in recent years, I've always said that if we can find another opener up to the task then there's the possibility of Strauss or Cook batting 3 at some stage given that we still haven't really nailed down that position.

Allan D wrote:Bowling attack will presumably consist of Anderson, Broad, Finn and Swann with Shahzad as reserve?

I think Shahzad might be injured - more's the pity.

Talk of dropping KP is nuts.

Form is temporary, class is permanent. I know where my money would be between KP, Bopara & Morgan to reel off a run a ball test hundred against a decent attack.

Basil wrote:

Allan D wrote:Bowling attack will presumably consist of Anderson, Broad, Finn and Swann with Shahzad as reserve?

I think Shahzad might be injured - more's the pity.

Aye, Bresnan followed up his ODI pap with a less than stellar performance at Chelmsford so Shazhad should have got the nod if he was fit.

JKLever wrote:

Basil wrote:

Allan D wrote:Bowling attack will presumably consist of Anderson, Broad, Finn and Swann with Shahzad as reserve?

I think Shahzad might be injured - more's the pity.

Aye, Bresnan followed up his ODI pap with a less than stellar performance at Chelmsford so Shazhad should have got the nod if he was fit.

Harmy anyone?....................................( he said while getting his coat)

beamer wrote:

Allan D wrote:

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Pick them both and drop Pietersen. He hasn't played enough cricket and when he has, he's looked like an Ian Bell impersonator (2005 vintage). Plus Mohammad Asif will get him out every time anyway.

Totally agree. Anyway isn't Cook still suffering with his back in which case I would pair Strauss with Trott to open and play Morgan at 5 and Bopara at 6 (with KP at 3). If KP is still not 100% (or even 80%) I would bring in Carberry to open with Trott dropping to 3.

I don't believe in makeshift openers in Tests at least....

Doesn't Trott open for Warwickshire when he plays for them?

Only in limited overs cricket I think?

Looking at his fc match list on Cricket Archive he seems to have started out as an opener, both in South Africa and then when he came to Warwickshire in 2003 but rapidly dropped down the order on both occasions and hovered between 3-5. However it should be noted that middle-order batsmen such as Amiss and Gooch have become respectable, even outstanding, Test openers. Trott seems to have gone in the opposite direction but he strikes me as someone like Alec Stewart who can perform the role of either an opener or middle-order bat.

Allan D wrote:...but he strikes me as someone like Alec Stewart who can perform the role of either an opener or middle-order bat.

Shame he doesn't keep wicket as well!

And open the bowling.

KP should not play and try and get some county cricket under his belt (Surrey as a freelance?) Playing in front of a small crowd on a good wicket and taking apart a county attack could do him some good. When was the last time he played a county 4 day game?

Oh yeah, and how about giving Adil f*cking Rashid a go??? Can't imagine us preparing green tops after what Pakistan's bowlers just did to Aus. The pitches are likely to be flat.

My team-

Strauss (c)
Cook
Trott
Collingwood
Morgan
Prior+
Rashid
Swann
Broad
Anderson (meh)
Finn

I see the anti-KP brigade are at it again

Meanwhile back on planet earth, the only question to be decided about the batting line-up is Morgan or Bopara. Although Morgan is the man in possession, it would be Bopara for me as he is the more talented player, and he offers something with the ball.

Morgan's got the gig in the end. If the Paksitanis are getting to ball to nip and swing around at Edbgbaston he'll be easy meat. A bit worrying as well that KP and Collingwood haven't played much longer format cricket for a while.

Considering Pakistan don't have a batting line-up to speak of and Edgbaston will suit Jimmikins I think England will have enough in the end.

If the weather is overcast on the first morning, I'll lay any odds that the side winning the toss will have a bowl.

I think this could be a series of three-day Tests, may be one occasion where preparing the world's flattest pitches would actually be a good thing!