England v India, 4th Test, The Oval, 18-22 August, 2011

And there must be at least five or six players in the queue ahead of Sammy boy for the number six berth.

I really don't understand this love affair with Patel - he ain't quite good enough IMO.

Worth a run in the ODI stuff. Could prove handy.

But he's not a Test cricketer in batting or bowling. He's Ian Blackwell, without the appalling dye-job (anyone see that on TV the other day? Shocking).

Yeah I'm surprised Fat Sam is getting put forward by people for the Test side. We don't need bits and pieces players, the specialists are doing their job and in some cases another one as well!

He does deserve an extended run in one-day cricket, no doubt the selectors will play safe there again and pick the Test side who can only win in helpful conditions. Not even sure India will put up much of a fight in that series at the end of this tour though.

Getting a second spinner into this Test side for the subi tours shouldn't require much of an upheaval.

If Prior's good for 45 and Bresnan and Broad are averaging 30s, then it's no trouble at all to move them all up a place and bring in Monty or one of the young leggies or Briggs or whoever.

Tremlett won't play on the subcontinent as he would just be a total waste on those pitches, so the attack pretty much picks itself. A batsman'll have to miss out, but as Morgan's nothing special as yet, it's no biggie.

It's nice to not even have to think about batting capabilities in terms of picking an extra bowler at the moment. Of the team that's played the last couple of matches, everyone bar Anderson would bat no lower than 8 in any other Test side.

I think even Jimmy's turned himself from an eleven to maybe as good as nine, at a push.

Certainly for some of the England tails picked over the years.

Monty is still an eleven, though...

A 9 with a top score of 34? Pushing it.

What he is, is a very competent blocker - a far cry from the Malcolms & Tuffnels of this world.

Jimmy's lack of attacking shots means he's still probably a number 10 but it's useful to have a solid hold-an-end-up sort of tailender in there, even if it does mean they over-use the nightwatchman.

If he was out and replaced by a genuine rabbit or a hit-and-miss slogger sort of tailender, we'd be probably using someone like Broad as a nightwatchman! He'd be more than capable of going one better than Alex Tudor and making a century from that position...

Yeah, Jimmy's a good number 10. There isn't enough to his batting game to be higher than that. He's got a couple of lovely shots in his variety pack though.

Well, quite surprising reading:

Stats Guppy wrote:England's win makes them the best Test team in the world according to the ICC rankings, and it's an accolade they richly deserve. Since the beginning of May 2009 they've won 19 Tests and lost 4, a win-loss ratio of 4.75; India have won 11 and lost 6, a ratio of 1.83. During this period, their batsmen have averaged 40.14, with 38 centuries in 30 Tests. Only South Africa have a higher average. Their bowling average of 28.94, though, is clearly the best. The top three wicket-takers during this period have all been England bowlers.

It is good that the most pressing thing we have to worry about is Jimmy's ability to get on with it after having blocked the crap out of it the previous evening..

Dello wrote:Getting a second spinner into this Test side for the subi tours shouldn't require much of an upheaval.

If Prior's good for 45 and Bresnan and Broad are averaging 30s, then it's no trouble at all to move them all up a place and bring in Monty or one of the young leggies or Briggs or whoever.

Tremlett won't play on the subcontinent as he would just be a total waste on those pitches, so the attack pretty much picks itself. A batsman'll have to miss out, but as Morgan's nothing special as yet, it's no biggie.

Why would Tremlett be a total waste? Surely we'll need a giant seamer to generate some bounce, that most Asian batsmen find uncomfortable. Whereas without as much swing or pace Bresnan and indeed Anderson's bowling is likely to be blunted somewhat?

Bresnan has previous for bowling well on the sub-continent - ok,it was against Bangldesh. But it is nice to have this sort of arguement - hey whoopey do - which sort of fast bowler will we have today then?

Bresnan will also help balance the team if we choose 2 spinners in Asia. Jimmy and Monty 10 & 11 is less worrying with Bres, Broad and Swann at 7, 8, 9.

I think having recalled Bopara it is right that he gets one more chance at The Oval - if the game situation allows it, it may well be the top 5 get runs, but if he is called to play a pressure innings and fails I think he should be put back on the shelf with a label saying 'only to be recalled in case of extreme emergency or incredible dometic run scoring exploits'.

Gary 111 wrote:

Dello wrote:Getting a second spinner into this Test side for the subi tours shouldn't require much of an upheaval.

If Prior's good for 45 and Bresnan and Broad are averaging 30s, then it's no trouble at all to move them all up a place and bring in Monty or one of the young leggies or Briggs or whoever.

Tremlett won't play on the subcontinent as he would just be a total waste on those pitches, so the attack pretty much picks itself. A batsman'll have to miss out, but as Morgan's nothing special as yet, it's no biggie.

Why would Tremlett be a total waste? Surely we'll need a giant seamer to generate some bounce, that most Asian batsmen find uncomfortable. Whereas without as much swing or pace Bresnan and indeed Anderson's bowling is likely to be blunted somewhat?

There's no bounce to be generated. Wouldn't matter if he was 9ft tall with an arm like a traction engine.

taipan wrote:What England is a batting allrounder as opposed to bowling allrounders, which they have a few of. I suppose if Trott is fit ne can get through a few overs.

WTATS.

Surely Rashid is the man for the Oval. Series won, you want a second spinner, Bopara needs a gentle heave-ho, you need a look at Rashid ...

Not to mention that he can probably make the runs Bopara's been making ...

Gone right off the boil, young A Dull Radish.

Now's not the moment for him.

Stick a debutant in against most likely the best players of his style of bowling? On a featherbed? Neh.

no courage ...

it's a good chance for England to play him in a winning team against a demoralised side on a pitch that will take spin ... give him a taste, and see what he is made of

Meh. May as well just stick him in fresh in the UAE dustbowls in January.

If he is indeed deemed our second best spinner.

One could say he's been nearing 'abject' recently.

His season's average is past 40 for his 31 wickets.

Whereas, say, Mudhsuden Singh Punessr has taken 54 wickets @ 26.

Probably not what most people would want to see - another finger spinner - but when the discrepancy in performance is so stark....

Punessr - now there's Lardy's boy right there!

S'what a coupla tha Asian commentators call him.

I thought it was more "P'nEYYsarr"?

Main difference being where the emphasis is put.

Depends what Asian commentator's you're on about you utterly racist sh!t.

Pun-essr.