England Lions tour of the Bangles

You're right, that's probably the team we should pick, in that batting order.

And you're right, we'll probably pick the total arseclowns that failed ODI after ODI last year.

Or we'll hide Buttler away down at number seven, and declare him our 'finisher' for the last 10 overs, despite the fact he averages almost 80 in List A cricket batting at four or five.

Henry wrote:Or we'll hide Buttler away down at number seven, and declare him our 'finisher' for the last 10 overs, despite the fact he averages almost 80 in List A cricket batting at four or five.

Exactly, he'll float between 6 and 7 dependant how few an amount of overs they can give him to bat...

Jonathan Trott averages 51 at 78. Isn't that pretty good? Shouldn't he be in that team ahead of Pietersen? Just saying. I'd also bat Fat Sam at 6. Apart from that, I fully just about maybe support elements of your team selection.

I also congratulate the England Lions - they must be the first English representative team to post three consecutive scores in excess of 250 on a one-day tour. They probably deserve some kind of OBE as recognition of their achievement.

They've also managed another stunning achievement - centurions in all three matches. On the sub-continent. And everyone else in this thread has been calling them sh*t. W@nkers.

Yeah, Pietersen seems to be in all sorts of trouble when pitches aren't complete roads these days. Run a ball hundreds against good attacks on less than perfect pitches coming in at 20-2 might be beyond him now. Shame. Could have been our best since Hobbs....

Trott ahead of Cook is also an option and choose someone else as OD captain. Pietersen has been a liability in the One day for a long time now.

Lanka A cruised to victory by 6 wickets today.

So, we're agreed:

Cookie
Hales
Trott
Buttler
Morgan
Patel
wicket-keeper?
Broad
seam bowler?
Swann
Finn

Two places up for grabs. Team looks decent. England's team won't look decent.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Jonathan Trott averages 51 at 78. Isn't that pretty good? Shouldn't he be in that team ahead of Pietersen? Just saying. I'd also bat Fat Sam at 6. Apart from that, I fully just about maybe support elements of your team selection.

Henry wrote:Yeah, Pietersen seems to be in all sorts of trouble when pitches aren't complete roads these days. Run a ball hundreds against good attacks on less than perfect pitches coming in at 20-2 might be beyond him now. Shame. Could have been our best since Hobbs....

Depends if Trott can be told to f*ck off wasting balls in the slog overs. He's cost us matches by facing 50 dots, regardless of his end score.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:So, we're agreed:

Cookie
Hales
Trott
Buttler
Morgan
Patel
wicket-keeper?
Broad
seam bowler?
Swann
Finn

Two places up for grabs. Team looks decent. England's team won't look decent.

1. I'd probably swap Morgan with Patel... Samit starts slowly.
2. I'm not exactly sure what Bedwetter has done wrong... he's been asked to tonk from the #1 spot, with a slow partner, half the time in nibbly conditions. And averages 30, S/R 94. Not the greatest, but no disgrace all things considered... tidy with the gloves.

I don't like him. I'd probably bat Bairstow at 7. I'm backing young, English talent over South Africans. Or Steve Davies. He's good. Get him in there. And what about that last seam bowler. Do we have one? DO WE?

OK, but from a cricketing perspective he's hardly been abominable... it's just racism keeping him out...

Do we have a seam bowler? I think Dernbach, Brooks & Buck are answering your question - no.

Morgan's done nothing wrong in ODI cricket. He's an asset in that form of the game. Probably our best fielder these days as well now that Colly is gone.

He's a good ground-fielder, found his catching wanting a few too many times IIRC.

I just feel that with the team that Chiv put up, Samit should have a few more sighters than Morgan because he needs them.

Yeah Samit....hmm, maybe. I mean, is he one of the best 6 one day batsmen in England? No. Is he one of the best 5 one day bowlers in England? Definitely not. So, we're in danger of falling into mid 90s territory a bit there with a bits and pieces player.....

Means you'd have to move the keeper up a place and find another bowler (or two, given these Lions players ). Or rely on the more part-time of part-timers like Trott.

Does this tour mean headband Brooks and Nathan Buck move ahead of Dernbach in the England selection stakes? He has been gash for England despite all his reputation as a "death bowler".

Dernbach is occasionally excellent but all too frequently gash. Could even be considered a bit of a one season wonder, or a one Lions tour wonder (to the Windies last year).

tricycle wrote:Does this tour mean headband Brooks and Nathan Buck move ahead of Dernbach in the England selection stakes? He has been gash for England despite all his reputation as a "death bowler".

Think the only reason Dirtbag is playing is to keep him warm for the full England tours... i.e. he wasn't playing in Bangla, but when Trembles shat his knicks he's magically started playing in SL. I can (unfortunately) only see this as the indication that he'll be in the UAE for the ODI series soon and then (regardless of performance) on the full tour of SL.

He's been around for an era. Around 10 years now (think I saw him first play in 2001 or 02)? He was talented at one stage but never did seem England quality in the sense that he never was taking 40-50 a season for Surrey every year.

I don't like him in the team but he's the one of the first bowlers in the team it seems.

He's been around for about six years. From 2005 until 2009, he was playing the odd game for Surrey, usually getting carted, but faintly praised for his "promise" and "decent pace".

He has actually improved a lot in the last couple of years, which is what attracted the attention of the selectors. Seems to have regressed again though.....

Dernbach was never really there though... always a propensity to get absolutely smashed out of the attack. Not one for me. I thought he was for two games, but those continuous twatty slower balls are sometimes a disgrace.

Henry wrote:He's been around for about six years. From 2005 until 2009, he was playing the odd game for Surrey, usually getting carted, but faintly praised for his "promise" and "decent pace".

He has actually improved a lot in the last couple of years, which is what attracted the attention of the selectors. Seems to have regressed again though.....

Of course, it was a bit of stupidity on my part. County cricket got regular telecasts here only in 2003.

I think Russell Arnold summarised his style very quickly. He said in Dernbach's second over of the England Lanka series that he's a slow bowler with a couple of fast deliveries. Bit like Dwayne Bravo overusing the slow ball when he first mastered it.

Junking it again, against SL 'A'.

204 a/o, Lankans pissing it, 170/3 off 36 overs.

Wee Jimmy "Next cab off the rank" Krankie: 12. Bringing his series average to a steady 13.75.

Good times ahead...

Well, Dello, when you've got Sack Brooks and Chris Joakes (oh sh!t, yes I did! I'm f'awesome) as your opening bowlers followed by three 'spinner' as your attack then you're hardly going to compete in SL.

Hales and Buttler seem to be the only two coming away with any credit from this series.

Kieswetter scored a hundred the other day.