India v England, 1st ODI, Rajkot, 11 January, 2013

crikey...yet another clash of the titans

England got a (rightful) dicking for the second time in two games. Who was shit? All of them. Apart from I Ron Knick. Maybe Beddy and Cook as well.

Suffice to say, the likes of Chris Woakes were as wank as we'd always thought - what an utter seaming track bully he really is - he's got nothing going for him. Seriously, he's an embarrassment - he's, what, 22-23? Dobbing it down like a wily 39 year old veteran. Disgrace. Any other country, bar NZ, and I doubt he'd be a FC cricketer. He should count himself f*cking lucky.

Just seen the bowling attacks for both those games... jebus

Looks like the batting may have to score 400 to win a game.

The good news - as you say - is that Cubberd is in great nick. He's the shit, innit!

horace wrote:crikey...yet another clash of the titans

Better than that bunch of unknowns picked by your selectors.

If England don't lose 5-0 it'll be progress. So in that respect, we can go into the series with some optimism (because the weather might intervene).

Even TMS can't really be arsed with this series, Aggers is taking his winter break rather than flying out to India again... clearly saving his energy for the important stuff coming up, i.e. a double dose of Snoozery!

It's a joke. Joke styles.

Still, all 5-matchers are really.

I reckon Eng//NZ have got it right (in the modern age anyway) 3 Tests / 3 ODIs / 3 T20s.

5 is a slog. Possibly in any format. Don't get me wrong, I love a 5-match Test series but just imagine, for instance, SL playing another 2 Tests in Aus. I've seen enough shelling to last me, thanks. A close 5-Tester is my favourite thing in sport, but an obvious superiority from one side starts to make my brain stale.

If we are going to have 5 JAMODI series, they should be done and dusted in a week and a half, not spread over 16 days as this one is, which has become the common pattern. 7 matches becomes a three week snoozeathon.

The other thing is that going back to India after Christmas seems silly scheduling, when the rest of the tour was completed before and there's another country still to visit. I know not many players play all formats now, but still a strange setup. Even having the T20s in "act two" with the ODIs would have made more sense.

That's the thing with T20s - they just don't count. They're pretty much a separate entity. And that's cool. It's like the difference between clowns and mimes. It's immaterial about the break - it would've given them a good little rest. They can go back to India and get sorted out for the NZ trip. It's almost like a posh warm-up. Considering that we're playing the short format first in NZ (again, easily the better way around to do things), we should hit the ground running for the Tests.

Well India should win this on the basis that England's bowling attack is complete and utter rubbish.

I'm half surprised not to see IJL Trott there - Woakes is blatantly a Warks cuddle-pick.

He may underperform (if possible) just to get dropped so he can go and clean up in CC in early May.

With everyone else injured, he will be filling his boots with NZ wickets in the May Tests, and booking his place for the first couple of Ashes Tests at least...

beamer wrote:With everyone else injured, he will be filling his boots with NZ wickets in the May Tests, and booking his place for the first couple of Ashes Tests at least...

He's got to be really low on that pecking order though, hasn't he? I count Jimmy, Finn, Broad, Bresnan, Onions, Tremlett, Meaker and Roland-Jones in front of him. I mean we're reasonably sicknote as well - but that many out?

Has anyone remarked yet that Gilo has got England off to a flying start in his two matches so far in charge?

Belly seems determined to pull it out for his old mentor. Have the others been affected by an attack of the piles?

Basil wrote:

horace wrote:crikey...yet another clash of the titans

Better than that bunch of unknowns picked by your selectors.

sadly...we know them only too well

Poms win the toss and will bat...Dhoni has left out Pujara...Bannies will not be competitive as both Gambhir and YUVI have both been included

Bresnan picked again. FFS, what will it ACTUALLY TAKE for him to get dropped? Both legs amputated? Nah, both arms as well, probably.

If there's no one out there who can do better than a bowling average of 35 and an economy rate of 5.3 after 65 ODIs, then English cricket is in serious trouble.

Henry wrote:Bresnan picked again. FFS, what will it ACTUALLY TAKE for him to get dropped? Both legs amputated? Nah, both arms as well, probably.

And the Black Knight still won't give up.

ROFL..but at least you know he will get gambhir and YUVI out - thereby consolidating his position as the 2nd best seamer in England

Shami dropped? What's the logic behind that?

looks like I Ron Bellard is going to have a big day

This looks a belter to me, their S/Rs are OK, but one wonders what another side would have had so far here.