English Domestic Season (2014)

Brass Monkey wrote:Better than Scott 'Didn't bowl at all in 164 overs' Borthwick?

You'd hope so, you'd hope so.

Just don't tell Trevor Dello we're saying this.

What the f*ck is up with that? Considering he's a candidate to be England's main spinner this Summer, if he's not carrying an injury it's pretty disgraceful captaincy by Collingwood. And he's involved in the England coaching setup these days!

he is clearly keeping him fresh, while he practices his new mystery ball in the indoor nets....the mystery ball is thought to be a cunning ball that lands on the pitch

horace wrote:he is clearly keeping him fresh, while he practices his new mystery ball in the indoor nets....the mystery ball is thought to be a cunning ball that lands on the pitch

...or inside the boundary after its hit the bat

horace wrote:what chance Mitchell replacing Carbs in the 1st test

Zero! Mitchells' a good honest county pro no more, no less who's having a purple patch. Decent skipper to boot.

fair enough...he is in dominant form at the moment tho

I think Sam Robson is all but confirmed as Cook's opening partner for the first test.

Henry wrote:I think Sam Robson is all but confirmed as Cook's opening partner for the first test.

Quite probably - where that fit's in with a greater sense of "Englishness" that Cook wants to encourage, I'm not quite sure but no-one else is making an irrefutable case.

If Cook is banging on about making the team more "English" then it once again confirms what a fool he is. I don't want the English cricket team going all UKIP.

You pick the best players available. Simple.

Basil wrote:

Henry wrote:I think Sam Robson is all but confirmed as Cook's opening partner for the first test.

Quite probably - where that fit's in with a greater sense of "Englishness" that Cook wants to encourage, I'm not quite sure but no-one else is making an irrefutable case.

Leave Sam Robson alone to find his way at Middlesex.
We don't want him soiled beyond redemption with the Cook/ECB brush.
The guy is however, mercurial right now . . .against the Yorkies last week - awesome . .
against Warwicks yesterday - shite.
Like the entire Middlesex batting order 3 onwards - (weak as gnats piss when Rogers misfires) . . .
HTF can they score 473 to beat Yorks and then fold to an Innings defeat against Warwicks.??
F**king amazing . . .and then you have Ramprakash wanting to be the England batting coach!!!
Arsehole.
Now HIM the ECB can gladly have. . .

Will be a shame for Carberry - he should be given a chance versus a normal Test attack. In fact, Robson could play at three - what with Joe Root being shit and all....

They'll pick Root in the middle order. Bell will probably bat at three (well he should).

Cook
Robson
Bell
Root
Ballance

Would be the likely top five. Six and Seven up in the air with injuries to Stokes and Prior.

TAYPOC

Henry wrote:They'll pick Root in the middle order. Bell will probably bat at three (well he should).

Cook
Robson
Bell
Root
Ballance

Would be the likely top five. Six and Seven up in the air with injuries to Stokes and Prior.

England will be lucky to score 200 runs in a good day. Maybe they're going to be like the ODI side and fill it with blockers and an absolute slogdonkey at six or seven to try and give the illusion of attempting to dictate the pace of the game (rather than cower from it in crippling fear).

FWIW I think Robson and Ballance are very decent and worth investing in. But, Jiminy Christmas, that's a dour looking top order.

Henry wrote:They'll pick Root in the middle order. Bell will probably bat at three (well he should).

Cook
Robson
Bell
Root
Ballance

Would be the likely top five. Six and Seven up in the air with injuries to Stokes and Prior.

Like I said above - leave Robson to develop a tad longer.
Lock in Cook and Robson and you'll be lucky to see 40 perhaps 50 runs scored before lunch . . .
Carbs needs to be persevered with IMO - he's earned the 2 slot . . .so give him the
Sri Lankan gig . . .then decide further.
Root should be arsed off, but Balance brought in.
Won't happen though - Root must be bending way over to keep being selected - as with Bresnan . . .

Anyway - I don't know why the f**k I'm bothered - my England support has lapsed until such time as
Cook is relieved as captain - he's a sh*t leader with no balls and fully dependant on the fourteen coaches,
masseurs and wankers that go to make up the backroom staff.
Also - a small matter of losing 9 out of 10 matches Down Under, a catastrophe which would
have witnessed more honourable and dignified captains falling on their swords.
Not Cook - his position (paradoxically) is strengthened threefold . . .
Go Figure.

Merlin wrote:

Henry wrote:They'll pick Root in the middle order. Bell will probably bat at three (well he should).

Cook
Robson
Bell
Root
Ballance

Would be the likely top five. Six and Seven up in the air with injuries to Stokes and Prior.

Like I said above - leave Robson to develop a tad longer.
Lock in Cook and Robson and you'll be lucky to see 40 perhaps 50 runs scored before lunch . . .
Carbs needs to be persevered with IMO - he's earned the 2 slot . . .so give him the
Sri Lankan gig . . .then decide further.
Root should be arsed off, but Balance brought in.
Won't happen though - Root must be bending way over to keep being selected - as with Bresnan . . .

Anyway - I don't know why the f**k I'm bothered - my England support has lapsed until such time as
Cook is relieved as captain - he's a sh*t leader with no balls and fully dependant on the fourteen coaches,
masseurs and wankers that go to make up the backroom staff.
Also - a small matter of losing 9 out of 10 matches Down Under, a catastrophe which would
have witnessed more honourable and dignified captains falling on their swords.
Not Cook - his position (paradoxically) is strengthened threefold . . .
Go Figure.

Robson is ready, no? It's not like he's a 20 year old kid. He's 25 and he's making runs. Now is the time to pick him, or risk him sooking off to Australia where doubtless they'll slot him in. At least give him a game for England so as to make him ineligible for the old enemy!

Henry wrote: At least give him a game for England so as to make him ineligible for the old enemy!

Okay - just the one game if only to screw up the Convicts - then he's back to Middlesex.
Honestly though, I really don't think he's quite ready for the international scene yet.

What's Carberry done to earn any slot? He averaged under 30, being "one of the least crap" on that tour doesn't exactly count for a lot. Fair enough to pick an older player if he's clearly the best option available - but no point at all investing in him as a development project.

Carberry has joined the list of players who have admitted publicly that not everything in the England camp is all fine and dandy.

He wont be picked again as long as Cook and co are running the show. Too much of an opinion.

I think he only spoke out because he knew he wouldn't be picked again, same goes for Tremlett.

beamer wrote:I think he only spoke out because he knew he wouldn't be picked again, same goes for Tremlett.

All hypothetical . . .
Who TF knew what went on behind closed doors Down Under.
Far too much speculation on who said what and to whom and why.

Carberry was thrust in at the deep end . . . averaged 30 - not exactly a poor show IMO.
Okay, perhaps he did mouth off at tour end  - is that a reason to drop him in favour of an unproven novice,
just because said novice is 25 yo and of Aussie birth?

Anyone remember a guy called Compton who scored a few tons under pressure in Kiwi land not so long ago?
I wonder what he said to upset the mighty Cook and Co ?!

Anyone remember a guy called Compton who scored a few tons under pressure in Kiwi land not so long ago?
I wonder what he said to upset the mighty Cook and Co ?!

A lot. Had a sook when he was dropped for the Ashes last season in England. Said he felt unwanted, tossed aside, had no direct communication from the captain and selectors etc....

He's in the same boat as Carberry and Tremlett. Along with Pietersen, there's a 'discontented XI' developing nicely....

I'd happily discard as many people associated with that tour as possible. We're stuck with Cook, Bell, Anderson and Broad at least for a while longer, but otherwise if it's a choice between someone who was out there and someone who wasn't, go with the latter. Follow the rugby team's example.

Henry wrote:

Anyone remember a guy called Compton who scored a few tons under pressure in Kiwi land not so long ago?
I wonder what he said to upset the mighty Cook and Co ?!

A lot. Had a sook when he was dropped for the Ashes last season in England. Said he felt unwanted, tossed aside, had no direct communication from the captain and selectors etc....

He's in the same boat as Carberry and Tremlett. Along with Pietersen, there's a 'discontented XI' developing nicely....

If this was the 80s there'd be a nice lucrative rebel tour waiting to be organised... but KP's got the T20 circuit to earn millions so no need to rally a team of allies for any other purpose.

The others, yes they were harshly treated in terms of communication. But all of them not quite good enough (or not any more, in Tremlett's case) and not young enough to improve either.

Match figures of 9/155 for Kent's Adam Riley. An actual English spinner.

Don't know owt about him, but Nick Cook (while bemoaning the overall state of England's spin options) name checked him once. In a positive way, I think.

I'm not sure how anyone can assess Michael Carberry based on 5 Tests against a completely rampant Aussie bowling line-up, high on the most aggressive twattery going, the media acting like absolute qunts, the Aus support staff acting like qunts.

Since when is that a fair representation of his possible skills? He toughed it out a helluva lot more than most of the trannys in the side.

Some bullshit about 'investment' did I hear? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yessssssss. Of course all of the incumbents MUST have a 75-100 Test career - they just MUST.

I mean, look at Aus and Chris Rogers - young 'buck'.

All of 7 years old.

He'll play a couple of hundred Tests.

Invest in him.

Because the future is where it's at.

Not the present.

What I'd like to see is some teenager be given a go, like Aus have done with Rogers.

He may not come good for 50 Tests, but at least he'll have a lengthy career.

Aus are very, very lucky the gamble with Chrissy Rogers paid off - it's a risky business.

If they got rid of him now, with a creditable fight in this country and being influential in two very good series wins in Aus and SA then what would he have? Two series victories and 14 Tests.

Meh.

Not worth bothering, really.