England's performance squad 2008

England Performance Squad 2008 Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire) *, Ian Bell (Warwickshire) *, Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham)*, Alastair Cook (Essex)*, Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire) *, Stephen Harmison (Durham)*, Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)*, Robert Key (Kent), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Philip Mustard (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)*, Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)*, Matthew Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire),Owais Shah (Middlesex), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)*, Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)*, Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)*, Luke Wright (Sussex)


Thin on fast bowlers no Mahmood, Plunkett or Onions...

James Tredwell?

*English cricket in crisis*

No place for Mahmood? We must have riches beyond the dreams of avarice in the fast bowling department.

No Dave Sales? Reckon it's because Bopara's dobbers did for him, or that he's fat?

A lot of joke inclusions. I can't see how Prior's in consideration all of a sudden, it's not as if his keeping has improved over-night or anything. Personally, I can't see why you'd include three wicket-keepers at all.

I'm pleased that Key has been remembered - there you go Danny, he's taken up the the place set aside for fatties!

Anybody getting lbw to Bops twice in the same game shouldn't be anywhere near this squad. He should bow down before the greatness that is IRB.

JKLever wrote:Anybody getting lbw to Bops twice in the same game shouldn't be anywhere near this squad. He should bow down before the greatness that is IRB.

Why, is it some rule I don't know about that you cannot have a talented fattie in the same squad as a heartless, rat-faced faggot?

THICKEDGE wrote:England Performance Squad 2008 Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire) *, Ian Bell (Warwickshire) *, Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham)*, Alastair Cook (Essex)*, Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire) *, Stephen Harmison (Durham)*, Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)*, Robert Key (Kent), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Philip Mustard (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)*, Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)*, Matthew Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire),Owais Shah (Middlesex), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)*, Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)*, Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)*, Luke Wright (Sussex)


Thin on fast bowlers no Mahmood, Plunkett or Onions...

Harmi's lucky to get in there. They just can't seem to bring themselves to cut him completely free from the England 'bubble' and let him work his socks off at Durham for a season.

My XI for Englands Summer of Cricket


Allistair Cook
Robert Key
Andrew Strauss
Michael Vaughan
Kevin Peitersen
Ian Bell
Paul Collingwood
Tim Ambrose
Stuart Broad
Ryan Sidebottom
Monty Panesar

holcs wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:England Performance Squad 2008 Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire) *, Ian Bell (Warwickshire) *, Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham)*, Alastair Cook (Essex)*, Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire) *, Stephen Harmison (Durham)*, Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)*, Robert Key (Kent), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Philip Mustard (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)*, Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)*, Matthew Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire),Owais Shah (Middlesex), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)*, Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)*, Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)*, Luke Wright (Sussex)


Thin on fast bowlers no Mahmood, Plunkett or Onions...

What bit don't you get?
Carbery is a batsman, Tredwell bowls bad offspin, Wright bowls bad medium pace and Tremlett is just a sad case who should be put out of his misery - it would be the kindest thing.

THICKEDGE wrote:

holcs wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:England Performance Squad 2008 Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire) *, Ian Bell (Warwickshire) *, Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham)*, Alastair Cook (Essex)*, Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire) *, Stephen Harmison (Durham)*, Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)*, Robert Key (Kent), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Philip Mustard (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)*, Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)*, Matthew Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire),Owais Shah (Middlesex), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)*, Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)*, Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)*, Luke Wright (Sussex)


Thin on fast bowlers no Mahmood, Plunkett or Onions...

What bit don't you get?
Carbery is a batsman, Tredwell bowls bad offspin, Wright bowls bad medium pace and Tremlett is just a sad case who should be put out of his misery - it would be the kindest thing.

Exactly my point. Why are they there!!

I'd just go on a mad cull for the Summer actually:

Alastair Cook (c)
Rob Key
Owais Shah
Kevin Pietersen
Paul Collingwood
Tim Ambrose (w)
Andrew Flintoff
Stuart Broad
Ryan Sidebottom
Matthew Hoggard
Monty Panesar

DJ_Smerk wrote:My XI for Englands Summer of Cricket


Allistair Cook
Robert Key
Andrew Strauss
Michael Vaughan
Kevin Peitersen
Ian Bell
Paul Collingwood
Tim Ambrose
Stuart Broad
Ryan Sidebottom
Monty Panesar

3 bowlers? Yerra cockweasel.

holcs wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:

holcs wrote:

THICKEDGE wrote:England Performance Squad 2008 Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire) *, Ian Bell (Warwickshire) *, Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham)*, Alastair Cook (Essex)*, Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire) *, Stephen Harmison (Durham)*, Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire)*, Robert Key (Kent), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Philip Mustard (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)*, Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)*, Matthew Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire),Owais Shah (Middlesex), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)*, Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)*, Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)*, Luke Wright (Sussex)


Thin on fast bowlers no Mahmood, Plunkett or Onions...

What bit don't you get?
Carbery is a batsman, Tredwell bowls bad offspin, Wright bowls bad medium pace and Tremlett is just a sad case who should be put out of his misery - it would be the kindest thing.

Exactly my point. Why are they there!!

I must agree with you then, though I do think that young Wright has a future as a 1 day batsman (only). I suppose they wanted to reward the performers from the England A tour (laughably called the Lions) - they must have lost Onions' phone number though.

Rashid's in the mix!

Does anyone actually know what the point of a "Performance squad" is? Do these players get any money or anything for being in it? Does the ECB now have to power to pull them out of county games?

As far as I can tell, it's just the selectors declaring their hand for the summer - which seems a rather futile exercise.

And the lack of fast bowlers would suggest that Ryan Sidebottom's one man show in New Zealand has kidded them once again that there's twenty wickets in the side when in reality the seamers are powder-puff unless the conditions are heavily weighted in their favour.

Still, some interesting names in the selectors' "thoughts": Keysie, Rashid, Carbs.

Fook knows what Tredwell's doing there.

And how stingy are they to not give Broad and Ambrose six-month contracts? They gave Andrew Strauss a year-long contract even though they were planning on dropping him immediately.

Then again, I don't trust them to pick the England team - why would I expect their money management to be any better?

DJ_Smerk wrote:My XI for Englands Summer of Cricket


Allistair Cook
Robert Key
Andrew Strauss
Michael Vaughan
Kevin Peitersen
Ian Bell
Paul Collingwood
Tim Ambrose
Stuart Broad
Ryan Sidebottom
Monty Panesar

So you have taken Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard and Anderson's contracts and given them to Ambrose, Broad and Key. Ambrose hasn't proved himself yet and Key isn't even in the reckoning. I would like to see that side take 20 wickets especially if one of the bowlers gets injured. Maybe Key could be a first change bowler with Collingwood

It is counterproductive. Plunkett, Onions, Mahmood, Denly and Hildreth must be feeling pretty down that they are no where near the England team. What does that accomplish?

It's sloppy work by the selectors - they should be anxious to convey the idea that it's a level playing field as far as every player outside the centrally contracted guys are concerned.

Mascarenhas has snuck in. Didn't Giles Clarke say his England future was threatened by his involvement in the IPL? It's not even like they needed to pick him, he's not that good or anything.

I'd like to see Tremlett get fit and playing.

More interesting is those left out I guess....

Players who were in last years development squad but not this years:

Joyce
S Jones
Plunkett
Dalrymple
Onions
Trott
Mahmood
Lewis
Nixon
Yardy

Bit harsh on Trott to be given 2 T20 games and then dumped.

And yet Trott went on the Lions tour and played for the MCC recently - where's the consistency?

JKLever wrote:More interesting is those left out I guess....

Players who were in last years development squad but not this years:

Joyce
S Jones
Plunkett
Dalrymple
Onions
Trott
Mahmood
Lewis
Nixon
Yardy

Bit harsh on Trott to be given 2 T20 games and then dumped.

But it says everything about England's "selection policy". The Aussies go on about selection being about identifying talent, developing it, then backing it - and it seems to work out for them.

With England it's more a case of throwing various names at the team, seeing if they can get lucky, if not, throw some other names into the mix. And so on.

Joyce is a good batsman. What has he done to deserve demotion? He's still a good batsman. Bobby Key wasn't in last year's list, but he's in this time around. Was he a crap batsman then? And the bees knees now?

Plunkett, Mahmood and Onions were supposedly identified as talented young fast bowlers. Are they not any more? They haven't even replaced them, just left a big empty gap in the squad instead.

Nonsense. The whole stinking lot of it.