Hoggy takes 5

Says.

Two clean-bowled and an lbw is encouraging. He has power to add tomorrow. I hope he has his 'nip' back and will challenge for a place in the tests.

Hoggard, Harmi and Freddie have both put in 1 good early season performance. Nothing amazing from any batsmen unless you count Ramps.

The selectors have two choices:

1. Do we go with 4 bowlers (with Freddie potentially 1 of them) or 5 bowlers with 1 of them defo Freddie and drop Strauss or Vaughan.


2. Who gets the fast bowling slots - Sidearse and Broad are inked in surely. So 1 or 2 of Freddie, Hoggie, Jimmy or Harmi. (They seem to have ruled out Plunkett, Mahmood and Onions before the season have even started!)

If its 5 (which I hope not) - add Freddie & Hoggy

If it's 4, tough choice. Definitely Fred so Hoggy misses out.

Anderson & Harmison shouldn't be anywhere near the team

Broad, Hoggard, Sidey, Monty.

Freddy has to be seen as a bit of a risk until he's played a few more games. Anyway, why do we think so much of him as a bowler when he's never taken more than 5 wickets in an innings? I can't ever remember him being much of a success with the new ball, so can ge really be trusted as a frontline bowler?

I'd opt for the Hoggmeister.

S F Barnes wrote:

Anyway, why do we think so much of him as a bowler when he's never taken more than 5 wickets in an innings? I can't ever remember him being much of a success with the new ball, so can ge really be trusted as a frontline bowler?

Um, since 2004 who else has taken 130+ wickets @27 ?

Freddie isn't about 6 or 7 wickets in an innings, he's about keeping it tight and removing the big guns, keeping the pressure on at the other end. He's an aggressive, defensive bowler, as somebody who I can't remember said.

Fairy snuff.

We can't go with five bowlers with Fred one of them given his excereable form with the bat. He could, I suppose come in at seven, but if we assume that Hoggy is now a nailed down certainty, it would mean Broad being dropped, which would be unthinkable IMO

Fred is our best bowler at the moment IMO. Ok, its probably SideBo since he's actually got on the park.

Fred & SideBo have to play. Broad has to play - could develop into a very good test number 8

They might be brave and go in without a spinner at Lords?

JKLever wrote:Fred is our best bowler at the moment IMO. Ok, its probably SideBo since he's actually got on the park.

Fred & SideBo have to play. Broad has to play - could develop into a very good test number 8

They might be brave and go in without a spinner at Lords?

It wouldn't be brave, it would be ducking the issue.

Flintoff,SideBo,Broad & Panesar then with Colly as fill in bowler

JKLever wrote:Flintoff,SideBo,Broad & Panesar then with Colly as fill in bowler

I could go with that, but it's a brave call to leave Hoggard out.

Backwards step though, isn't it, not playing a spinner.

All sides should have one - you never know what kind of shape a pitch is going to be in on days four and five.

JKLever wrote:Flintoff,SideBo,Broad & Panesar then with Colly as fill in bowler

That's the fudge side, for sure. And it means they don't have to confront the tricky issue of who to leave out of their precious "everyone averages 40 - it's weird that we keep getting rolled for under 200" batting line-up. Which probably means that's what'll happen.

I am looking forward to McCullum coming down the wicket to Hoggard.

The batting would look very strong with Fred at 8 and Broad at 9.