Teams for first WI-England test

OK, I reckon it should be:

Johann (c)
Cook
Ace
Pietersook
Wobbles
Fred
Convictions (w)
Son of Chris
Swann
SiBo
Harami

That's a bit thin on the bowling then.....

They arent going to drop Panesar.

I'd be happy with either Swann or Monty, rest of the team is good (for now)

Rob I wrote:OK, I reckon it should be:

Johann (c)
Cook
Ace
Pietersook
Wobbles
Fred
Convictions (w)
Son of Chris
Swann
SiBo
Harami

That's a bit thin on the bowling then.....

thats not nice...

Doesn't that mean bastard?

One who is forbidden?

Something like that...

We need to select the side we think will be taking part in the Ashes - do we really think Harmi is going to be part of the team after his latest effort in India?

If the "old" wicket-taking, menacing Harmy turns up in the Caribbean, I am so going to want to slap him for the spineless performance he turned in at Chennai. The again I'll want to slap him if he doesn't bowl well.

Ok, I just want to slap him.

We should have arranged all the Ashes tests at Chester-le-Street.

Or better yet, Harmison's back garden. Even he couldn't get homesick then.

Clamson wrote:Doesn't that mean bastard?

One who is forbidden?

Something like that...

hmm yeah you are very good with your urdu....or is it just the COOL words?

PlanetPakistan wrote:

Clamson wrote:Doesn't that mean bastard?

One who is forbidden?

Something like that...

hmm yeah you are very good with your urdu....or is it just the COOL words?

I spent most of my sixth form around British Pakistanis. There was a massive divide in the common room - whites on one side, asians on the other. I was the only white person to cross the border, so to speak.

So I know the odd bit of Urdu. Id Mubarak used to go down well. Also I learned 'Gorah' because I knew that if that word was used, whoever used it was talking about me, but didn't want me to know what they were saying. Which I considered somewhat cowardly.

Had great times at that school though!

Starting in Jamaica is going to be a fabulous tonic for Harmy surely? Mind you, Fidel and Jerome love bowling at Sabina and tend to bowl extremely quickly there so it should be a good contest.

Cook
Strauss *
Shah
Pietersen
Bell
Prior +
Flintoff
Rashid
Broad
Sidebottom
Hopefully an injury replacement for the bullshit Harmison and Anderson.

Clamson wrote:

PlanetPakistan wrote:

Clamson wrote:Doesn't that mean bastard?

One who is forbidden?

Something like that...

hmm yeah you are very good with your urdu....or is it just the COOL words?

I spent most of my sixth form around British Pakistanis. There was a massive divide in the common room - whites on one side, asians on the other. I was the only white person to cross the border, so to speak.

So I know the odd bit of Urdu. Id Mubarak used to go down well. Also I learned 'Gorah' because I knew that if that word was used, whoever used it was talking about me, but didn't want me to know what they were saying. Which I considered somewhat cowardly.

Had great times at that school though!

that happens here as well


Last month i was driving by my old high school and decided to pay attention at the students walking out of the school

Noticed about 10 groups
4 groups- All whites
3 groups- All blacks
2 groups- All spanish students
1 group- Asians(NOT South Asians)

even when i use to go there then on our lunch table it use to be me, Indian guy, 3 or 4 Indian girls and 2 white guys.

BUT on my way home it was quite a diverse group with 1 white guy, 1 spanish guy, me, 1 black guy and 1 white girl


but yeah had a good time...good teachers, good friends, good grades and off course the infamous cricket club...



Cook
Strauss (c)
Bell
K Pietersen
Shah
Prior
Flintoff
Rashid
Harmison
Anderson
Sidebottom

PlanetPakistan wrote:

Rob I wrote:Harami

thats not nice...

Did you see his bowling in Chennai?

^^

I feel the need to say 'saala harami'.

Saala harami.

I'm surprised some people here are advocating dropping Collingwood rather than Bell to make place for Shah. Collingwood has got us out of many a tough situation. I honestly can't remember one match saving or match winning innings from Bell (he probably has had 1 or 2, but from memory I can't recall ever seeing him in a pressure situation doing anything other than meekly surrendering).

He is proper shithouse.

There were the two centuries in the two test wins against a weakened Pakistan.

There was the 199 against SA but that was in a high-scoring draw.

Else, not much.

So, 3 centures all obtained when other players had already scored a century.

I'm so angry that this man is still playing for England. A fair few dross weasels of the past have managed to score crucial centuries for England, but Bell never has. I'd actually rather have Mark Butcher in the team than Bell.

To be fair to Bell that 199 would have set up an England win if our bowling wasn't so toothless.

Trouble is, he has dined out on that for the next 5 tests.... not good enough

Butch did win a test.

Rob I wrote:Butch did win a test.

Exactly. I wasn't even joking when I made that comment, I would genuinely much rather have Mark Butcher playing right now than Ian Bell.

It's a an absolute disgrace that Shah is waiting in the wings because of this fool.

vilkrang wrote:I'm surprised some people here are advocating dropping Collingwood rather than Bell to make place for Shah. Collingwood has got us out of many a tough situation. I honestly can't remember one match saving or match winning innings from Bell (he probably has had 1 or 2, but from memory I can't recall ever seeing him in a pressure situation doing anything other than meekly surrendering).

He is proper shithouse.

With Flintoff in the side, you're effectively playing only five specialist batsmen. And I just don't think of Collingwood as a proper batsman. Scrapper. Stodgy. But doesn't have the ability to lay claim to being anywhere near in the top five best batsmen in England. The side looks light with him in and that balance, IMHO.

So, given a choice between Bell and Collingwood, I'd have to go with the least worst option.

Harmison had the time of his life on the last WIndies tour IIRC. World #1 etc.

Doesn't of course mean he will do it again.

But if he is judged "focussed", it could be the (re-)making of him.

On the other hand, if he still doesn't look "right", that's going to have to be Strauss's first tough decision.

I don't see Rob;s choice as weak in the bowling, Harmison delivering. But I guess that was Rob's (sardonic) point.

I would tend to encourage Kev to take the #3 spot and slot "I'll Be Loving You .." in at 4. But hey ...

Dello wrote:

vilkrang wrote:I'm surprised some people here are advocating dropping Collingwood rather than Bell to make place for Shah. Collingwood has got us out of many a tough situation. I honestly can't remember one match saving or match winning innings from Bell (he probably has had 1 or 2, but from memory I can't recall ever seeing him in a pressure situation doing anything other than meekly surrendering).

He is proper shithouse.

With Flintoff in the side, you're effectively playing only five specialist batsmen. And I just don't think of Collingwood as a proper batsman. Scrapper. Stodgy. But doesn't have the ability to lay claim to being anywhere near in the top five best batsmen in England. The side looks light with him in and that balance, IMHO.

So, given a choice between Bell and Collingwood, I'd have to go with the least worst option.

Bell does f*ck all though. At least in times of crisis, Colly sometimes comes good, Bell never does. It's all very well scoring a century when your team is a winning position but I'd much rather have a player capable of digging us out of a shit situation (which we are pros at getting ourselves into) which Colly can do and Bell can't, and never has. He's the most useless batsmen of this decade. I can't think of another batsmen for any team that has had 45+ tests who has been as consistently useless as Ian Bell.

He bats too high. In 22 Tests at five and six, he averages 51 (6 hundreds) - a hundred every three or so games.

He's not a number three. Bring him in after the grown ups have had a knock, and the bowlers are a little tired, and his quality shines through.

Fook that.

Pack the little wankstain off to County cricket to grow some gonads first, and make him slum it on A Tour or two.

He's utterly useless. When did he win us or save us a Test?

Eh, eh? When? When I ask you?