West Indies v England, 1st Test, Kingston, Feb 4-8

I don't think Chanderpaul will ever move from number 5.

The selectors indicated Dale Richards will play ahead of Smith, and it is possible that they will bat Devon Smith at 4 instead of X-man. But otherwise your xi is correct and I also pray that they give Jaggers a chance, especially after he bowled pretty well in the Windies A match.

Henry wrote:I don't think Chanderpaul will ever move from number 5.

Aye, I think many people have tried but he loves it at 5. Even when our best players were on strike and Chanderpaul captained the team. He batted himself at 5.

Paul Keating wrote:The World's best batsman shouldn't be batting any lower than 2nd drop.

He's down to come in at 4 for England isn't he?

beamer wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:The World's best batsman shouldn't be batting any lower than 2nd drop.

He's down to come in at 4 for England isn't he?

Phurt I hope/know you are joking.

Shiv has averaged 100 for 2 years in a row.His test average is now very nearly 50.

Simon Wilde in the Times seems to have had enough of the Ian Bell love-in:

Owais Shah’s failure yesterday — unluckily lbw — all but confirmed Ian Bell’s starting place. Why Bell should be favoured, when a child could conclude from his inability to score a Test hundred at No 3 that he will never be the dominant figure that England are looking for, is unfathomable.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article5627556.ece

I can console myself I did a U-turn on Bell before the journos cottoned on...

Bet they'll beat you to the U-turn if he milks some easy runs off a minnow-esque attack.

Can't wait to read about Ian Bell's "break-through series"...

Ian Bell will win emerging player of the year after this series.

"And the nominees for Most Promising Ginger-Balled Rodent are..."

WIFAN wrote:

beamer wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:The World's best batsman shouldn't be batting any lower than 2nd drop.

He's down to come in at 4 for England isn't he?

Phurt I hope/know you are joking.

Shiv has averaged 100 for 2 years in a row.His test average is now very nearly 50.

Has he mastered the switch-hit yet though?

Seriously, you can't argue with the stats, cricket is about more than just numbers though and it's fair to say he's not the most stylish batsman around. Perhaps more in the mould of Kallis, Dravid etc. at their peak, sometimes just impossible to get out, but not generally talked about in the same category as the likes of Lara and Tendulkar who would dominate attacks?

DJ_Smerk wrote:Ian Bell will win emerging player of the year after this series.

Only half a dozen tests ago he took 199 off the soon to be no.1 team in the world.

beamer wrote:

WIFAN wrote:

beamer wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:The World's best batsman shouldn't be batting any lower than 2nd drop.

He's down to come in at 4 for England isn't he?

Phurt I hope/know you are joking.

Shiv has averaged 100 for 2 years in a row.His test average is now very nearly 50.

Has he mastered the switch-hit yet though?

Seriously, you can't argue with the stats, cricket is about more than just numbers though and it's fair to say he's not the most stylish batsman around. Perhaps more in the mould of Kallis, Dravid etc. at their peak, sometimes just impossible to get out, but not generally talked about in the same category as the likes of Lara and Tendulkar who would dominate attacks?

It's funny you should say that because Shiv reverse swept Vettori for 6, and followed that up by reverse sweeping an 84mph Kyle Mills delivery for 4. Just as amazing as KP IMHO, but it was a series with little media coverage and so not many people witnessed it.

And considering Shiv has scored about 50% of our total runs since BCL retired I would put him right up there. I cannot stress enough just how awesome he has been over the last 2 years. If he could learn to shield the tailenders slightly more effectively he would become simply unstoppable.

Shiv used to be a bit of a dasher, known for the pretty-ish 50 and not going to make 100. He also had a pretty fearsome one day reputation.

Now he's just as indestructible as a batsman gets- I'm sure his purple patch coincided with him getting those black shields under his eyes.

What we need is a greentop to counteract the black shields in his purple patch.

Eric Air Emu wrote:

DJ_Smerk wrote:Ian Bell will win emerging player of the year after this series.

Only half a dozen tests ago he took 199 off the soon to be no.1 team in the world.

...as everyone knows I am a huge fan of the Shermanator and believe that England will finally become a force when he is made captai...

...nonetheless I doubt he is still eligible for emerging player of the year, not least since he got his gong from that old german tart 4 years ago

PeterCS wrote:What we need is a greentop to counteract the black shields in his purple patch.

Or in other words-

Bell is emerging every year ffs. He needs to go.

DJ_Smerk wrote:Bell is emerging every year ffs. He needs to go become the Captain that Englsh cricket deserves.

completing smerky's sentence

Horrie, if Bell becomes Captain, Bangladesh will gain a test victory.

the bangles are most Aus fans' second team

horace wrote:the bangles are most Aus fans' second team

Well, it's just another manic monday.

In this eternal flame game.

"horace wrote:the bangles are most Aus fans' second team"

Soon they be the only team we can beat...


BTW it is funny the results that sometimes pop out of these tour matches.

I mean I know they are just "practice" but for a couple of lads like Simmons and Barath to make their high First Class scores against England XI, the former nudging 300 ... and then someone like McClean with hardly any domestic cricket experience at all to take 3/56 ... I mean were the Poms just 'avin' a laugh?

OP Tipping wrote:

I mean I know they are just "practice" but for a couple of lads like Simmons and Barath to make their high First Class scores against England XI, the former nudging 300 ... and then someone like McClean with hardly any domestic cricket experience at all to take 3/56 ... I mean were the Poms just 'avin' a laugh?

Like Essex 500 for 3 in a day against Australia you mean?