Pick a "clean slate" England team

Rules: Must be England qualified, currently registered for county cricket and not officially retired from international cricket. No more than 4 (edit to make it slightly easier!) players retained from the side that played this match. Let's see what people come up with!

I think they should start looking beyond county cricket- it's clearly a sh*thouse institution. Honestly I come up against players who would be as effective as the current bunch.

I think only allowing 3 is a bit harsh. Because they would have to be Fred,KP & Strauss.

I'll have a think...

Perhaps looking beyond all cricket?

Maybe throw a couple of homeless people in there - offer them hot soup in exchange for runs and wickets.

Couldn't hurt.

F*ck it, I sell my wicket dearly- I'm flying out there now to claim my rightful place.

So far....

Key
Strauss
Shah
.
Pietersen
Flintoff
.
Rashid
.
S Davies
.



Struggling to name many, which is half the reason the current bunch have kept their places for so long.

I'll bat at 4.

JKLever wrote:I think only allowing 3 is a bit harsh. Because they would have to be Fred,KP & Strauss.

I'll have a think...

OK, I'll raise it to 4 then...

Are we totally ruling out Hoggard & Jones making a comeback this year?

JKLever wrote:Are we totally ruling out Hoggard & Jones making a comeback this year?

Hoggard is definitely allowable, he's qualified and available and not announced any sort of retirement. Don't leave players out just because you think the selectors won't consider them, otherwise we're probably back to the same XI... Jones - well not sure about his current fitness situation. I'd say pick him if he would be available for the second Test starting next week.

JKLever wrote:So far....

Key
Strauss
Shah
.
Pietersen
Flintoff
.
Rashid
.
S Davies
.



Struggling to name many, which is half the reason the current bunch have kept their places for so long.

I put Will Smith in at three, Ace at five. Looks solid.

Broad earned another shot. Cutting all but three players isn't possible.

Key
Strauss*
Smith
Pietersen
Shah
Davies +
Flintoff
Rashid
Broad
......
...... Oh, who am I kidding - you know I picked Mahmood at eleven.

Just missing one seamer. Tremlett's a possibility, but that would make four bang-it-in-ers. Bit of seam/swing needed.

We're at home in the summer. Why o why couldn't Trescothick play?

Demelza wrote:We're at home in the summer. Why o why couldn't Trescothick play?

I think they should try and persuade him. After all, he wouldn't have to travel any further than Leeds I think...

I'd still have to pick Matt Prior infront of Davies in reality though if we're picking a side to go forward...

Matt Prior's got a funny shaped mouth. He looks like he's always chewing tobacco or something.

Horton
Key
Shah
Pietersen
Bopara
Patel
Davies
Flintoff
Broad
Swann
Tremlett

Someone remind me what's wrong with Hoggard again?

Demelza wrote:Someone remind me what's wrong with Hoggard again?

He got injured and hasn't been quite as consistent since, not that anyone else has.

Demelza wrote:Someone remind me what's wrong with Hoggard again?

Became obsolete once Sidebottom came into the side and did the same job only much better and with a bit more zip.

Another poor Ashes in Australia, a bowling average in the mid-thirties over a sustained period of time, and an increasing injury-proneness helped usher Hoggard out of the door, too.

He used to work so hard. What a pity.

Dello wrote:

Demelza wrote:Someone remind me what's wrong with Hoggard again?

Became obsolete once Sidebottom came into the side and did the same job only much better and with a bit more zip.

Another poor Ashes in Australia, a bowling average in the mid-thirties over a sustained period of time, and an increasing injury-proneness helped usher Hoggard out of the door, too.

If we had a great crop of young bowlers coming through that would have been fair enough. But I still think he would do a better job than those out in the Caribbean right now.

Although a typically English swing bowler who you would have expected to be ineffective in unhelpful conditions, he more consistently than anyone else dismissed quality top order batsmen during our golden 18 months, and perhaps for a while after that.

There's a weird sort of glass-ceiling with promising young cricketers in this country. They just never seem to develop beyond the promising stage.

Dello wrote:There's a weird sort of glass-ceiling with promising young cricketers in this country. They just never seem to develop beyond the promising stage.

So what's the answer, fast-track them into the England team before they are really ready, or let them learn bad habits in the county game until their late 20s?

I'll go with: -

Key
Strauss*
Shah
Pietersen
Patel
Flintoff
Davies+
Broad
Swann
Tremlett
Hoggard

Dello wrote:Perhaps looking beyond all cricket?

Maybe throw a couple of homeless people in there - offer them hot soup in exchange for runs and wickets.

Couldn't hurt.

May I suggest homeless attack dogs? They couldn't do much worse. They'd really want the soup. They wouldn't want MBEs*. Plus they would have the benefit of nipping opposition players in the ar$e if given out.

*Most of them.