West Indies v England, 2nd Test, North Sound, Feb 13-17

Someone should ask Monty how he feels on the tour...

Brass Monkey wrote:
Basically it's a bunch of mediorce dross-spitting tossers versus a bunch of snide jingoistic cockchuggers.

Nice.

Quote of the day nominee.

Cockchuggers eh!
That would please Bell(no)end !
(As Gashleys eyes light up ....)

Maybe if the interviewers came out with more interesting questions they wouldn't get the same drivel.

I don't see Harmi having done much wrong in the first Test. He was denied a valid wicket by the clueless 3rd (rate) ump Harper of course. If England had been able to set a second innings run chase up on that surface Harmi could well have had a significant affect on that game. The stand out worst England bowler was Sidebottom and I doubt his fitness rather than form/effort. Depending on the conditions he should be replaced by Anderson/Rashid.

Shah deserves a go and Bell has been the most frustrating of the batsmen. Medium term I suspect Bell's talent will win through.

Brass Monkey wrote:Agreed Bob, it's their job to interview them but I bet they groan inside when it's the same mediocre, myopic shit coming from all and sundry. Still, saying that, when they do say something out of the ordinary it's taken out of context and put as a sensationalist headline.

Basically it's a bunch of mediorce dross-spitting tossers versus a bunch of snide jingoistic cockchuggers.

All of it attracts more attention than it should.

The players shouldn't be giving interviews after that shambles anyway. Well perhaps it's fair enough for Strauss as captain to say a few words, that's part of his job, but the likes of Cook and Collingwood should have been told to keep their mouths shut and think themselves lucky they weren't put on the next plane home, and the press should have been told that they can speak to the captain/acting coach but that's all they're getting.

If it hasn't already been mentioned apparently Bell when interviewed about the 51 all out said 'it was just one of those days".

It would be nice if just one of our cricketers came out with a bit of Churchillian up and at 'em every now and then. We used to be good at war you know.

Eric Air Emu wrote: We used to be good at war you know.

That's because Ian Bell would've been shot back then.

My teams would be:

Windies:

Gayle
Simmons
Sarwan
Hinds
Shiv
Nash
Ramdin
Taylor
Benn
Powell
Edwards

That is the strongest xi we will have put out for some time IMHO. They may play Smith ahead of Simmons, but I hope not.

England:

Cook
Strauss
Shah
KP
Collingwood
Flintoff
Prior
Swann
Broad
Harmison
Anderson

The underachieving Bell must go, while Panesar was so disappointing that I would replace him with Swann (admittedly I hate Monty and his cheating ways with a passion so it's not that surprising). That would also strengthen the lower order. There is reverse swing available in Antigua so I would bring in Anderson for the military medium offerings of Sidebottom.

Expected to be a batting paradise isn't it WIFAN?

Yep. It was last year anyway.

Reverse swing is the biggest danger to the batsmen in Antigua usually, and Brett Lee got some and caused a mini collapse but that was aided by some awful umpiring and I'm not sure too much can be made of that.

Besides, JT is our reverse swing expert and England have already witnessed how deadly he can be when he bowls fast and at the stumps with a bit of each way swing, so we have nothing to fear from that.

I am expecting a bore draw tbh.

*Putting on sunny disposition hat*

Whatever happens it's going to be sh*t.

*putting on tin-foil hat*

Leave my thoughts alone!

*puts gambling hat on*

Draw 1.89
Eng 3.9
WI 4.5

If Antigua plays anything like expected 1.89 is generous. Ripe for one of those Gayle tons of 73 balls.

*puts optimists hat on*
Hopefully the pitch is an absolute road and Straus decides the best course of action is to bowl the PHS unchanged from one end for the duration of both West Indies innings.

Assuming the WI have to bat twice, that is.

If it's a road, it'll be one of those unique pitches that England always seem to unluckily get where it's a batsman's paradise when the opposition are in, but a genocidal minefield when it's England's turn in the middle.

And then docile again once their innings is over.

Dello wrote:If it's a road, it'll be one of those unique pitches that England always seem to unluckily get where it's a batsman's paradise when the opposition are in, but a genocidal minefield when it's England's turn in the middle.

And then docile again once their innings is over.

may be there is a switch at the bottom of each pitch that England play on....

Strauss said the pitch has changed 'dramatically' in the last 24 hours.

That can only mean that they have cut all the grass, which is what they usually do to make it an absolute road.

Oh and I forgot to mention that if it rains for more than 40 mins then the whole day will be washed out as the drainage is absolutely awful. The outfield is also horribly slow. Given that our top 4 batsmen will all be stroke makers who prefer not to run between the wickets, it is incredibly frustrating.

I hate the new stadium with a passion. Bring back the ARG, it was a road but at least it had character and attendances.

What about using the Stanford Stadium for test matches (it had a decent track and a lush outfield when they played the T20 on it back in October)?

Or is it too small a ground to play a test on?

Seems most pundits are calling Bell and Harmless out - Ace and Jimmy in. Panesar retains the spinners slot with NO second spinner !

"Desperate". Right up there with "Positives".

Collingwood, desperate.

Ian Bell, desperate.

Michael Vaughan, desperate.

Flintoff, desperate.

Now Dhoni gets desperate.

They should write a book. Call it "Desperatation", just to be original.

Has Dhoni been selected for England ?
Poor bugger.

Chris Adams wants Rashid in the side...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/surrey/7887930.stm

Interesting bit -

After England's humiliating innings defeat in the first Test in the West Indies, Adams says England's priority must be to build for the future rather than save face in the Caribbean

Surely you would want to do both?

So, what's everyone on here going to do WHEN Ian Bell retains his place? Self-harm? Smash up the telly? Scream inhumanly until everyone in your vicinity's skin falls off? Kill a baby? Run around smashing the house up until your anger is only moderate, at which point you return to the television/internet to find England 28-9?

JKLever wrote:Chris Adams wants Rashid in the side...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/surrey/7887930.stm

Interesting bit -

After England's humiliating innings defeat in the first Test in the West Indies, Adams says England's priority must be to build for the future rather than save face in the Caribbean

Surely you would want to do both?

Adams is an arse. No surprise in him coming out with clueless bollox TBH.

Augustus wrote:So, what's everyone on here going to do WHEN Ian Bell retains his place? Self-harm? Smash up the telly? Scream inhumanly until everyone in your vicinity's skin falls off? Kill a baby? Run around smashing the house up until your anger is only moderate, at which point you return to the television/internet to find England 28-9?

Rinse one off, coz that's my fantiseee.