England v Australia, 3rd Test, Edgbaston, Jul 30 - Aug 3

Personally I think they'll only make changes if Aus pull back the 1-0,

There's no harm in making the team stronger, though. If Broad doesn't bowl well in the second innings, they should draft in Harmison for Headingley.

Henry wrote:

Personally I think they'll only make changes if Aus pull back the 1-0,

There's no harm in making the team stronger, though. If Broad doesn't bowl well in the second innings, they should draft in Harmison for Headingley.

What? The guy who rumour has it is going to retire in 2 tests time?

Hasn't got much to lose then, has he. One last chance to charge in against the Aussies. F*ck the future. let's worry about winning back the urn, then we can continue with our 'project bowlers'.

Henry wrote:Hasn't got much to lose then, has he. One last chance to charge in against the Aussies. F*ck the future. let's worry about winning back the urn, then we can continue with our 'project bowlers'.

Yeah, id be all for it if the guy in question was some demon bowler instead of a guy who has let us down time and time again when he clearly has more talent than some of those in the side.

JKLever wrote:

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Graham Onions - Test s/r of 29. Mental.

Looks a very good bowler though, one of those guys who goes for some but bowls wicket-taking deliveries. The way he surprised Ponting today was brilliant.

I'd like everyone to make up their mind...

It's either 3/41 at Lords & 4/58 here and he's the next best thing.

or its the 0-50 off 9 at Lords or the 0-21 from yesterday and everyone thinks he's tripe

He's got some good attributes in his favour: gets super tight to the stumps, bowls wicket to wicket with good - and occasionally surprising - zip.

But he's also got the English disease of seemingly being unclear of just where his strengths lie and spends half of his time spraying it all over the place in search of the magic ball.

He's like a half-finished bowler. Much like the other blokes Durham have contributed to England duty: the raw materials are decent, but the overall application of skills and ability to think on their feet is somewhat erratic.

He's a got a way to go to really convince, but at least he can chip in wickets - something Broad doesn't look capable of at present.

Guy I work with is mates with Andre Adams after skippering him in club cricket a few years back, and reckons Harmless scared the living sh*t out of the Notts dressing room in the 2nd innings at Trent Bridge a couple of weeks ago. Was bowling like the wind with steepling bounce and they simply didn't fancy it - none of them.

My views on the pea-hearted sook are well documented on here, and I still wouldn't go back to him personally, but we all know he is a rhythm bowler, and it would appear that at the moment he's got that rhythm and that hunger back.

Should Edgbaston go tits up and Oz square it up at 1-1, I'd have some sympathy with the selectors looking to rev him up for one more blast at the Aussies while he's on song to try to win us the urn back.

As I say, I still wouldn't myself, but it would be understandable.

Something's got to give - they can't carry Broad throughout the series.

He's contributing nothing.

Maybe SiBo would be a better bet. But Harmison's been 12th man for the last two squads, so you'd have to assume he's next in line.

Sibo would probably be better than most. Even though he plays for Notts, theres no harm in playing him.

But think of the lower order batting!

DJ_Smerk wrote:Sibo would probably be better than most. Even though he plays for Notts, theres no harm in playing him.

JKLever wrote:But think of the lower order batting!

The tail starts at 2 anyway...

embee wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:Well, I'll need confirmation.

"His" name is Chloe

Link

So he dresses in drag to get in for free?

Shoeshine wrote:Lucky boy, Bell. That was out.

Only according to the laws of the game. Didn't Rudi say something not so long ago about the rules not being everything, or summat like that?

Dello wrote:

Rob I wrote:I doubt he'll survive the opening burst tomorrow.

Looking at the weather forecast, there might not be a tomorrow...

35 000 degrees and mushroom cloudy?

JKLever wrote:Only saw up to Bopara was out, so did Belly get a life from Rudi?

Not just a life, a heart, double-lung and kidney transplant, and free ctreatment in the intensive care ward. How come Bucknor was retired by the ICC yet Rudi is still allowed to be a blight on the game?

skully wrote:Hmm, seems that Straws has our measure again. And Drunky only felt confident to give Midge 5 overs. FMD. And he went for 4 an over. So he's a farkin passenger. [shakes head in disgust at Gump being left out.]

And he finally managed to get one straight down the pitch at pace...

Zat wrote:

Shoeshine wrote:Lucky boy, Bell. That was out.

Only according to the laws of the game. Didn't Rudi say something not so long ago about the rules not being everything, or summat like that?

Would explain alot of his decisions.

Blackadder wrote:

Zat wrote:

Shoeshine wrote:Lucky boy, Bell. That was out.

Only according to the laws of the game. Didn't Rudi say something not so long ago about the rules not being everything, or summat like that?

Would explain alot of his decisions.

We know from the final of the WC in the Caribbean that Rudi struggles with the rules. It was confirmed by the ICC that he was wrong in his judgements regarding what had to happen in that weather affected game. Both captains knew the rules though.

Alternatively he could just be going blind. Many of his decisions or non-decisions in recent tests might suggest the latter.

Red wrote:We know from the final of the WC in the Caribbean that Rudi struggles with the rules. It was confirmed by the ICC that he was wrong in his judgements regarding what had to happen in that weather affected game.

Yeah he was the only umpire in that game.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:We know from the final of the WC in the Caribbean that Rudi struggles with the rules. It was confirmed by the ICC that he was wrong in his judgements regarding what had to happen in that weather affected game.

Yeah he was the only umpire in that game.

taips, you're starting to be as blindly pro South Africa as Red is anti.

Zat wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:We know from the final of the WC in the Caribbean that Rudi struggles with the rules. It was confirmed by the ICC that he was wrong in his judgements regarding what had to happen in that weather affected game.

Yeah he was the only umpire in that game.

taips, you're starting to be as blindly pro South Africa as Red is anti.

Piss orf Zat. I feel the same about this as Doctrove getting off scot free in the abandoned test debacle.

taipan wrote:

Zat wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:We know from the final of the WC in the Caribbean that Rudi struggles with the rules. It was confirmed by the ICC that he was wrong in his judgements regarding what had to happen in that weather affected game.

Yeah he was the only umpire in that game.

taips, you're starting to be as blindly pro South Africa as Red is anti.

Piss orf Zat. I feel the same about this as Doctrove getting off scot free in the abandoned test debacle.

Go back and have a look at your reflex posts to the recent criticism of Rudi.

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:We know from the final of the WC in the Caribbean that Rudi struggles with the rules. It was confirmed by the ICC that he was wrong in his judgements regarding what had to happen in that weather affected game.

Yeah he was the only umpire in that game.

In April 2007 he stood in the World Cup final in Barbados, but the farcical finale of that match - and his role in misinterpreting the rules regarding bad light - led to his suspension for the Twenty20 World Championships in September.

Koerzten is not immune to the pressures of the job, and in 2000-01 his errors contributed to one of the most fractious matches of modern times, the second Test between Sri Lanka and England at Kandy.

Zat wrote:

taipan wrote:

Zat wrote:

taipan wrote:

Red wrote:We know from the final of the WC in the Caribbean that Rudi struggles with the rules. It was confirmed by the ICC that he was wrong in his judgements regarding what had to happen in that weather affected game.

Yeah he was the only umpire in that game.

taips, you're starting to be as blindly pro South Africa as Red is anti.

Piss orf Zat. I feel the same about this as Doctrove getting off scot free in the abandoned test debacle.

Go back and have a look at your reflex posts to the recent criticism of Rudi.

Not really, personally I think it's time for him to go. But to single him out for that is crazy. There were another 2 umpires and the match referee involved as well.

It's ridiculous that he's been appointed to successive Ashes Tests given his recent deplorable record.