England's Bowling Attack for the SAF Tour

Since the retirement of Flintoff and Harmison, followed closely by Anderson's inconsistency and only one established spinner in the current line-up who would you take?


Assuming a squad of 16 will tour (as it was around that much during the last tour), 8 bowlers.

Onions
Sidebottom
Anderson
Broad
Swann
Hoggard
Rashid/Bresnan
Tremlett

Onions
Broad
SideArse
Anderson
Swann

Hoggy is finished.

Interesting that you'll only take 5 bowlers on the tour, when SiBo might be on his last legs if too much pressure is put on him. Hmm.

DJ_Smerk wrote:Since the retirement of Flintoff and Harmison

Um, when did Harmi retire?

After the last test.

Not just 5.

I think they'll stupidly stick with Panesar but should take Rashid

Harmison will probably tour

DJ_Smerk wrote:After the last test.

Weird, can't find a single news story about it...

DJ_Smerk wrote:After the last test.

Rumour.

And he himself isn't sure he wants to tour.

DJ_Smerk wrote:After the last test.

Source?

FFS. He said he would, then he quashed rumours. Thanks a farking lot Harmy

Still a potent bowler Smerky ... whimsical perhaps ... but potent on his wicket and on his day!

Shoeshiner, however, might think differently!

I just want England to take Ramps.


Shoeshine would go mental

DJ_Smerk wrote:I just want England to take Ramps.

... AND Harmison ...

Shoeshine would go mental

Result !

What is this nonsense about Sidebottom being on his last legs? He has bowled lots of overs for Nottinghamshire and had no problems. Fact is, England played him not once but TWICE whilst he was still recovering from injury, the result of which, to the coach and the captain's great surprise, was another two injuries. I personally could never have foreseen that one coming either. He was then dropped because he had supposedly LOST IT, when in fact whoever picked the team had lost it in picking him at a time when he was only 50% - a situation they then repeated just a couple of months later first with Pietersen (the result being that he missed 3 of the most important Tests of the year) and then Flintoff (slightly different situation and probably an unavoidable one). Sidebottom is perfectly fit, and is, in my opinion, a more reliable bowler than James Anderson. Not as spectacular nor as talented, but more reliable.

Sidebottom should be useful in SAF, if he can work without the swinging ball.

I'd be tempted to just play four bowlers in South Africa - batting's our weakness after all.

Broad
Swann
Jimmy
Onions

could do well in a series where conditions are likely to suit all of them. Sidebottom as back-up.

It does look horrendously unreliable, actually, all of them are capable of bowling terribly. But i do think it might be our best option. We'll need to bat deep to counter Steyn and co on their home patch.

Wouldn't take Anderson (averages 50 overseas and is crap).

Onions and Sid, Broad and Swann.

Back them up with Rashid and fluck knows who else...

No Harmi?

saffies will slaughter the english attack

DJ_Smerk wrote:Since the retirement of Flintoff and Harmison, followed closely by Anderson's inconsistency and only one established spinner in the current line-up who would you take?


Assuming a squad of 16 will tour (as it was around that much during the last tour), 8 bowlers.

Onions
Sidebottom
Anderson
Broad
Swann
Hoggard
Rashid/Bresnan
Tremlett

They wont pick Hoggy again, and Tremlett's had a rubbish season. I think they'll go with-

Anderson
Sidebottom
Onions
Broad
Plunkett
Mahmood
Swann
Rashid

I think Harmi will decide to call it quits in the next couple of weeks. He had a nice little spell to finish at the oval, and surely from his point of view I can't imagine a better way to finish his international career than walking off the oval an ashes winner again with his best mate Freddie.

Plunkett? FFS

Not sure what Bresnan has done wrong...

There's no way Bresno California will not travel. England will be looking for bowlers with batting capabilities.

So take Monty then...

Monty will tour, I'm sure. I reckon they've gone off Rashid for some reason.