England v Australia, 2nd ODI, Lords Sep 6th

JKLever wrote:Infact you could solve both 2nd opener and w/k problem by playing Steve Davies allowing another batsman.

Well, we do need snookers to get back into this series...

JKLever wrote:Of course we'd look a lot better with KP & Fred, but have got to get on with trying to put out a better balanced side than this.

We have to plan assuming Freddie won't be available now, if we do get anything more out of him at ODI/T20 level then it's a bonus.

But once again we're picking teams with at least 7 bowling options that are too light on the batting. There's no "banker" batsman without KP, so need to make sure there's enough specialists in there and hopefully one of them will make a significant score.

beamer wrote:

JKLever wrote:Infact you could solve both 2nd opener and w/k problem by playing Steve Davies allowing another batsman.

Well, we do need snookers to get back into this series...

JKLever wrote:Of course we'd look a lot better with KP & Fred, but have got to get on with trying to put out a better balanced side than this.

We have to plan assuming Freddie won't be available now, if we do get anything more out of him at ODI/T20 level then it's a bonus.

But once again we're picking teams with at least 7 bowling options that are too light on the batting. There's no "banker" batsman without KP, so need to make sure there's enough specialists in there and hopefully one of them will make a significant score.

I'm still planning on Fred coming back till I hear otherwise. We miss him in situations where we had them 208-8 and he could've knocked them over for 215.

Bopara is just not an opener. I'm an Essex fanboy but he's more than had his chance there - a top score of 60 after nearly 40 innings doesn't cut it. I'd rather the 'new' Alastair Cook get a go there (at the rate Bops is currently scoring at!)

JKLever wrote:I'm still planning on Fred coming back till I hear otherwise. We miss him in situations where we had them 208-8 and he could've knocked them over for 215.

I just think the selectors need to assume he won't be available and plan accordingly, he won't be for this winter at least and it may still be a case of him not playing every match in a series or tournament if he does return at international level. Then it's a bonus if they do get some use out of him, and if not then they have an alternative strategy rather than just blaming his absence.

Bopara needs to be pulled out of there. Again. He's just not mentally there at the moment.

He's over-rated, plain and simple. Will never cut it as an international player.

He just has no confidence at the moment. He seems like a real confidence player.

Henry wrote:He just has no confidence at the moment. He seems like a real confidence player.

Which I would never had said about him tbh...

I can't agree, his technique looks average, add to that his lack of balls for the big stage, and you've got an Ian Bell without as much talent. He scored a few lucky tons against the Windies, but he just doesn't seem to have it. His career is already taking on a distinctly Ian Bell kind of shape.

I'd like to think that England will play Rashid in every game for the rest of the series. Stupid in the extreme to drop him. Add it to the list of stupid England ODI decisions. F*ck, it's more like a bible sized book over the last 17 years or so....

I'd also like to think that Strauss will BAT FIRST if he wins the toss next time. What's the deal will deciding to bowl first all of a sudden? I've never known England to be great chasers.

If Rashid does poorly in the 3rd ODI, I will put it down to disruption of Rhythm.

Good Opener > Dropped > Recalled.

Henry wrote:I'd also like to think that Strauss will BAT FIRST if he wins the toss next time. What's the deal will deciding to bowl first all of a sudden? I've never known England to be great chasers.

If you are starting at 10.15am in September then you bowl, remember all the old 60-over NatWest county finals where half the time the side batting first never stood a chance?

Chasing under lights is more of a disadvantage. But I suspect Strauss just doesn't trust his batting line-up to post a defendable target, and thinks their only hope is to roll Australia over for less than 200.

England can't set a total or chase. Strauss is just trying to make a game of it by batting second - Australia might have a collapse and gift England a score of 130 that even they couldn't screw up.

If England bat first, they'll be 170-7 going into the final five overs (where they'll take their power-play), after the top order has scratched around and the lower middle order has perished trying to make up for lost time.

Good Grief!! Shuffled off to bed when Hussey missed Swanny's straight break thinking it'll take some useful tail order play to get anything decent. At 5-155 I thought 230-240 was about as good as we could do.

Seems Midg came to the party. And then England fall in a heap.

Gash 2 leading gasher 0.

Got a text from my brother last night "OMFG, ODIs are so boring"

Is your brother aware of your forumming prowess?

skully wrote:Good Grief!! Shuffled off to bed when Hussey missed Swanny's straight break thinking it'll take some useful tail order play to get anything decent. At 5-155 I thought 230-240 was about as good as we could do.

Seems Midg came to the party. And then England fall in a heap.

Gash 2 leading gasher 0.

Got a text from my brother last night "OMFG, ODIs are so boring"

Skulls, you really do overestimate our abilities at JAMODI stuff! Especially with no KP/Fred - both our best ODI players of the last decade.

Tres?

Don't think he's anywhere near KP or Fred. Not even stats wise.

His statistics stand up to most contemporary opening 'biffers' - he averages a few less than Chris Gayle but scores a hundred almost as often, and Chris Gayle is one of the best ODI openers ever. Tres also had a better strike-rate. He was a class act.

Well, they're probably the best three then, and we haven't got any of them right now!

Fair to say that Australia don't have any of their best three ODI players of the past decade either though. Or perhaps any of their best 5 or 6, in Ponting's absence.

DJ_Smerk wrote:Is your brother aware of your forumming prowess?

He is. I bore the sh!t out of him all the time with all hilarious palaver we get up to in here .

He momentarily joined last year but a couple of responses to his only couple of posts scared the bejezus out of him and he ran away like a little girl.

DK Gilly?

No, he was my neighbour's kid.

I think my brother registered as the chick in the X-files (Scully) under Dana, which was hella gay.

Yeah seems a little...

Which is why I had no clue that it was him until he told me the following weekend.