England (non) Performance Squads

Category A: Mark Davies (Durham), Amjad Khan (Kent), Stephen Moore (Lancashire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire)

Category B: Steven Finn (Middlesex), Andrew Gale (Yorkshire), Rory Hamilton-Brown (Sussex), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Chris Nash (Sussex), Joe Sayers (Yorkshire), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), James Taylor (Leicestershire), David Wainwright (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

Category C: Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Vikram Banerjee (Gloucestershire), Keith Barker (Warwickshire), William Beer (Sussex), Alex Blake (Kent), Andy Carter (Nottinghamshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Luke Fletcher (Nottinghamshire), Billy Godleman (Essex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Richard Johnson (Warwickshire), Richard Jones (Worcestershire), Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Jake Mickleburgh (Essex), Sam Northeast (Kent), Ollie Rayner (Sussex), Ian Saxelby (Gloucestershire), John Simpson (Middlesex), Tom Smith (Middlesex), Max Waller (Somerset), Adam Wheater (Essex), David Willey (Northamptonshire)

Fast bowling programme: Jade Dernbach (Surrey), David Griffiths (Hampshire), James Harris (Glamorgan), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire)

This is basically a winter training programme, and I guess the Lions tour party will be selected from this, with the players in category A those closest to full international honours and those in category C the younger players who are seen as more long-term prospects - category B being somewhere in between.

Amjad Khan FFS! I thought "Noey Khan't" had been written off as a mistake of Pattinson proportions. Surely the not-so-great Dane isn't first reserve for the Test tour?

Still, at least they seem to have realised that there are more than two opening batsmen in the country.

Some of those are proper lemons. Ridculous lemons.

Boyd Rankin? FFS

Absolute disgrace that Harris isn't in category C.



What in the blue blazes is the 'Fast Bowling Programme'?

JKLever wrote:Boyd Rankin? FFS

Just a continuation of the "let's take all Ireland's players to defend our number 9 ranking in JAMODIs" policy...

JKLever wrote:Boyd Rankin? FFS

who I think should be renamed Avoid W*nkin'

It's like - Vik Bannerjee has always been shit. Tom Smith? Well, let us all golf clap his improvement as a batsman... it doesn't mean he's not 75mph dobber bullshit... Dernbach? Fork orf... How's James Taylor a B? The child has played one season.

spangler wrote:

JKLever wrote:Boyd Rankin? FFS

who I think should be renamed Avoid W*nkin'

Is it? I think he should be named UptownTop Rankin.

If James Harris was English or moved to an English county, he'd be in Category B. Fact.

DJ_Smerk wrote:If James Harris was English or moved to an English county, he'd be in Category B. Fact.

Smerky in 'they all hate us' rant.

Agree with you though - some of those aren't half the prospect Harris is. Bit strange really as Harris played for the Lions in their last game

DJ_Smerk wrote:If James Harris was English or moved to an English county, he'd be in Category B. Fact.

What? He's one of 6 selected for special training - you chippy shite.

Bairstow, Bannerjee, Johnson, R Jones, Wheater.

Brass Monkey wrote:

DJ_Smerk wrote:If James Harris was English or moved to an English county, he'd be in Category B. Fact.

What? He's one of 6 selected for special training - you chippy shite.

I'm not so sure. Does special training mean, 'we couldn't fit them in any category, cause we'd already chosen a couple of random's who made a 50 and took a wicket last season'.


I suppose its better than nothing though.

Special has a different meaning in SA

Special has the same meaning here.

taipan wrote:Special has a different meaning in SA

Must be why we've got a couple of Saffers in that category.

English cricket in crisis...

JKLever wrote:

taipan wrote:Special has a different meaning in SA

Must be why we've got a couple of Saffers in that category.

Wtf do you think we got shot of them.

JKLever wrote:

taipan wrote:Special has a different meaning in SA

Must be why we've got a couple of Saffers in that category.

You checked out David Griffiths? Serious player IMO. Best fast bowling prospect I've seen on the circuit.

Just noticed Amjad Khan in that list.



1 Step forward (Carberry) and 2 steps back (Amjad).

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote:

taipan wrote:Special has a different meaning in SA

Must be why we've got a couple of Saffers in that category.

Wtf do you think we got shot of them.

They just needed a chance to prosper.

DJ_Smerk wrote:Just noticed Amjad Khan in that list.

He gets special mention in the opening post....

I must have tried to block it out. I'm probably not the only one.

Interesting stuff. Just looking through things at names of interest:

beamer wrote:Category A: Mark Davies (Durham), Amjad Khan (Kent), Stephen Moore (Lancashire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire)

Amjad Khan - joke selection, might as well put Darren Pattinson in Category A
Stephen Moore - never scored a 1st Division run, over-rated

Category B: Steven Finn (Middlesex), Andrew Gale (Yorkshire), Rory Hamilton-Brown (Sussex), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Chris Nash (Sussex), Joe Sayers (Yorkshire), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), James Taylor (Leicestershire), David Wainwright (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

Andrew Gale - hacker
Rory Hamilton-Brown - never done anything worthy of note
Chris Jordan - now officially a county trundler
Chris Nash - one good season
Joe Sayers - rubbish nurdler
Ajmal Shahzad - outstanding cricketer and one of the most talented quicks in the county game

Category C: Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Vikram Banerjee (Gloucestershire), Keith Barker (Warwickshire), William Beer (Sussex), Alex Blake (Kent), Andy Carter (Nottinghamshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Luke Fletcher (Nottinghamshire), Billy Godleman (Essex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Richard Johnson (Warwickshire), Richard Jones (Worcestershire), Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Jake Mickleburgh (Essex), Sam Northeast (Kent), Ollie Rayner (Sussex), Ian Saxelby (Gloucestershire), John Simpson (Middlesex), Tom Smith (Middlesex), Max Waller (Somerset), Adam Wheater (Essex), David Willey (Northamptonshire)

Can't comment on this group, they seem to be the players of talent who haven't really played much yet. I don't see anything in Banerjee though, he looks a very average slow-left armer.

Fast bowling programme: Jade Dernbach (Surrey), David Griffiths (Hampshire), James Harris (Glamorgan), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire)

I think this is meant to be distinct from every other group, these basically seem to be looked upon as the quicks with most potential. I hope not because Dernbach and Meaker just aren't going to make it. Griffiths looked zippy when I saw him, I quite like the look of him. I was also very impressed by Rankin who gets the ball to lift off a length, he's just a bit too wayward. It's interesting that Samit Patel has been written out of the England equation altogether - I don't approve personally as I think he should be batting at 7 in England's ODI side, but there you go.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:
Andrew Gale - hacker
Rory Hamilton-Brown - never done anything worthy of note
Chris Jordan - now officially a county trundler
Chris Nash - one good season
Joe Sayers - rubbish nurdler
Ajmal Shahzad - outstanding cricketer and one of the most talented quicks in the county game

Couldn't have put it better.