Englands T20 squad announced. Fark.

England squad: Paul Collingwood (Durham, Captain),James Anderson (Lancashire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Luke Wright (Sussex), Michael Yardy (Sussex).

Farking hells bells.... Michael Yardy?

Will Sidebottom even last the tournament?

He's in the squad to fulfill the hair quota

To make up for Tredwell's lack of hair?

Probably not the strangest way that the selectors have picked their teams.

Yardy's bowling could do a job in the Caribbean on those slow pitches. His batting wont be up to it. Nudger and nurdler who'll add nothing in the later overs.

I'm not sure a recall to the T20 side is the best thing for Bopara's cricket. I hope he doesn't decide that he's earning more than enough money playing T20 cricket and give up on his test ambitions.

A Kieswetter/Lumb swap for Denly/Trott makes sense at the top of the order however.

Lumb - good choice
Tredwell - oh dear
Yardy - will keep Luke Sussex company if nothing else.
Sidebottom - with his luck, he'll get acute dandruff before the first game.

Yardy's a bloody mystery- he doesn't often bat at anything like the s/r needed for 20/20 cricket and his bowling...well he's one of a dozen average slow bowlers England could pick. Better than Rashid mind.

I'm a little bit qualified to comment on Lumb and Bopara having watched them on my beloved telly lately in the contest of the gods. Lumb gets on with it and has played 2 or 3 nice cameos. Looks dreadful against spin though. Bopara's played one sublime innings but still struggles against quality fast swing bowling. Bowling has come on a tad though by the looks of things.

Utter crime against humanity that Shah's been excluded. He's a proper match winner. If I see Yardy in his place c*cking up a run-chase crabbing at 4 an over I'll make vitriolic comments on an internet forum, just you watch me.

Eric Air Emu wrote: in the contest of the gods.

Christ, has the Ashes started already?

JKLever wrote:

England squad: Paul Collingwood (Durham, Captain),James Anderson (Lancashire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Luke Wright (Sussex), Michael Yardy (Sussex).

Farking hells bells.... Michael Yardy?

You almost make T20 sound important there SkullsLever.

Only 2 Sussex players? What's English McCricket coming to...?

Zat wrote:Only 2 Sussex players? What's English McCricket coming to...?

It would have been three but Robin Martin-Jenkins is having surgery to have his double barrel removed.

Ah, the double barrelotomy.

Obviously the ECB have got Yardy and Yardies mixed up, there are plenty of Yardies to go round in Jamaica, why take your own ?

Surely Trego from Weston Scrumpy Mare would be better.

Someone's gotta be taking the piss, haven't they?

the ecb have their prediliction for selecting the odd Jaapie mixed up and selected yardy by error

Why isn't Prior there?

JGK wrote:Why isn't Prior there?

Bedwetter.

Plus Prior isn't a great one day bat to be honest

Yardy!! PMSL.

skully wrote:Yardy!! PMSL.

Bet Yardy PHSL laughing more