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Please read rules first.[/color:2asojnbl]
Entries for only Cardiff Test match here.
200 points spread between
England ?
Australia ?
Draw ?Powerplayer ?
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
Brett lee on that flat pitch? is the competition for runs conceded by bowlers or something?
North? Bloody hell.
200 england
Swann
Lee is bang in form, was a handful at New Road (an even flatter pitch) and has mastered reverse swing.
North is more of a hunch, but he has knuckled down to some hard practice after an iffy couple of knocks on tour and showed the benefit last time. He’s a batsman I like a lot. He is also likely to have some bowling to do.
Are we going to have to explain our selections after every round? Could get a little tedious.
77 England
66 Draw
57 AustraliaGraeme Swann
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
England 65
Australia 85
Draw 50Power player – Andrew Flintoff (reserve – Graeme Swann)
Aussie’s
– 130
Draw
– 70
Mitchell Johnson (AUS)
(Reserve – Swann)
Charles Darwin to conquer the World
- Total Posts 17716
I, for one, can’t believe that Steve Harmison was left out of the squad when both Monty Panesar and Ian Bell made it in, and I only hope that Geoff Miller isn’t made to look like the clueless t*sser he would seem to be.
In an interview on Sky Sports, Miller said that Bell had been included to ensure the presence of an ‘international class batsman in the event that one of the top order is unable to participate’. Or words to that effect. But I’m struggling to understand why the same logic wasn’t applied to Harmison, who boasts infinitely more experience than Durham team-mate Graham Onions and bowled bloody well against the team we’re going to be facing in the next five tests (Onions only took 10 wickets in four innings against the West Indies after all, a feat I’m sure I’m capable of achieving). And to then follow his (Miller’s) idiotic logic with the sentence ‘Panesar is in; he hasn’t been bowling well and hasn’t been taking wickets, but he’s international class’ beggars belief.
The absence of Brett Lee from the first test obviously limits Australia’s bowling attack somewhat, but I thought Mitchell Johnson swung the ball really well against the Lions and has every chance of causing England plenty of problems. Throw in the form of Hussey and Katich, and the promise of the Aussies’ younger players, and we’re in trouble.
Australia @ 200pts (Simon Katich)
Every time Geoff Miller opens his mouth, he worries me. In between times, I convince myself that there are some coherent thinkers making these decisions and then he goes and ruins it.
I can understand the reluctance over Harmison, but not the decision to go with Onions instead. Sidebottom would surely have been a better choice if fast-medium innocuous was what they were looking for. Or the young Warwickshire quick, Woakes. Still, I am putting aside my massive suspicion that Onions is no more than a county trundler and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Let’s see how good he is.
The return of Panesar and Bell merely illustrates the lack of talent in the English game. Bell was dropped, not just because of his lack of runs, but because he tended to go missing when it really mattered. There was a question mark over his mental strength (fairly or not). A few easy runs for Warwickshire and he is apparently back again. He should have gone to the back of the queue and yet it turns out that there is no queue. Or rather, he is the queue.
Panesar had been charged with adding some variety to his bowling (something that the very best bowlers don’t have to be told to do – the likes of Warne and Pietersen never stop working at their game). It wasn’t going well but then it takes time and Mushtaq was on hand to help him. Panesar recently gave an interview complaining that he was finding it difficult and was thinking about going back to his old style. He should have been given more time to develop this.
Clivex is right about Cardiff. There is no way they will prepare a turner after being docked points earlier in the season. Can you imagine the stick they will get (not to mention the ICC sanction) if the Test finishes in three days? It will be slow, low and tedious. Reverse swing might be the thing, but without Lee, it will have to be all Johnson, though it will be nice to see Clark have a trundle.
Tempted to change my choice to a draw, but I’ll stick with the Aussies.
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