Bangladesh tour of England, May-July 2010

[Highlander999]

Right, I'm officially back on the Ravi Bopara lovewagon. Had started to lose faith in him over the last few months, but he's back in form and back in England colours with a bang. Bin Luke Wright and use this lad instead, not much worse with the ball but miles better with the bat. <3 Ravi. I'd actually be considering playing Bopara ahead of Morgan in the Test side against Pakistan to replace Bell. Ravi's in better form and Morgan didn't really do anything of note against Bangladesh.

I call passenger seat on the wagon then!!!!

Once Bell and KP is back I would like our top 7 to be like this (ODI's) although would be tempted to play Bell at 3 and knock everyone else down a spot:

Strauss
Kieswetter
KP
Colly
Morgan
Bell
Bopara

Bopara and Colly can get through 10 overs between them, leaving you Broad, Swann and 2 of either Yardy, Jimmy, Shazhad or Bresnan.

Fantastic late hitting Bopara, hopefully now he has matured as a batsman and can back up all that potential he showed back against the Windies.

 

[King Pietersen]

Even tougher selection in future ODi's. You'd say there's only 1 position free for one of Trott, Bell, Bopara and Wright, who do we go for? I'd like to go for Bopara down the order to finish innings off like that regularly, but dropping Trott after this series would be very harsh. The place in the side is between those 2 for me, unless we drop Yardy and play both Trott and Bopara, and then have to get 10 overs from Collingwood, Bopara and Trott. Gonna be some tough selections coming up in all forms of the game.

I love that Top 7 Tom, and would much prefer to watch Bell at 3 than Trott, but it's difficult to drop him after this series, man selection is getting hard for our ODi and T20 sides, it is nice having so many quality options though, has to be said.

 

[mattfb]

I watched Ravi bat yesterday, looks in awesome form atm.

Yep, that was a quality knock yesterday. Pollard did deliver him some pies and it was a small ground but you've still got to put those away. A 100 in T20 is awesome.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

16 ball 45 nice!! Good Innings by Bopara but Shafifoooooll Islam 9 overs for 97?

:laugh

Mortaza in 8 rpo match goes for 3 thats an awesome thing!! KIU

 

[khalek]

Shafiul's figures put Tapash Baisya to shame, that's what happens when teenagers take on the big boys.

 

[King Pietersen]

16 ball 45* from Ravi, the record for the fastest ever 50 is held by Sanath Jayasuriya, and came up in 17 balls, so he wasn't far off the record there. Also interesting to note that Bopara and Yardy put on a 44 partnership in 3 overs, Yardy contributed 8 from 7 balls. :laugh

 

[Highlander999]

I love that Top 7 Tom, and would much prefer to watch Bell at 3 than Trott, but it's difficult to drop him after this series, man selection is getting hard for our ODi and T20 sides, it is nice having so many quality options though, has to be said.

I know he just got a 100, but I really am not a fan of Trott in ODI cricket. I just feel he is too slow, I mean how often will he push on and get 60/70+? Not very often I feel to justify how long it takes him to get going. Also you've got to remember Bell offers something special in the field and I just feel having him at 3 would really work for us. With Colly, Morgan and Bopara at 5/6/7 that is a middle order who is able to hit out the park or play sensibly if needed, which is something I feel we lack with Wright in there who just seems to only ever slog it.

 

[King Pietersen]

I do agree with you, I love that 5/6/7, and I would prefer to see Bell at 3, but it's just a matter of whether the selectors feel that way. Hopefully they do, as Strauss, Kieswetter, Bell, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Bopara, Yardy, Bresnan/Anderson/Flintoff (when he's fit), Swanneh, Broad and Shahzad is a very good side on paper.

 

[Highlander999]

I think in regards to Flintoff we might have to let that one go. His batting was going downhill and there is no guarantee he will be the same bowler as last time after this spell out. Maybe it is time to focus on a few youngsters. I'm not getting rid of Wright forever, he just needs to go back to county cricket and work on his batting and bowling if he wants to be a genuine all-rounder to the quality of Flintoff/Kallis etc and come back in a few years time.

 

[King Pietersen]

Flintoff's not going to have suddenly lost his ability to bowl. He's still England's best death bowler, and if he does manage to get himself fit for International cricket he walks back into this side. His latest surgery supposedly went well, and he should easily be able to cope with playing as a One Day cricketer, much like Shaun Tait for Australia. If there were youngsters smashing the door down and looking brilliant in OD cricket I'd agree with you, but Wright and Bresnan are the best all-rounders in the County game ATM, which is all that needs to be said really. Fred should walk back into this side when fit.

 

[AngryPixel]

England should get Dravid on loan for ODI's, he would surely play quicker than trott

 

[Sureshot]

I think in regards to Flintoff we might have to let that one go. His batting was going downhill and there is no guarantee he will be the same bowler as last time after this spell out. Maybe it is time to focus on a few youngsters. I'm not getting rid of Wright forever, he just needs to go back to county cricket and work on his batting and bowling if he wants to be a genuine all-rounder to the quality of Flintoff/Kallis etc and come back in a few years time.

Agreed, I don't think he's had a particularly good summer, the talent is there though and it needs to be nurtured.

I just don't see what benefit the team can get from a cricketer who will have been out of the side for a long time and will almost certainly not be able to stay fit for more than a few games. That was the old era, we have to move on and create the all-rounder of the future, it took a few years to get Freddie firing. Wright is only 25.

 

[AngryPixel]

K.P has a nice built, i guess he can bowl 135-140 KPH easily. would have been easier to ask K.P to try fast bowling then expecting wright to improve his batting as well as bowling.

 

[King Pietersen]

How do you know with any degree of certainty that Flintoff won't be able to play more than a few games before getting injured again? With Test matches that's true, but if the surgery was as successful as it's been claimed, and Fred's recovery has been as good as rumoured then he should be capable of being a mainstay of this ODi side. He won't be able to bat in the Top 5 like he used to, we've moved on from then, but as a pure bowler, he's still better than anyone else in England with the white ball. If he does manage to get himself fully fit, and proves that fitness with Lancashire, then there is no question in my mind as to whether we get him in or not. Luke Wright might be one for the future, but Flintoff's more likely to bowl a match winning spell in a WC final. He might be past his prime, but he proved in the Ashes last summer that he's still one hell of a bowler.

 

[killer7xx]

England are thrashing Bangladesh - everyone go back to your knitting or w/e

And as for Bopara, I think it's too early for him to get back into the test side. Remember the ashes last year?