Commonwealth Bank Series

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

NZ shouldn't have dropped catchs, simply as that.. I felt for that kiwi fan who cried though awwww

Well done Eng, well played, and I loved seeing Freddie fire!

The finals should be a great!

I hope it will be a good Fight .

 

[Sureshot]

I think today showed that we're better in the field when Vaughan is Captain and Flintoff is just allowed to do his thing. It's just a shame that Vaughan doesn't fit into our batting lineup really.

It begs the question of who Pietersen comes in for, without pushing Collingwood or Flintoff further down the order. I'd rather see Bell open than Vaughan as well, he seems more prepared to try things and he can normally put away the bad balls, which Vaughan could struggle with.


Already.

Oh, I demand a vbookie entitled: 'Will New Zealand beat Australia in a single One Day Cricket match in 2007.'

Well Joyce came in for KP but he's looked in good touch and he's scored a hundred. Obviously we have to find room for KP somewhere, maybe Vaughan might not be fit but if Vaughan is fit he has to play as the captaincy is the most important part of the WC, surely?

Strauss has done better over the last couple of games and I think he does quite well at 4. I might say JD but then if we do need someone to bowl some overs, but then given his recent form Bell/Vaughan/KP would be ample.

I'm so happy. Back to back wins and back to back hundreds from one of the batsmen!

Freddie bowled well as did Monty on a pitch that just wasn't turning. He outbowled Vettori today I can safely say (maybe not).

NZ should've won though, Fleming did well but he never seemed fluent on about 3 occasions during the tail end he took about 6 balls to rotate the strike. 126 runs needed from 21 overs should really be done when you have 7 wickets in hand.

I'm happy. Though I full realise we'll probably lose the finals. But 2 more games against the Aussies is great experience.

 

[m_vaughan]

And thats y we won the WC Final ,ICC champions trophy , ASHES 5-0 .

It dint matter because Australia would have won those with or without Punter as captain. He is very crucial to them as a player but like has been mentioned above his captaincy skills are not quite as good. I think the Ashes of 2005 was the best example of that where he was left wanting on a number of occassions.

In short, an excellent player (best in the world in recent years) but average captain. Fleming is the best in this regard and there is absolutely no doubt about that. However saying that I thought he was disappointing today.

 

[Sureshot]

It's really a case of wickets. We need to keep wickets.

Yup you said it.

And it turned out to be the turning point I reckon, we kept nabbing wickets at important times after the opening partnership.

Although I am banking on Fleming to fire so that we can shut up Evertonfan and the other bloke, I forgot his name.

Me?

Fleming did well today of that there's no doubt. But I don't think he was quite in full flow, do you agree?

He ws stuttering along at the end. Anyone got a chart of his progression through the innings?

 

[m_vaughan]

He was under pressure to score runs which he did. The same cannot be said of Vaughan. But then its the team that matters and England did beat New Zealand.

 

[Leicester Fox]

Wahey we won. England world champions! we need to play a couple more ODI's before the world cup i think. Collingwood was class and the new ball was our only weak spot today. Who will go out the side when KP gets back though?i say Strauss. I still don't agree with the selections but i shouldn't have let that decide the result in my mind

 

[m_vaughan]

Wahey we won. England world champions! we need to play a couple more ODI's before the world cup i think. Collingwood was class and the new ball was our only weak spot today. Who will go out the side when KP gets back though?i say Strauss. I still don't agree with the selections but i shouldn't have let that decide the result in my mind

I would say drop Dalrymple (despite the fact hes scored crucial runs) because KP is a better batsman and Dalrymple's bowling is not helping us much.

 

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

I would say drop Dalrymple (despite the fact hes scored crucial runs) because KP is a better batsman and Dalrymple's bowling is not helping us much.

I will say Joice.

 

[puddleduck]

MUFC - Whilst I appreciate the sentiment behind sticking with what has worked regarding Plunkett and Mahmood, I think Mahmood has done nothing but prove recently that he really isn't good enough. I think most club bowlers would be embarrased with his pitch map! He does bowl good balls, but for the most part he bowls half volleys, or wides. Sums it up really when someone bowls 10 wides in his first over, and Mahmood has been more expensive by the end of the game. I think Anderson, Plunkett and Lewis are, and should be, ahead of him.

Maybe in a year or two he will start to look an International bowler, but take someone like Tait who is far quicker and considered still a little too raw by the Aussies, yet he still has the ability to bowl tight spells, something even an on form Mahmood is rarely able to do.

Yet again I don't think today actually showed us anything we didn't already know about Collingwood. Basically that if he gets to start an innings against the slower bowlers he will often get settled and get a score, yet people with geniune pace who can bowl just back of a length outside offstump will always cause him trouble unless the pitch is as dead as Elvis.

Oh and whilst JD has actually shown a side of his game that was missing in his first few games in that he has started to score quickly at the end of an innings, I think that his bowling is looking extremely ineffective, and that a fit Collingwood and KP might be able to offer that 5th bowler... maybe...

P.S. Don't include Vaughan in part time bowlers, he will never bowl again in International cricket with the state of his knees/hamstrings/etc...

 

[Sureshot]

I'd bet Sajs pitch map was better than Plunketts today. Dropping Saj would be silly it takes another wicket taking option out of an attack that struggles to take wickets imo.

 

[puddleduck]

I'd bet Sajs pitch map was better than Plunketts today. Dropping Saj would be silly it takes another wicket taking option out of an attack that struggles to take wickets imo.

Actually no, apart from Plunketts wides, and shortly after the wides when he bowled with no real pace and was just putting the ball there (albeit still in roughly the same spots) he was mostly in the right areas. Mahmood was all over the place throughout. Also Plunkett looks the far more likely wicket taker. Not to even mention that Plunkett could more than feasibly offer useful runs at 8 or 9 in the Odi lineup.

To add some stats, any bowler who has an average and strike rate over 40, and an economy rate over 6 is not going to win you games.

Oh and one more point for me to make from today.. why is Nixon playing? I refuse to believe that his constant glove smacking, and whipping the bails off for no reason is making up for the fact that he isn't the best gloveman available, and he isn't the best batsman available. There are at least 4 players who should be playing ahead of him on ability alone, a 40 odd in a lost match doesn't change that.

 

[Mars Maximus]

Yea I miss Jones lol

 

[evertonfan]

And thats y we won the WC Final ,ICC champions trophy , ASHES 5-0 .

Yeah we know, still doesn't make him a tactically good captain though does it?

Give Read a go for heaven's sake. Why he is constantly neglected is beyond me. I know he isn't the best batsman of all the keepers in England but he certainly does a better job than Nixon.

 

[Leicester Fox]

whats the point in changing again? we need consistency unlike what we got today

 

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

Give Read a go for heaven's sake. Why he is constantly neglected is beyond me. I know he isn't the best batsman of all the keepers in England but he certainly does a better job than Nixon.

I totally agree with Matt, in my view they should also give chace to Geraint Jones too