England in Australia

[BigCrickNan]

I like that team sureshot but only on spinning pitches were i would have another seamer ahead of giles. Also Read for jones. What has jones done!?!

 

[barmyarmy]

C'mon, there's no way we can drop Harmison before the first test has even started. He may be expensive but he's still a wicket-taker (and a former world number one).
My XI for what it's worth would be: (edit XII in fact!!!)

Trescothick
Strauss
Cook
Bell
Pietersen
Collingwood
Flintoff
Read
Giles/Anderson (depending on pitch)
Hoggard
Panesar
Harmison

I actually got really stuck doing this as I want to play Tres, Cook, Bell and Collingwood. Maybe Australia wouldn't mind if we played with 12...

 

[Skater]

After watching the tour match I have changed my team for the first test:

1. Marcus Trescothick
2. Andrew Strauss
3. Alastair Cook
4. Paul Collingwood
5. Ian Bell
6. Kevin Pietersen
7. Andrew Flintoff (captain)
8. Geraint Jones (wicket keeper)
9. James Anderson
10. Matthew Hoggard
11. Monty Panesar

 

[barmyarmy]

I don't think we can really go in with three specialist bowlers, one of whom is James Anderson. It would put enormous pressure on Flintoff.
Plus why has everyone suddenly turned on Harmison? Did I imagine him being the leading wicket taker in the series he played in the summer?

 

[Stephen Bailey]

After watching the tour match I have changed my team for the first test:

1. Marcus Trescothick
2. Andrew Strauss
3. Alastair Cook
4. Paul Collingwood
5. Ian Bell
6. Kevin Pietersen
7. Andrew Flintoff (captain)
8. Geraint Jones (wicket keeper)
9. James Anderson
10. Matthew Hoggard
11. Monty Panesar

3 bowlers plus Flintoff? That's a huge risk. Harmison is very, very hard to drop. As we saw during the Pakistan series (and many others), he'll suddenly find that line and length and he'll destroy teams.

 

[BigCrickNan]

I don't think we can really go in with three specialist bowlers, one of whom is James Anderson. It would put enormous pressure on Flintoff.
Plus why has everyone suddenly turned on Harmison? Did I imagine him being the leading wicket taker in the series he played in the summer?

Because hes barely bowled a good ball since...

 

[Skater]

I don't think we can really go in with three specialist bowlers, one of whom is James Anderson. It would put enormous pressure on Flintoff.
Plus why has everyone suddenly turned on Harmison? Did I imagine him being the leading wicket taker in the series he played in the summer?

He was in my team to start with. I then decided to replace him with Alastair Cook for a stronger batting line-up.

 

[BigCrickNan]

3 bowlers plus Flintoff? That's a huge risk. Harmison is very, very hard to drop. As we saw during the Pakistan series (and many others), he'll suddenly find that line and length and he'll destroy teams.

I don't think he found his line and length - he found a pitch. Harmisons normal length will be brilliant on hard pitches, and totally pointless on others. And his radar is prone to go awry.

 

[sid_19840]

Id have Harmison instead of Cook,youd definately need 4 bowlers plus Flintoff occassionaly taking into account that this will be his first test after a while.As been said plenty of times you need to get them out twice.

 

[barmyarmy]

Because hes barely bowled a good ball since...

So you're picking the test team on the basis of ODI form? In that case Tresco should be on the plane home as should Saj Mahmood, Chris Read, probably Andrew Flintoff as well.
Harmison took most wickets and had the best average against Pakistan. The fact his ODI form has been dismal is irrelvant. It's a completely different game. There is no way we can expect to take 20 Aussie wickets if we drop Harmy.

I don't think he found his line and length - he found a pitch. Harmisons normal length will be brilliant on hard pitches, and totally pointless on others. And his radar is prone to go awry.

Just as well Aussie pitches tend to be hard then...

 

[BigCrickNan]

I'm not neccesarily saying about ODI form in terms of wickets and stuff his line was bad and he bowled really bad at the oval against pakistan. I realise we need him in the team but he needs to improve his accuracy.

Just as well Aussie pitches tend to be hard then...

 

[Stephen Bailey]

I don't think he found his line and length - he found a pitch. Harmisons normal length will be brilliant on hard pitches, and totally pointless on others. And his radar is prone to go awry.

He bowled a lot better that match than he did the rest of the series, apart from maybe a spell at the Oval. Sure, the pitch at Old Trafford helped him, but he still had to get it right. Had he bowled his mix of half-volleys and wide long hops, he would've got carted. In the West Indies, he found that line and length, against Australia at Lord's last summer, he found that line and length for the most part. He then disappeared in that series, until that spell at the Oval.

Anderson and Mahmood are atleast as likely to go for runs too.

 

[barmyarmy]

Anderson and Mahmood are atleast as likely to go for runs too.

And less likely to get wickets. Some of the Aussie batsman are scared of Harmison's pace and we need all the psychological advantages we can get.

 

[Skater]

I don't think many of our bowlers were in great form towards the end of last summer. Matthew Hoggard was in top form during the series against Sri Lanka, but during the Oval test they were all leaking runs and not taking many wickets. Thank god it was abandoned...

 

[evertonfan]

I'd definitley pick Harmison. I don't like the way people are using his ODI form as an excuse to drop him. He's always been poor at ODI's and hoppefully his dropping is the kick up the jacksie he deserves. Nobody else in the team can mix extra bounce, pace and height as good as he with the exclusion of Fred maybe. I'd go with this team;

Tres
Strauss
Cook
Pietersen
Bell
Flintoff
Jones
Harmison
Panesar
Anderson
Hoggard

Hoggard goes at XI because I just feel Anderson and Panesar are better batsmen. I agree that it's a slightyly long tail but it;s the batsmen's job to score the runs isn't it?