England in Australia

[puddleduck]

I think I agree Matt, I'll be honest I'm not entirely sure about who we go with for the next test. I think ideally we would play Panesar, Harmison, Flintoff, Hoggard and Mahmood. However if Giles hits some match saving runs then I guess he has earnt his place, and Englands collapse in the first innings will only convince Fletcher more that we need to lengthen our batting order.

Personally if he's that desperate then he may as well take the gamble of dropping Giles for Joyce and batting Freddie at 7 or 8 and playing as a specialist bowler in a 4 man attack. Main problem there though is he is just not fit enough.

This match has been summed up for me by the fact that our frontline spinner managed to beat the bat less than our frontline batsman :

 

[barmyarmy]

Mahmood can be a very good bowler but I don't trust him to keep it tight enough. With Harmison's radar still needing fixing we really have to the other bowlers putting pressure on. Giles isn't going to get many wickets but can tie players up and then Hoggy, Fred and Monty can knock Aus over with Harmison chipping in with short lethal bursts.
Mahmood and Anderson just aren't good enough to bowl at Australia on flat tracks.

 

[puddleduck]

Thing with Mahmood though Barmy is that it's either him or Giles to provide that number 8 batting. One of them may keep it tight without threatening, the ease with which the Aussies milked him was embarrasing, whilst the other might win you a session or lose you the match.

Time for me to head downstairs and settle down for hopefully 7 hours of cricket and not just 2-3 hours

 

[Simbazz]

I think Kevin Pietersen will play a part in Englands bowling attack. Australia have the likes of Clarke who can bat but bowl spin aswell so they arn't just going out with one spinner.

Pietersen showed he can spin the ball and most overs he's gone for less than a boundry, which for a bowler who bowls 8 overs per innings is a decent rate!

 

[barmyarmy]

the ease with which the Aussies milked him was embarrasing

I'm no fan of Giles but I'm operating under the assumption that Fletcher isn't going to drop him. I thought he was quite economical?
I don't fancy Saj and Harmison bowling together atm - far too many 4 balls.

 

[evertonfan]

...whilst the other might win you a session or lose you the match.

Couldn't have summed Saj up any better.

Time for me to head downstairs and settle down for hopefully 7 hours of cricket and not just 2-3 hours

I'll take anything above 2-3 minutes.

 

[Left_Hander]

I've actually been thinking along the same lines, Lee just has not been consistent enough or looked threatening thus his pace is actually assisting the batsmen and now putting fear into them. Our only problem is the next game is at Adelaide and Lee has shown he can reverse swing it which could be a useful tool on the road track.

He is a good one-day bowler but in test cricket you can bowl unlimeted overs batsmen get use to him then go after him. Really needs to get it right today if he wants to play in Adelaide.

 

[Simbazz]

I'll take anything above 2-3 minutes.

Always the optimist

 

[aussie1st]

He is a good one-day bowler but in test cricket you can bowl unlimeted overs batsmen get use to him then go after him. Really needs to get it right today if he wants to play in Adelaide.

Lee is usually threatening when the new ball is moving but once that wears off then hes not much of a threat as he doesn't hit the deck like McGrath and doesn't have any cutters like Bracken.

 

[Simbazz]

Bracken would be a step back to replace Lee, i dont think a left arm quick will do much as im sure Cook and Strauss will quickly sort him out!

 

[evertonfan]

Bracken would be a step back to replace Lee, i dont think a left arm quick will do much as im sure Cook and Strauss will quickly sort him out!

Your kidding aren't you? Strauss was in dissaray against Pathan and Vaas earlier this year. Bar one 100 in Mumbai on a flat-tracker, he couldn't buy a run.

 

[Simbazz]

Your kidding aren't you? Strauss was in dissaray against Pathan and Vaas earlier this year.

On English pitches, which dont bounce anything like the Australian pitches. Strauss is usually quite a good player when it comes to getting on top of a bouncing ball, but his pulling and hooking needs working on. He hasnt got a think on my pulling ability

 

[aussie1st]

Bracken would be a step back to replace Lee, i dont think a left arm quick will do much as im sure Cook and Strauss will quickly sort him out!

That wasn't a suggestion to replace Lee with Bracken, if I was doing that I'd go Tait or Johnson but nothing wrong with Bracken as his cutters provided an handful for the Windies batsmen in the final of the Champions trophy and if it's swinging hes as lethal as anyone.

 

[Simbazz]

That wasn't a suggestion to replace Lee with Bracken, if I was doing that I'd go Tait or Johnson but nothing wrong with Bracken as his cutters provided an handful for the Windies batsmen in the final of the Champions trophy and if it's swinging hes as lethal as anyone.

Dont get me wrong, i rate him as a bowler, but just not test match bowling. He proved that he could do it in the OD arena

 

[Gunner786]

i hope england are 9 wickets down with only pieterson remaining and the heavens open

that would be a killer