ICC World T20 2010 - West Indies

[King Pietersen]

I'm as big a Bopara fan as anyone, but there's no way he should be picked ahead of Trott.

As for Wright, I see him playing down the order. Pointless picking Michael Lumb if he's not going to open. Kieswetter and Lumb makes for a promising opening partnership I think.

 

[RoboRocks]

Hope Yardy doesn't play. He's not an international batsman and he's certainly not an international class spinner. I would play Ravi instead and bat him at 6.

 

[King Pietersen]

I disagree. Flower said he wanted some variation in the bowling attack, and wanted a left-arm spinner, and Yardy was far and away the best left-arm spinner in the T20 cup last season, so his selection makes sense. I think he could definitely do a handy job. His economy was excellent last season, and although he's not going to rip through sides, he could do a very good holding job in the middle overs alongside Swann. Could be a Botha-Van Der Merwe-esque partnership for England. I think he's a good call-up, especially on those Caribbean pitches.

 

[War]

I disagree. Flower said he wanted some variation in the bowling attack, and wanted a left-arm spinner, and Yardy was far and away the best left-arm spinner in the T20 cup last season, so his selection makes sense. I think he could definitely do a handy job. His economy was excellent last season, and although he's not going to rip through sides, he could do a very good holding job in the middle overs alongside Swann. Could be a Botha-Van Der Merwe-esque partnership for England. I think he's a good call-up, especially on those Caribbean pitches.

Disagree. Such selections always comes down to the standard of cricket in our domestic circuit (especially our List A & T20 which is of poor quality). Where by the selectors knowing this should not always take domestic performances/statistics as the ulitmiate guide, when picking players for the national side.

Yardy was indeed the best bowler in our average T20 cup last season, but just by watching him bowl one can tell he wouldn't make sense bowling againts International batsmen. Plus dont lets talk about his batting, he is not a hitter - thus if he plays he makes the lower-order very weak. His overall package as a T20 cricketer @ international level is a big joke.

Although given the surfaces in the Caribbean are very likely to help the spinners (especially in Guyana - Barbados & St.Luica could be pacy decks though). Fact is outside of Swann there is no spinner in England who can trouble international batsmen in T20 cricket. So picking Yardy just for the sake of having second spinner doesn't is typical of the England selectors & their poor judgement. If they wanted a left-arm spinner who could be of real use Samit Patel was that guy - but the selectors are too busy calling him fat. Hell even Ian Blackewell would be a better selection than Yardy geeez..

The best thing England could have done is just pick Swann along with alot of pace bowling options & hope to god Swann doesn't get injured.



Looking at the other selectors. Well after 15 years of watching England i have grown accustomed to the selectors doing crap when it comes to picking limited overs sides. So i dont have the energy to screa anymore

Fact is:

- Shah DEFINATELY should have been picked

- Mascarenhas as well. The only valid reason the selectors could have for not picking him is if they feel he wil not recover in time for the T20 WC from the finger injury he suffered in the IPL recently.

- Plus IMO Lumb & Bopara can't be in the same team. It had to be one of them since Bopara for eg if he aint opening in a T20 shouldn't be in the T20 team.

- If they are picking Yardy as the 2nd spinner. Why have a 3rd one in Tredwell? haha

- Also dropping Trott was horrible :doh

*SIGHS*....these selectors. My enthusiam for England doing well in this T20 WC just died.

 

[RoboRocks]

I don't rate Yardy as a batsman. He doesn't have the ablity to change gears from what I've seen. As for his bowling, well he's just a part-time spinner, who'll get hammered against quality players.

The selectors have to pick Patel if they want someone to fill this role. He's both a better batsman and a better bowler. Or Rashid, who's a specialist spinner.

 

[King Pietersen]

Would probably help if Patel or Rashid could actually perform with the ball in County Cricket first tbh. Blackwell would be a better option than all 3 of them AFAIC, but it seems he may be a little on the plump side to get picked for England.

As for Shah. Wouldn't want him near the T20 side personally. Sure he's a decent (at best) batsman, but he can't field, can't bowl and is a disaster running between the wickets. At least with Bopara you've got a lad that's basically as good with the bat, good in the field, capable of bowling handy medium pace and although no spring chicken between the wickets himself, isn't anywhere near as bad as Shah.

Lumb + Bopara won't be in the same XI I wouldn't have thought. I see Lumb opening up with Kieswetter, and Yardy (who has performed well with the bat in the few T20i's he's played for England) will slot in at either 6 or 7, depending on where they bat Wright. I don't see Bopara being anything other than a back-up batsman; and I do see Yardy playing, as Flower indicated in Bangladesh that he'd like a left-armer in the side.

Yardy wasn't the best performing bowler in our competition either Aussie. Alfonso Thomas and James Kirtley had better seasons (as did Claydon, Barker, A.Mahmood, Arafat, J.Patel, B.Harmison, Kirby, Hall and Ervine). I don't see why Kirtley wasn't given a chance tbh. I think he and Napier would be better options in T20's than Sidebottom (who's been dire in Limited Overs cricket for England of late) and Shahzad.

 

[War]

As for Shah. Wouldn't want him near the T20 side personally. Sure he's a decent (at best) batsman, but he can't field, can't bowl and is a disaster running between the wickets. At least with Bopara you've got a lad that's basically as good with the bat, good in the field, capable of bowling handy medium pace and although no spring chicken between the wickets himself, isn't anywhere near as bad as Shah.

The whole running between the wicket thing with Shah has always been overexaggeratted AFAIC. Yea is slow but its not that bad. Him not being able to bowl is irrelevant since he doesn't need to be able to bowl.

I've been watching him very closely in the IPL & he looks fine. England dont have the talent luxury to keep a player like Shah out. This is getting ridiculous now. When ppl cry out Shah feeling & running if someone never saw Shah one would think he was slower than Inzamam in the field :laugh

Shah would make a superb middle-order T20 batsman. A middle-order of KP/Colly/Morgan/Shah is perfect especially with Kiewsetter & Lumb/Bopara opening.

Bopara won't be in the same XI I wouldn't have thought. I see Lumb opening up with Kieswetter, and Yardy (who has performed well with the bat in the few T20i's he's played for England) will slot in at either 6 or 7, depending on where they bat Wright. I don't see Bopara being anything other than a back-up batsman; and I do see Yardy playing, as Flower indicated in Bangladesh that he'd like a left-armer in the side.

This is why Shah should have been picked. Since as i said looking at the IPL i was always saying in my personal thoughts either one of Lumb or Bopara had to be picked to open with Kiewswetter - both couldn't get picked for me. Since if they aren't opening (especially Bopara) if they had to bat in the middle-order they would be poor in such a role.

Picking Yardy only makes the side weaker for reasons I already stated.

Yardy wasn't the best performing bowler in our competition either Aussie. Alfonso Thomas and James Kirtley had better seasons (as did Claydon, Barker, A.Mahmood, Arafat, J.Patel, B.Harmison, Kirby, Hall and Ervine). I don't see why Kirtley wasn't given a chance tbh. I think he and Napier would be better options in T20's than Sidebottom (who's been dire in Limited Overs cricket for England of late) and Shahzad.

All those bowlers you called their where crap except Hall. We dont need to go back to Kirtley, we all saw how useless he looked in 2007 T20 WC cup. Players like him are perfect examples of joke county players who may do well in domestic cricket - but just by watching them bowl you can tell they wont make sense @ international level.

Napier definately should have been in the squad without a doubt though.

War added 2 Minutes and 36 Seconds later...

Very excited about Australia's squad BTW. Great to see that the selectors have picked Lee right back into things. Hopefully Binga can get his form up in the IPL soon.

Can't wait to see Lee/Nannes/Tait/Johnson line up together. Can't remember the last time such an exciting pace attack was put together.

 

[King Pietersen]

Yeah, we all saw how useless Kirtley was in the 6 deliveries he bowled in the T20 WC to Hayden and Gilchrist. Think he was pretty harshly treated tbh. Sure he's a bit old, but he's been consistently putting up magnificent performances domestically, and deserved more than 1 over. He'd certainly be a better option than Shahzad, and I personally think he offers more than Sidebottom, who's almost certainly going to end up going home injured.

 

[War]

Yeah, we all saw how useless Kirtley was in the 6 deliveries he bowled in the T20 WC to Hayden and Gilchrist. Think he was pretty harshly treated tbh. Sure he's a bit old, but he's been consistently putting up magnificent performances domestically, and deserved more than 1 over. He'd certainly be a better option than Shahzad, and I personally think he offers more than Sidebottom, who's almost certainly going to end up going home injured.

It may have just been one over but he just didn't look international quality - he looked his usal crap self. Same thing can be said about Jeremy Snape in the one over he bowled in the game vs SA as well after being successful for a few years bowling loopy "moon balls" to domestic batsmen. If Kirltey had managed to bowl out of them in that one over i guarantee you he would have been given another chance.

But Kirltey was never international quality anyway. So him putting out good domestic performances in a low quality domestic tournament doesn't mean anything. I can't see Kirtley troubling international batsmen, he shouldn't be anywhere near this side.

 

[King Pietersen]

Do you see Ajmal Shahzad troubling International batsmen, despite the fact he hasn't put the results up in a 'weak domestic competition'? Who else is there outside Kirtley? Sidebottom's looked dire for about 18months, Mahmood is nowhere near good enough, Plunkett was ranked below Mahmood in the PCA Rankings last year, Shahzad's not done anything domestically and Woakes and Finn aren't anywhere near experienced enough. Outside Napier there is no-one else.

Also, Mascarenhas has a bad Achilles injury, not a finger injury. He's out until roughly June.

 

[War]

Do you see Ajmal Shahzad troubling International batsmen, despite the fact he hasn't put the results up in a 'weak domestic competition'? Who else is there outside Kirtley? Sidebottom's looked dire for about 18months, Mahmood is nowhere near good enough, Plunkett was ranked below Mahmood in the PCA Rankings last year, Shahzad's not done anything domestically and Woakes and Finn aren't anywhere near experienced enough. Outside Napier there is no-one else.

Also, Mascarenhas has a bad Achilles injury, not a finger injury. He's out until roughly June.

Without Flintoff we are ***ed as usual. Anderson & Broad are ok T20 bowlers, but can go the distance. If Sidebottom is fit unforuntately he still has to be picked in the event one of Anderson/Braod gets injured.

No-one else makes sense in Mahmood, Finn, Shazad as T20 bowlers againts international batsmen. So its basically a situation where England have are doing damage control with the pace attack even before the tournament has begun :laugh..

The glories of being an England fan

 

[1iram1]

Srilankan side for the World T20:
Chandimal, Perera in Sri Lanka's World T20 squad | Cricket News | ICC World Twenty20 2010 | Cricinfo.com
Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Muttiah Muralitharan (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Thissara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Chanaka Welagedara, Chamara Kapugedara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chinthaka Jayasinghe.
LOL Murali is vice captain. Only new guy is Chandimal.

 

[Dare]

LOL Murali is vice captain. Only new guy is Chandimal.

Murali has been VC since Sanga took over the captaincy. Should have taken Maharoof and Thushara.

 

[MUFC1987]

I don't know why we've bothered with the likes of Sidebottom and Shahzad in the squad even. Our pace bowlers outside of Anderson and Broad aren't going to be much good, so I think we'd have been better off picking some more allrounders in the likes of Napier and Mascarenhas (if he was fit) to get through the overs in the middle. Yardy is a bit of a weird one too, he's not good enough with either bat or ball Internationally, Blackwell should have been picked because at least you'd get 4 decent overs out of him, even if he is hit and miss with the bat. Shah missing is also surprising, if we wanted someone to clear ropes, he was the man. A lot depends on the top 5 and in particular, Kieswetter and Pietersen.

 

[King Pietersen]

Depending on the Top 5 isn't a bad thing, especially a Top 5 as good as Kieswetter, Lumb, Pietersen, Collingwood and Morgan. Those guys should be putting up big totals on their own in most games, and with Wright and Yardy to follow those 2, you've got real depth in the batting. I really like the batting line-up, just the bowling that could be an issue.