: Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:27 pm  

PAUL M wrote:

The batting order looks very weak for me. Bopara I don't think will ever be a no.3 and with Prior at 6 it puts way too much pressure on the others. Bresnan and Broad would help to pad out the tail but it still looks weak to me.

As Penguin says, others have blown their chance at number 3, so I guess Ravi's just the next cab off the rank. He hardly comes across as a natural, he looks much more suited to 5/6, but I suppose he deserves a go. Put it this way, I'd be a lot happier with a "proper" number 3 in there, Ravi at 6 and the rest of them moving down a place, it would make the tail look a lot stronger.

: Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:09 pm  

Lord_Percy wrote:

As Penguin says, others have blown their chance at number 3, so I guess Ravi's just the next cab off the rank. He hardly comes across as a natural, he looks much more suited to 5/6, but I suppose he deserves a go. Put it this way, I'd be a lot happier with a "proper" number 3 in there, Ravi at 6 and the rest of them moving down a place, it would make the tail look a lot stronger.

Hopefull Bell or Vaughan will make a shedload of runs in the next few weeks and come into contention for the Ashes, unless Bopara does well against the Windies.

: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:20 pm  

Onions got a Michelle already today

: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:27 pm  

Loop wrote:

Onions got a Michelle already today

Holy moly! Look at that for confidence!

: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:42 pm  

The Penguin wrote:

Holy moly! Look at that for confidence!

And at Taunton of all places!

: Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:35 pm  

Owais Shah should be miles from the england test team - right decision
lot of time for bopara though - think he could develop into a good test batsman

: Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:48 pm  

Vaughan will play against Australia anyway

Strauss
Cook
Vaughan
Pietersen
Bopara
Flintoff
Prior
Broad
Harmison
Anderson
Panesar

Will be our 11 for the first ashes test

: Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:33 pm  

Not confident at all with that squad. It's quite inexperienced and when you compare it with the likes of Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Edwards and Jerome Taylor, it looks weak.

: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:41 am  

I think the selectors have been quite brave and they have to be saluted for that - it would have been so very easy to have picked Vaughan/Bell and Harmison but they haven't, they've gone down the younger, more to prove route and I for one applaud that.

I feel a little sorry for Owais Shah as he hasn't been given the true chance and long-run at 3 he was promised, but he hasn't played any cricket yet this season so fair enough. And Ravi Bopara plays at 3 or 4 for Essex and scores plenty of runs for them so why not give him a chance in the Test team??

: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:58 am  

Lord_Percy wrote:

Put it this way, I'd be a lot happier with a "proper" number 3 in there, Ravi at 6 and the rest of them moving down a place, it would make the tail look a lot stronger.

Would also mean you'd need to find 10-12 overs per day from the likes of Bopara or Pietersen, and if one of your seamers gets injured in the game itself you're stuffed...