What is England thinking????

They better hurry and fasttrack Harmison, hoggard and Jones back into the lineup!!!

They think this is the WI they playing or what?

In reply to Larr Pullo

1 bad test?

In reply to Amnesiac

You seriously think that he is the best available to lead England attack?

In reply to Larr Pullo

I think he's been the best English bowler over the last 2 years.

Eng needs more firepower but Harmison has proven he's mentally not up to it and Vaughn probably figures Hoggard and Sidebottom are similar.

But there is no need to single out Sidebumsee

Anderson has improved but more often than not is not good enough.
Broad is young but ran a bit flat in recent tests.
Panesar can only bowl on helpful wickets.

Their bowling attack has more problems than Sidebumsee

In reply to Larr Pullo

Vaughn pick his friend. Good.

In reply to Amnesiac

That's correct.

I also think, he should not have been rushed back for this Test. He's overworked and not fully-fit. Harmison should have played instead.

Sidebottom was not much before the NZ series, (decent vs WI) but if an okay bowler can bully NZ and become a teams strike bowler, then lets see what Taylor can do.....

In reply to Amnesiac

add to that," in conditions that favour swing" and you would be on to something.

In reply to Chrissy

Which friend? The one who scored 135?

In reply to Larr Pullo

Sidey wont be anything special outside NZ/Eng

In reply to CricketLuva4 i think he was End best bowler in SL.

In reply to Tizzle_Dndee

You're right,

Lets see him do that consistently.

In reply to Larr Pullo

Larr how about John snow, Ray illingworth, Jeff Boycott and company, think they can help this lot, waaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

If KP had batted sensibly when he had his eye in and continued to handle the Saffie bowlers as if they were the West Indies shitprong,he would probably have gone on to a double century, giving England a comfortable lead and putting real pressure on the Saffies. He was seduced by the adulation of the crowd and overplayed his hand, gifting the test to the Saffies. Played for himself, not the team. Exposed competent players such as Sidebottom to unfair criticism, and, worse, wasted the efforts of less gifted players such as Collingwood, and that of the returning lion, Flintoff,let down his captain, Vaughn, quite a sensible lad who is struggling at the moment....Shame on you, KP

In reply to CricketLuva4

You will be eating those words next March, if and when a fully-fit Sidebottom comes to the WI and start ripping through our own technical deficients.

In reply to ProWI

Harmison has no heart.....

In reply to ProWI

the key words here being WI, Sidebottom is not a 'bad' bowler by any stretch of the imagination, but if he can beat up on the weaker test playing teams (Wi, NZ, Ban), does it really show your true colors as a bowler????

I will eat my words the day he can do something remarkable against the likes of India, Australia, and South Africa overseas.

Good-day to you

In reply to ProWI The caribbean don't swing around or seam around like NZ, Eng! Still, I aint saying he can't dominate we batsmen as it seem anyone can do that at the moment but a revolution in windies cricket is imminent!

In reply to jen

big ups on staying positive.

In reply to CricketLuva4 The world is a cycle mate.

Has Monty peaked?

Wesley

In reply to jen

And our tire on the cycle is flat

In reply to hewesleyb

Not only has he peaked but he is definitely on the downside of his career.....

I wouldn't be surprised if he's dropped for the last test.

In reply to CricketLuva4 It's pumping up man, take it easy. Roach, Pascal waiting in the wings to revolutionized the pace attack.

In reply to jen

they're the air

In reply to Larr Pullo

I am very surprise his bowling has not improved in the last year and he does not have a change delivery.

Wesley

In reply to CricketLuva4 haha, yeah man.

And panesar needs to vary his bowling more. he's around the 54 kph all the time. he needs to go down to early 70's now and again.

In reply to hewesleyb

I can see that you realize that a slower ball doesnt really count as variation, it has become a necessity for a pace bowler to have.

In reply to CricketLuva4 Monty slower ball does not fool anyone he needs to develope a ball that straightens to the right hander/ or better yet turns into the right hander. If not he will continue to decline.



Wesley

In reply to hewesleyb

Its called an arm ball, and he has it. If you are thinking of the chinaman, then Im not too sure how that will work out, it will be too easy to pick due to him being a finger spinner and the chinaman bowled with the wrists.

In reply to hewesleyb Panesar needs to bowl with more flight consistently and a lot more slower speeds. When it's not turning, batsman will play his fast flat bowling with ease.

In reply to jen

I heard he was compared to Bedi. Bowl with flight, and tempt the batsmen to hit over the top, then his variations will kick in.

In reply to CricketLuva4 He use to bowl with good flight against pakistan in england. he was never the same again after. People now saying he bowling too flat mostly.

In reply to jen

He bowled flat because there was more generous turn from the lefties rough, it was part bowler and part skippers fault. The captain should of moved sliiy-point to a slip, and he should tempt a cover-drive out of the rough with flight. If he gets an edge, rather than going for runs, he could get a wicket.

In reply to CricketLuva4 i guess it's monty, he's been told many ah times to variate more but he hasn't been doing that.

In reply to jen

Thats when the skipper needs to take the situation into his hands. He needs to inform Monty where and how to bowl and set the right field to that.

Listen these gutless mindless Pommies only superceeded by the Windies. Actually they are probably worse since theoretically they have more to work with. These Pommies were mentally and physically whipped since that first test declaration and follow on enforcement.

Imagine they had Harmlesson in the squad and did not play him because of the so called wicket when this was the deciding test for them. If he did not play then, why bother now.

Panasar is becoming so one dimensional its not funny. He bowls at one speed all the time. No guile and variation. What else can you say other than the better team won. This is a serious ass wuppin to lay down on the home team.

In reply to CricketLuva4 Thanks for explination of the arm ball /chinaman maybe that is the limitations of a finger spinner v wrist spinner. Whatever the reason Monty failed to deliver today, that said if appears he had Smith cought behind at 85 and umpire missed it.


Wesley

In reply to hewesleyb

Its very difficult for the umpire to pick up those glove/bat-pads. and to go into a little more detail about the arm-ball vs the Chinaman, is fairly simple.

They both turn the same way, but the arm ball 'goes on with the arm'. That means despite spin put on the ball to turn away from the right-hander, the ball comes in with the arm, hence getting the batsman playing down the wrong line.

The Chinaman, is a mirror image leg break, and turns into the right-hander with the wrist instead of with the arm.



Sorry for going into so much detail.

In reply to jen WI should pay Attention to KENROY PETERS, i think he's better than Collins....This guys moves it both ways.

In reply to Larr Pullo

It might have been slightly more accurate to state that

since this was the case at Edgbastion.

So far as the case for Harmlessone's selection at Edgbaston was concerned:

In Harmlessone's 9 tests against South Africa to date, he has taken 18 wickets at 59.55 each.

In Harmlessone's 3 tests at Edgbaston, he has taken 5 wickets at 68.2 each.
These facts may or may not have had a bearing on his non-selection.

England are stupid for getting rid of a proven bowler like Hoggard, and placing so much on Sidebottom, who is a mere NZ bully. He has nothing on Hoggard, and I think that all the talk about West Indies this n West Indies that, England is one of THE worst places to have a career, ESPECIALLY as a fast bowler. They're too critical of persons, and never seem to know how to handle certain situations. That is why when I make my predictions for who is going to be the next super power in cricket, I never rate them, because they always foul up with something or the other.

People say that C Jordan would do better trying for England, but tell me what makes anyone think that shit lol. Look at how many better bowlers are there on the sidelines, while lesser bowlers are in their places. James Anderson is not better or nearly as penetrative as Hoggard was, and I fail to see why a man who was not even "over the hill" could not be allowed to have a bad series, after being England's most consistent bowler for years. It was hoggard who ripped S.A. to pieces IN S.A.

In reply to Bim4Life

How did he do against West Indies?

In reply to MarcusGarveyLives
Forgot about that..... he only played one series against us tho, so to call him our bully is not really as justifiable as callin him a NZ bully. He played back to back series, and 41 of his 76 wickets are against them. He has not done well in conditions that aren't similar to England so I will maintain that he can't see Hoggard.

In reply to Bim4Life

Sidebottom's only played 3 test matches outside the UK that were not in New Zealand - Sri Lanka is the only place other than New Zealand that England have toured since his recall to the team. I see he took 5 wickets at 63.6 (his first overseas test tour) compared to Vass' 11 at 29.18 in the same series (a reasonable comparison in terms of method?) and Hoggard's 7 at 29.28 and Harmison's 6 at 35.83.

Sidebottom is a home bully then?

In reply to doosra

Are far as I can see, Englnd have only played two overseas tours since he was recalled to the test team.

In reply to MarcusGarveyLives

is he suggesting permanance to you? or an ability to bowl people out overseas? What were his figures like SL?

In reply to doosra

His performance in Sri Lanka appear above for anyone who wishes to read them.

By way of footnote, and whether or not it is considered relevant, the England wicketkeeper on that tour, Prior, lost his place in the England team having dropped several chances off Sidebottom's bowling in that series.

In reply to MarcusGarveyLives

Ironically , they dropPED Mustard after the ODI leg of the NZ tour after he had scored some good runs. Prior also scored runs on that SL tour.

By way of footnote (tm MGL), dropping catches is part and parcel of this great game. Bowlers from time immemorial recieved this unkind treatment...

wot u think?

In reply to MarcusGarveyLives

he was pretty decent against WI

SiBo isn't there to lead our attack, he's there to keep it tight if the ball isn't swinging and to take wickets if it is. So far, I think he has met that brief very well. He's nothing outstanding, but put him alongside Flintoff and Harmison and I think you've got someone who will trouble the opposition. Citing the SL series as a massive failure is a little unfair on him 'cause the pitches were flat and nearly everyone struggled. He had a load of catches dropped off his bowling as well, particularly by Matt Prior.

When he's fit (which he ain't at the moment), he's a good player and a worthy addition to the team. Nothing spectacular, just an honest dobber a bit like Matthew Hoggard. Along with Flintoff, Harmi and Broad, I think he could be the part of a strong-ish attack for a few years. Obviously with Monty there too.

In reply to Augustus

what about Broad suggests to you that he can make a contribution towards the creation of a 'strong-ish' England bowling attack?

He has a lot of natural ability, I saw it the other week for Notts. against Durham. It's just about being patient with a youngster while he adapts to the international game. Flintoff was the same in the beginning, taking his wickets at over 50, but England kept going with him and it worked. I think Broad has that sort of talent too and is worth waiting for at the minute. There's no-one else in England who's really worth it.

Broad's a better ODI bowler at the minute though. He bowls a better line and length with the white ball for some reason.

In reply to Larr Pullo

Would he make the West Indies team if he was West Indian (or Australian who had lost his contract with a state team, for that matter)?

In reply to MarcusGarveyLives

yah think?

In reply to doosra

go to pedro for more.....