[Cricket] *** England v India *** 2nd Spicy Test at Lords 17th -21st SS2 11am

[Blues Rock DJ]

Cook will not be sacked, as that would reflect badly on the Pietersen decision. The answer to me, is to cancel central contracts, restructure the County Championship by way of having regular games ( Essex do not have a four day game until August, for instance) . Pick the players who are top in their respective averages. Drop Broad and Anderson, they have their own agendas, bring in Jordan and Bresnan (not doing bad at Yorkshire). 'Rest' Cook and make Root captain with Bell helping him out (Graeme Smith didn't do too bad a job at the same age !
In days gone, players went away to their counties between Tests, now with the advent of T20 etc , and central contracts, that no longer happens......

 

[bhafc1972]

Prior to be rested for rest off summer .His own choice.

 

[The Large One]

Matt Prior has stepped away from the England team for the rest of the summer due to injury.

Wicket-keeper Prior is expected to go under the knife to try and sort out his ongoing Achilles problems, although he is also suffering with a right quad and right hand injury too.

“I'm not doing justice to myself and more importantly the team and that is what matters first and foremost,” said an emotional Prior.

“I tore my quad before the first Test and my right hand has been beaten to a pulp, but the main issue is the Achilles.

“Now we have the time, I want to be pro-active about how we deal with it so I imagine that I'll have an operation.

“I've always said as long as I can do my job I will manage the pain and get on with it, but it has now got to the point where I can't do my job to the level I expect of myself.”

Jos Buttler is likely to be called up into the third Test squad for the Ageas Bowl later today, but Prior is determined to regain his fitness and challenge for his place next year.

For now though he accepts that with 79 Test caps to his name he may have played his last game for England, and with a heavy heart is unable to play his role in the rebuilding of the team.

He added: “It is a huge decision and not one I've taken lightly obviously because I could have played my last game.

“Playing for England is the greatest honour you can have in the game and that is my motivation to come back and try and play again in the best possible condition.

“I've made my decision for the good of the team and whoever comes in I genuinely wish them the best of luck and hope they go well and perform and help the team win. That is all I want.

“If that happens and I don't play again, then that was my lot. I'll be disappointed because there are a few things that I wanted to achieve and thought I would, but I can also look back and know I did some pretty good things.”

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Compton for Cook (walking wicket)
Buttler for Prior (although Buttler is not a Test class keeper but seems to be the accepted back-up for some reason)
Jordon for Broad
A real spinner for Stokes (can't actually think of one who is any good though)
Bell to retain his place but only because of him having to be captain in absence of anyone else - otherwise replaced by Taylor if anyone can come up with an alternative captain (not Root)

 

[dazzer6666]

Cook will hang on a bit longer I reckon (because there is no real alternative unless they put Morgan in as captain and move Root or Ballance up to open). Katie will be in for Stokes and Buttler for Prior.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Rewind the clock: Australia win the Ashes 5-0 in 2006/07 with a squad including Langer, Hayden, Martyn, Warne, Gilchrist, McGrath. Once those players retired Australia lost the next 3 Ashes series and it took them 6 years to get back on track.

In the last 2 years we've lost Strauss, Trott, Pietersen, Swann - regular contributors with big hundreds, big wickets, the first two steady and calming, the latter two larger than life in word and deed. The selectors have been casting around for replacements, and seem to have abandoned the old policy of "identify and keep faith" that had served them so well for the previous decade.

It is difficult to know what to do, but they could do worse than make Broad the captain, replace Cook with Yorkshire's Lyth and play Bairstow instead of Prior. The two new players should find it easier to settle in with Balance and Root already cemented into the side and Bresnan to possibly come back in for Stokes.

To be fair though, Australia had managed to evolve and continually improve their side for the best part of 20 years. That win in 06/07 was one of the most impressive performances in recent memory.

They weren't that bad either after that despite losing the next 3 Ashes. They won home and away vs South Africa, and never lost more than 2 series in a row. The biggest upset was the power vacuum when Ponting retired, something Lehman quickly sorted out. Their only real shocker was losing 4-0 away to India in 12/13 then to England 3-0 last summer. Their results between 2006 to 2013 may not have been up to their previous high standards, but they were still very good. They sorted out their 2013 slump amazingly swiftly. As have India it would seem.

What Australia have never been afraid of his picking an older experienced first class cricketer. Whether 19 or 35, they would pick whoever was right for the team at that point. Thinking of the future with youth, thinking of winning the current series picking experience.

I honestly don't know what England do. We pick half the team on what they've done in the past, a 1/4 of the team on what they might do in the future, and the other 1/4 rightly based on form. So I agree with you there. We're keeping players hopelessly out of form in the side, but treating very badly new players barely given a look in. It's got that rotten feel the '92 side had with different tiers in the dressing room.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Cook should return when he has found some form as he is clearly a class act when going well, but if Prior is going to be out for the rest of the season, he might find his place has gone by the time he is able to return. As for the rest of them, the pace attack is getting old, stupid and tired, the spinners don't exist (I can turn it more than Ali), and the batsmen have the collective batting nouse of a cucumber.

Could we bring back Brearley as a specialist captain? His current batting average must be at least equal to Cook.

 

[big nuts]

I would bring in Chris Read as wicket keeper and captain for the rest of the series, Cook needs to concentrate solely on batting as his captaincy is hindering the team badly.

Other than that Jordan back in for Stokes. I would be monitoring Broad in particular but also Anderson's fitness as they need to be fully fit otherwise we need to replace them.

 

[Weststander]

Both Sri Lanka and India, in a form of cricket which is now unfashionable to them, in English conditions with English wicket preparers, 5,000 miles from home ... both beating England at Test cricket.

How often in recent years, or in any era, do India and Sri Lanka go to say South Africa or Australia and boss Test Series? Even when South Africa or Australia endure a rebuilding lull in fortunes, I think especially at home they always have fight, grittiness, and a passion for their national badge.

This England team / the entire setup, has fallen to pieces in just 23 months.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I would bring in Chris Read as wicket keeper and captain for the rest of the series.

I said exactly that on an earlier post. Think this would be a smart move and kill two birds with one stone. Let's not be afraid of someones age, or past international performances. Read is a different player now to the one that didn't nail down a test spot.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I said exactly that on an earlier post. Think this would be a smart move and kill two birds with one stone. Let's not be afraid of someones age, or past international performances. Read is a different player now to the one that didn't nail down a test spot.

Did anyone catch his stumping of Gilchrist in the MCC game? They showed it again via helmet cam in one of the lunch breaks. Now THAT was glove work.

 

[The Large One]

Piers Morgan being his usual charm-free self...

[tweet]491324652418236416[/tweet]

 

[Guinness Boy]

Piers Morgan being his usual charm-free self...

[tweet]491324652418236416[/tweet]

For someone who's edited Sunday papers, run a CNN show in to the ground, got voluntarily beasted by Brett Lee, wants to be famous more than Katie Price and has obvious cancer of the shame why doesn't Morgsn just change his verified account to @KPsBumBoy ?

 

[vegster]

Piers Morgan being his usual charm-free self...

[tweet]491324652418236416[/tweet]

It's incredibly easy to despise Moron, he really does not need to post this, the man is a slug. Besides, Moron managed to buy shares in Viglen 24 hours before his own newspaper tipped them to rise yet somehow had the front to say it was a coincidence and that he had no insider knowledge.....lying slimeball.

 

[dazzer6666]

Read is a good shout.
Moron is a......moron. Despicable man.

 

[bhafc1972]

Piers morgan really is a prick

 

[bhafc1972]

KP said tonight on BT sport he wants to play for England very soon. Some thing is going on and I reckon if Cook and Moores both go KP will be playing for England again. Why on earth Cook and co got rid of him just so Moores could come back...Madness

 

[OzMike]

KP said tonight on BT sport he wants to play for England very soon. Some thing is going on and I reckon if Cook and Moores both go KP will be playing for England again. Why on earth Cook and co got rid of him just so Moores could come back...Madness

We do not want KP back, his time is over, rebuild for the future.
Cooky will come back I think, but the rest of the team needs to gel and be given time, don't panic.
If KP pulls on an England shirt again I will start supporting India, my mothers country of birth.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Cook will not and should not resign. There are too many players that have walked away from England recently and resignation now would be giving in to failure. It shows the character of the man that he wants to tough it out. If the ECB decide to sack him after this series then so be it, but it would be another strange decision to do so considering the KP business.

After this series, England do not play another test match until May next year - that is plenty of time for him and the rest of the senior players who are letting him and themselves down, to recharge and get their mojo back.

Having said all that, I fully expect Cook to make at least one big score in the rest of this series.

 

[Lifelong Supporter]

Cook will not and should not resign. There are too many players that have walked away from England recently and resignation now would be giving in to failure. It shows the character of the man that he wants to tough it out. If the ECB decide to sack him after this series then so be it, but it would be another strange decision to do so considering the KP business.

After this series, England do not play another test match until May next year - that is plenty of time for him and the rest of the senior players who are letting him and themselves down, to recharge and get their mojo back.

Having said all that, I fully expect Cook to make at least one big score in the rest of this series.

I am very much with this. It is important to note the break until next May. It is not as if there is a class opening bat ready to take his place or indeed a proven captain who is at or near test class as a player. Robson his fellow opener looks no more secure than he does at the moment.