Official - First Test - England V Pakistan.

[larus]

Got here first .

Lords 11:00 start.

England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Alastair Cook, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Matthew Hoggard/Jon Lewis, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar

Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Faisal Iqbal, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Abdul Razzaq 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Danish Kaneria

Need Hoggy to get the all clear for this one, otherwise our bowling attack looks too fragile. Mind you, so does our batting at the moment .

 

[Scoffers]

Got here first .

Lords 11:00 start.

England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Alastair Cook, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Matthew Hoggard/Jon Lewis, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar

Pakistan (probable) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Faisal Iqbal, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Abdul Razzaq 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Danish Kaneria

Need Hoggy to get the all clear for this one, otherwise our bowling attack looks too fragile. Mind you, so does our batting at the moment .

...and the less said about our fielding, the better

 

[Titanic]

and the officials are:

Umpires: SA Bucknor and SJA Taufel
TV umpire: PJ Hartley
Match referee: RS Madugalle
Reserve umpire: RK Illingworth

 

[Gwylan]

That Pakistan batting (even without Younis) looks strong: Kamran Akmal at 8 (gulp).

The bowling looks a bit weak though: high-scoring draw I reckon.

 

[RonnieO'Sullivan]

That Pakistan batting (even without Younis) looks strong: Kamran Akmal at 8 (gulp).

The bowling looks a bit weak though: high-scoring draw I reckon.

loooks weak compared to there normal bowling line up but...

with Sami and Gul opening the bowling there is wickets there...

then a very dangerous Danish Kaneria to come into the attack with Razzaq and Afridi also very capable bowlers tere is still enough there to worry England in my view....

 

[Grendel]

We're going to get slaughtered, I fear.

 

[Albion Dan]

Hope it lasts till Sunday as Im heading down there.

 

[Scoffers]

We're going to get slaughtered, I fear.

Well, we need to bowl and field a lot better than we did against SL.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Hoggard set to play says SSN

 

[larus]

Hoggard set to play says SSN

Good news.

Anyone know how log Simon Jones is out for now? Could really do with him 'fit' again for the Ashes.

 

[Scoffers]

Yup, he's in, some interesting news from Cricinfo (see 10:05am below) :-

10.30
Inzamam-ul-Haq called heads and it came down tails. Andrew Strauss has chosen to bat.

It's all getting very, very exciting. I've just taken one for the team and made the first cup of tea of the day. One down, nine to go. And lo! Jenny Thompson has arrived.

10.20
Hoggard's been passed fit - here is the England team. News of Pakistan to follow.

1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Alastair Cook, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ian Bell, 7 Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Liam Plunkett, 9 Matthew Hoggard, 10 Steve Harmison, 11 Monty Panesar

10.05am
It's looking like Hoggard will be playing. But, more excitingly, is the news that there was a bit of a stand-off between the two camps. Pakistan wanted to bowl on the same strip England's bowlers were practising on...and they were told to clear off, in no uncertain terms. No evidence of any fist-fights or Zidane moments yet.

 

[Trigger]

Good news.

Anyone know how log Simon Jones is out for now? Could really do with him 'fit' again for the Ashes.

Due back a month before the team fly to Oz all being well... Will have to prove he is fit.

 

[CHAPPERS]

I want to be a summariser for cricinfo. Perfect job or WHAT?

 

[Scoffers]

I want to be a summariser for cricinfo. Perfect job or WHAT?

I bet the pay is lousy though!

 

[Gwylan]

I bet the pay is lousy though!

After working at The Cricketer for a couple of weeks, I was offered a job on the magazine - the pay was so lousy that I would have been surviving on mouldy cheese sandwiches and water for a couple of years.

When I pointed this out to the bods on the magazine, I was told "Yes, we were looking for someone with a private income".

I'm from Moulsecoomb; to our family a private income was when one of my dad's racing tips came off.

 

[Scoffers]

43/0 sixth over

 

[larus]

Scoring like a one-dayer.

Bowling sounds very wayward though.

 

[Scoffers]

52/0 off 51 balls

Is this 20/20 !!

 

[Dave the OAP]

tresco is out

 

[larus]

60/1 - 11.5 overs.



In Cricinfo words....

11.5 Umar Gul to Trescothick, OUT, but he’s gone now, plays away from his body – a willy, wally waft outside off-stump, gets a thin outside edge straight to Akmal. Pakistan strike