Giles or Panesar

[Stumpy Tim]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/6157384.stm

Monty can win us the Ashes.... don't be a cock Fletch

 

[Pavilionaire]

Monty - no question.

I take on board the fact England has a long tail, but switching Giles for Panesar is not going to make much difference.

This would not even be an issue if we had a reliable wicketkeeper who could average 30-35 runs.

 

[Gritt23]

Can you believe it

"Coach Duncan Fletcher says England may review Monty Panesar's place because of the loss of Marcus Trescothick.
England's line-up for the final warm-up game was supposed to be their side for next week's the first Ashes Test."

i have an awful feeling about this

Yeah same here.

"We wanted Monty if Trescothick was there, because Trescothick added [batting] depth. Now, we might have to re-think it," Fletcher told BBC Sport.


He just seems to be clutching at straws to get his personal favourites back in the side. First Jones, and now this is sounding horribly like he's going to try and make a case for Giles ahead of Monty.

How can Tresco being replaced by another batsman have weakened the batting line-up? Rather than 2 out of Cook, Collingwood and Bell, we now play all three. Sorted. Based on form over the last few months, that makes our batting line-up stronger.

Fletch is really starting to worry me.

 

[sten_super]

One of the major criticisms levelled at the crap england teams of the past was the fact that selection was based far too much on county form, and players were picked for a game and then dropped for the next, etc. Now we seem to have gone to the other extreme, where players get picked regardless of form/ability/relative merits, and purely on the basis of what seems like becoming an old boys club. And this extreme will result in the same as the old extreme did - england being crap.

 

[keaton]

It shouldn't even be open to debate. Taking into account form, fitness, ability, etc Panesar is at the moment probably our best bowler, certainly in the top 3. There are five players in the team solely to score runs and then Flintoff and a wicketkeeper picked because he can bat.

 

[gwpdylan]

agree
fletcher cant stick with his favourite geraint jones on batting potential and then say we are short of a batsman...

 

[larus]

Hang on. Before we totally slate Fletcher, how much of this is mind games with the Aussies.

I'm pretty confident that Monty will play, and, like him or not, you can't argue that we have become a much better test playing nation under his stewardship.

 

[sten_super]

Hang on. Before we totally slate Fletcher, how much of this is mind games with the Aussies.

I'm pretty confident that Monty will play, and, like him or not, you can't argue that we have become a much better test playing nation under his stewardship.

But I can't see how this would be an effective mind game. Surely they've got to be more worried about facing Monty then they have Giles. So saying "we're not sure if we're going to play monty" surely only serves to say "you might have it easy and we might play our crap bowler"?

 

[gwpdylan]

the vibe i seem to be picking up on the web, looking at various sites etc is that its looking a darned sight more likely that bloody Giles may get the nod. Hope im wrong but its hard not to read between the lines a bit. am hoping monty still favourite but it may be close call

 

[Tooting Gull]

The smoke signals seem to indicate Giles - let's hope it's a ruse. I feel it would be a terrible surrendering of any initiative, and send all the wrong signals to the Aussies not to pick Monty.

And why is Fletcher so hung up about Giles scoring an extra 10 runs here or there? What about Monty actually getting people out with deliveries Giles can only dream of serving up, and for dozens of runs less than they would have scored? Or don't those 'runs' count?

 

[gwpdylan]

It would be a tragedy if Monty Panesar doesn't play - the bloke's got two five-fors in his first ten Tests and he turns it, he's got to play."

Dave Gilbert. the aussie who i believe was at Sussex as a director of cricket

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Panesar has played more test matches this year, when Giles was injured. Panesar is in-form and will be a dangerous threat against the convicts. I don't think Gilesy is match fit just yet, and going into the Brisbane test I think we need to play one spinner and that is Monty.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

If you want one spinner in for his batting, then pick Pietersen as the spinner & play Ed Joyce... Joyce will probably add 30-40 runs. Pietersen will get the same number of wickets as Giles. Playing Giles would be a RUBBISH decision from Fletcher

 

[dougdeep]

Where's the poll?

 

[Robbie G]

Where's the poll?

Do we need a poll?

 

[Marshy]

Fletcher is a f***ing clown if he goes with Giles

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Looks like Fletcher is a clown, he's gone with Giles.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

its giles

 

[Soton Seagull]

Stupid decision, fair enogh relying on hi if fit for past year, but ridiculous to do now.

Goodbye 1st test!

 

[Trigger]

f*** off Fletcher...

You were good a while ago but this 'jobs for the boys' rubbish is toss.