England Cricket Captain...

[Pavilionaire]

I don't see a middle order of Vaughan, Flintoff and Read as any weaker than Collingwood, Flintoff and Ambrose.

Re my point about failing to take your test chance, Prior was selected as a wicketkeeper and kept as badly as any keeper I can remember in the last 20 years. When you're dropping 2 per innings it doesn't matter whether you average 40 or 50, you're still out.

My point about the county averages is that players of an age like Key, Denly, Carberry, Shah etc, if they are really test class, should be averaging 80 plus and scoring big tons just to get a sniff of a place, but they're not.

The county standard is mediocre. The likes of Hussey and Jaques scored a shedload which then set them up for Australian selection. The same should be the case for England batsmen, but it's simply not happening.

Re the new ball, I'd like to see Freddie bowl with it because he has excellent control, as does Sidebottom. I like the idea of 5 from Flintoff followed by 5 from Jones.

 

[sten_super]

I don't see a middle order of Vaughan, Flintoff and Read as any weaker than Collingwood, Flintoff and Ambrose.

Re my point about failing to take your test chance, Prior was selected as a wicketkeeper and kept as badly as any keeper I can remember in the last 20 years. When you're dropping 2 per innings it doesn't matter whether you average 40 or 50, you're still out.

My point about the county averages is that players of an age like Key, Denly, Carberry, Shah etc, if they are really test class, should be averaging 80 plus and scoring big tons just to get a sniff of a place, but they're not.

The county standard is mediocre. The likes of Hussey and Jaques scored a shedload which then set them up for Australian selection. The same should be the case for England batsmen, but it's simply not happening.

The wicketkeeping is a real problem for England, as they don't know what they want. Well, they do, they want Adam Gilchrist. They want someone who will average over 40 and also be an excellent wicketkeeper; they've got to be realistic and realise that isn't going to happen. You pick a wicketkeeper and hope he can bat. I would like to see Foster given another go, but failing that pick Read.

I just don't agree with what you are saying about players averaging 80-odd to push for a test place, I think you are being far too stringent. As I said, recent England players haven't tended to score masses and masses of runs in County Cricket. The few that have been picked on the back of this have generally been swiftly discarded (Key and Ed Smith spring to mind). At the moment there are only 4 players averaging 80+ in the CC div 1 and 2; Yousef, Pietersen, Bell and Frost. So one foreign superstar, 2 england players and a man in good form. People like Voges, a big Aussie hope, is averaging 38.

For the record, this season Key is averaging 39, Denly 24, Bopara 70 and Shah 39. So Bopara, at least, IS knocking on the door. Prior is another, maybe playing only as a batsman, as he's averaging 57.

 

[ezzoud]

Anyone but Pietersen for me....straight out of the Ian Botham school of captaincy:

"Don't worry lads I'll get a hundred and take five wickets".

"What if you don't?"

"Hadn't thought of that".

Great player yes, captain no way.

 

[Marc]

S I M O N " M' L O R D " J O N E S

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Rob Key...

I thought I'd bring this back up to the top, as the thread is once again relevant... and I stand by my choice for captain. Rob Key is a better all round batsman than when he last played for England, will solve out top order issues (he can open and allow Cook to drop to 3), and is a top class Captain.

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