http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/18280196

 

Choose the wrong time to do it imo, he wanted to play in the T20 WC so should have kept his mouth shut until that was over.


I'll expect to see him at the Big Bash and the IPL next season then......

 

Wet, cold and windy. Ideal conditions for cricket

 

That was the best day the W.I. have had this summer

 

Oooh harsh, but fair

 

This is some last wicket stand in the dead test !!

Fair play to Ramdin and Best

 

The boy did well but why couldn't they have played like that when it mattered?

Suggestions coming that they don't play enough English cricket and should play a full English test season. I can't see that happening with the amount of cricket being played at the moment.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/18390390

You just HAVE to be kidding me

 

Without even opening the link this must refer to Bell taking over from KP in the ODI team

 

 

Who would you have replaced KP with out of interest, and No, Cook cant have two goes

 

Bopara of course

 

Oh yeah I remember him , Is No3 not too high for him ?

 

ooh harsh

 

OK, If I'm not allowed Ravi.... can I have Graham Napier? 16 sixes in a T20 match, a big hitter like KP and can bowl pretty handily too.

For the future it's got to be Bairstow though hasn't it?

 

@ Napier that knock has to be fours years ago.

You're right, I think Bairstow is in for the long haul irrespective of his recent performances for ENG, they will stick with him and nuture him, they've seen enough to know he should make it at the top end of the game.

I would have hoped Dawid Malan could have come through by now, although he is an opener but that shouldn't stop him batting at 3 he's also useful with the ball for a bit of spin, a la KP.

Although born here he is a Saffa so I would have expected that meant automatic inclusion in the England set up


Plenty of decent young and up coming talent in this country, so I wouldn't know who to pick and will leave it to the experts

 

Exactly what I was thinking

Along those lines I was thinking Kieswetter but then remembered he's already in the team LOL

 

what did I say

 

What on earth is this all about?

 

Read that earlier today, terribly sad, I dont want to speculate, but he legged it from police and ended up on the line, one of the papers mentioned he was lying across the line and then hit by a train. I'd heard he'd died on Talk Sport earlier and just assumed it was down to illness.

Poor lad RIP and condolences to his father and family.

 

Cruising again, Bell looking bloody good as an opener

 

Missed it as I've been at Lotus F1 all day

Kept getting texts saying Gayle had gone mad with the bat so was relieved to come home to a nice win to seal the series.

Cook looked handy and Bopara didn't have time to get into his stride.

You know why Bell is doing well........ There's only one innings

 

Cook will go onto to be England highest ever test and possibly one day batsman imo, mentioned something similar last year and if we're stil on SN when he packs it in in 10-15 years time I'll revisit this thread.

You cant knock Bell though, he is technically one of the best Batsman in the world and he appears to be getting over his mental issues of being in the 30's and 40's and getting through them

 

"Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was not mincing his words at the Sky TV party at The Oxo Tower on Tuesday night. Speaking to the Londoner, all his bonhomie turned to scowls when the subject of his erstwhile England colleague, former captain and now Sky TV and Times journalist Michael Atherton, came up.

“He’s a p***k,” said Flintoff. “He’s a f*****g p***k.” Why so? “He sits there making judgments about players that are much better than he ever was, believe me, he’s a p***k.

“How can he talk about a player like [current England opening batsman] Alastair Cook who is 10 times the player he ever was — he has a much bigger average and will go on and on. Atherton averaged in the 30s for England and yet he thinks he can judge others.”

Asked whether he minded saying this to a journalist, Flintoff, who was accompanied by his glamorous wife Rachel, said: “I don’t care. Say what you like. There’s no love lost there.”

Indeed there is not.

As a journalist, Atherton has dismissed Flintoff’s claim to greatness as a player and also pooh-poohed his captaincy of the side in 2006.

In 2006 Atherton wrote in the Telegraph: “The only positive benefit of the injury to Flintoff may be the end of his immediate captaincy ambitions. I don’t subscribe to the view that England’s underperformance against Sri Lanka was entirely down to Flintoff’s captaincy but equally I have never subscribed to the view that he is the man for the job.”

And it seems Flintoff has never subscribed much to Atherton’s talents as a player and journalist either. Atherton was unavailable for comment"

Meow Freddie

 

Lord Freddie of Flintoff in my book.

Between Freddie v Athers and KP v Nick Knight it's been an interesting few weeks. Get them in a cage with Adam Hollioake I say

Have you seen the news about Mervyn Westfield. They've named the player who influenced him. No surprises which team he comes from....

 

Funny you should mention that, I read it this afternoon, no surprises there eh.....