The Pavel Florin Supporters Club and Cricket Thread

[Devon Malcolm]

That really was an amazing end to the season. A good advert for county cricket too - not that any more people will go and watch it.

 

Has anyone been watching the Champions League 20/20 on Eurosport 2? I'm tipping Victoria although they lost their first match and nearly ballsed up against Central Districts yesterday. Kieron Pollard is an absolute monster of a hitter, I wouldn't be surprised if a baseball team took a look at him.

[LariatTom]

That really was a brilliant ending to the county season, after rain threatened to spoil the final round of games and hand Somerset the win. Absolutely brilliant stuff, and like you say, it's a great advert for county cricket.

 

I'm already looking forward to the next county season. With Old Trafford getting some major work done, a lot of the Lancs games are in Liverpool. I was talking to a former teacher of mine yesterday and we got onto cricket after also bumping into each other at a CB40 game the other week, and we said that it was great to get regular first class cricket there. There's always a big crowd for Liverpool games, but I'll be interested to see if that stays the same with most games played there next year.

 

I haven't seen any of the Champions League 20/20 apart from an hour or so when I was playing snooker the other day. Looks like there should be some really good games from it, so I'm a bit annoyed I can't get to it.

[gadge]

I'm looking forward to Sussex being back in Division One of the County Championship next year, even though a somewhat generous declaration (with Luke Wright on 94no!) allowed Worcestershire to beat us today.

 

Nottinghamshire looked like they were going to throw the title away when they lost their ninth wicket on 390 this afternoon, but deserved to get there in the end I'd say.

 

Also looking forward to an afternoon watching the third ODI on TV tomorrow...

Edited September 16, 2010 by gadge

[Devon Malcolm]

Yes, England are warming up pretty nicely for the World Cup, they have put together a very good outfit. They may want to consider trying another spinner at some point though because they will probably need three considering it's being played on the sub-continent.

[Sergio Bellend]

The Champions League is a bit of a queer competition. It's like a slightly more sanitised, and therefore more tolerable version of the IPL, which really wasn't my bag. I'm all for innovation and shiz in cricket but the IPL really left a sour taste in the mouth. Particularly when although some of the cricket was very good, most of it was exceedingly mediocre.

 

However, back to the CL and to be honest the tournament means shit all without the english teams-and to a lesser extent, pakistani teams there. It would be like having the football Champions League without the english clubs. Apart from that I have enjoyed it, really. The constant drone of that Chennai Super Kings tune whenever they hit a boundary or took a wicket really, really got on my tits. I haven't really picked a team to support yet, I just want an non-indian team to win it. I don't mind the Lions, because I played against Vaughn Van Jaarsveld once, and the Central Stags are good underdogs. I suppose I'd be happy if one of them won it, but I'm not overly bothered.

[Harvey Dent]

Lovely stuff from Eoin Morgan yet again, he's been fantastic all summer. A decent total aswell, hopefully we can skittles Pakistan out cheaply and send them packing, can't wait to see the back of them and all the bullshit they bring. Also of we get the win it's a clean sweep all summer.

 

So, Ashes squad announced tomorrow, I'm getting hugely excited for it. Not likely to be any big surprises but the extra seamers could go one way or another. My 16 would be

 

Strauss

Cook

Trott

Bell

Pietersen

Collingwood

Morgan

Prior

Davies

Swann

Tredwell

Broad

Anderson

Finn

Shazhad

Tremlett

 

Seems a little harsh on Bresnan but I think unless something happens to Anderson, Broad or Finn they others won't be playing much, can't really see us playing 5 bowlers. Same deal with Tredwell really, he'll only play if something happens to Swanny. Rashid is tempting but I just can't see him getting the nod. So there's my squad, anyone see it any different?

[LariatTom]

I've had TMS on in my room and keep drifting in and out of it really. I'm sure I heard them mentioning possibly taking Monty Panesar to Australia as a second spinner because he's got big match experience against the Aussies. Personally, I'm not totally sold on that idea and would be pretty happy with the squad you suggested.

 

Aye, I'm hoping England manage to win this one. Morgan played one hell of an innings, especially with all of the crazy shit going on around him. It seems half the team is ill or something, Yardy not playing, Colly with a migrane, I think Bell was taking some form of medication earlier on as well. As cruel as it sounds, I'm looking forward to Pakistan heading home. There's been nothing but controversy and bad things happening during this tour, and it's done some serious damage to the game in my opinion

[Sergio Bellend]

Lovely stuff from Eoin Morgan yet again, he's been fantastic all summer. A decent total aswell, hopefully we can skittles Pakistan out cheaply and send them packing, can't wait to see the back of them and all the bullshit they bring. Also of we get the win it's a clean sweep all summer.

 

So, Ashes squad announced tomorrow, I'm getting hugely excited for it. Not likely to be any big surprises but the extra seamers could go one way or another. My 16 would be

 

Strauss

Cook

Trott

Bell

Pietersen

Collingwood

Morgan

Prior

Davies

Swann

Tredwell

Broad

Anderson

Finn

Shazhad

Tremlett

 

Seems a little harsh on Bresnan but I think unless something happens to Anderson, Broad or Finn they others won't be playing much, can't really see us playing 5 bowlers. Same deal with Tredwell really, he'll only play if something happens to Swanny. Rashid is tempting but I just can't see him getting the nod. So there's my squad, anyone see it any different?

 

I think that squad is there or thereabouts but I can't see them going with Tredwell. Bar the final Championship game of the season he had a nondescript year, however he is excellent at carrying drinks I believe. So the second spinner is either Rashid or Monty, and I think they will go for Rashid, but Panesar wouldn't be a huge surprise. Only worry about Tremlett is his wickets have come in the second division, which is slightly off putting-but then again he probably won't play unless shit hits the fan. And when it inevitably does, the A team are in australia as well, so they could call up Bresnan, Bopara, or Murdock.

[Harvey Dent]

I went with Tredwell as he's been with the squad all year and is the closest like for like to Swann we have. I really don't think we have another spinner anywhere near the class of Swann though.

 

Fantastic, crushing win over Pakistan. Winning the toss really was vital as the wickets tumble under lights. Not to take away from our performance though, Morgan, Broad and Swanny were all outstanding today. Clean sweep for the season, love it.

Edited September 22, 2010 by Harvey Dent

[PowerButchi]

England Ashes Test squad:

Andrew Strauss (captain, Middlesex), Alastair Cook (vice-captain, Essex), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Steven Davies (wk, Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Monty Panesar (Sussex), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matt Prior (wk, Sussex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Surrey), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire).

 

England performance programme squad:

Jimmy Adams (Hampshire), Jonny Bairstow (wk, Yorkshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Maurice Chambers (Essex), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Andrew Gale (Yorkshire), James Hildreth (Somerset), Craig Kieswetter (wk, Somerset), Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Leicestershire), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).

 

England central contracts:

Strauss, Anderson, Bell, Broad, Collingwood, Cook, Finn, Pietersen, Prior, Swann, Trott.

 

Incremental contracts:

Ravi Bopara (Essex), Bresnan, Morgan, Luke Wright (Sussex), Michael Yardy (Sussex).

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure about taking Panesar at all. Thought James Harris would make the performance programme squad as well.

[Devon Malcolm]

Where the fuck is Rashid? There's something gone on there for him not to be in either squad. Otherwise, fair enough, but if Bresnan plays in any matches I predict he won't get a single wicket. He's a one day player, nothing more.

[The Curious Orange]

I think the idea with Rashid is after last winters touring ending up sending him backwards for a bit, he'll benefit more this time round by actually playing competitive cricket over the winter instead of just carrying drinks, or playing with A team in friendlies - he'll probably end up playing club cricket is Oz where the standard is high and they can still keep an eye on him as well.

[Baz Windham]

Where the fuck is Rashid? There's something gone on there for him not to be in either squad. Otherwise, fair enough, but if Bresnan plays in any matches I predict he won't get a single wicket. He's a one day player, nothing more.

 

A while back I think it was Rob Key talking about him and he said he tends to muck about a lot and not work very hard during training/nets etc so it may have something to do with that. Although personally I think they are just holding him back to "protect" him. They probably see it better to not have him thrown in a tour as big as this or as others have said just have him on the sidelines again. I think the reasoning behind Panesar is somewhat to do with his big match experience. Hopefully Rashid will feature at the World Cup where two spinners will be handy.

[Sergio Bellend]

I think the idea with Rashid is after last winters touring ending up sending him backwards for a bit, he'll benefit more this time round by actually playing competitive cricket over the winter instead of just carrying drinks, or playing with A team in friendlies - he'll probably end up playing club cricket is Oz where the standard is high and they can still keep an eye on him as well.

 

I agree with most of this, although surely the A team will be taking on fairly decent opponents on their tour-maybe the odd state side, and loads of representative teams-and while the standars of top grade level cricket is very strong in Aus, would he not benefit more

 

Where the fuck is Rashid? There's something gone on there for him not to be in either squad. Otherwise, fair enough, but if Bresnan plays in any matches I predict he won't get a single wicket. He's a one day player, nothing more.

 

A while back I think it was Rob Key talking about him and he said he tends to muck about a lot and not work very hard during training/nets etc so it may have something to do with that. Although personally I think they are just holding him back to "protect" him. They probably see it better to not have him thrown in a tour as big as this or as others have said just have him on the sidelines again. I think the reasoning behind Panesar is somewhat to do with his big match experience. Hopefully Rashid will feature at the World Cup where two spinners will be handy.

 

Yardy is your second 'spinner' at the world cup, barring natural disaster. I'm not surprised they've gone for Monty over Rashid, but it's not what I'd have done. I suppose he is the second best spinner in the country right now, but if you went by that logic for the rest of the side, Rob Key would be playing and James Foster would be on the tour at the very least. Chances are he'll only play the one game in Sydney anyway, unless god help us all Swanny gets injured. Then we're royally fucked.

[Baz Windham]

I know you're probably looking at it from the selectors point of view but while Yardy has done a very good job, particularly in T20s, it would be handy to have another actual spinner of the ball in the sub-continent rather than a slow or dart bowler.