England tour of the West Indies

[Exiled Shrimper]

Amidst Andy Murray's exit from the Australian Open and the continuing contest between Australia and South Africa 'Down Under', England's tour of the Windies seems to have slipped somewhat under the radar.

New skipper Andrew Strauss made a second-ball duck in the first inninings of the tour opener, against a St. Kitts & Nevis Invitational XI who contain just six players with first-class experience. There were runs for new vice-captain Alastair Cook and Steve Harmison (with fifties) and big runs for KP (who smashed a century off of 90 balls) and Owais Shah, who was 125 not out when England declared on their overnight 424-8. The opposition are 202-7 at tea on the second day, with Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad picking up two wickets apiece, and one for Harmison, Panesar and Rashid.

Strauss made the excellent decision to make the game eleven-a-side, but injuries to Flintoff (side strain) and Shah (scratched cornea) have dropped out to be replaced by Broad and Graeme Swann.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It's an eleven-a-side game in which England will be using thirteen players. How is that different from the normal much criticised arrangements? The game doesn't have first class status either.

I'm all for criticising England's warm-up, but it isn't the amount of players that is a problem, it is the lack of games. Strauss is now going to be facing a race against time to get in form. He has a maximum of 3 further innings to get some form. A bad start with the bat will completely undermine his captaincy and if he fails second innings that will be the story for the rest of the tour until he gets a ton.

England's plans are looking a complete mess now. Shah's injury must make him a doubt, and we have no spare batsman to replace him.

Our bowling options are looking suspect: neither Flintoff nor Sideshow have managed to bowl a ball yet and both must be injury doubts. That leaves Anderson, Harmison and Broad as the only remaining fit seamers when we have to play five bowlers.

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

The sentiments were there for it to be an eleven-a-side fixture though - unfortunately Shah and Flintoff's injuries have put a spanner in the works. Whether it has first-class status or not doesn't particularly matter - it's the added pressure that this could be your only innings/bowl before a Test match that enhances it's importance.

For what it's worth, I agree that England tours of late have seen players -especially bowlers - come in dramatically under-cooked, but Strauss, Flower or even KP were never going to change that. The days of touring countries going abroad and playing three or four warm-up matches and then further first-class fixtures in between Tests are gone under the current Future Tours Programme (with the slight exception of countries touring England).

On the other side of the coin, the ECB will point to the likes of Cook's debut in India as reason for a lack of practice not neccessarily having an adverse affect on form once you are playing in a Test match - they would argue that techique and temperament are much more important.

 

[canveyshrimper]

The warm up games have become a bit of a joke IMO, and sometimes I am not sure if they are a benefit or not. 4 years ago in South Africa England were stuffed in their one and only game before the First Test.They went on to win that series convincingly, partly helped by the Saffers strange selections for the first game admittedly.

To take your point about Alastair Cook, he had previously been on the A team tour of the WIndies, so wasn't undercooked (no pun intended) when he arrived in India. Although he may have been seriously jet lagged.

I am concerned about the injury to Flintoff as he is crucial to England playing their preferred 5 bowlers. I was also a touch surprised to see Rashid selected ahead of Swann for the first warm up game.

 

[Grayson]

I am concerned about the injury to Flintoff as he is crucial to England playing their preferred 5 bowlers. I was also a touch surprised to see Rashid selected ahead of Swann for the first warm up game.

Perhaps Monty and Rashid are playing for the 2nd spinner's role.

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

...To take your point about Alastair Cook, he had previously been on the A team tour of the WIndies, so wasn't undercooked (no pun intended) when he arrived in India. Although he may have been seriously jet lagged...

Cook had played two innings in the West Indies, one a century in a three-day warm-up match against an Antiguan XI, and just 6 in his only 'Test' innings against West Indies 'A' in Antigua before he flew out to India, so he hadn't had any more warm-up innings than he would've got in India, or will get in the Windies this winter.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Cook had played two innings in the West Indies, one a century in a three-day warm-up match against an Antiguan XI, and just 6 in his only 'Test' innings against West Indies 'A' in Antigua before he flew out to India, so he hadn't had any more warm-up innings than he would've got in India, or will get in the Windies this winter.

Surely the point is he went into his debut with runs under his belt?

By only giving a player two innings, you are minimising the chance of them going into a test match in form. I'd like to see at least an additional one-day warm-up game slotted in at the front of the schedule, just to give the players a better chance of having a decent bat/bowl out in the middle.

 

[Exiled Shrimper]

Surely the point is he went into his debut with runs under his belt?

By only giving a player two innings, you are minimising the chance of them going into a test match in form. I'd like to see at least an additional one-day warm-up game slotted in at the front of the schedule, just to give the players a better chance of having a decent bat/bowl out in the middle.

Playing Devil's Advocate again, all of the England front-line batsman, with the possible exception of Bell, depending on how many he contributes in the second innings, and Collingwood, who has been left out of the line-up completely, have got that in this match. Strauss now has a 50, Cook has two half-centuries, KP a ton and Shah an unbeaten century as well. All bowlers used in this match have wickets as well.

Of course, all of the above is in spite of, not because of, the current touring programme. England could just as easily have been skittled as they were by a Mumbai Presidents XI in India before the ODI portion of the tour there.

I actually think it's potentially more important that the bowlers get overs under their belt - Harmison, by all accounts lacked rhythm in his spells, and Rashid, on his first bowl for England was expensive. Were it not for Flintoff's side strain, Broad would not have picked up the brace of wickets that he collected.

I would prefer that the side played 11-a-side fixtures rather than the 14-a-side affairs that have gone before (and I don't see the point in playing on with only nine players in this particular tour match since two players have picked up injuries, which is why we have fielded 13 in this match). It would be preferential to have at least one more fixture in the schedules, but when that happens it seems that the players' representatives moan on about the extra burden being put on the modern cricketer.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

They're about to toss!

 

[number11]

Which Strauss won and we will bat. Good start to his second regime as skipper.

Flintoff is fit (I wouldnt have risked him personally in this match), Bell gets the nod ahead of Shah (who surely now has missed the boat for a meaningful career...pity), Monty is thankfully the spinner, and Sidearse plays ahead of Anderson which I am very disappointed about.

Still it should be a strong enough line up, as long as recent problems arent still on the players minds and they play like idiots!

 

[Pubey]

They're about to toss!

Strauss won the toss and we're batting first

 

[Uncle Leo]

Sky have just shown a few deliveries from that abandoned Test back in 1998. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

 

[Pubey]

Which Strauss won and we will bat. Good start to his second regime as skipper.

Flintoff is fit (I wouldnt have risked him personally in this match), Bell gets the nod ahead of Shah (who surely now has missed the boat for a meaningful career...pity), Monty is thankfully the spinner, and Sidearse plays ahead of Anderson which I am very disappointed about.

Still it should be a strong enough line up, as long as recent problems arent still on the players minds and they play like idiots!

Is Anderson not 100% fit? On his day he's excellent, but like Lee Barnard, a half fit Anderson is pretty pointless

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I'm wearing my Michael Vaughan t-shirt as a silent protest to the continued inclusion of IR Bell.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Is Anderson not 100% fit? On his day he's excellent, but like Lee Barnard, a half fit Anderson is pretty pointless

Anderson is fitter than Sideshow who has taken just 1 wicket in 6 months and has pulled out of comebacks injured three, maybe four times in that period.

 

[number11]

Is Anderson not 100% fit? On his day he's excellent, but like Lee Barnard, a half fit Anderson is pretty pointless

Yeah as far as I know he is fit and was in contention for this game. They obviously went with the variation Sidearse brings.... (I presume based on his variation of being a leftie, as opposed to his variation in being unable to bowl over 80mph or last a whole series).

Im hoping this will be a good series for Broad, who as much promise as he has showed, hasnt really been great with the ball yet. Hopefully though with his height he can get some good figures to get his career average down a bit....

 

[Pubey]

Anderson is fitter than Sideshow who has taken just 1 wicket in 6 months and has pulled out of comebacks injured three, maybe four times in that period.

yep you're right - i dunno where i imagined that! seems like Broad, Siders and Anderson are competing for 2 spots.

 

[Grayson]

Anderson keeps getting dropped but Bell never does. Stinks of inconsistency.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Hmmm.......

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

So one edge that didn't carry and a play and miss.

Good start by the captain.