Cricket

England's two-Test series in India has been given the go-ahead after players were assured there would be no threat to their safety at a meeting on Sunday.

England, who are currently at a training camp in Abu Dhabi, will take a full squad of players.

England's one-day series in India was cut short after the 26 November terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Players and staff returned home and were given time alone to decide whether they wanted to return for the Tests.

LATEST: Ex-England cricketer Chris Lewis charged with attempted drug smuggling after cocaine seized at Gatwick. More details soon ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7772950.stm

Straight into the Wormwood Scrubs first XI I guess.

Wow Indian collapse in progress, 100-odd for 5!

This is why one day and 20/20 is rubbish. We can actually field a decent test side.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here

x-post Yeah we're consistently competitive in Tests, even if we've been a bit disappointing over the last year or 2. A series win or draw would be good with the Aussies looming on the horizon.

But yeah let's not get carried away!

lol Australia suck

Until they meet england.

There's a gloating thread well in operation already. And better still, it's on King Boy Pato's own board.

They're gonna panic and bring back Warne to win the Ashes.

Where is this thread of gloating?

Warne's been commentating during this test, he is prob less awful than healy.

Mark Taylor should not be allowed to commentate cricket (eom)

xp also he's looking pretty trim

Warne's an all-round better thinker, talker and player than Healy, should sign him up permanently tbh

^

Yes his elbow is still in great nick, bring him back for the lols.

and the wickets

We'll see about that.

ha nahh i just meant we can't bowl for shit

It would be really sad and desperate if the Aussies did bring Warne back, and it might win them the Ashes, but what good will it do in the long term? it's more or less telling an entire generation they're not good enough. Warne isn't gonna play on for another 5-10 years til someone comes through.

Jason Krejza is the long term soloosh imo

needs more variation etc apparently tho

australia: the ashley giles robert croft years

morelike richard illingworth

peter such

(case closed)

So LJ, Bell makes the squad. I like Bell, but he must be dropped. He's lacking confidence and needs back in the county championship to make some runs along with Vaughan. Give Shah a chance lord knows he deserves it. But if Vaughan has a good start to the county season he's gotta be no3 unless all the batsmen fire against the WI.

it might win them the Ashes, but what good will it do in the long term?

sentences that contradict/answer themselves, part 4573 in a series

pfunkboy that is all manifest, shah should have been in for india. you are far too cynical about the likelihood of vaughan's inclusion. i'm telling ya, he's definitely played his last game for england

"he's gotta be no. 3"

frankly insane use of "gotta", the man has patently lost it

It's Thorpe all over again. Assuming Bell does play against WI and he does fail, clearly Shah isn't considered good enough. So who will come in if not MV? He has a great record against the Aussies. (all depending what he does at the start of the season for Yorkshire though)
Shah is no Pietersen so I don't see a massive campaign for him to replace Bell or Vaughan unless he hits a few centuries in the Caribbean.

also symonds to be given heaveho not haidoss u_u

And LJ I assume you don't want Monty to play?

Hey, Mark Ramprakash averages over 40 against the Aussies. He's a dead cert, surely.

Thorpe was still run-hungry and his exile from the team was not form-related. The situation is completely different.

Shah is considered good enough to make all the squads. If he wasn't considered good enough, he'd have stayed home with the ODI specialists.

Plenty of young(er) batsmen are making a mark at county level, and would be considerably better bets than a past-it Vaughan. This rhetoric ("who else but Vaughan?") is the wistful pandering rhetoric of the inane tabloid presses.

Don't assume Bell will fail against the Women's Institute. Don't assume he'll start ahead of Shah.

Monty is a terrible cunt and I'd rather see Rashid or even Swann eventually usurp him. Start with Panesar, though, because nothing gives confidence like a West Indies tailender. N.B. the tail starts at 2 and temporarily secedes for Chanderpaul. Maybe he'll get something guileful into that empty skull of his.

N.B. You'll probably interpret it literally, so I'll inform you now that the Ramprakash thing was a sarcastic joke.

Monty is a terrible cunt

A bit OTT even by your standards.

Never seen Withnail And I, have you? Hate having to explain my references.

not for about 15 years, no.

ARE YOU THE FARMER?!

We've gone on holiday by mistake...

sorry i loled at that jesus Withnail!

Victorian all-rounder Andrew McDonald and NSW left-armer Doug Bollinger are set to be called up into a squad of 13 for the Sydney Test.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/hayden-to-survive-but-changes-imminent/2008/12/30/1230399186421.html

Jason Krejza is the long term soloosh imo

if haydos is gone they should get jaques back in asap. i'd swap hussey and katich too, but that's me.

So KP wants Vaughan in his team and Moores doesn't. KP wants Moores to keep in the background and guess who doesn't. Moores doesn't have a great record.
KP is gonna be the one that comes out on top methinks.
So who will replace Moores? (and be KP's yes man) or will KP resign/get sacked?

Moores is history

So no crappy compromise til after a disastrous WI tour/ashes mauling?

What KP wants, KP gets

Moores doesn't have a great record but at the same time KP is an inexperienced captain(tho i can see that having vaughan there to help him is a good thing from that point of view, but he has to make runs before he can be considered)
I cant see KP getting full power somehow. but they cant take moores side.
Im all for Moores being replaced, but who with?