2013/14 Ashes thread

[Ironside]

Funny feeling the girls are trying to up stage the guys had the Aussie at 37 for 5 to 208 all out giving the Aussie a first innings lead

[buzzharvey22]

Cook
Root (needs to play as much first class cricket as he can at the start of the season)
bell
KP
Ballance
Morgan (the one dayers suggest hes sorted his technique out)
Prior/Butler. Butler looks a good keeper and will be dangerous batting with the tail. Still think prior has a few years left yet, hes only 31 and is quite a fit person)
Stokes
Broad
Onions
Anderson

Just doesnt seem to me like we have a half decent spinner, so why not just go with 4 seamers and have root/kp get through a few overs, they looked as good borthwick to me). not as if its aussie heat so the bowlers can bowl longer spells. Id like stokes to be more of a bowling all rounder, and be the 4th seamer (3rd seamer if we find a spinner) as thats a very good batting line up if hes at 8. I dont think his batting will be quite good enough to be a genuine number 6.

[rinswun]

Just LOL England.

[BorntoBubble]

Massive sigh

[Woodsey]

lol, they couldn't win a one man race at the moment.

[AndrewT]

I'd imagine that, somewhere, Kevin Pietersen is having a little chuckle to himself.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/31/andy-flower-sacked-england-cricket-coach

[horseplayer]

3 Ashes wins and a world T20. Not a bad knock from Andy Flower.

[Longy]

Hard to say whether the decision is correct or not because who the hell knows the politics behind the scenes and who gets on with who. Flower position may well be unteneable with certain players still in the set up.

Still he has done an excellent job overall for English cricket, we were one of the top test cricket sides in the world for a few years and that is something that hasn't happened enough in this country.

[Woodsey]

KP binned by the looks of it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26040475

[nirvana]

KP binned by the looks of it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26040475

I find that quite astonishing really. Few issues but at his age could easily have been a major contributor for a number of years.

[Woodsey]

KP binned by the looks of it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26040475

I find that quite astonishing really. Few issues but at his age could easily have been a major contributor for a number of years.

Obviously he's more trouble in the dressing room than he is worth.

[TightEnd]

I have come to the following conclusion for th summer


Cook,
Robson,
Bell,
Taylor,
Ballance,
Morgan,
Stokes,
Butler,
Broad,
Jordan,
Anderson


Bat down to 10
no spinner worth picking
play india on green pitches
and rebuild at the same time

[nirvana]

KP binned by the looks of it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26040475

I find that quite astonishing really. Few issues but at his age could easily have been a major contributor for a number of years.

Obviously he's more trouble in the dressing room than he is worth.

Yep, I guess so, must be more disliked than I'd imagined though to be dumped in such a newsy way

[DungBeetle]

KP binned by the looks of it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26040475

Dreadful.  Lose a series 12-1.

Solution:  Sack your best player who top scored in the 5 matches that he did play in the debacle, and keep your insipid timid captain in place.

Looks like the ECB like a "yes" man.

[Tal]

KP binned by the looks of it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/26040475

Dreadful.  Lose a series 12-1.

Solution:  Sack your best player who top scored in the 5 matches that he did play in the debacle, and keep your insipid timid captain in place.

Looks like the ECB like a "yes" man.

Jonathan Agnew made an interesting comment on the BBC site. He said people would say lots of things off the record and with the dictaphone off, but would defend KP to the hilt in public.

We won't know exactly what went on (at least until the next round of autobiographies) but it seems reasonable to say Pietersen was not a harmonious figure in the dressing room.

As a player, as good as we have seen for some time. But, if you are building something new, a decision has been taken by people who know far more and far better than we that it can't include KP. It's a shame but I'm prepared to trust the board.