Windies Tour Squad Announced

[Nemo]

England Test squad for tour to West Indies: Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire, capt), Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Steve Harmison (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Andrew Strauss (Middlesex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire).

England one-day squad for tour to West Indies: Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire, capt), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Steven Davies (Worcestershire), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Steve Harmison (Durham), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire).

England Lions squad to tour New Zealand: Robert Key (Kent, capt), Gareth Batty (Worcestershire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Mark Davies (Durham), Steven Davies (Worcestershire)*, Joe Denly (Kent), Amjad Khan (Kent), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Stephen Moore (Worcestershire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex).



Three spinners in the West Indies? Are we mad?

No real suprises bar Rashid but a few odd choices, no Vaughan because he has no form to speak of but Bell is there; Sidebottom's return is good to see but it looks like Hoggard's international ship has sailed now, heartbreaking for the bloke when he got dropped after one bad game in New Zealand.

On the one day side, it's good to see Dimi back in, how Luke Wright was getting in ahead of him I'll never know. Lions team looks pretty good, It'd be interesting for the Lions to play the main team in a warm up game, even if it'd never happen.

[Samdy Gray]

I very much like the look of the Lions team. Some very good young players in there.

[Reg Smeeton]

I very much like the look of the Lions team. Some very good young players in there.

 Out of interest who? Most of them have either had a go and not quite been up to it, are relatively ancient, or injury prone.

[michael]

He's probably referring to Joe Denly and Steven Davies, both options for future ODIs I would warrant. Bopara being the other obvious one.

His time will surely come, I say.

[Reg Smeeton]

He's probably referring to Joe Denly and Steven Davies, both options for future ODIs I would warrant. Bopara being the other obvious one.

His time will surely come, I say.

 Don't think this tier of the set up, serves any purpose other than jobs for the boys...if Denly and Davies are good enough they should be with the main ODI party.

 Why for example aren't young players like Liam Dawson and Stephen Finn picked, or even Scott Borthwick at Durham..this squad should only have players who've just left the U19's with maybe someone like Pettini to skipper them.

 

[michael]

Just noticed that Davies is actually in the ODI squad. My error.

Is that Malan lad at Middlesex worth a look?

[Reg Smeeton]

Just noticed that Davies is actually in the ODI squad. My error.

Is that Malan lad at Middlesex worth a look?

 I assumed that Malan must be still qualifying like Keiswetter.

[Samdy Gray]

He's probably referring to Joe Denly and Steven Davies.

Yeppers. And Eoin Morgan, even though he's Oirish.

[michael]

So now I see that Ravi is in the ODI squad too. I've had a holocaust here haven't I.

I suppose you have to have the older boys like Key there otherwise it would be carnage.

[Reg Smeeton]

So now I see that Ravi is in the ODI squad too. I've had a holocaust here haven't I.

I suppose you have to have the older boys like Key there otherwise it would be carnage.

They're only going to NZ...I just fail to see the point of stacking a squad of potential players with fellas who've either already failed or been around a while and aren't going to make it. If it's to serve a purpose, then it should be giving experience to lads who've just left U 19's standard. Mark Pettini is 25 captains Essex...he should be just about the oldest player.

 Gareth Batty is about 31, a useful cricketer but can he get much out of this type of trip...contrast to Ollie Raynor of Sussex 23, which is no age for a spinner, and he is improving.