Thetownend.com

The 15 man squad
Vaughan (capt), Joyce, Bell, Pietersen, Strauss, Collingwood, Flintoff, Bopara, Nixon, Dalrymple, Plunkett, Anderson, Mahmood, Lewis, Panesar

No Loye No Broad No Giles .. the only surprises really

Broad no real surpise - he was only a replacement in the alst series, good to see Lewis in,  obviously if Vaughan and KP find some form alongside Colly and Flintoff it looks like a strong line-up - the bowlers just need to iron out the inconsistencies which blighted the early part of teh 1-day series.

I would like to have seen Broad given a chance as he has impressed me. I think he will be first on the sheet for the next world cup though. Star of the future!

 :shock:  and why is it a surprise that Giles hasn't made the WC squad? Panesar is the main man as far as spinning is concerned.

With Bopara only playing once in the Commonwealth bank series, and Loye playing most games I would have thought that the selectors would have realised by now that Loye was the better option. Vaughan will probably be injured again in which case we need some one like Loye to come in. Its too late to start playing Bopara now (in the world cup), he's too young. Loye was a more practical option, more dependable if we had an injury to 1 of the top 3. On form I would have picked him over Strauss! But you cant beat Strauss' cool, experienced, intelligent head in the dressing room.

The selectors also like to play Dalrymple at the bottom end of the middle order, which also limits Bopara's chances. Theres only room for 1 other player like that when weve already got Collingwood and Flintoff established at 5 and 6. I can only seeing Bopara playing at 7.

Dont get me wrong, Bopara looks a fantastic player. But he needs a full ODI series under his belt before he plays in a world cup, preferably on foreign soil. Same for Broad.

expected that to be honest! hi ho to the West Indies  we go!  :beers:

Yes, I spotted that and had to laugh. Giles will never play for England again!

My flatmate reckons Scotland are in the World Cup? That can't be right surely?

What's happened to Simon Jones? Is he still injured??

Yeah i think so. That Knee Injury he picked up in India about a year ago.

i dont think jones will play for England again to be honest

We were in the last world cup I think, don't really pay too much attention to it, all I remember were the awful Saltire shirts they had to wear.  Actually those shirts may have been from a previous world cup.

1) jones injured his knee last may time, had an op in june and is expected to start the county season

2) scotland are in the world cup, as are ireland. there are the 9 test teams, then 7 minnows. the last time scotland were in the world cup was '99

I hope you are wrong. The Aussies are proper feared out by Jones. They never shut up about him on the telly out there.

Showed that dismissal of Clarke at Old Trafford in 2005 (where he takes out off stump then pumps his arms in the air) over and over again.

Simon Jones got that wicket with Reverse Swing and i hope to see Jones play apart this summer.

It was partly also because they are obsessed with reverse swing.

But they do love a player who plays the game like he does.

The best Jones moment in 2005 was when he had Hayden (nicked off I believe) and ran up to him and pointed him to pavilion  :mrgreen:

or when he threw the ball at him

not half as good as kp's sledging of watson, mind

was that him and Goughie sledging Watson at an ODI game at chester le street when the aussies won by around 30 runs. They took the piss out of Watson because he was scared of ghost and that no one loved him, because Watson girlfriend left him for another Man. That was quite funny.

nah it was at bristol when peietersen scored 91*

That was a good knock. very tense match.