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[Red Ink Cricket]

when i was at school i thought unless it was rugby the fat kid always got picked last? how things have changed

[Kulli]

80 odd runs for trott, broad, swanny and jimmy to knock off? hopefully monty wont be required at that point

[Red Ink Cricket]

can i include monty as our secret weapon? lol stranger things have happened

ignore the above!

[Burdy]

Losing the last 6 wickets for not very many. Very inept performance batting wise. Failure against spin was the downfall.
I know us English love a moan up when we lose, but this will be my only rant.

I know i am not samit patels biggest fan, but i feel he what is the point of using him in the test squad? Bowled very few overs and not really batted out of this world. Why not use another recognized batsmen, someone with a better temperament? Leave Patel in the 1 day team where he is better suited. We have 2 spinners, monty and swann, and a part time spinner like Kp who can bowl you 10 overs if needed so no need for Patel.
England are not suited to these slow turning pitches abroad, and now feel that all other test playing nations have twigged on to this.

[Kulli]

Reshuffle required for the next test, one of Patel or Panesar needs to go for Bresnan I think, even on this pitch our seamers troubled them as much as the spinners did.

[joeylough]

Anyone else feel that Bopara should have played to give the extra batting option, as that is where we are failing.

Patel bowled few overs. Would Trotts chucks instead of patel made any difference to the run chase?

[Burdy]

Butcher has now even said England need another batsman. It is not hard to see. England cannot keep thinking the tailenders will grab 50-100 runs, this would be great if they did, but it isnt going to happen every game.

[Red Ink Cricket]

i dont see the benefit of samit or ravi in the team. ravi isnt fully fit so shouldnt play. samit doesnt offer enough all round to be included. if he bowled double the overs and offered more with the bat then great, but he doesnt. Get in a full time batsman. someone who just bats. if we need some part time stuff we have kp and trott. id rather see prior in the patel roll with a batsman above him than see him as the last recognised batsman.

[mdl_1979]

Changing the personnel isn't necessarily the answer.  The batters just need to bat better.  The bowlers have done their job throughout the winter - time for the batsmen to step up.

[Kulli]

Changing the personnel isn't necessarily the answer.  The batters just need to bat better.  The bowlers have done their job throughout the winter - time for the batsmen to step up.

I do think we looked a seamer short though, especially in the first dig, when they were struggling against Anderson and Broad.

[uknsaunders]

Pick Bresnan (as I suggested pre-test) and you might of chased 30-40 runs less with another fresh seamer and he would of scored more runs than Samit.

[Kulli]

How about Bresnan in for Monty, arguably Patel can do a job as a defensive spinner who'll take the odd wicket while Swann attacks, and it'd vastly strengthen both the batting and the fielding.

[mdl_1979]

I can see Bresnan for Patel, as it doesn't really weaken the batting too much.  Not Bresnan for Monty though.  You need the 2 frontline spinners out there, and Monty has bowled well throughout the winter.

[Kulli]

he has, but he still fields and bats like a special, and I'm not sure that's worth putting up with for the level his bowling is at.

[bigboy]

Monty would need 5 fors every game to make up for his fielding and batting, he is attrotious.