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^^ 2 of those players will miss out on the world cup. At least one will be a bowlers (Broad to return).
Apart from him I'd say if you aren't included then you aren't going to the WC. Hard luck, Balance.Last edited by captainfog; 24-09-14, 11:59 PM.Comment
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They are obviously going to go with Cook, so I'd say that means one of Bell, Bopara and Taylor is going to miss out. They've just given Bopara a central contract and he's not going to feature in the Test side so that must make him nailed on for the WC, so that leaves Bell and Taylor fighting it out.Comment
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My gut feel is they want Gurney in the squad because he offers a bit of variety, but they are worried about his fielding. I don't know, it's a ****ing tough one. Unless he tears it up in Sri Lanka I think Jordan will definitely miss out, but I'm not sure who else. They've got to take Finn, surely?Comment
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They are continuing to crack down hard on bowling actions. Narine the latest to be reported in a long string of high profile names. Are there any mystery spinners who haven't been called? This can only be good news for English batsmen. Ha!Comment
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Ramprakash appointed batting coach.Comment
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He knows all about how to handle pressure at Test Match level haha!Comment
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Has Gooch been ****ed off?Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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England appoint Mark Ramprakash as full-time batting coach to succeed Graham Gooch
Despite his own chequered Test and ODI career, the former Middlesex batsman's technical prowess and obsessions with the processes of batting have earned him the job
Mark Ramprakash, the once frustrated underachiever of England cricket, is about to be appointed as the England team’s new batting coach.
Ramprakash, 45, has been working with England’s batsmen part-time since Graham Gooch was sacked as Test batting coach last April. This appointment, which begins with England’s one-day tour of Sri Lanka later this month, will formalise his role across all three formats.
Aside from being prolific run-scorers in domestic cricket, Ramprakash and Gooch are almost polar opposites in terms of achievement in the international game, an arena in which Gooch excelled but one which Ramprakash never really came to terms with, averaging 27.32 in 52 Tests.
That and Ramprakash’s chequered past make it an interesting appointment by Paul Downton, the managing director of England cricket. During his playing career at Middlesex, Downton had several run-ins with the young Ramprakash, but obviously now feels that age has mellowed the former firebrand.
What cannot be questioned is Ramprakash’s technical prowess and his obsession with batting and its processes. It is a combination that can work too and while that all-consuming nature sometimes held him back as a player, his charges will hopefully be able to sift what they need from his ideas factory.
It is possible that Ramprakash, who has also been working with Middlesex’s batsmen, will also find fulfilment through helping others succeed in international cricket, following his own frustrated career with England. Of the 114 first-class centuries he scored during his 25-years as a professional only two were in Tests.
Last year, it was thought that Graham Thorpe would probably assume the England batting coach’s job after Gooch, but his reluctance to spend long months away from home on tour, following the role it played in the break-up of his first marriage, saw him discount it.
Instead, the chance has fallen to Ramprakash to help England’s batsmen achieve what he rarely managed on the international stage – which is to produce telling scores that win Test and one-day matches.Comment
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Forgot Gooch got sacked. He seemed a real dinosaur anyway. **** him.
Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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England win the toss and bowl.
Finn injured and no Hales.Comment
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Bopara replaces Finn and Guerny replaces Jordan.Comment
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Matty Prior in the studio offering 'The Big Cheeses, Onions'*Except Michael, who died.Comment
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Haha yeah switched on, saw him, turned on the radio.Comment
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