For my money there hasn't been nearly enough cricket chat on here recently.

So, for England, Strauss has gone, which I suspect well be the end of an era, whatever his batting average in the last couple of years. England's batting line-up with the loss of Pieterson too is a lot shakier, and it wasn't exactly impervious before that.

The dropping of Ravi Bopara was sadly inevitable, poor guy, but James Taylor getting axed is unfathomable for me. He didn't have time to do much wrong, and now he's gone, and the only explanation I can see is that Bairstow has gone above him in the pecking order and they want to explore playing Prior at six. Which I can't see happening, but perhaps that's what they've told him. Nick Compton should definitely get a call-up, with the numbers he's posting; Joe Root I haven't the foggiest, and Eoin Morgan, although he's a genius one-day batsman, should be trying to get some practice against the red ball.

I hope to god Trott doesn't open. I'm sure he could do it, but why mess with a winning formula? Trott batting at three has changed the whole dynamic and, dare I say, psychology of the England test side, because losing an early wicket is now no cause for panic.

Here's the line-up I'd like to see play in the first test,

Compton
Cook (c)
Trott
Bell
Bairstow
Eoin Morgan, I guess
Prior (vc)
Broad
Swann
Anderson
Finn

On raging turners swap Morgan for Patel and batt Prior at six. Personally, I'd have had Taylor in for Morgan. And Pieterson –Pieterson's loss is massive, he's been in the form of his life for the last year.

And Strauss? His record was incredible, and whatever part Flower played, he has to be considered one of the greats. The slow and steady, methodical, analytical style of tactics was rather dull, and he wasn't a genius in the field. But he was obviously a brilliant man manager. It's a shame he's seen as some bumbling grafter with the bat now; he was a fantastic cutter of the ball. I think back to the 2009 Ashes, were quite honestly he was out only frontline batsman who scared the Australians, with Pieterson's injury problems. He carried the team in that series. Best of luck for the future.

Get scored off
Or call the tour off
Your pussy-ass bowling's just for me to hit fours off

Very surprised to see Morgan back in there. He hasn't really done much in the county season to justify a recall.
Compton to open? He bats in the middle for somerset, doesn't he? I'd assume they've picked root to be the opening batsman. Compton will probably go in at 5 or 6, at least until he finds out that batting on Indian pitches against Indian spinners is a bit tougher than Taunton.
If Cook and Trott are opening together, you'd almost hope they lose an early wicket. Those two are quite capable of seeing India take the 2nd new ball at 150/0.

Compton's been batting at 3 for Somerset, think he could open. India's probably a rare place where opening is easier than coming in at 5 or 6 when you might have 4 men around the bat.

That's a good point actually. Where are the tests being played, anyone know? There's a couple of the Indian pitches recently that have had a habit of having a little pace and bounce. Think Mohali is one.

Thread title reminded me of these gentlemen.



Their site here.

Oh, and their song as well.

I'm tired of the motherf_ckin blockin
The new ball is due, I'm lookin at the clock, and
Checking the light meter, and for what? Maybe it's because I'm packing a square cut
I kick dot balls -- or maybe I just swot balls
On a stupid-assed twiddly when He's trying to get fiddly
With an arm ball, or even a carram ball,
Cause the slips always got somethin stupid to say
The gee with the one-day behavior
Yeah, I'm a slogger, but still I got flavour
Without a bat and a box, what do ya got? A sucker in whites waitin to get clocked by me, or another seamer
And with a  it don't matter if it's a full ball or a beamer

Judging from today's game, looks like Compton will be opening in the tests with KP in at 4 and Prior up the order to 6.

When the glorious revolution comes and I take my rightful place as chairman of selectors, this will be my team.

Root
Cook
Trott
K.P.
Bell
Patel
Prior
Broad
Swann
Anderson
Finn

(Tempted to bring in Bopara for Trott and drop K.P. down one, but perhaps not just yet.)

**

While I'm thinking about it, the best English kids of every age group from U12 onwards are summoned to Loughborough for three days of assessment every year. Three kids from Dylan's county team went.

All the parents I have spoken to about it have told me the same thing. More than half of all the kids there in any age group up to U15 are of Asian decent. In particular kids of Pakistani origin are in abundance.

Now that's interesting only in that it was only a couple of years ago that commentators were bemoaning the fact that there was little or no contact between the Asian community and the cricketing establishment. Obviously somebody somewhere has got their act together and pretty quickly.

Whilst Patel does give you a bowling option, I'd put Taylor in at 6 and tell KP to practice his off-spin a bit more.

Mr. Compton finally puts on a decent innings (64 not out off 162 balls against Mumbai A) and is seen to take the lead in his gladiatorial combat with Root for the opening spot with Cook.

England are being awfully cagey about Broad's condition.

India have dropped Raina and brought back both Yuvraj and Harbhajan.

They only Singh at home.

Somewhat off topic, but I was most distressed to learn a couple of days ago that my (now completed) trip to Brisbane failed to coincide with the first test against South Africa at the Gabba by a week.

A true bummer, I'm sure we all agree.

AUS have picked Rob Quiney (a left handed Victorian batsman whose existence I was previously unaware of) to replace Shane Watson (who injured his calf again, but is expected to be fit for the second Test).

The Purple Cow wrote:

Interesting you should say that, today I came across a press release about a competition for spinners outside the county game. The two winners won a place at a spin camp in India.

A fair number of Asian names in the list of finalists, a far greater proportion than the number you see in the Cricketer's club cricket pages.

Re: Quiney, interesting that they've selected him. He won Australia's Domestic Player of the Year last summer, so I thought he'd come over on their A tour of England. Seemed like the perfect candidate, having a good domestic season but little experience of foreign conditions. But he was left at home so I assumed he was off their radar. Apparently not.

Swann has become the leading offspinner in England test history. However this feat is probably more troubling than it is positive given that India are 231-2 and it's not even tea yet. On a pitch which is predicted to start deteriorating by day 3. With Swann having taken the 2 wickets. With him being England's only spinner, and India having two.

The pitch has expected to fall apart on day three but it has started deteriorating already, Swann's last wicket taking ball went through the surface. Got a feeling this is not going to be a five-day test.

The decision to leave Panesar out looked daft before the toss, now it's starting to look suicidal.

Swann was magnificent today - especially given what he's been through in the past week, having to fly back to see his ill baby daughter then return. Anderson bowled well too; no one else looked at all threatening.

Pujara to get a double-hundred and England to spend the following three days in a grim, and probably futile, struggle to avoid an innings defeat.

I can't believe KP is back. I would rather lose without him.

The US is playing Canada in what they like to claim is the "oldest international sporting contest in the world" (based on the fixture first having been played in 1844, though its history is far from continuous or coherent).

As if a two day two innings match wasn't shambolic enough for an international, one of the umpires is the father of the USA captain.

Tragics wanting to watch may be able to do so at this CBC link (it works in the US, not sure about UK).