South African summer 2009-10 : SA vs England

[Cricketics]

England's test and ODI squad announced This should be a very good series to watch. However, England might struggle against Proteas bowling attack. England's squad has been annoucned. And I'm totally surprised to see Luke Wright in the test squad. Test squad Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Paul Collingwood, Steven Davies, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright One-day squad Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Joe Denly, Sajid Mahmood, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright

[DomainK]

will be a very interesting series.

[Shane]

Luke Wright in the Test Squad? :dontknow: Have england sorted out the No.3? Ian Bell?

[Cricketics]

May be they are trying to go the Ganguly way by trying a Odi style batsman in test just like how India did with Sehwag. But Sehwag is a rare special talent. Wonder how long with Luke Wright last in English test side

[cowboysfan]

is peitersen fit?.if he is then then the poms have a good batting lineup.

[Zelig]

Luke Wright to give more balance to the team coming in at No. 6 or 7?:dontknow: The English know they can't win many tests by playing just four bowlers and they can't compensate their batting as well by picking a fifth bowler, especially in away series so they might have picked L Wright. Looks a sensible decision but will they play him?

[Shane]

The absence of Freddie disturbs the balance of the eleven. So I presume this should be the Eleven for the First Test (Barring Injuries). Strauss Cook Bell Pietersen Collingwood Trott Prior Swann Broad Anderson Sidebottom/Onions

[cowboysfan]

i think ghanta is a backup.they wil play girly man in freddie's spot(as an allrounder) and play 4 more bowlers.

[Sachinism]

Luke Wright has shown good improvement lately. I don't think there is anyone else good enough available as an all-rounder. If they wanted a pure batsman then someone else would have been picked, but Wright can bowl a few overs too. Anyways the England squad looks pretty weak, SA should kill them. Plus I guess they'll want some revenge in the ODIs as well. England have been owning them in the last few years.

[Shane]

Just checked the schedule, the Tests are to begin in December. Long Time, before that they play 5 ODI's and 2 T20's.

[Feed]

South African summer 2009-10 : SA vs England Tour- Itinerary More... Date and Time Match Fri Nov 6 14:30 local | 12:30 GMT 18:00 IST Eagles v England XI OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein Sun Nov 8 10:00 local | 08:00 GMT 13:30 IST Warriors v England XI De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley Tue Nov 10 18:00 local | 16:00 GMT 21:30 IST South Africa A v England XI OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein Fri Nov 13 18:00 local | 16:00 GMT 21:30 IST 1st T20I - South Africa v England New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg Sun Nov 15 14:30 local | 12:30 GMT 18:00 IST 2nd T20I - South Africa v England SuperSport Park, Centurion Tue Nov 17 14:30 local | 12:30 GMT 18:00 IST South Africa A v England XI Senwes Park, Potchefstroom Fri Nov 20 14:30 local | 12:30 GMT 18:00 IST 1st ODI - South Africa v England New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg Sun Nov 22 10:00 local | 08:00 GMT 13:30 IST 2nd ODI - South Africa v England SuperSport Park, Centurion Fri Nov 27 14:30 local | 12:30 GMT 18:00 IST 3rd ODI - South Africa v England Newlands, Cape Town Sun Nov 29 10:00 local | 08:00 GMT 13:30 IST 4th ODI - South Africa v England St George's Park, Port Elizabeth N/A Fri Dec 4 14:30 local | 12:30 GMT 18:00 IST 5th ODI - South Africa v England Kingsmead, Durban Wed Dec 9 - Thu Dec 10 10:30 local | 08:30 GMT 14:00 IST South African Airways Challenge XI v England XI Buffalo Park, East London Fri Dec 11 - Sat Dec 12 10:30 local | 08:30 GMT 14:00 IST South African Airways Challenge XI v England XI Buffalo Park, East London Wed Dec 16 - Sun Dec 20 10:30 local | 08:30 GMT 14:00 IST 1st Test - South Africa v England SuperSport Park, Centurion Sat Dec 26 - Wed Dec 30 10:30 local | 08:30 GMT 14:00 IST 2nd Test - South Africa v England Kingsmead, Durban Sun Jan 3 - Thu Jan 7 10:30 local | 08:30 GMT 14:00 IST 3rd Test - South Africa v England Newlands, Cape Town Thu Jan 14 - Mon Jan 18 10:30 local | 08:30 GMT 14:00 IST 4th Test - South Africa v England New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

[Feed]

Harmison fury as England go without him and Bopara for South Africa tour Steve Harmison was fuming after he was left out of the Test squad to tour South Africa and must now face up to the end of his England career. There is no room in either the Test or one-day parties for Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah, despite Shah's match-winning 98 against South Africa during the Champions Trophy.More... Steve Harmison fury as England go without him and Ravi Bopara for winter tour to South Africa By Lawrence Booth Last updated at 12:40 AM on 10th October 2009 Steve Harmison was fuming after he was left out of the Test squad to tour South Africa and must now face up to the end of his England career. Not yet 31, Harmison is barely past his peak as a fast bowler. But a combination of factors - not least an audacious ultimatum to the selectors insisting he would go to South Africa only as part of the starting XI - has finally persuaded England to cut their ties with the Durham fast bowler. Axed: Ravi Bopara has made neither squad while Steve Harmison is out of the Test reckoning yet again Captain Andrew Strauss and team director Andy Flower are clearly looking to the future as they seek to build a side capable of retaining the Ashes in 2010-11. Throw in Harmison's poor form and fitness on tours to New Zealand and India, plus his reluctance to travel to Australia next winter, and the selectors were left with little choice. They have brought down the curtain on a career that has produced 226 wickets in 63 Tests at an average of 31 and frustration at a talent that will remain largely unfulfilled. Sources said Harmison was furious. His place in the squad goes to county colleague Liam Plunkett, who returns after a two-year absence. There is no room in either the Test or one-day parties for Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah, despite Shah's match-winning 98 against South Africa during the Champions Trophy. It is the omission of Harmison, however, which most clearly signals the start of England's new era following the retirement from Tests of Andrew Flintoff after the Ashes victory at the Brit Oval in August. That was the game in which Harmison found himself on a hat-trick in the Sunday evening sunshine but, as national selector Geoff Miller suggested, it was a high point made conspicuous for towering over too many troughs. ENGLAND TEST SQUAD Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) captain, Alastair Cook (Essex) vice-captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Steven Davies (Surrey), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Matt Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex). ENGLAND ONE-DAY SQUAD Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Joe Denly (Kent), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex). More relevant is Harmison's flaky record since the 2005 Ashes: 84 wickets in 27 Tests at nearly 38 apiece and only two five-fors - both in the same game on a trampoline of an Old Trafford pitch against Pakistan three years ago. Put simply, England have had enough. Miller said: 'He's been a terrific performer and has my full respect as a cricketer, but unfortunately over the last few years he's not performed like he's capable of doing. He also stated he didn't want to tour Australia in 2010-11 and we have to keep an eye on the future, so, unfortunately for Steve, he's not been selected.' Asked about Harmison's comments that he did not want to tour South Africa as a glorified drinks waiter, Miller said: 'You go out there in the squad and fight for your place and get into the side on quality and ability. We just can't guarantee that he was going to be a player out there. So, although his comments didn't go completely against him, they were part of the discussion.' It may be of little consolation for Harmison as he considers his future, but there were kind words from Plunkett. He had forced his way into contention thanks to an impressive season for county champions Durham and said Harmison had helped make him a better bowler after he was dropped by England in 2007. 'When things went wrong for me, he just told me how to get back on track,' said 24-year-old Plunkett, who has won nine Test caps. He had forced his way into contention thanks to an impressive season for county champions Durham and said Harmison had helped make him a better bowler after he was dropped by England in 2007. 'When things went wrong for me, he just told me how to get back on track,' said 24-year-old Plunkett, who has won nine Test caps. 'I've had problems and come through as a better bowler, he's been a big help.' But the question remains whether a seam contingent of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graham Onions, Ryan Sidebottom, Plunkett and - as revealed by Sportsmail - Luke Wright, will trouble the world's No 1 Test team on their own turf. Whatever other qualities Harmison lacked, latent menace was not one of them, but Miller said: 'I'm pretty confident. We've just beaten Australia, which was a big result, and our seamers performed well. I think we've got bowlers who can cope with most conditions.' Meanwhile, a middle order containing Kevin Pietersen and Cape Town-born Jonathan Trott means there could be moments during the winter when not a single English-bred player is on the pitch. Pietersen will miss the two Twenty20 internationals in mid-November as he recovers from injury but has been named in the one-day squad. Miller said he expected Bopara, who has now been dropped five times by his country in a little over two years, to fight his way back into the side, but criticised Shah for a lack of consistency. Kent opener Joe Denly can consider himself unfortunate to miss out on a place in the Test squad, especially after Alastair Cook's struggles in the Ashes. But both Denly and Cook were named in the one-day party, the latter as reward for some unexpectedly powerful hitting in the Twenty20 Cup and NatWest Pro40 for Essex. Lancashire paceman Sajid Mahmood earned a recall to the one-day squad, despite not having played for England since the 2007 World Cup.

[Don Sharma]

No place for 'Harmful' Harmy? There is absolutely no way England are going to play Adil Rashid even if Swann gets injured. Considering the bouncy conditions in SA, it would have made more sense if they had picked Harmison instead of him.

[ESPN]

Hard work needed to be number one England captain Andrew Strauss insists his side are a long way from being the world's number one Test nation. England, having regained the Ashes with a Test series win over Australia this summer, travel to South Africa this weekend for a tour featuring two Twenty20 internationals, five one-day internationals and four Test matches. "It's one thing beating a side at home, it's another thing beating a side like South Africa away on their own patch," Strauss told BBC Radio Five Live. "It's going to be a very hard assignment for us. It comes at a great time for us as a side in terms of where we are in our development. "Potentially the next three or four months can really mould us as a side and push us a long way forward." England have considered the prospect of being world number one and Strauss believes winning the Test series in South Africa, which begins on December 16 at Centurion, is integral if they are to achieve the ranking in future. "We met up yesterday and we were looking at how the rankings systems work and what it actually takes to be the number one side," added Strauss. "It takes a huge amount of consistent performance over a long period of time, to win in different conditions, away from home, in the subcontinent and places like that - that's the only way you become the number one team in the world, by becoming really consistent over a long period of time. "What I would say if you want to become the number one team in the world, you've got to win series like this one against South Africa."

[ESPN]

Pieterson: Injury break a blessing Kevin Pietersen has admitted he was "falling out of love" with cricket before being sidelined by an Achilles injury. The right-hander has endured a difficult 2009 during which he lost the England captaincy following his public falling out with then coach Peter Moores, before his Ashes campaign was cut short after just two Tests by an Achilles injury. The right-hander was forced to undergo surgery on the complaint in July, but he believes the time out of the game since has served him well to refresh his mind. Pietersen will make his return to the national team fold against his country of birth when England head off to South Africa for their winter tour next week, and is confident he will be fully fit to make an impact. "This year has been one of the toughest of my career, with the captaincy debacle in January plus the injury," Pietersen told The Times. "This break has refreshed my head and who knows how I'll come back as a player. My Achilles won't hamper me any more and I definitely feel fresh mentally. "I'll be starting off really enjoying myself - and this year I haven't particularly enjoyed playing cricket because I was in pain and because of what happened in January. It's been a tough thing for me. "I believe everything happens for a reason and these three months have happened to refresh me and knowing that I was sort of falling out of love with the game, it was a symbol or a sign for me to refresh and recharge my batteries."

[spectre]

Even donkeys have dreams ,cant blame them

[ViruRulez]

England dreaming of no. 1 :hehe: Top 3 me to aaja pehle :hysterical:

[champ]

seeems these players are getting injured by purpose and get some rest . .anyways their boards to listen to players call of excessive cricket and players hit back doing this . .so i dont blame them ..

[Dravid]

seeems these players are getting injured by purpose and get some rest . .

:hysterical: wouldnt it be easier to fake a tresco type illness injury...rather then to actually go have real surgery to cure a fake injury? ppl these days, by any chance do u live or have been to canada?

[champ]

:hysterical: wouldnt it be easier to fake a tresco type illness injury...rather then to actually go have real surgery to cure a fake injury? ppl these days, by any chance do u live or have been to canada?

i was not specific about any player ..read the post properly ..