Botham: England are the best team in the world

[Bublu Bhuyan]

Hopefully all ICF'ers will have a lot of fun bumping this thread in the near future :--D

[Ramzz]

India beat England in England. England has not beaten India in India for the last 15 years. Explain this.

[gaurav92]

Another Englishmen bragging without much success :cantstop:

[saneindian]

The real beauty of this England team is their age and their experience. They have nearly all played enough Test cricket to be considered old pros, yet most of them are still so young. Unlike the 2005 team that reached a peak and was then ravaged by retirements and injuries, this England side has plenty of cricket left in it. Only Strauss and Graeme Swann are over 30 and I can see the England skipper continuing to lead the side into the next Ashes series that arrives in 2013 and beyond. Between now and then, the target is sustained world supremacy.

2005 team- Trescothick (30), Strauss (28), Vaughan (31), Bell (23), KP (25), Collingwood (29), Flintoff (28), Geriant Jones (29), Giles (32), Hoggard (29), Harmison (27), Simon Jones (27) 2011 team - Strauss (34), Cook(26), Trott (30), KP (31), Bell (29), Morgan (25), Prior (29), Swann (32), Broad (25), Tremlett (30), Anderson (29) So the 2011 team has 5 30+ players, 2005 unit had just 3 of them. Average agewise the 2011 team is elder than the 2005 team. Wonder why Botham is giving age as an excuse. 1-2 series losses and Strauss will be booted out too like Vaughan was. Some injuries are bound to happen. Maybe Botham's dream is not going to run for long.

[Sachin=GOD]

:sleep:

[punjabiplaya]

both just said on sky sports india players are tired in fact that dravid tendulkar n zaheer are tired and in the twilight of there careers n may struggle... let the cricket do the talking i say!

[limon]

India beat England in England. England has not beaten India in India for the last 15 years. Explain this.

That's the point.

[The Realist]

Seriously guys don't bother with what the gutter English press or retards like Botham say. They win one bilateral series against a weak Aussie team and suddenly they are transformed to the best team ever. The same crap happens in football with the English team, build them up to ridiculous levels and then they inevitably get their ass's owned by the better team - case in point being the WC last year when Germany were dismissed before the match and then on the pitch taught England a lesson. The English press is probably the most brain-dead and least intelligent in the world. Just ignore.

[putrevus]

what away series has England won other than Ashes in recent memory.

[Karan114]

both just said on sky sports india players are tired in fact that dravid tendulkar n zaheer are tired and in the twilight of there careers n may struggle... let the cricket do the talking i say!

Yeah, I bet Dravid has gotten absolutely exhausted in those five months since he last played a game for India :cantstop:

[desi pride 4321]

india will have to fight hard to beat england. i do think england can give india a tough fight esp with out of form players like dravid and bajji hanging in the team with their past glories.

[Hell Raiser]

It doesn't matter if India wins in England or not. Even if England lose, He will still brag about the ashes win and will simply make lame excuses in the end.

[Cricket Tragic]

2005 team- Trescothick (30), Strauss (28), Vaughan (31), Bell (23), KP (25), Collingwood (29), Flintoff (28), Geriant Jones (29), Giles (32), Hoggard (29), Harmison (27), Simon Jones (27) 2011 team - Strauss (34), Cook(26), Trott (30), KP (31), Bell (29), Morgan (25), Prior (29), Swann (32), Broad (25), Tremlett (30), Anderson (29) So the 2011 team has 5 30+ players, 2005 unit had just 3 of them. Average agewise the 2011 team is elder than the 2005 team. Wonder why Botham is giving age as an excuse. 1-2 series losses and Strauss will be booted out too like Vaughan was. Some injuries are bound to happen. Maybe Botham's dream is not going to run for long.

:hysterical: Great post.

[achilles]

Its good to be patriotic. But statements like these put extra pressure on the team.

I agree England is the best team in the world and Pakistan the best place in the world to play cricket; ICC should ensure that atleast 3 England-Pak series are played in Pakistan in 2011 England is the only team that can dodge bulllets from bowlers and terrorists alike

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[putrevus]

i still think their 2005 bowling attack was far superior to 2011 attack except for Swann. They caught Aussies at right moment they were reeling after 2-0 loss in India and Ponting under lot of pressure and some ridiculous team selection from Australia.

[Utalk]

Swann is in for a shock this summer.If it does not swing in the second half of the summer Eng bowlers will go for plenty here.

[vvvslaxman]

Typical English chest thumping. Henman, Bechkam.. generally it comes back to bite them sooner than later. They couldn't even win a series in West Indies.

[Serani]

ENGERLAND, ENGERLAND ENGERLAND. We are the engerland greatest nation on earth.

[vvvslaxman]

ENGERLAND, ENGERLAND ENGERLAND. We are the engerland greatest nation on earth.

Certainly. I love some of their artists though. But you guys are real hype machines. Be it is pudding or wedding. :cantstop:

[mishra]

Nasser already trying to figure out excuse for ineffectiveness of their bowlers :hysterical: