Posts from ‘April, 2009’

Bravo for the selectors! After all the debate about whether England would select Ian Bell or Michael Vaughan to bat at three against West Indies, the selectors have chosen to ignore both with their squad for the 1st Test.

The BCCI has announced that players who are willing to cut their ties with the unofficial Indian Cricket League will be welcomed back to domestic, and later international, cricket.

According to a snippet in this report from The Times, Paul Collingwood will be confirmed as England captain for the World Twenty20 on Friday.

Which is interesting, considering that a month ago he said he didn’t want to do it.

According to the report on Cricinfo, Lee is intending to join up with the IPL for Kings XI Punjab, but will have a 15 day window before the start of the World T20 if the franchise doesn’t make the final stages.

For those bemoaning the lack of young English talent coming through, particularly in the fast bowling department, here are a number of performances to take note of over the weekend

Andrew Flintoff’s injury has opened up another selection conundrum over who to replace him with. It all depends on whether the selectors prefer to go with 4 bowlers or 5, and how adventurous they are prepared to be.

Having been distracted by news of Andrew Flintoff’s latest injury today, I mistakenly overlooked the biggest story of the season so far. Rob Key took a wicket.

It had to happen. Just one day after we questioned the value of Flintoff’s IPL performances so far as preparation for the summer internationals, it is announced that Freddie is injured, needs an operation and will miss the West Indies series.

Stuart Broad’s decision to stay in England in order to prepare for the International summer seems ever more vindicated. Meanwhile, a century on his Middlesex debut for Philip Hughes suggests that all the fuss made about his Ashes warm-up may be irrelevant after all.

Paul Collingwood loves the IPL ‘vibe’. What does that say about England?