Posts tagged with ‘Steve Harmison’

The selection of Luke Wright and Liam Plunkett for England’s tour of South Africa this winter will surprise many. The lack of reserve batsmen suggests that England will continue with Prior at six and five bowlers. Steven Davies is the reserve wicketkeeper, and Adil Rashid will understudy Graeme Swann.

It’s Central Contract Awards time, and the big “news” is that Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar have missed out altogether. Actually, this shouldn’t be much of a surprise – Harmison has been quoted as saying that he is unsure whether he will tour South Africa this winter and definitely won’t tour Australia the following winter. Panesar’s fall from grace seems to be complete – Adil Rashid has an incremental contract and must be favourite to travel as the 2nd spinner this winter. Between them they only played 3 Tests this summer.

This (impending) defeat will rank as highly as, if not higher than, any of England’s regular ’90s maulings. They have been truly embarrassing, like senile old men who have soiled themselves, shuffling about aimlessly, muttering incomprehensibly.

Steve Harmison was dropped from the England team because he regularly bowls pies. His stock delivery is the long-hop. This was in March 2008 during the tour of New Zealand. It should have been the end of his Test career.

England have spent the previous three Tests grafting hard and building up their 1-0 advantage. Today they flushed it efficiently down the toilet with three hours of the most inept cricket you will ever have the displeasure to witness.

So, the knee has finally hoisted the white flag and said enough is enough. Flintoff has not recovered in time for the Headingley Test, which starts this morning, and a nation will doubtless be in morning, whilst another one quietly starts to fancy it’s chances with the news that Matt Prior may be out with an injury.

The news is that Ryan Sidebottom has been recalled to the squad, and that Jonathan Trott has been included as batting cover for Flintoff, should his knees decide that they’d much prefer to stay at home than spend five days at Headingley.

Once KP was ruled out, we all knew what the squad was going to be. There was almost no point in announcing it.

As emotive as England’s late escape was yesterday, the team will be under no illusions – they were thoroughly outplayed. With the 2nd Test following just a few days behind, Strauss will need to regroup his team fast. Here are the areas that are of concern.

This weeks Ashes reporting consists mostly of messages, reminders and nudges. By now, the selectors know at least ten of the side which will take the field at Cardiff. The Daily Telegraph, for whom tales of Andrew Flintoff’s evening exploits are just so 2007, assume that each and every decent county performance will have Geoff Miller re-writing the team-sheet.