Oracle of Delphi
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Craig HillAussies Stumble as England Surge
February 12th 2007 04:30
Two major questions are left unanswered after England sensationally left Australia with their first 2-0 defeat in a home tri series since 1993 against the might of the West Indies.
Firstly can England maintain their form and momentum through until the World Cup in March?
And secondly is Australia’s stuttering form a significant problem ahead of, initially the Chappell Hadlee series in New Zealand and then subsequently into the World Cup.
All credit must go to England for their response to what until 10 days ago had been a horrendous tour. Heavy defeats in all five Ashes tests followed by a poor start to the one day series must have had a number of senior players doubting themselves and the team. Certainly obituaries for Fletcher and to a lesser degree Flintoff as captain had already been written.
For the team to respond in the way that they did speaks volumes for the contributions not only from Flintoff and Fletcher but new additions after the test series like Plunkett, Joyce, Nixon and Loye.
Mal Loye must retain his spot in the side for the World Cup. Vaughan must return to the line up and a badly out of form Strauss should provide back up in case one of Bell, Collingwood or Vaughan succumbs to injury.
For the Australians many questions remain. The temptation to include rush Ponting back into the squad for the New Zealand series must be overcome. He and Gilchrist could both do with some time out. Haddin is worthy of some time in the side in the same way that Tait got his chance earlier in the series. Clark and McGrath don’t fit in the same squad and two must be in the final squad from Symonds, Hogg and Watson.
Australia will overcome this lapse in form but they will be unlikely to progress through the tournament with the authority seen in the previous World Cup,
World Cup Squads
England; 1. Vaughan ©, 2. Flintoff, 3. Loye, 4. Bell, 5. Collingwood, 6. Pieterson, 7. Dalrymple, 8. Panesar, 9. Plunkett, 10. Nixon, 11. Prior, 12. Strauss, 13. Mahmood, 14. Joyce, 15. Anderson
Australia; 1. Ponting, 2. Gilchrist, 3. Hayden, 4. Clarke, 5. Hussey, 6. Lee, 7. Symonds, 8. Bracken 9. McGrath, 10. Tait, 11. Haddin, 12. Hogg, 13. Johnson, 14. Hodge, 15. White
Firstly can England maintain their form and momentum through until the World Cup in March?
And secondly is Australia’s stuttering form a significant problem ahead of, initially the Chappell Hadlee series in New Zealand and then subsequently into the World Cup.
All credit must go to England for their response to what until 10 days ago had been a horrendous tour. Heavy defeats in all five Ashes tests followed by a poor start to the one day series must have had a number of senior players doubting themselves and the team. Certainly obituaries for Fletcher and to a lesser degree Flintoff as captain had already been written.
For the team to respond in the way that they did speaks volumes for the contributions not only from Flintoff and Fletcher but new additions after the test series like Plunkett, Joyce, Nixon and Loye.
Mal Loye must retain his spot in the side for the World Cup. Vaughan must return to the line up and a badly out of form Strauss should provide back up in case one of Bell, Collingwood or Vaughan succumbs to injury.
For the Australians many questions remain. The temptation to include rush Ponting back into the squad for the New Zealand series must be overcome. He and Gilchrist could both do with some time out. Haddin is worthy of some time in the side in the same way that Tait got his chance earlier in the series. Clark and McGrath don’t fit in the same squad and two must be in the final squad from Symonds, Hogg and Watson.
Australia will overcome this lapse in form but they will be unlikely to progress through the tournament with the authority seen in the previous World Cup,
World Cup Squads
England; 1. Vaughan ©, 2. Flintoff, 3. Loye, 4. Bell, 5. Collingwood, 6. Pieterson, 7. Dalrymple, 8. Panesar, 9. Plunkett, 10. Nixon, 11. Prior, 12. Strauss, 13. Mahmood, 14. Joyce, 15. Anderson
Australia; 1. Ponting, 2. Gilchrist, 3. Hayden, 4. Clarke, 5. Hussey, 6. Lee, 7. Symonds, 8. Bracken 9. McGrath, 10. Tait, 11. Haddin, 12. Hogg, 13. Johnson, 14. Hodge, 15. White
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