Eoin Morgan (captain, Middlesex) Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire) Ravi Bopara (Essex) Scott Borthwick (Durham) Jade Dernbach (Surrey) Steven Finn (Middlesex) Craig Kieswetter (Somerset) Graham Onions (Durham) Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire) Ben Stokes (Durham) James Taylor (Leicestershire) Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire) Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Cook should be captain, he needs to work with the young players being brought in. Can't see Ireland pulling off another fluke win assuming England have learnt their lesson from the last time and know not to keep bowling short stuff at a club player having a once in a lifetime slogathon.
Yet another fluke win. You got lucky in the t-20 where rain saved you. Again showing us no respect. Coincidentally taking Boyd Rankin for england A a week before this game. Turning up wednesday night and ****ing off again thursday evening. I hope you get a damn good thrashing, but the fact is, we are a bit weaker and you have stacked the deck.
Boyd Rankin declared his desire to become English so they picked him, I'm as against it as you are. He must be about 15th in line to be picked anyway, bad descision imo.
If he is going to progress as a cricketer, then it is the right move for him, but our game is being ******ed in the same fashion (as pne commentator put it) as the south sea islanders are by the all blacks in rugby. It is a rock and a hard place for us. england are doing **** all to help us, not even bothering to speak to the media. That is utterly selfish. I have been full of praise for england lately but their carry on this week is taking the piss and I have to be critical of that. england are supposed to be custodians of the game, but **** Paddy, he had his day in the sun. lets get in and get out leave them to it. A **** attitude. Our chances of a result are remote. england can't be arsed and even a defeat against us isn't going to derail you BUT I'd ****ing love to beat you on thursday as a great big **** you to the ecb. The game here is up against a lot of obstacles. You think it is tough convincing folk in england that this is a seriously good game, then it is ten times harder here. So thanks a bunch for all your help ecb
I'm not sure what your gripe is but if you want to progress in cricket: you were offered county cricket but turned it down, refused the ECBs help.
county cricket ain't gonna help. Our players can play that already. The gripe is you spending 32 hours in the country. Sell the ****ing game to us. The Aussies did, no problem. The gripe is you dictating the start time so you don't miss your plane home. Playing the game is not just playing the 50 overs. If you are going to cherry pick our brightest and best, the very least you could do is help sell the game to a public who by and large know **** all about it. A poor show from the ecb.
Covers are off. It hasn't been raining up my way. Ireland take the toss and decide to have a bowl. The right decision for 2 reasons. 1) looks like batting second up might be a bit easier. B) It gives better value to the support.
Good start for the Irish. 24-1 in 7.4 Kieswetter gone for 14. He got a lucky 6 from a top edge and didn't look comfortable against the number one associate team in the entire planet.
10 overs gone England 34-1, Kieswetter fails again. Trott taking his time to adjust to the poor pitch and amateur bowling attack, needs to up the scoring rate.
england in disarray saved by the rain 38-2. The world's number one associate nation really takin it to the english.
Back underway now as England face Ireland. Irishmen bowling against a former Irishmen and a former South African and a mis-field by a future englishman......strange days.
england firing back through an Irishman and a Saffa. 73-2. Morgan dominant. His top score in Clontarf is only something like 34. He'll pass that very shortly at this rate.
20 overs gone England 86-2, scoring rate has increased slightly. The weak-link in Englands test team finding some form against the medium pacers.
