SA Footy

As reported

Fletcher is privately fuming at being held accountable for omitting Panesar from the Adelaide Test, a match where England's No.1 spinner Ashley Giles took just 2-149 to leave his career hanging by a thread.

The Courier-Mail has learned that at team selection meetings in Adelaide, Fletcher leaned toward Panesar to play in the Test but captain Andrew Flintoff went for his Lancashire teammate, swing bowler Jimmy Anderson, who went on to perform poorly and may not play another Test on tour.

Flintoff won out after the issue was discussed by a committee of senior players including Geraint Jones and Andrew Strauss.

The fallout over the omission of Panesar has become so great in England that it is threatening to undermine Fletcher's future as England coach and also drive a wedge between Fletcher and Flintoff.

sydney-dog wrote:
senior players including Geraint Jones.

WTF?

The only reason I can see that they would consult Jones would be that he sees the most of every bowler whilst he is keeping to them, but senior...

sydney-dog wrote:Fletcher is privately fuming at being held accountable for omitting Panesar from the Adelaide Test, a match where England's No.1 spinner Ashley Giles took just 2-149 to leave his career hanging by a thread.

Not to mention the sitter of catch he dropped off Ponting.

We were looking forward to watching Monty play, I'm glad Fletcher's getting shit for it.

Also Panesar said that he was left out for...wait for it...his BATTING.

Apparently they wanted solidity down the order if the top order folded.

Using that logic one could assume that Glenn McGrath with an average of 7.53 (Panesar's is 10.2) would not get a game for England!

prior to the tour Fletcher declared Monty the best finger spinner in the world, since they have played on two spin friendly pitches and Monty is carrying the drinks

I agree, why consult Jones, he is only senior to my boot laces

but i can see why Picked Giles, because he does not spin the ball as much as Monty, and he is easier to keep wicket too

The really strange thing about picking Giles for his batting is that he doesn't really make that many runs either. If he made 60s and 70s you could understand it, but he only gets the odd 20 or 30, which really isn't all that great. I'd go for Panesar thanks, even if his batting average was 0.00

As far as I'm concerned, test match bowlers are in the side to take wickets, any runs they score are just a nice bonus. To have someone like Giles who doesn't threaten and is only really used to stop runs and hold up one end... you can't afford to have a spinner in the side who does that. Even if Panesar turns out to be more expensive, at least he will attack and try and take a wicket every ball! You need a quality spinner when the pitch is turning on the last day or two.
Look at what Warnie did on the 5th day of the Adelaide test, he was turning it a mile and was almost unplayable, then compare that to Giles who came in and got tonked, fair enough the ball was a little bit newer but he didn't look like doing anything with it.

It'll be interesting to see the English side for this test if Jones plays there is something drastically wrong. Backing up from his peerless batting, dropped catches and byes in the last test he has gone for a golden globe against WA, meanwhile Read is 46* took a screamer in low down off Mahmood in his Left hand and didn't let trough a bye in the WA innings.....

Over to you Fletch.....

Yeah I saw that catch Wrinkles..it was a beauty by Read.

regards,

REB