Shengus Khan

What about the Ian Bell Method though? Panesar has got to consistently fail for the next year or two before he can even be considered for the chop. A few comments about how he's bowling "well in the nets" wouldn't go amiss either.

It'll be interesting to see what England do in the 1st Test. The wicket in Cardiff has been causing quite a lot of controversy and has loads of turn in it. You would think then that England should go with 2 spinners but then this is England we're talking about and they're not really reknowned for doing things sensibly. 1st test team should be :- Strauss, Cook, Bopara, Pietersen, Collingwood, Prior, Flintoff, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Panesar. I would expect to see Panesar omitted from that and Sidebottom brought in. The good news for England is that the Aussies don't have a decent spinner. Warne would've skittled England out single handedly if he was playing.

Not really. Ever since the horrible IPL started, I have developed a bit of a hatred for T20*. Give me Test cricket any day of the week B) *To be honest I don't mind the English county T20 but the IPL leaves me feeling cold.

Has anybody been keeping tabs on the shenanigans going on at Bath? Three of their players have resigned after they all refused 3 times to take a drugs test! This is after Matt Stevens testing positive for Colombian fizz in february and another guy being punted for getting involved in a pub fight with Harlequins players You must get some night out with these boys. I thought rugby boys just drunk their own piss and tea-bagged each other. How times have changed! Who says that rugby is played by gentlemen?

Yeah, Ben Chonzie is a piece of piss. I think we were up and down in 3 hours which included a stop at the top for some lunch. Was up Mount Keen on saturday which is also extremely easy. It was pishing with rain though and with the howling wind and low cloud cover meant that the visibilty was virtually zero.

Where's Gallowshade? Is that the area by Newmonthill? That place is a fucking dive and should be levelled now. And Forfar is a wannabe Dundee. All the wee shites wandering around town have somehow developed a Dundonian accent. Ken whit eh mean pal?

Whilst it is in no way the worst place in Scotland, Forfar is still a dump of a place which seems to be primarily populated by inbred junkies. It's a wannabe Dundee. In fact, all towns in Angus are hovels which is a crying shame when you consider some of the natural beauty in the area. The worst area i've ever been in is the area around Parkhead. That really is no place for anyone to walk alone in at any time of the day. Only a nuclear bomb could solve problems there.

I agree with the sentiments about Twenty 20 being a bit dull. When it first burst on to the scene it was a fresh and exciting form of the game with huge crowds, even on weekdays. Now it's been milked to within an inch of it's life and because of the sheer volume of Twenty 20 being played the novelty factor has gone and dare I say the excitement. I heard last week that the English counties are expecting rather significant drops in ticket sales this summer. I'll still watch the English Twenty/20 on Sky this summer but i've got zero interest in the IPL. It just looks and feels wrong to me. They've tried too hard to jazz it up and it's just lost all of it's appeal.

Graeme Swann, what a guy! Sixty odd runs, 3 wickets and a few very handy slip catches. Who needs Flintoff eh?

Quick query for you folks. Say I (a Scotsman) was a decent cricketer at county level down south, would I be eligible to play for England despite having no English relations? We were just discussing this at work and I say yes I could but others seem adamant that I couldn't. I'm under the impression that anyone with a British passport can play for England.

I'd go along with that. His double hundred in Adelaide was something of beauty. (Just a shame that the biggest bottle job in history followed it )

Yip, that's it. England have enough batting strength to put in decent totals against the Aussies but can they skittle them out? Hmmm, i'm not sure. Anderson I think will have a fine summer and he should swinging the ball for fun in home conditions. Are there another 3 or 4 English bowler though who can step up to the mark though and share the load with Jimmy? I remain to be convinced although let's wait and see what the Windies tests show us.

No Vaughan or Bell. A very pleasant surprise indeed. Good to see Flower move away from the 'jobs for the boys' selection policy that has gone on for years. I suppose the Vaughan decision isn't too much of a shock since he hasn't scored enough runs (barring an 80 the other day). He strikes me as a guy who inside is fed up with cricket yet doesn't want to admit it. Bell on the otherhand has looked in decent nick for Warwickshire. Flower has perhaps thought that he's failed too many times to be put back in straight away. Hopefully this means that either Bopara or Shah are given a decent opportunity (ie a whole summer, not one test) to cement their place at no. 3.

If Afghanistan and Canada both get beat then Scotland go through if they win their final game, or something like that. In short, Scotland are out.

You're right. Chonzie was a piece of piss. Up and down within 3 and a half hours and that included a good half hour for lunch. I can see why people find it a bit dull but because of the superb weather i'll only have fond memories of it. Stopped off in Dunkeld for a pint in the beer garden on the way home as well. Sheer bliss

Anybody been up Ben Chonzie before? Me and a mate are heading there tomorrow for a wee trek. We've climbed all the Munros up round my way (Glen Doll and Glen Clova) so we're looking slightly further afield. Just looking for a wee bit of general advice from people on here to see if it's possible to combine it with another couple of munros.

I currently have the Aussies comfortably ahead. Right now i'm saying 3-1 to the Crims although i'll definitely change my opinion many times before the series starts. I just think Mitchell Johnson will rip through them with the favourable seaming conditions in England.

American golfer Chip Hazard.

*snigger* Shouldn't someone tell England not to bother playing one day cricket?

Can anybody help me with the name of a Neighbours family from yesteryear (we're talking 12 - 15 years ago)? There was a brother and sister, both at school but I can't remember the surname. The guy was a geeky fella with glasses called Brett but the name of the lassie has escaped me. She was a blonde lassie with short-ish hair and I think she was a diabetic. Help!!!

Had a look at the cards for the Saff Afreeka - Australia test and McGain, the Aussie bowler, has figures of 0 wickets for 102 runs off 11 (E L E V E N) overs. With 2 maidens as well . He must be bowling like a drain

They were an absolute disgrace. It's no wonder the interest in Carribean cricket is declining so rapidly when you look at nonsense like this series. The only reason why yesterday's finish was so exciting was because of a quite monumental effort from Jimmy Anderson and a couple of dodgy umpiring decisions.

I'd go along with either of them. England are as well going down 2-0 and fighting than 1-0 with a wimper. KP and Colly should try and score very quickly and set the Windies an achievable target in the (extremely unlikely) hope that they come out swinging. It's the very least the fans deserve.

They don't need to take 20 wickets so they've added an extra batsman to their line up. They'll just be looking to get their batsmen in and keep them in. It's a bit of a dull, safe ploy but it's ultimately the right choice. England done the same in the Oval test in 2005 when they drafted in Collingwood for the injured S Jones.

I agree. Surely there should be some sort of regulation where the pitches have to have something in them to give the bowlers a bit of encouragement? It makes for dire viewing otherwise. I would've fancied Ian Bell to maybe even have pushed on to a mighty 30 on that wicket