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usalion
20 Sep 2005, 11:13
I swear, some of the selector comments sound eddiesmith-esque....frightening, really

Here's the article:

England call-up for veteran Udal

Profile: Udal back in the fold
England have named four uncapped players including veteran Hampshire spinner Shaun Udal in their 17-man Test squad for the tour of Pakistan.

The others are Hampshire's Chris Tremlett, off-spinner Alex Loudon from Warwickshire and Sussex's Matt Prior, while James Anderson also travels.

Prior goes as back-up keeper in place of Chris Read, while Udal displaces Gareth Batty as second spinner.

Darren Gough is not in the one-day squad after he asked to be rested.

But there is a place for Liam Plunkett, a 20-year-old bowling all-rounder who plays for Durham.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney said a number of spinners were considered, including Graeme Swann, Batty and Richard Dawson, before deciding on Udal, who played the last of his 10 one-day internationals in 1995.

Prior is the type of player that fits into team structure and batting is a relevant factor

England selector David Graveney
More England squads reaction
Jonathan Agnew's verdict

"Udal is a guy who has been involved in county cricket for a long time," said Graveney of the 36-year-old off-spinner, whose 36 Championship wickets this season have cost 20 runs each.

"Spinners can play at that sort of age and statistics will show that Udal by far is the performance bowler at the present time, which is why we want him to go."

Loudon, an England Under-19 captain six years ago, is an off-spinning all-rounder who has added the 'doosra' to his repertoire since leaving Kent last year, primarily because of a lack of opportunities. His Championship haul this season is 26 wickets at 41.

The Test squad contains all 12 of the players who guided England to a 2-1 win against Australia in the Ashes, including injured bowler Simon Jones and his replacement for the fifth Test, batting all-rounder Paul Collingwood.

One player who had been tipped to travel, Nottinghamshire keeper Read, is handed the consolation of a place in the Academy squad, where he is joined by Batty and Robert Key.

Graveney said Read had lost out to Prior on batting grounds, despite the latter averaging 11 runs fewer per innings than his rival in the Championship this season..

"If you draw on the stats, Prior's frequency of scoring hundreds is superior to Read," said Graveney.

"He is the type of player that fits into team structure and batting is a relevant factor."

Udal has played well this season but is not exactly a great prospect for the future

From W
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In the one-day squad Vikram Solanki is given another chance to impress, while Gough's decision not to travel looks to have handed Plunkett an early chance to shine on the international stage.

The Durham bowler will spend the first part of the tour, while England are playing the Test series, with the Academy in Loughborough.

He will be joined there by exciting young Essex batsmen Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara, plus prolific Sussex batsman Michael Yardy and the Middlesex pair of Ed Joyce and Owais Shah, who have both enjoyed fine summers.

England arrive in Pakistan on 26 October, with the first Test, in Multan, beginning on 12 November.

England's tour itinerary

The first of the five ODIs, which follow the three-match Test series, starts on 10 December.

Meanwhile, a total of 12 players have been awarded 12-month ECB contracts.

They are Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell, Collingwood, Ashley Giles, Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hoggard, Stephen Harmison, Geraint Jones, Simon Jones, Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick.



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England Test squad: Michael Vaughan (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Geraint Jones, Simon Jones, Alex Loudon, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Andrew Strauss, Chris Tremlett, Marcus Trescothick, Shaun Udal.

England one-day squad: Michael Vaughan, James Anderson, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Stephen Harmison, Geraint Jones, Simon Jones, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Liam Plunkett, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Chris Tremlett, Marcus Trescothick.

eddiesmith
20 Sep 2005, 13:08
I swear, some of the selector comments sound eddiesmith-esque....frightening, really



Well done, you finally found me out ;) :p

As for the squad, not to bad, its like the Aussie squad, you know which 12 will play most of the games, the rest are just there for show, only a couple will even get to tour likely

grayza
20 Sep 2005, 13:21
shaun udal is still alive?

Adrian Shelton
20 Sep 2005, 15:57
you bet he's alive! so are Ian Salisbury and Robert Croft for anyone who's interested.

Johnson#26
20 Sep 2005, 16:21
What happened to Robert Key, who made a 200 against a pretty decent Aus A in 02/03?

Jimmy Anderson should be in their no.1 team ahead of Hoggard. Richard Dawson is hopeless. He can't spin it.

Ray Nolan
20 Sep 2005, 16:48
Jimmy Anderson should be in their no.1 team ahead of Hoggard.

When Jimmy introduces his bowling to the word "consistency" he might be a shot at it ...

usalion
20 Sep 2005, 20:52
What happened to Robert Key, who made a 200 against a pretty decent Aus A in 02/03?

Jimmy Anderson should be in their no.1 team ahead of Hoggard. Richard Dawson is hopeless. He can't spin it.

Key is in the Academy squad- not sure where they are touring. If I remember correctly, I saw Udall playing in a ODI in the series in 1994-5 at the SCG. What next, John Emburey?

Dipper
20 Sep 2005, 21:13
With the selection of the two offies I think the reasoning is very different.

Udal was always pretty average but since Warne came to Hampshire he's had the 2 best seasons of his career.

If we need to play 2 spinners then I reckon he'll get in but clearly he's a short term measure & I think they'll want to go in with the 4 pacemen when they can, although hoggard will most probably be outed at those venues where they anticipate no conventional swing.

The other bloke Loudon I would guess has no chance of playing Tests, short of Giles & Udal going down with Delhi belly on the same day.

I think they're taking him to see what his character is like & to work on him.

He does spin it a bit (more than Dawson & Batty) but he's got poor control.

I think they feel that tey can teach a bloke who turns it to bowl tighter & with more variation than get a steady eddie bloke to suddenly spin the thing.

Plus he's not a reasonable basman & I don't think Englad would consider playing a spinner who can't bat a bit (unless of course he was bloody good).

As for Key not going I think the way things are now that firstly Colligwood has jumped ahead of him but also there's a feeling (quite rightly) that Key isn't ever going to be Test class.

The blokes in their mid twenties(Key/Collingwood/Joyce/Shah) can maybe vie to come in if one if the top 5 gets injured but I think they realise that within the next year Alistair Cook from Essex(the bloke who hit a double ton against Australia) will have enough experience to become the batting reserve.

As I've said on here before I think he will go on to have a better Test career than any of the current England batsmen.He's got it all, just that at 20 he needs to learn a bit more & harden up.

On the fat bowling front Tremlett is definitely seen as the one who can be worked on to be next in line for certainly Harmison, whilst Anderson is there to back up Hoggard & I suppose woever them shows better form could replace Jones.

Tremlett has the tools, it's his mentality that needs touhgening up & a couple of months on tour to Pakistan should be perfect for the coaches to impress upon him what's required.

Really I see the Test team coming from the XI who played most of the Ashes with Udal maybe coming in for Hoggard at certain venues.Although Harmison (if he goes) will need to deliver in the 1st two Tests, otherwise it's an outside chance that he could make way for the 2nd spinner instead.

It's not totally clear how fit Jones is either.But I think they want him more for Pakistan than India, & it's better that he gets through this one & needs an operation & misses India than the other way round.

Dipper
20 Sep 2005, 21:16
you bet he's alive! so are Ian Salisbury and Robert Croft for anyone who's interested.

Yes, both so bad but so different.

Croft who's stock ball was the one that goes straight on & Salisbury who could turn it but liked to mix things up with a bunch of half trackers & full bungs every over before surprising the batsmen with a length ball.

Opposite tactics....same result.

English cricket in the 90s a tragedy that became a farce.

Aritro
23 Sep 2005, 19:19
Jimmy Anderson should be in their no.1 team ahead of Hoggard.

I don't mind that as long as he's dropped again in time for Lancs assault on the top division.