England Defeat Canada by 16 runs...

England have beat Canada by 16 runs in a warm up match in Fatullah.

Kevin Pietersen opened the batting with Andrew Strauss but only managed 24 runs, with Johnathon Trott and Matt Prior top scoring with 57 and 78 respectively as England were bowled out for 243.

Stuart Broad returning from injury took 5-37 as Canada scored 227, with Rizwan Cheema scoring a fluent 93 off of 100 balls.

pretty uninspiring stuff it has to be said, but the good news is that Stuart Broad seems to be fully fit! Really let them off the hook from about 30-odd for five... We desperately need Swanny to be fit and firing, the back-ups just aren't up to it...

Mad for Chelsea wrote:pretty uninspiring stuff it has to be said, but the good news is that Stuart Broad seems to be fully fit! Really let them off the hook from about 30-odd for five... We desperately need Swanny to be fit and firing, the back-ups just aren't up to it...

I know what you mean!

KP at 2 is not good either, why isn't Davies or Kieswetter getting a shot in these warm ups?

King Beer wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:pretty uninspiring stuff it has to be said, but the good news is that Stuart Broad seems to be fully fit! Really let them off the hook from about 30-odd for five... We desperately need Swanny to be fit and firing, the back-ups just aren't up to it...

I know what you mean!

KP at 2 is not good either, why isn't Davies or Kieswetter getting a shot in these warm ups?

Erm they're not in the squad

Seriously I'd rather Bell opened the batting with Strauss, we saw he could do a good job there in this winter's T20s

Why aren't they in the squad then? Both promising and both handy with the bat!

Well there was a feeling Kieswetter had been worked out after last summer's ODI series against Aus (where he barely made a run). As for Davies, search me! His record in ODIs is pretty useful, his keeping is very good too, and he's a natural opening batsman.

I thought he should have been there ahead of Prior to be honest, but the selectors thought Prior would be better on subcontinent pitches...

I feel that England has the selections all wrong. They always seem to go for a steady unspectacular approach to ODI's which can only take them so far. Its why they mainly seem to struggle against the top sides. Young attacking players like Davies never seem to be given a chance to get an extended run in the side.

I can see England getting out of the group but falling at the next hurdle.

eirebilly wrote:I feel that England has the selections all wrong. They always seem to go for a steady unspectacular approach to ODI's which can only take them so far. Its why they mainly seem to struggle against the top sides. Young attacking players like Davies never seem to be given a chance to get an extended run in the side.

I can see England getting out of the group but falling at the next hurdle.

Group B is the harder of the two groups I reckon, Eng will probably have to beat one of India, South Africa or West Indies to guarantee progression. Their final group game is v West Indies and could be a winner takes all affair. I don't have a problem with Pietersen opening, but I feel Prior will do quite well opening on pitches which won't test his abilities against the new ball as happened in Australia. Eoin Morgan's omission is a body blow to their chances, I don't feel Eng can hope to win the event without a quality finisher in the middle order.

Thats true, i feel Englands best chance is against WI but as a do or i die match....... I wouldnt like it.

Much better from England today, beating Pakistan by a good margin of 60-plus runs. Plus points are Pietersen making some runs as an opener (which apparently is going to be his role in the WC), Collingwood's return to some batting form, and Broad's continued good bowling (5 wickets for the second successive match). Is it coincidence that Broad seems fresh and dangerous when he is the one English bowler who has had any sort of break recently?

Kieswetter has recently been injured and is now with the lions

there were signs in that game we had no chance of winning the world cup, and it is just getting worse