Pakistan v England, 2nd Test, Abu Dhabi, 25-29 January, 2012

PlanetPakistan wrote:I recently heard that England have only won only 1 out of the 18 matches in Asia(Bombay 2006). So in that regard England have a lot to prove to be the undisputed # 1 side.

If you disregard Bangladesh ...plus '18 matches in Asia' stretches back as far as 2001 ...as the pomgolians have been number for about a year in that time it's one of the most meaningless statistics ever quoted

in the period they have been number 1 they have played one test, which they lost by 10 wickets

embee wrote:
If you disregard Bangladesh ...plus '18 matches in Asia' stretches back as far as 2001 ...as the pomgolians have been number for about a year in that time it's one of the most meaningless statistics ever quoted

Aye, we haven't played in Asia for 3 years... I'd noticed he hadn't included any of the Bangla matches in that period (won all 4) but they always have the element of WGAF. We've still got SL '07 and India '08 to think about in the not-too-distant past, we were f*cking awful.

The One wrote:in the period they have been number 1 they have played one test, which they lost by 10 wickets

Bet it took you all night to come up with that stat

There will still be excuses from some people even if we win the subcontinent series' anyway. Should we win in Sri Lanka there will undoubtedly be more than a few dipsh!ts on crapinfo's comments section saying it's because Murali has retired etc..

England, like India before, have done enough to get to the number 1 spot. It just doesn't look as good because for the past 30 or so years 2 teams have dominated with some of the greatest players ever to have played the game.

Doesn't make India or England's rise to number 1 any less valid.

Also bare in mind that even Australia lost in Sri Lanka in 1999 or 2000 and in India 2001. Were they sh!t because of that? Were England amazing because they won in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000/2001? Nope!

Aye, true Kri. TBH Miandad's statement has already elicited more comments than it deserved. Bloke sounded like a dick, we should just say he's a dick and be done with it

Miandad, you're a fcuking c0ck

Brass Monkey wrote:Meh. There have only been two undisputed #1 sides in the last 30 years. Point is they've done more than enough to achieve the top spot in the rankings given the recent shitness of all the other sides. But I agree, England have been abysmal in Asia and have to do more than just winning there to be seen as the clear top team... including beating SA at home.

Really Dan? I seem to recall the last series in SA was drawn with England hanging on to draw with 9 wickets down in 2 of the tests..

I also seem to recall SA won their last series in England, but I could be wrong about all of this.

taipan wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:Meh. There have only been two undisputed #1 sides in the last 30 years. Point is they've done more than enough to achieve the top spot in the rankings given the recent shitness of all the other sides. But I agree, England have been abysmal in Asia and have to do more than just winning there to be seen as the clear top team... including beating SA at home.

Really Dan? I seem to recall the last series in SA was drawn with England hanging on to draw with 9 wickets down in 2 of the tests..

I also seem to recall SA won their last series in England, but I could be wrong about all of this.

Which bit of my post? You're too vague.

What has happened to the education standards in South Africa?

Red's been improving them since 2007.

Brass Monkey wrote:

taipan wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:Meh. There have only been two undisputed #1 sides in the last 30 years. Point is they've done more than enough to achieve the top spot in the rankings given the recent shitness of all the other sides. But I agree, England have been abysmal in Asia and have to do more than just winning there to be seen as the clear top team... including beating SA at home.

Really Dan? I seem to recall the last series in SA was drawn with England hanging on to draw with 9 wickets down in 2 of the tests..

I also seem to recall SA won their last series in England, but I could be wrong about all of this.

Which bit of my post? You're too vague.

Misread. Apologies.

Panesar ahead of Tremlett

Trem lacked pace, i haven't seen much of Finn

Come tomorrow, Cook and Strauss would be opening for the 100th time for Eng in tests.

Only Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes - 148 Test innings as opening partners - Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya - 118 - and Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer - 113 - have opened together more in Test cricket than Strauss and Cook.

Considering kind of form Strauss is in for quite sometime now, I won't bet on Strauss-Cook to go overall 2nd in the list.