Duncan Fletcher Quotes (39 Quotes)

We will look to see who will need a rest before going to Australia and we will make plans accordingly.

He just tweaked it and we took him off as a precautionary measure. I hope it gets better in the next couple of days. We wanted to make sure it didn't get any worse before the first Test.

It could be a risk to play him but that is a decision we have to make sometimes an injury risk is also a risk as to whether they will perform or not. It is not easy being a selector.

If you speak to anyone coming back from injury they are always a little bit tender here and there.

I last spoke to him about a week ago and he seemed pretty upbeat at the time. But it seems like it is two steps forwards and then one step back from what I hear. It is a very difficult decision to make and only Michael can make that.

Ideally, with Michael probably back, it lessens the burden on Andrew and can free him up to play the exciting cricket he plays.

It's a big blow to us. I think it's about 28 Tests he's played on the trot for us and with the loss of other experienced players, it leaves a big hole.

On these slow wickets your technique has got to come to bear. The Indians use a lot of wrist in their technique. If you don't use your wrists you are going to struggle because of the adjustment in time of the ball reaching you - they use their wrists to create that power to beat the field.

It comes down to the first innings when you have to put on a big score and put some pressure on the opposition. We need to apply a lot more pressure in Mumbai.

It was not the ideal preparation going into the series. But the morale of the team is very good. The developments have given chances to some new players (to rise to the occasion). You never know what these changes can do.

We want to rest Freddie whenever we can. We saw this as an opportunity the other day.

Everyone is keeping an eye on all cricket all the time. As long as we don't try to notice too much and forget about our own game.

We were caught napping a bit with inexperience. They still need to learn how to play in certain situations in one-day cricket.

It would be nice to go through the series with the same 11 players. I'll be discussing the matter with the other selectors, but I'm not going to say what we'll do.

We want to give Freddie a rest whenever we can, we saw this as an opportunity the other day and we will be monitoring it as this tour and the summer progresses. We will manage it on a game-by-game basis.

It is a concern, as captain he has done well for us and he is a major player. We have always had this worry that in the future he might not be fit.

We have a very good idea of what our strongest one-day side is. If everyone's fit and ready to go there is probably only one position we would want to look at sometime over the coming weeks.

It is going to take a lot of hard work to bowl them out but we still believe we can go out there tomorrow and do the job. I'd rather be in our changing-room than in theirs at this stage.

He has put in performances over two years that have been outstanding, ones which have got better and better.

It is asking a lot to send them in against India and players who play spin-bowling very well.

We have to live with it, sometimes these coincidences do happen. They are obviously huge losses but we will just have to get on as we are.

It's a nice surprise and feeling to begin with a win. Our players shaped up well and we did a good job of adapting to the conditions.

We think it is a two-spinner pitch but we will look at it, then look at the number eight position.

It's good news. I got it through on the phone this morning by text.

Sometimes these things happen. We have lost experienced players before and we just have to live with it.

What is so pleasing is that these guys (newcomers) look as though they have really got a desire not just to play for England, but to do well for England.

We needed Simon Jones's type of bowling which balances our bowling attack.

It is difficult for them. People are not like machines you cannot tell them 'new wicket, new conditions, get out there and perform'.

The one area we've got to work on is the batters. They've got to show a little more patience than in Pakistan.

We had to treat him with kid gloves, just say half-pace, and today he looked pretty effective out there.

Strauss is fit to play but we will not take a decision on the team till Saturday morning.

Marcus has to go back for personal reasons. I think we have to respect the privacy of the matter.

It has got to be worrying when you lose someone like Marcus who is a world-class international opener and has experience of playing here last time.

Many people thought we hadn't played against strong opposition, but we came out and proved it.

We'll look at the No 8 position when we see the conditions. By all accounts it's a two-spinner pitch so there's every chance we'll play two.

We can't make a decision over replacements just yet, we have to give it a couple of days. Simon Jones could wake up and be fine in two days, while if the injection works Vaughan could be alright by next week. We'll just have to fiddle things about for the moment.

Ashley has always offered us the balance which is required of a Test side.

Key has had a shoulder operation and Shah has a knee injury which didn't look too serious at first but a closer look has shown it is a far more serious.

We always knew this winter would be difficult. India would have been tough with a full side but with four major players out, while they are at full strength - well it's a huge ask for a young side. Yet, we've just got to make sure we keep battling on.