Ashes 2006: What's going on on the BBC messageboards?

Here's a new feature for the Website - Every week I'm going to produce a collection of articles from the BBC messageboards, print them on here and hopefully generate some debate on the state of both squads.

"Harmison has does nothing in this series to remotely suggest he can bowl match-turning spells; when England needed fine bowling to save the last Test, Andrew Flintoff turned to Ashley Giles ahead of him. While it is true that he has a tendency to drift in and out of form without warning, can England actually afford to risk selecting him for a Test they cannot lose?" extratime

"I think on the evidence of the two day match agaianst Western Australia, Read, Mahmood and Pensar all deserve a chance to prove themselves in the third test." Akira9b

"Surely now even Duncan Fletcher is left with no choice - Read and Monty in, Jones and Giles out. If he's worried about the tail, fine - play Mahmood instead of Harmison. Sajid seems on much better batting FORM (a word Fletcher hasn't discovered yet) than Giles." TobyMar

"Monty Panesar can bat! He isn't a walking wicket like so many people say. He just hsn't been given a fair chance to showcase his skills yet. He has hit some really nice innings down a t Northants, including a 34 this season, in which the summary of the game (I didn't go) said that he looked like a proper batsmen, playing his shots and driving through the gaps. " no1northantsman

"Flintoff has been deficient so far in his winter reign as captain, and at times he has looked lost. Muddled bowling changes and tactics which represent his archetypal schoolboy image have given creedence to the widely held suspicions." theashesblog

So, what do we think? Opinions please.

A weekend of intrigue, if nothing else...

First of all, some time needs to be taken to absorb the news that there is a reported 'captaincy battle' going on behind closed doors in the England camp.

As you would expect, all parties 'involved' have denied any split, fissure, or crack in a team they like to present as a cricketing equivalent of the Famous Five. But as we all know, especially with journalists, players and PR people working in such close proximity, there is little smoke without fire.

Andrew Strauss, who did so well in the summer tests against Pakistan is probably still feeling aggrieved that he was not picked as captain for the winter tour. However, if these rumours have started with Strauss, his timing is far from impeccable. Half way through a critical tour is not a time to raise concerns or to start Chinese whispers.

Flintoff has been deficient so far in his winter reign as captain, and at times he has looked lost. Muddled bowling changes and tactics which represent his archetypal schoolboy image have given creedence to the widely held suspicions.

With Trescothick absent for the forseeable future and Vaughan unlikely to return for the series at all, there is nobody for Flintoff to fall back on, tactically, apart from Strauss himself. If these two men, the only members of the squad with real captaincy experience can't let the cricket come ahead of their personal ambitions, then England's demise will be completed by the 4th day at the WACA.