for an ad-free Fetcheveryone experience!

Cricket Thread

31 lurkers | 108 watchers

The Teaboy May 2015 1:19pm, 12 May 2015 12,828 posts	Quote Pin The Teaboy Very flat? No other batsman scores more than 36 in the Surrey innings, including Roy, Davies and some bloke called Sangakkara? Against an attack that includes Australian international Clint McKay (check his ODI record if you don't appreciate his calibre) and Charlie Shreck (who was mooted for England selection at times over his career). While I won't claim he is a saint, KP gets more kudos for helping young players than anyone else I ever hear of and his professionalism in practice and working is never ever questioned. One could argue that Ballance and Root scored their recent runs on dead flat test decks agianst WI second string and popgun Indians and when the pitch got remotely squirrelly in the last test they collapsed like a deck of cards. You can read numbers many ways Fozz. Of course the truth lies somewhere in between, but scoring 355 at the rate he did still takes some going - only the 5th highest innings in County Cricket History...
The Teaboy May 2015 1:23pm, 12 May 2015 12,829 posts	Quote Pin The Teaboy Correction, 6th highest.
Crash Hamster May 2015 1:30pm, 12 May 2015 439 posts	Quote Pin Crash Hamster He's 35, so wouldn't solve anything for long. He's been thrown out of several dressing rooms and at least one country. If he were 25, maybe he'd be worth a punt...
Crash Hamster May 2015 1:31pm, 12 May 2015 440 posts	Quote Pin Crash Hamster (having said that, age didn't stop them bringing Trott back, but you'd hope they'd've learned from that...)
Too Much Water May 2015 1:31pm, 12 May 2015 4,728 posts	Quote Pin Too Much Water Bairstow tried and failed at this level, take your Yorkie blinkers off Ashes is the time to bring in someone who the Aussie's fear, not a pup to be taken apart
rf_fozzy May 2015 1:39pm, 12 May 2015 6,883 posts	Quote Pin rf_fozzy So, you get one chance and that's it? Bairstow is in form. Seem to remember a few players, including a certain KP who had 2 or more chances. But anyway, I offered you three other sensible options....there are others. I doubt the Aussie's will fear KP - it's easy to use him as a point - as in "look you've had to bring back the t*** who doesn't know how to be a part of the team - is he the best you've got etc" - Marcus North made that exact point on R5 last night. Plus, everyone knows how to get him out at international level - bring on a left arm spinner and then the EGO takes over. And anyway, you're still missing the point. Our middle order is fine. We need an opener and a couple of bowlers - KP isn't going to fill any of those slots...
The Teaboy May 2015 1:44pm, 12 May 2015 12,830 posts	Quote Pin The Teaboy I'll agree we need an opener an a couple of bowlers though. Not saying I'd pick KP ATM as Bell, Ballance and Root have earned their places, just agreeing that should anything happen then I think KP is worthy of possible includion. I would have been in favour of giving him ODI captaincy and telling him to develop young ODI and T20 players for the next world cup. Go and play that fearless brand of cricket we want. That would have been a radical and inventive solution and offered him a pathway to show that trust.
The Teaboy May 2015 1:45pm, 12 May 2015 12,831 posts	Quote Pin The Teaboy KP may have had more than one chance, but he was never actually dropped over his career for failure to score runs. Unlike Bairstow...
rf_fozzy May 2015 1:54pm, 12 May 2015 6,884 posts	Quote Pin rf_fozzy But KP cannot be trusted. The book and texts showed that. He's had 2/3/4 chances (that we know of) and he's blown every single one. Better have a ODI captain to build towards the next WC who's actually going to be there. A look through last seasons CC batting averages tells you who we should be looking at: Adam Lyth 1619 runs at 70. Age 27 James Vince 1525 runs at 61. Age 24 Riki Wessels 1213 runs at 45. Age 29 Scott Borthwick 1187 runs at 44. Age 25 Alex Hales 1032 runs at 49. Age 26. There are also others. No need to look to an egotistical, untrustworthy 35 year old.
rf_fozzy May 2015 1:54pm, 12 May 2015 6,885 posts	Quote Pin rf_fozzy Maybe Bairstow was picked too early and needed to go back to CC to score some runs? Which he is now doing.....