*Official* Road to the 2010/11 Ashes

[andyc]

Ah I see.

Bit like this one then. Steven Finn vows to treat Ricky Ponting like a third XI club cricketer | The Sun |Sport|Cricket

Title suggested to me something completely different than what it read.

"But I don't care who it is - a club third XI player or Ponting - I like to think I do things the same."

Cricketing journalism is so dire.

 

[Burgey]

Haha, that's brilliant isn't it? Imagine an opponent reading these things thinking WTF? Then they read what was actually said and realise it was completely inoffensive.

Much like Finn's bowling.

Finn's biggest worry will be whether Ponting gets a bat tbph.

 

[iamdavid]

He's taken a lot of wickets with just the fact that he's unusual and few batsmen have seen anything like him during their careers. A slingy, left handed bowler who slides it across the right handed batsman from over the wicket at a rapid pace.

However, i refuse to give someone credit just because he's unusual. Sorry, Murali was unusual but he bowled accurately and had a lot of skills and nuances that he developed over time. Johnson cant land 2 balls in the same vicinity, he doesn't get the ball to swing, his seam position is ordinary. Does he bowl well? No. Does he take wickets? Yes. You cant expect me to believe hes a good test match bowler simply because he has a well disguised slower ball.

My thoughts exactly... Also, the fact that he doesn't rely on traditional swing/seam movement at all means he's just as likely to be effective on a 100 degree day at Adelaide as he is at an overcast Headlingley. His weapons are the awkwardness which you refer to, and obviously his pace/physical strength which allows him to bowl that 'heavy ball'.

 

[Burgey]

My thoughts exactly... Also, the fact that he doesn't rely on traditional swing/seam movement at all means he's just as likely to be effective on a 100 degree day at Adelaide as he is at an overcast Headlingley. His weapons are the awkwardness which you refer to, and obviously his pace/physical strength which allows him to bowl that 'heavy ball'.

Is that Larry David in your avatar?

 

[Jayzamann]

Haha, that's brilliant isn't it? Imagine an opponent reading these things thinking WTF? Then they read what was actually said and realise it was completely inoffensive.

It's particularly vexing when the type of armchair commentators do nothing more than read headlines, then regurgitate them in conversation like their own opinions. To their credit, they stand out like a sore thumb, but it's equally frustrating and amusing all the same.

 

[Athlai]

Haha, that's brilliant isn't it? Imagine an opponent reading these things thinking WTF? Then they read what was actually said and realise it was completely inoffensive.

Much like Finn's bowling.

Finn's biggest worry will be whether Ponting gets a bat tbph.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Haha, that's brilliant isn't it? Imagine an opponent reading these things thinking WTF? Then they read what was actually said and realise it was completely inoffensive.

Much like Finn's bowling.

He has learnt from the master sledger Johnson though hasn't he.

I mean he is so scary when he dishes it out.

 

[GIMH]

Bloody phoney war so far. Bring on the real stuff.

 

[four_or_six]

Bollinger back to 100% fitness

"He bowled a scorching spell to his state team-mate Moises Henriques, who is also out injured, and was so happy with his aggression that at one point he asked Henriques if he'd like to change his underwear"

 

[Ruckus]

"He bowled a scorching spell to his state team-mate Moises Henriques, who is also out injured, and was so happy with his aggression that at one point he asked Henriques if he'd like to change his underwear"

Dougie, what a champion.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Bollinger back to 100% fitness

"He bowled a scorching spell to his state team-mate Moises Henriques, who is also out injured, and was so happy with his aggression that at one point he asked Henriques if he'd like to change his underwear"

I think we would all agree though that bowling well in the nets is one thing.Doing it on the park is something else and how will he be tomorrow morning anyway regards his injury?

Only after he plays next week and comes through it will they know he is fit.The key will be not his opening burst but how he bowls in his 2nd and 3rd spells.

Personally hope he is fit as i want both sides with everyone available so no excuses can be made.

 

[vic_orthdox]

To put that into context, in the 2000s, here is the list of 5 wicket hauls taken by spinners:

• 2010: Danish Kaneria - 5/151
• 2009: Suliemann Benn - 5/155
• 2007: Anil Kumble - 5/84
• 2006: Monty Panesar - 5/92
• 2005: Danish Kaneria - 7/188
• 2004: Danish Kaneria - 5/125
• 2004: Daniel Vettori - 5/152
• 2004: Upul Chandana - 5/101
• 2004: Upul Chandana - 5/109
• 2004: Anil Kumble - 8/141
• 2003: Anil Kumble - 6/176
• 2003: Anil Kumble - 5/154
• 2003: Ray Price - 6/121
• 2001: Daniel Vettori - 5/138
• 2001: Daniel Vettori - 6/87

Have bolded the ones that are at an average of less than 20. No right arm offspinners amongst them, for the record.

Posted this well back, and a similar note on cricinfo at the moment:

The Numbers Game: The worst country for a touring spinner | Regulars | Cricinfo Magazine | Cricinfo.com

EDIT: a couple of interesting tidbits.

England, though, have done even worse: over two five-Test series, their spinners have managed only 24 wickets, each costing more than 56. Not only have their spinners failed to take wickets, they've also failed to keep the runs under check, leaking 3.87 runs per over, which is again higher than all teams except Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Although those stats do include the impact of Richard Dawson...

In fact, Kumble conceded more than three runs per over in every innings he bowled in Australia.

Amazing to think that he never had one innings going at less than three an over throughout.

However, there are quite a few reasons to believe that Swann stands a much better chance than his predecessors: England have a decent pace attack, and if the fast bowlers provide breakthroughs, Swann will have much better match situation to bowl in. More importantly, Australia's batting form has been so patchy that it's unlikely they'll take too many liberties against Swann. Both, the England team and their leading spinner will believe past record won't count for much when the battle begins in a couple of weeks.

 

[zaremba]

Geoff Miller took 23 wickets @ 15 in Oz - admittedly this was 30 years ago

 

[zaremba]

Haha, that's brilliant isn't it? Imagine an opponent reading these things thinking WTF? Then they read what was actually said and realise it was completely inoffensive.

Much like Finn's bowling.

Finn's biggest worry will be whether Ponting gets a bat tbph.

I can't believe you disloyal bastards are calling for your skipper to be axed already. Wait till you've lost the series, FFS

 

[Uppercut]

I'd be pretty surprised if Swann isn't at least better than any of the other English bowlers. He's just getting sooo much turn and drift at the moment. I'd expect him to turn it on pretty much anything, and take wickets on all but the slowest of pitches.

 

[Athlai]

A lot of the moderately successful guys are LFS too, and I'd say Swann is the best of that lot.

 

[Howe_zat]

Note that the decline of touring spinners coincides magically with the rise of arguably the world's best ever batting lineup.

 

[Uppercut]

a lot of the moderately successful guys are lfs too, and i'd say swann is the best of that lot.

lfs?

 

[Spark]

It'll be hooray for Hauritz | The Daily Telegraph

Kezza knows what's up

 

[Ruckus]

It'll be hooray for Hauritz | The Daily Telegraph

Kezza knows what's up

Is that steven's dad?