***Official** West Indies in England***

[wpdavid]

I suggest you brush off some tapes of Gower and see how he plays the great fast bowlers of yesteryear - a thing of beauty

He was similar to Mark Waugh - easily good enough to average in the 50s in a really strong era but didnt cash in and protect his wicket just for the sake of improving his stats

I'm not sure that I'd go along with that. Admittedly his track record against Aus was very good, so I can see why you'd rate him so highly, but even so he often struggled when Aus managed to put out a decent attack, which wasn't always the case in the Gower era. I don't recall him doing a thing when Lillee played, for instance. Against other sides, his performances against the great fast bowlers weren't often all that special. I don't remember many scores against WI apart from one hundred in 1980/81. Or against Imran, come to think of it.

Which doesn't alter the fact that he was a very fine player, and DG vs Thorpe is an interesting contest. I'd gladly settle for both nowadays.

 

[Burgey]

The "always knows what he's doing" aspect is what strikes me.

He's learned that pretty quick, coz he didnt demonstrate it very much between November 2006 and January 2007

 

[wpdavid]

He's learned that pretty quick, coz he didnt demonstrate it very much between November 2006 and January 2007

Possibly not the first youngster to struggle in his first tour of Aus, especially off the back of next-to-no FC cricket in about 3 months. Anyway, the next bit of my previous post explained what I meant.

 

[Richard]

I'm not sure that I'd go along with that. Admittedly his track record against Aus was very good, so I can see why you'd rate him so highly, but even so he often struggled when Aus managed to put out a decent attack, which wasn't always the case in the Gower era. I don't recall him doing a thing when Lillee played, for instance. Against other sides, his performances against the great fast bowlers weren't often all that special. I don't remember many scores against WI apart from one hundred in 1980/81. Or against Imran, come to think of it.

Which doesn't alter the fact that he was a very fine player, and DG vs Thorpe is an interesting contest. I'd gladly settle for both nowadays.

Haha. Well played.

 

[Richard]

When you said that England should leave Cook out of the test team...

Try reading down before you reply. (just couldn't be done without this time)

 

[Richard]

Your defence of the indefensible should demand a " " but I'll settle for knowing that everyone is aware that your suggestion is as ludicrous now as it was then.

Thing is... I've never defended what you think I have. What I said at the time was not ludicrous at the time and will never be.

 

[wpdavid]

Morning Rich, morning all

I gather you're doing the report today

 

[The_Bunny]

Should not have dropped that

 

[Perm]

Ganga, poor effort.

 

[social]

Thing is... I've never defended what you think I have. What I said at the time was not ludicrous at the time and will never be.

Richard, I love your work but you have suggested that Cook should be left out in favour of far lesser players

Admit it and move on

 

[Prince EWS]

Just on Cook - so much has been made of his outside-off-stump problem that he encountered in Australia, but I really think it's the least of his worries. No doubt it did get him in to trouble over and over again against Australia, but I really think that particular "flaw" was simply shot selection related and not at all technical and he seems to have fixed it up in this game. However, I do have concerns for him as an lbw candidate. The way he plants that pad in front of middle and off with his toe pointing towards cover and then plays around his pad to square leg could become a serious problem for him, IMO, especially if he isn't seeing it as well as he is currently and the bowlers target it. He scores a far few runs like that, but it looks technically wrong and potential troublesome.

 

[grecian]

Plumb as can be, Colly riding his luck here.

 

[The_Bunny]

Colly is having a lucky day

 

[Richard]

Morning Rich, morning all

I gather you're doing the report today

Aye, that I am. Or, rather, I'm doing most of it. I have work, sadly, at 5 of the clock, which means I'll have to do most of it then someone will have to finish and post it for me.

Dono, incidentally, if you'd be able to help there?

 

[Richard]

Richard, I love your work but you have suggested that Cook should be left out in favour of far lesser players

Admit it and move on

I suggested that he should have been had everyone who might have been available for the first Test of this summer. No more.

So Collingwood gets 2 let-offs and Cook gets out - finally. At least some justice for Taylor.

 

[Richard]

Colly is having a lucky day

Ridiculous really. Can't recall ever seeing someone receive 2 so outrageous letoffs in short time.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Still can't belief Rauf gave that not out. Was he not paying attention to the game or something?.

 

[Richard]

I know. I mean, normally playing no shot makes it easier to give out.

 

[Prince EWS]

Ridiculous really. Can't recall ever seeing someone receive 2 so outrageous letoffs in short time.

Shane Warne against the West Indies rings a bell. Faced three balls IIRC - first ball plumb lbw not given, second ball dropped, third ball caught and bowled by Dwayne Bravo. My memory is a bit hazy on that though.

 

[Flem274*]

Ridiculous really. Can't recall ever seeing someone receive 2 so outrageous letoffs in short time.

Grrr wish could watch but I have to wait until my parents are in bed so I can sneak to the tv and watch. Great century by Cook, disapointed that Pietersen got out. Why does Shah look so terrified? And Bell at 6? WTF?