***Official*** South Africa in England

[Furball]

Aye you do have a point there. But in the greater scheme of things, he's still someone i'd want in the team.

As for comparing his batting with that of Swann's, there probably isn't much in it indeed. However, i can't imagine Swann ever scoring 30 runs off a single over in international cricket, so Mascarenhas is the man i'd prefer coming in late.

Luck played a massive part in that - Chawla caught him 2nd ball and unluckily hit the ropes after he'd caught it, and then Yuvraj proceeded to bowl like a spastic for the rest of the over.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Luck played a massive part in that - Chawla caught him 2nd ball and unluckily hit the ropes after he'd caught it, and then Yuvraj proceeded to bowl like a spastic for the rest of the over.

Probably shouldn't phrase things like that.

 

[Uppercut]

Luck played a massive part in that - Chawla caught him 2nd ball and unluckily hit the ropes after he'd caught it, and then Yuvraj proceeded to bowl like a spastic for the rest of the over.

Nevertheless, hitting him for five consecutive sixes isn't that easy. Graeme Swann couldn't do it

The virtue of that achievement's overstated a bit, yeah, but he's still the best late-order big hitter they've got.

 

[GIMH]

Was watching highlights of that game last night

 

[Richard]

Aye you do have a point there. But in the greater scheme of things, he's still someone i'd want in the team.

He's certainly someone I want in the team in the long-term too - as I say, I've advocated his cause for quite some time. But I want him in the team if I think he can perform - and right now I don't think he can, based on how he's bowled in domestic cricket this season. I hope next year he can start bowling well again.

As for comparing his batting with that of Swann's, there probably isn't much in it indeed. However, i can't imagine Swann ever scoring 30 runs off a single over in international cricket, so Mascarenhas is the man i'd prefer coming in late.

I couldn't really have imagined Mascarenhas doing it either TBH. I have seen and heard about Swann doing some fairly extraordinary hitting things too - IIRR he once hit 38 off about 15 balls in a First-Class match, totally outpacing his opening partner, one Matthew Hayden. So it's not like he's a slouch.

 

[GIMH]

Batting strength of the ODI side is the best it's been a while, IMO

 

[Richard]

Depth? There's plenty. Strength? I'm yet to be convinced.

If you take those who've played so far this series:
Bell - don't rate
Prior - don't rate at all
Shah - don't rate
Collingwood - getting there, maybe
Pietersen - excellent but not produced all that much of late
Flintoff - ditto but to a much greater extent
Patel - yet to really form much of an opinion on him
Bopara - don't rate terribly currently, especially batting that low down
Wright - even worse than Prior
Broad - more of a correct batsman than slogger, the only role he's going to need to play very often
Anderson and Harmison - useless

Is it stronger, and certainly deeper, than for a while? Undoubtedly. Is that yet that great an achievement? No, IMO.

 

[Goughy]

Quality is better than quantity, but 'owts better than nowt

We are not blessed with 4 or 5 world class batsmen so batting deep is our only option.

I could argue about personel but Im actually liking the gameplan and composition of the team by the English management at the moment (maybe I should send them an email )

 

[GIMH]

Aside from the top order, which I agree needs much improvement, it's as good a line-up as you'll find in ODIs. KP-Flintoff-Colly particularly strong ODI triumvirate

 

[Uppercut]

Aside from the top order, which I agree needs much improvement, it's as good a line-up as you'll find in ODIs outside Australia. KP-Flintoff-Colly particularly strong ODI triumvirate

Fixed.

 

[Richard]

Quality is better than quantity, but 'owts better than nowt

We are not blessed with 4 or 5 world class batsmen so batting deep is our only option.

I could argue about personel but Im actually liking the gameplan and composition of the team by the English management at the moment (maybe I should send them an email )

It's fine for the time being. But let's see what happens when we get on a flat pitch, Flintoff is on an off-day, and Harmison, Anderson and Broad are going the distance.

Then there are biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig totals in the offing, and I don't mean on the England scoreboard. Nor do I just mean routine (300-320) big either.

 

[GIMH]

Fixed.

Yeah fair, I'll go that

 

[GIMH]

It's fine for the time being. But let's see what happens when we get on a flat pitch, Flintoff is on an off-day, and Harmison, Anderson and Broad are going the distance.

Then there are biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig totals in the offing, and I don't mean on the England scoreboard. Nor do I just mean routine (300-320) big either.

If there's a flat pitch Ian Bell will ton up, and KP and Fred will have fun as well tttt

 

[Uppercut]

If there's a flat pitch Ian Bell will ton up, and KP and Fred will have fun as well tttt

The team that uses the powerplays when the new ball does nothing will tend to beat them though.

 

[GIMH]

Possibly, but then I wouldn't underrate our bowlers too much at this point either. Things in ODIs at the minute are genuinely looking good on paper, as opposed to recent years where many (most certainly including myself) have jumped the gun after a couple of wins but when really on paper the side was still weak. Sort the top 3 out (get KP back at 3 FFS) and we could be on to something

 

[Uppercut]

Possibly, but then I wouldn't underrate our bowlers too much at this point either. Things in ODIs at the minute are genuinely looking good on paper, as opposed to recent years where many (most certainly including myself) have jumped the gun after a couple of wins but when really on paper the side was still weak. Sort the top 3 out (get KP back at 3 FFS) and we could be on to something

Yeah I agree, it does look a genuinely quite strong team if everyone stays fit and on reasonable form. Rest assured by the next world cup they'll be useless again, though

 

[pskov]

Depth? There's plenty. Strength? I'm yet to be convinced.

If you take those who've played so far this series:
Bell - don't rate
Prior - don't rate at all
Shah - don't rate
Collingwood - getting there, maybe
Pietersen - excellent but not produced all that much of late
Flintoff - ditto but to a much greater extent
Patel - yet to really form much of an opinion on him
Bopara - don't rate terribly currently, especially batting that low down
Wright - even worse than Prior
Broad - more of a correct batsman than slogger, the only role he's going to need to play very often
Anderson and Harmison - useless

Is it stronger, and certainly deeper, than for a while? Undoubtedly. Is that yet that great an achievement? No, IMO.

I think the problem with that line up is that really only Pietersen and Flintoff are have proven themselves capable of consistent big hitting against international opposition. I rate Bopara as a good batsman who will be a regular for England in all forms of the game in two years time or so, but batting him at no. 7 in an ODI is wasting his talent, he is not a slogger. The same with Patel, who I have not seen much of at all, but have heard he is a classy-type batsman like Shah who wants to construct an innings, not a big hitter that we need where he is slated to bat in the current side. Bell will never be any better than decent in ODIs purely because he can't hit anywhere over the top other than straight. Shah and Collingwood have had cameos of slogging but don't posses the power to do it consistently, nor the mentality to go after the bowling unless they get rank deliveries.

That said, I suppose Wright's role is to be the late order six hitter but he is complete poo so it's irrelevant anyway.

 

[Furball]

Possibly, but then I wouldn't underrate our bowlers too much at this point either. Things in ODIs at the minute are genuinely looking good on paper, as opposed to recent years where many (most certainly including myself) have jumped the gun after a couple of wins but when really on paper the side was still weak. Sort the top 3 out (get KP back at 3 FFS) and we could be on to something

Pietersen's better at 4, where he can build an innings and go mental for the last 10.

Having him come in in the 3rd over is useless.

 

[Uppercut]

I think the problem with that line up is that really only Pietersen and Flintoff are have proven themselves capable of consistent big hitting against international opposition. I rate Bopara as a good batsman who will be a regular for England in all forms of the game in two years time or so, but batting him at no. 7 in an ODI is wasting his talent, he is not a slogger. The same with Patel, who I have not seen much of at all, but have heard he is a classy-type batsman like Shah who wants to construct an innings, not a big hitter that we need where he is slated to bat in the current side. Bell will never be any better than decent in ODIs purely because he can't hit anywhere over the top other than straight. Shah and Collingwood have had cameos of slogging but don't posses the power to do it consistently, nor the mentality to go after the bowling unless they get rank deliveries.

That said, I suppose Wright's role is to be the late order six hitter but he is complete poo so it's irrelevant anyway.

I'm telling you, Mascarenhas is the man for the job!

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

I'm telling you, Mascarenhas is the man for the job!

He doesn't play for Sussex though, does he?