*Official* England in West Indies

[Uppercut]

Strauss can't sweep. Why does he keep trying to.

It's a sign of madness to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.

 

[Daryl Harper]

Strauss gone. Fantastic innings

Not really, dropped twice on good chances, out plumb LBW once.

 

[ozone]

Two a ball from here wins it .

 

[King Pietersen]

Chanderpaul was dropped as well. Pietersen was dropped twice on the way to making that glorious 158 at the Oval, shouldn't take anything away from the innings. It's been a real battling innings from Strauss, and he's done brilliantly to survive while everyone else was falling around him. He's done fantastically well to get England in with a chance of winning.

Come on Harmy, bring on the sixes big fella!

 

[ozone]

Not really, dropped twice on good chances, out plumb LBW once.

First Chance Average, blah, blah, blah.

You can be dropped and still bat well.

 

[steds]

Blackwell's a decent shout actually.

 

[Bonnie Prince C]

Owell thats it all over. Just not enough from the middle order of England and while Strauss should of taken the batting PP earlier they were still not good enough in the middle order.

 

[ozone]

Ah, well, when 5 of the top 6 contribute less than 50, you're going to struggle to win games. Well played Windies, batted well in the middle, and then destroyed the England top order.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Whenever part of my brain starts to feel surprised at an England selection or even a suggestion of a selection, another part of my mind says, "Amjad."

 

[PhoenixFire]

First Chance Average, blah, blah, blah.

You can be dropped and still bat well.

Yeah but it detracts from the innings, does it not?

 

[ozone]

Yeah but it detracts from the innings, does it not?

It shouldn't. Don't really want to go into a whole first chance average debate, but dropped catches and missed opportunities have been a part of cricket throughout history. Why they should count against players playing in a generation where every missed opportunity is noted and analysed more so than those in previous eras is beyond me.

 

[Daryl Harper]

It shouldn't. Don't really want to go into a whole first chance average debate, but dropped catches and missed opportunities have been a part of cricket throughout history. Why they should count against players playing in a generation where every missed opportunity is noted and analysed more so than those in previous eras is beyond me.

You didn't cover blatent umpire howlers there.

Which is what Strauss's LBW let off was.

 

[albo97056]

It shouldn't. Don't really want to go into a whole first chance average debate, but dropped catches and missed opportunities have been a part of cricket throughout history. Why they should count against players playing in a generation where every missed opportunity is noted and analysed more so than those in previous eras is beyond me.

Exactly, one might as well ignore all drops when analysing someones career statistically. They are irrelevant, unless fielders all decided to gang up and drop one person more than another on purpose. I guarantee if you take any large sample chances will even theselves out.

 

[ozone]

You didn't cover blatent umpire howlers there.

Which is what Strauss's LBW let off was.

Didn't see the decision, but if it was a blatant let off, it goes further to support my argument. There's no records of bad decisions going in the favour of Bradman in his 254 (not saying there were any, but it was the first innings that came to mind).

 

[albo97056]

You didn't cover blatent umpire howlers there.

Which is what Strauss's LBW let off was.

Again unless an umpire has it in for someone, it doesnt matter in the long run in comparing careers etc. They all even up

 

[shivfan]

Great batting by Shiv!

Good to see WI levelling the series....

The medium pacers did it for the Windies.

 

[sammy2]

Struasss has been lucky all season.

 

[shivfan]

Anyone think Ian Botham massively over-rates Sulieman Benn? He had 1 good game in the Test series, where he looked threatening at Jamaica. But as soon as England started attacking him, he looked nothing more than average. He's a good Twenty20 bowler, but to be as impressed with him as Botham is confuses me.

Personally, I think the wrong spinners are playing the wrong versions of the game....

Benn should play ODIs and 20/20, IMHO....

I would pick Miller for the Tests.

 

[roseboy64]

Use an avatar please. Particularly the one Voltman linked you to.

 

[luckyeddie]

It's a sign of madness to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.

Yes, but it's a laugh.