***Official*** West Indies in England

[Howsie]

He cashed in

Unlike Ian Bell who's constant 30's made of 50 balls are never going to help win your team a game.

Mustard just needed more time, I mean look at McCullum he was poor at the international level for ages but he finally came right.

 

[Athlai]

McCullum is a wicket keeper and basically the polar opposite of what Bell is on the field. McCullum uses amazing reflexes to make up for his not so perfect technique, Bell uses great technique to make up for his not so amazing reflexes. Bell is also a batsman when he doesn't score runs he can't stay in the team.

 

[Howsie]

McCullum is a wicket keeper and basically the polar opposite of what Bell is on the field. McCullum uses amazing reflexes to make up for his not so perfect technique, Bell uses great technique to make up for his not so amazing reflexes. Bell is also a batsman when he doesn't score runs he can't stay in the team.

I was trying to compare Mustard to McCullums situation of a few years back.

 

[superkingdave]

Target score for England? Sounds like it might be a difficult pitch to force the pace on..270 reasonable...would that be a challenging score if England bowl ok?

 

[King Pietersen]

Did New Zealand have a better option as a keeper-batsman? England do have far better options than Mustard. I'd take Prior ahead of Mustard, I'd also take Davies, Foster, Kieswetter ahead of him just as a start. There are far, far better options than Phil Mustard in County Cricket. Mustard's a mindless slogger and a pretty average keeper. McCullum always had the trump card of being a pretty talented and exciting wicket-keeper, which made up for his erratic batting.

England should really be aiming for 300 from here, in a very good position. With quite a few runs and 8 wickets in hand. I think 270 should be enough against this batting line-up though tbh, just need to neutralise Gayle at the top.

 

[Howsie]

That is Englands problem, there is always someone else who can "do better". A keeper comes into the team, he isn't Adam Gilchrist and one month later he is gone. I remember Ian Botham going on about this last season when New Zealand was over there I think.

 

[King Pietersen]

That's the selectors faults though, for continually picking the wrong man, only to realise he's not good enough and another 1 season wonder. It's not a matter of him not being the next Gilchrist, no-ones the next Gilchrist, it's a matter of them not being good enough, which Mustard plainly wasn't.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Did New Zealand have a better option as a keeper-batsman? England do have far better options than Mustard. I'd take Prior ahead of Mustard, I'd also take Davies, Foster, Kieswetter ahead of him just as a start. There are far, far better options than Phil Mustard in County Cricket. Mustard's a mindless slogger and a pretty average keeper. McCullum always had the trump card of being a pretty talented and exciting wicket-keeper, which made up for his erratic batting.

England should really be aiming for 300 from here, in a very good position. With quite a few runs and 8 wickets in hand. I think 270 should be enough against this batting line-up though tbh, just need to neutralise Gayle at the top.

Mustard is leagues ahead of Prior when it comes to limited overs cricket. Mustard played on tough pitches most of his brief international career. He's not going to have a great average but he could average 25-30 at a very good strike rate and he's a decent enough keeper. That is far better than the ****e like Prior who can only score at a decent rate if you give him a cut shot every over like West Indies are doing here, whilst still having a rubbish average and being rubbish with the gloves. With Mustard he also lends a better synergy to England's side - the balance with him opening is far better than when Prior plays.

 

[alw1971]

Excellent start, just hope we can finish the job off?

Would like to see Morgan bat, is a big hitter? Not seen much of him.

 

[King Pietersen]

Mustard is leagues ahead of Prior when it comes to limited overs cricket. Mustard played on tough pitches most of his brief international career. He's not going to have a great average but he could average 25-30 at a very good strike rate and he's a decent enough keeper. That is far better than the ****e like Prior who can only score at a decent rate if you give him a cut shot every over like West Indies are doing here, whilst still having a rubbish average and being rubbish with the gloves. With Mustard he also lends a better synergy to England's side - the balance with him opening is far better than when Prior plays.

The difference being that Prior's got a technique that should be good enough to play ODI cricket. He can score quickly in Test cricket, and he needs to be instructed to play naturally and not slog, like he's been told to do in the past when opening the batting. If Prior bats properly, like he is here, he's a good enough player. Scoring at a good rate and just knocking the bowlers around in the middle overs. His keeping's not much worse than Mustard's either tbh, from what I've seen anyway, I may be wrong.

As for Mustard being good enough to average 25-30 at a good strike rate. It's not enough. Coming in and mindlessly slogging and it only coming off on a dreadfully flat wicket with short boundaries offers us nothing. I'd rather see Bopara and Strauss opening, and putting on 50 at just short of a run a ball and building a platform. Mustard's not good enough to slog from the start, and would basically be a free wicket, like Luke Wright was when he got a go. Mustard is not an international cricketer.

 

[superkingdave]

Actually they should probably be dissapointed if they get less than 300 here, 14 overs left and nearly at 200, plenty of batting left.

 

[social]

Mustard is leagues ahead of Prior when it comes to limited overs cricket. Mustard played on tough pitches most of his brief international career. He's not going to have a great average but he could average 25-30 at a very good strike rate and he's a decent enough keeper. That is far better than the ****e like Prior who can only score at a decent rate if you give him a cut shot every over like West Indies are doing here, whilst still having a rubbish average and being rubbish with the gloves. With Mustard he also lends a better synergy to England's side - the balance with him opening is far better than when Prior plays.

Better get used to it - Prior's in for at least the summer and even then it will take a Geraint-esque string of failures to see him removed

 

[scorpiogal]

This is painful.

 

[Burgey]

Must say, until tonight I'd never quite appreciated how expansive Owais Shah's eyebrows are.

Tipping there's a Leonid Brezshnev connection there somewhere.

 

[GIMH]

Prior hitting 50, how's he played?

 

[Howsie]

Shah droped by Sarwan, tough chance that.

 

[King Pietersen]

Prior hitting 50, how's he played?

Surprisingly nicely. He seems to be batting more naturally now that he's not been instructed to play as a 'pinch hitter'. He's manipulated the slower bowlers nicely, and run very well between the sticks. He'll still get slagged off, because it's Prior, but I've been impressed by him today.

 

[pskov]

Shah droped by Sarwan, tough chance that.

Calling that a chance would be very harsh, it was the type of opportunity I'd expect the fielder to take only one time in ten really.

 

[Howsie]

Calling that a chance would be very harsh, it was the type of opportunity I'd expect the fielder to take only one time in ten really.

It would of been a stunner your right about that, but it's still a chance.

 

[TT Boy]

320+ on.

Been a fantastic batting display thus far.