They have not bowled remotely decently today, they've bowled dreadfully - with a couple of good-'uns to dismiss Pietersen and Prior chucked in there.
Yeah, for all his technical problems that get him in trouble between 0 and 40, he really has awesome powers of concentration and applies himself brilliantly when he has his eye in.
Was it really? Or was it just a good knock by an opening bat who just so happens has the C beside his name. I'm thinking the latter, he's been dropped 3 times..
Okay... I didn't realise they were that dreadful. From the written commentary and the bit of radio I've heard I got the impression that some of the wickets were good balls.
Yeah he's been dropped a few times but it's a decent captains knock really when you look at how everyone fell around him. Kept his cool well.
This is true. Think bowlers for whatever reason fail to bowl full and straight enough to him early on and once hes well set it really is too late for it. Australia for some reason have fallen into the rather ludicrous trap of trying to bounce him out, which really is not likely to work anytime soon.
Yeah, certainly better than Broad currently. I guess it's even more difficult to justify selecting someone based on their number-nine batting than number-eight, so Broad has to bat eight.
Pietersen and Prior were - and Bopara's in fairness was hard to avoid if fortuitious (it was an intended outswinger that didn't swing and looked like a genius piece of setting-up).
I actually think the full-and-straight thing tends to work a lot better against Strauss when he's in the 20s and 30s than right at the start of his innings. Since his recall he's generally just put the drive away until he hits about 20 - this is the ideal time to really try to get him coming forward, IMO.
You're not surprised though, surely?
Yes I am. :P
Think most people would have a pretty poor 20s to 50s conversion rate because they are not quite set at 20. Strauss is even more likely to have that because he usually converts 50s to 100s.
I meant 20s to scores of 50 or more, rather than literal 50s. Also meant comparatively to other players and not comparatively to his 50s-100s conversation rate.
That applies to all batsmen though really. The batsman who it is not a good idea to pitch it up, attack the stumps and look to swing it, and more early doors than ever, is exceptionally rare.
Yeah, of course. Bowling full and straight to Strauss is generally a good idea at any stage of his innings. I wasn't trying to suggest otherwise; merely that the problem seems to be exaggerated for him in the 20s and 30s as he isn't quite set and begins driving anyway.tooextracool said:
I don't agree with this. Cook was beaten for pace, which can happen when you bowl 90mph+, even if inaccurately. Bopara's was a fantastic piece of setting up, Hilfenhaus knows every ball won't swing so you've got to give him credit when a batsman gets out playing for it. KP and Prior got awesome balls, and Flintoff's was a pretty decent one too. Only Collingwood threw his wicket away.
