Furball
Evil Scotsman
He's been quite injury prone.
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*Official* England in South Africa
- Thread starter James
- Start date
Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
Fair point but wasnt he injured for almost half of last season as well? It isnt as if he is coming off the back of a monster, injury free season. In fact, after just checking he took a grand total of 19 CC wickets least season at 30.
Quaggas
State Captain
You're overreacting. Jaques Kallis means nothing [N. Balfour, approx 2002].
tooextracool
International Coach
This is what I would call a 'classic' English selection. We know the way England selectors work, they tend to pick like-for-like replacements and with 2 swing bowlers in Anderson and Sidebottom possibly being sidelined for the first test, they needed someone who could move the ball in the air, especially with Onions and Broad mostly being hit the deck seam bowlers. I don't know anything about Davies, but I would find it absurd if he has 250 odd wickets at 22 a piece bowling at medium pace without being able to swing the ball.
If Broad and Onions were out, you could almost guarantee that the next call on the cards would be sent to either Steve Harmison or Saj Mahmood. Likewise, if Luke Wright breaks a hip, Bresnan will be put on notice. This is how the selectors work, its not always a function of who is the best cricketer to play for England, its always who would be able to replace the role of the player who is injured. I am not sure whether I agree with this logic or not, as I think it depends on the situation. With Davies record, I am glad that he is finally being given a shot, but that has more to do with the fact that I am curious to see how he bowls.
Furball
Evil Scotsman
Had an excellent Lions tour of New Zealand, although I'm well aware there's a massive step up.
TT Boy
Hall of Fame Member
Briony is an ill-informed troll/full-time fisher. Every prediction made by the said poster on South Africa has a 99.9% rate of not coming true and not being entirely accurate (see last comment regarding Albie Morkel who has been replaced by his brother not Ryan McLaren).*
Notable examples of this habit of predicting the complete opposite are as follows...
- England would beat South Africa at home in the test series, Graeme Smith would not score a run;
- Australia would beat South Africa at home in the test series, Graeme Smith would not score a run;
- Graeme Smith can't play 20/20 cricket, he is too fat cue mass destruction of England's bowlers in a 20/20 game.
And many more....
* Going by the comments in the Australia West Indies thread, make that all cricket.
Only problem with the said posters trolling is that there isn't another South Africans here for it to be successful. Poster should try Keo or SuperSport if you want to antagonise South Africans. I've already bookmarked this page but Briony will probably have flounced in the wake of a possible South African test series victory - only to turn up again with the same diatribe when South Africa next play test cricket in the West Indies.
Briony
International Debutant
I disagree TT, the selectors are clearing preferring McLaren over Albertus as an all-rounder option. It happened in the ODIs and he's in the test squad despite not showing anything at this point to suggest that he's international standard. Albertuse made a test half ton in his only outing at that level.
jboss
Banned
Nah tbf it is more of a waisted opportunity of not bringing in talent and giving experience to players who will anyway have to fill his place in the near future. For me a bigger shocker will be seeing Prince open and ignoring the second highest run scorer from domestic who is openeing for thier province. The most logical move would have been to bat Prince down lower where experience will be needed in the middle order. I seriously do not hope they play Perterson in as an opener on his debut and I seriously hope that Peterson replaces Dumminy until Dumminy fixes his issue. Our middle order looks very short when you take into consideration that Dumminy will provide easy wickets. My question is that if he has not fixed this issue in a year, then how will he fix it in 2 weeks? Mclaren is also very suprising and one can only wonder why a guy like Philander has not made the team ahead of De Wet or Mclaren.
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Briony
International Debutant
Philander looked ordinary the only time he played for the Proteas. He might be taking a few wickets in domestic cricket but it looks like there's been assistance for the bowlers. He's also a bit of a liability in the field. If they're picking an allrounder to replace Kallis, surely it has to be someone who can hold his own with bat or ball, not a bits and pieces player.
jboss
Banned
Why should that matter? Tsostsobe looked impressive on the other hand in his Aus debut and has continue to be ignored. Whats more is a guy like albie looked far worse and continued to make the team.
Philander plays for the cobras at newlands which is most certainly not known as a place where there is assistance for fast bowlers.
Briony
International Debutant
He doesn't always play at home though. Tsotsobe looked good in an ODI against Australia but tests and one dayers are not to be compared. He needs to bowl at a faster pace in order to be considered for the tests and he also needs to work on his batting and fielding.
zaremba
Cricketer Of The Year
To my previous list (Harmison, Plunkett, Mahmood) you can add Amjad Khan and Darren Pattinson
wpdavid
Hall of Fame Member
Perhaps the issue is that he's fit now, whereas previously he'd been injured mid-season after taking a truckload of wickets in April & May. Maybe, anyway. The other thing may be that he's currently playing domestic cricket in SA, so he's match fit, acclimatised and familiar with conditions.
Another factor may be that we're increasingly seeing the influence and new broom of Andy Flower as he's settled into the job, which wouldn't have been the case when Amjad was called up in the Caribbean. Most recent selections (test side, anyway) seem based on performance rater than reputation or some spurious intangible.
aussie
Hall of Fame Member
And we should hope to god that Anderson & Sidebottom are fit & he doesn't play. I really struggle to see how you guys could be rejoicing & the fact that Davies in the test squad.
While other nations have the likes of Roach, Parnell, Aamer, Southee et etc stepping up we have Davies
. Surely this is nothing to be pleased about...The last quality ones being Bedser & Appleyard. Medium pacers are an extinct breed.Zaremba said:
Since after those two in the 1950s the likes of Cartwright, Shackleton, Ken Higgs (although he was ok, Lancashire legend etc), Pringle, Knight where crap.
Yes we have & unfortunately we picking Davies is going down tha path again...Zaremba said:
His FC record is something i dont buy on face value as i said. Bresnan doesn't fill me nor much people with confidence. But there is no way i can see how Davies is likely to be more test quality than Bresnan.Zaremba said:
Come onnn Z...this is some real rose tinted nostalgia here
- At no point in the last few years regardless of Harmo's frustrating run could Davies have been picked over him. Definately not in Ashes & certainly not on the winter tours on those flat decks in IND & WI.Zaremba said:
- Pattinson definately the worst selection ENG have made in my lifetime in think. But Davies was not the best replacement ATT. Hoggard was still very much available, the selectors just did crap.
- Amjad Khan was badd. But haa surely a medium pace trundler like him would not have made sense on those flat WI pitches.
- Plunkett same thing applies again. At least Plunks looks good intially & no way after the 2005 Ashes was Davies in the selectors thoughts. You not going to seriously tell me Davies should have toured Pakistan in 05 now??
- Mahmood. He had lions tours form & looked to have something early on. No way was Davies ever ahead of him circa 2007.
As i said i refuse to believe he is test quality. I dont want to see him in an ENG shirt & his FC record clearly is massive abberation since he clearly is better than non of those bowlers in most conditions...Zaremba said:
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aussie
Hall of Fame Member
Haa well spotted. Made a SLIGHT mistake in "favourite players thread". The last time i saw any domestic game in up here was in 2007 for sure. This game, to be exact. Went to watch Laxman bat on the 2nd day & left.
The 3 times Davies bowl live at a ground or TV are:
- Blackpool 07. Funny thing about this game i remember laughing at the fact Ottis Gibson was baggin wickets for fun that season & he was way below internaitonal quality & he for sure looked better than Davies.
- Durham's winning the DIV 12009 & 2008. In the last 2-3 years, the key 4-day finals where the likey victor will win has been shown on sky since usally as other will testify only doemstic limited over matches are shown.
Plus A few times in List A matches for Durham, since they dont play him regularly or at all in shorter format for obvious reasons. So my apologies for not being clearly a mixing you & the others up..
TT Boy
Hall of Fame Member
Who, Monty?
Davies is in Pretoria but isn't playing domestic cricket unless you count the odd game against a few guys from Soweto. On that, encouraging to see a cricketer by the name of Mokena scoring heavily against the England performance side. Mokena was rewarded for that with a professional gig where he subsequently tore into Paul Harris and Imran Tahir.