If the selectors had balls they would call up Morgan to bat @ 6. We dont need anymore Bell tortune his time is uppp..
Let's ignore keeping then and go to the dsicussion around reasons that AB don't want the gloves and why his fans don't want him too. By not taking the gloves many would argue that his average is worth 15 more by not doing keeping duties. Yet this is never discussed for Kuhn who could then have an average of 55+ in FC cricket?
Swanny at 7. Prior's good enough to bat 6.
Kepler Wessels who coached him said his keeping wasn't of the standard of a Boucher or Smit (Kepler favoured Smit over Kuhn with the gloves for the Emerging side) and when I've been watching domestic on SuperSport, the commentators have always been critical of Kuhn. Additionally, Mangaliso Moshele of the Titans is regarded as a very good keeper though as Kuhn is on brink/fringes of the national side, Moshele when he played early this season didn't keep.
Bell is not incapable of making some runs, you never know he might even manage a 52 or something in the next test.
Exactly so. I wouldn't advocate dropping a proven test batsman for Wright, but Bell is by no far stretch of the imagination one of those. After 50 tests he averages less than 39 in an era generally reckoned to be pretty easy for batting. I imagine if one were to remove the Bangladesh freebies he'd be closer to 35 than 40 too.
haha, I played in a game that Kuhn wasnt available for where van der Merwe kept. Did an ok job but nothing special. However, he took the gloves off to bowl the last over of the innings (his only of the game and a very brave thing to do) and we lost (defending 340+)
So might Swann though. Looking at their respective form, do you think Bell is more likely to make a contribution in the next test than Swann? If so, do you think the difference is enough to justify going in with one less bowler? As I say, I'm not a fan of the five-man attack, but England seriously looked like they needed the extra bowler in both innings of this game.
I think Bell will get axed. Ashley Giles who is flying home tomorrow when interviewed on TMS at the halfway point of the game said that Bell pretty much will have another chance at Durban but what with him flying home, Bell has lost one of his biggest supporters. I wouldn’t consider Wright an option but Liam Plunkett could be worth a punt. Played at Kingsmead for the Dolphins and is coming off the back of a good season with ball (and bat).
Unlike all my shocking typing efforts since I got up today, that one was deliberate.
I can't agree. Dropping him isn't a knee-jerk reaction; he was only recalled because of Pietersen's injury and retained when the selectors decided to go with a 4 man attack. He's had 4 tests since he came back and it isn't pretty reading:
Swann has done really well yes but he is not Vettori quite yet. With Cook also short of form then I think although it is somewhat negative we need the extra batsman, Bell is undoutedly mediocre but he is not going to play this badly every test for the rest of the series, if he does not make some serious runs then we can forget about him next summer. Yes we could do with the extra bowler but I honestly do not think it would make a massive diffference, England just have to hope that Anderson or Broad have a magic test at somepoint, Onions will be solid throughout.
Indeed. Bell has to go. Cook is the one who could probably be given the rest of this series to prove himself, if not he will be facing the axe as soon as this tour is over.
