Ravi Bopara

[Jono]

I've personally always found him an interesting case. He can often look fantastic. Has at various times on CW, by English fans and neutrals, been highly praised and highly criticised for his selection and performances in both ODIs and test cricket.

Sticking strictly to ODI cricket since we're in the middle of a World Cup, following his selection and important innings for England in their recent win over SA, what can he offer the England team? Will it significantly change the perception/reality that once you get 4 wickets England's batting is brittle?

Also finally, what are your thoughts as to whether he can scale the heights of ODI batting. Can he achieve significant improvement like Amla has?

 

[Xuhaib]

going by this forum it seems England is the only team participating in the wc.

 

[Howe_zat]

Good. Too good to be kept in county cricket. The selectors seem unconvinced as to what to do with him in the order, but so long as he bats in the top six and bowls a bit when he's suitable that's fine by me.

A lot of the negative opinion about him in England is mostly from people who only watch the Ashes, or let it be the sole reference for judging cricketers. I thank him for it in a weird way, he still has a route back into the test side if he's up for it, and if he'd never failed we wouldn't have got the Scratchifier 3000 in.

He's never been a continued disappointment in the ODI side, even when they've been wondering what to do with him he's delivered. More often than people tend to think.

 

[Dhoni_fan]

Not an England fan but from what I have seen he seems to get a rough deal. in the ODI side.

He is a quality player on his day helped England over the line v Holland with a quick 30 yet gets dropped in the next game for Yardy, when actually Bopara came in the squad for Morgan, who I am certain would not have been dropped for Yardy.

So I do feel that he has been handed the short straw a few times, have seen him on form for England and in the IPL and he is a very talented player can build an innings but also hit out.

Hopefully yesterdays innings plus KP being ruled out means he has to play in the last Englands remaining games and he can show the world what we know he is capable of.

 

[GIMH]

Good. Too good to be kept in county cricket. The selectors seem unconvinced as to what to do with him in the order, but so long as he bats in the top six and bowls a bit when he's suitable that's fine by me.

A lot of the negative opinion about him in England is mostly from people who only watch the Ashes, or let it be the sole reference for judging cricketers. I thank him for it in a weird way, he still has a route back into the test side if he's up for it, and if he'd never failed we wouldn't have got the Scratchifier 3000 in.

He's never been a continued disappointment in the ODI side, even when they've been wondering what to do with him he's delivered. More often than people tend to think.

I think, like Bell in Tests pre-2010, he has suffered from not having a defined role. I think it was you who posted yesterday that he'd batted everywhere from 1-8. I think with Colly's flame flickering, we need to give him a run in a consistent spot and let him know his role. Throw Morgan in the line-up somewhere as well and you've got a bloody good batting line-up.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Happy enough for him to be in the one day side as long as he gets nowhere near the test side that'll do me, he is too loose to be a test player and was exposed, only got runs against poor sides.

 

[Spark]

Some of his shots during 09 were ewwwwwwwwwww. A metaphor over-abused but he did really look at times as if he had forgotten he was playing a cricket match and not hanging the laundry to dry.

Played a similar looking shot at the top of his (admittedly very good) knock yesterday so not totally sold yet.

 

[Dhoni_fan]

Before I get hammered by England fans here I just want to ask a question.

Bopara scored 3 hundred in a row, yes against the West Indies but by my understanding he was the first England player to do that since Gooch which means it isnt something that you can just rock up at the ground and achieve.

Sure he had a terrible Ashes in 09 but are you for real? after one poor series having previously made 3 hundred in a row you deserved to be dropped?

Ian Bell has gone through bad spells and has been persisted with so to Collingwood, so to Strauss, so why is Bopara dropped after one bad series having done what no other England batsman has done for 20 odd years?

 

[Spark]

It was more the way he kept getting out IMO. He just didn't look technically equipped to deal with a decent pace attack.

 

[marc71178]

Because he did it on flat wickets against crap opposition and was exposed as soon as he faced good bowlers.

 

[benchmark00]

Because he did it on flat wickets against crap opposition and was exposed as soon as he faced good bowlers.

ftr, how is calling the Windies crap and denouncing their value to international cricket any different to Doni_fan inferring Ireland are an easy beat?

 

[Dhoni_fan]

Because he did it on flat wickets against crap opposition and was exposed as soon as he faced good bowlers.

So England have only played on 3 flat decks in 20 years? get real mate if it was that easy to score 3 hundred in a row everyone would go out and start doing it!

 

[Howe_zat]

Because he did it on flat wickets against crap opposition and was exposed as soon as he faced good bowlers.

Taylor flattened them for 51 in Kingston. Be fair.

 

[Nate]

Don't rate Bopara against the moving ball, but looks very useful when there is little on offer for the bowlers. A more technically efficient Cameron White, if you will.

 

[TumTum]

Will always remember him for the sad puppy expressions during '09 Ashes.

 

[Jarquis]

Bopara got dropped about 5000000 times against the West Indies and his 3rd ton against them came in the return tour over here didn't it? Cold May morning I seem to remember when the entire West Indies wanted to be a million miles away.
In Tests he's yet to score and runs against any real opposition.

In ODIs he's been used and abused throughout the order. Is a big hitter and can clear the ropes from the off but can play proper innings too. You don't hit a double century in a List A game if you can't.
Think his role in this England side is batting 6 and use his bowling as a partnership breaker. Has a knack for taking wickets even if he is a bit expensive. Needs to be given a proper run in the side though.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Probably too loose defensively to ever make a proper go of tests. Has all the shots and a healthy, if brittle, dose of self-belief, but was badly exposed in the 2009 Ashes. I personally think he got at least a test too many. From memory his highest score in the series was 35 at Cardiff and it was one of the most awful, skittish 35s one could hope to see from a test #3 (which, to be fair, he isn't and never will be, but it's where he was playing) and generally gave the impression of being out of his depth.

His ODI career has been disappointing too. For all his ability he's only just got his average to 30 and it isn't like he has a great strike rate to mitigate it, striking as he does at under 74, which is slower than IJL Trott, who has a reputation, not without justification, as a crusty accumulator. & averages 54.

Better player than Yardy, obvz, but that's really the dictionary definition of damning with faint praise.

 

[Woodster]

Firstly on the point of Bopara scoring three centuries in a row, yes they were flat, lifeless pitches, and he rode his luck on occasions, but no other England batsman managed to register three straight centuries and we may have to wait some time before another batsman repeats the feat. It's easy to undermine his achievements by criticising the pitches and the opposition, but it is still something few batsmen achieve despite the number of flat pitches around these days.

As for Bopara the ODI player, I am a fan, and I do agree with GIMH on his role yet to be really defined. That in a way is inevitable with a player that is and out of the side as frequently as Bopara seems to have been. In time I do see him more as a top four batsman that has the time to get settled into an innings before looking to be more expansive. His cameos towards the end of an innings have done him no harm, but I don't really think it suits his game, yet until he is more established in the side he will simply fit in as and where in the line-up.

For me he has the talent to succeed in both ODI's and Tests, and I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed he starts the season with Essex, as so far he has no IPL contract, and gets some early season County Championship runs under his belt.

He works hard on his game and appears to want to develop as much as possible (hence his winter spell in South Africa).

 

[PhoenixFire]

Don't rate Bopara against the moving ball, but looks very useful when there is little on offer for the bowlers. A more technically efficient Cameron White, if you will.

Would much rather have Cameron WHite tbh, bloke's a gun whenever I've seen him bat.

 

[Spark]

White has some major technical issues against the moving ball. Major.

He is one of the only batsmen I have ever seen to be beaten on the outside edge by a ball heading for middle stump.