*Official* Third Test at Edgbaston

[FBU]

This season

1669 runs at 83.45 - Trescothick
1215 runs at 54.38 - Taylor
1096 runs at 68.50 - Benkenstein
1080 runs at 60.00 - Compton
1063 runs at 53.15 - Bairstow
1044 runs at 47.45 - Cook
1022 runs at 56.57 - de Bruyn
987 runs at 47.35 - Chopra
966 runs at 43.90 - S Patel
962 runs at 45.80 - Peterson
931 runs at 49.00 - Joyce
894 runs at 42.57 - Suppiah
867 runs at 51.00 - Goodwin
866 runs at 37.65 - Bopara

 

[Jacknife]

I am fed up with Bopara getting chance after chance to once more show he isn't good enough. Ah well we will go in with 10 men then and all be amazed when Bresnan is dropped too. Bresnan or Bopara? I know who'd I go for every single time.

I agree and I can't believe the selectors have taken the lazy decision to call Bopara back, every time when the chips were down and the selectors were watching he's failed.
To be honest the selection makes me angry and I just hope we go with Bresnan and don't let flopara any where near the 11, especially because he averages 30 ****ing seven.

 

[Top_Cat]

He did kick off at one point. He got 3 consecutive hundreds (against Windies, yes). But that didn't stop him crashing back to earth when he came up against Australia's not brilliant attack. His technical problems are just too much considering he doesn't have much of a temperament to go with it, and I think pretty much all English supporters have given up on him by now.

Yes but the English selectors haven't so obviously they see something us punters don't which is pretty much my point as we necessarily have an incomplete picture. Or maybe it's as simple as about preferring an under-performing experienced guy over an inexperienced young gun. Or maybe they still think he's good enough but he's on his last chance, as Marcuss alluded to.

Either way I can see the sense in the decision, even if I personally would go with the form guy (especially since I reckon England are going to win the last two Tests of this series anyway). It's possibly a conservative decision but no way is it a woeful one, I reckon.

 

[Goughy]

As I said earlier in the thread, mid series in a battle for world number 1 would not appear to be a good time to debut a player who is replacing an injured player. Chances are it would be one Test and out. What is needed is a player with experience who can slot straight in with the minimum of fuss and drop straight back out. If a 1 Test SOS was not being given to Trescothick or Collingwood then there are few other options apart from Bopara.

I am not a fan, and never have been unlike many on here, but it will only be for 1 game.

 

[NUFAN]

Was Michael Carberry any chance of getting a call up? It doesn't seem like he was having a big summer before his 300, but before Morgan he was the last batsman to debut for England and is a top order batsman so could just swap directly with Trott. Of course Bell can move up with ease too.

Or is Carberry going to finish a one Test wonder?

 

[Howe_zat]

The guy was only just coming back from a long injury layoff, so presumably they want him to have another good season before calling him back.

 

[Jacknife]

Yes, Carbs has moved down the list as far as England players and it's not surprising when he's only just come back to cricket after a years off and at one time, he thought he wouldn't play again. His runs the other day and I don't want to take anything away from his 300, was on one of the flattest decks seen this year.

 

[Pothas]

300 is still 300 but yeah he was never going to come back into Englands thinking that quickly.

Ravi is just so meh, will need the top 4 to fire, if he comes in with us in a good position he could probably get himself some easy runs, is he likely to bat above Morgan?

 

[Jacknife]

300 is still 300 but yeah he was never going to come back into Englands thinking that quickly.

Ravi is just so meh, will need the top 4 to fire, if he comes in with us in a good position he could probably get himself some easy runs, is he likely to bat above Morgan?

Oh, don't get me wrong it was a incredible piece of batting from Carbs and considering where he was I have nothing but admiration for him.

 

[NasserFan207]

Was Michael Carberry any chance of getting a call up? It doesn't seem like he was having a big summer before his 300, but before Morgan he was the last batsman to debut for England and is a top order batsman so could just swap directly with Trott. Of course Bell can move up with ease too.

Or is Carberry going to finish a one Test wonder?

Feel sorry for him because if Strauss wasn't captain you'd say he should be in the side.

Chavi will bottle under pressure most likely. He's not as bad as some here are saying however.

 

[LegionOfBrad]

Would obv. pick Tres in an ideal world as he would monster the Indian attack as it is. But it will never happen. I guess the thinking is that it will be only one game so go with someone with a bit of experience. Like i said though if Bopara flukes a 50 and Morgan gets not much we could end up with Chavi for a while as soon as Trott comes back.

I would rather give Morgan more time than Chavi.

 

[Goughy]

Would obv. pick Tres in an ideal world as he would monster the Indian attack as it is. But it will never happen. I guess the thinking is that it will be only one game so go with someone with a bit of experience. Like i said though if Bopara flukes a 50 and Morgan gets not much we could end up with Chavi for a while as soon as Trott comes back.

I would rather give Morgan more time than Chavi.

Yeah, with Morgan not having that position locked down, both players could be playing for that spot. I dont see Morgan getting dropped, especially if we win this Test series, but if Bopara gets runs then he is in the frame for 6 in the winter.

 

[Woodster]

Going to go against the general consensus on this one, I am one of the few (or so it seems) Ravi fans. I am slightly surprised he has got the nod as his form (barring his big ton the other week) has not really been good enough by his standards, yet the selectors are at least being consistent as prior to the SL series it was between him and Morgan. His form has not been so awful that he has dropped right down the list, maybe had Hildreth had a season like last year he could have moved ahead of Bopara in the pecking order.

James Taylor seems a genuinely good prospect, who is yet to be seriously tested at the top domestic level, though everything suggests he'll be fine, he is yet to perform there and there's no need to rush him in. Stokes has done well with bat and ball in Div One, yet don't see any reason to rush him into an England Test shirt either, though an ODI cap may be just round the corner.

Bopara does give a bonus bowling option, his medium pace would most probably be more effective than Trott's offerings, but should he play it's his batting essentially that he has to get right. He had a tough initiation in SL, before getting it right against WI. It's easy to say WI bowling attack was fodder, the pitches were flat, yet no other England player managed three consecutive centuries, and few players have managed such a feat throughout the history of Test cricket.

Australia worked him out at number three and he did seem to get caught up in all the Ashes focus and hysteria, mentally he will have to come back stronger. Batting at five or six should suit him better at this stage, just as Bell enjoyed many of his successes down the order.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Going to go against the general consensus on this one, I am one of the few (or so it seems) Ravi fans. I am slightly surprised he has got the nod as his form (barring his big ton the other week) has not really been good enough by his standards, yet the selectors are at least being consistent as prior to the SL series it was between him and Morgan. His form has not been so awful that he has dropped right down the list, maybe had Hildreth had a season like last year he could have moved ahead of Bopara in the pecking order.

James Taylor seems a genuinely good prospect, who is yet to be seriously tested at the top domestic level, though everything suggests he'll be fine, he is yet to perform there and there's no need to rush him in. Stokes has done well with bat and ball in Div One, yet don't see any reason to rush him into an England Test shirt either, though an ODI cap may be just round the corner.

Bopara does give a bonus bowling option, his medium pace would most probably be more effective than Trott's offerings, but should he play it's his batting essentially that he has to get right. He had a tough initiation in SL, before getting it right against WI. It's easy to say WI bowling attack was fodder, the pitches were flat, yet no other England player managed three consecutive centuries, and few players have managed such a feat throughout the history of Test cricket.

Australia worked him out at number three and he did seem to get caught up in all the Ashes focus and hysteria, mentally he will have to come back stronger. Batting at five or six should suit him better at this stage, just as Bell enjoyed many of his successes down the order.

Bell always had the technique and quality though. Ravi's a mediocre player with a rubbish temperament. Plus Bell worked hard on his mental toughness.

I'd think the prospect of Bopara putting on an England shirt would be ample reason to 'rush' someone into the side. Although I think the issue of giving a player a debut is massively overplayed. A lot of the current crop of England batsmen have scored a century on Test debut.

 

[Jacknife]

The problem I've got with the selection apart from I think he's a average player anyway, is the last couple of years since he's been dropped, his game hasn't moved on at all, he just hasn't improved as a batsman. He only averaged 42 last year, a bit less this year, he clearly doesn't look test class and especially not where England are aiming to be.
I think like Goughy said they've gone the safe route and picked a player who's played Test cricket before because they didn't want to drop Taylor in the deep end.
It's a worry for England when we talk about the depth in England cricket and for the most part we have but replacement batsman is one area we are weak on, especially when you want a 25-28 year old with experience and the best we can come up with is Ravi Bopara.

 

[grecian]

The problem I've got with the selection apart from I think he's a average player anyway, is the last couple of years since he's been dropped, his game hasn't moved on at all, he just hasn't improved as a batsman. He only averaged 42 last year, a bit less this year, he clearly doesn't look test class and especially not where England are aiming to be.
I think like Goughy said they've gone the safe route and picked a player who's played Test cricket before because they didn't want to drop Taylor in the deep end.
It's a worry for England when we talk about the depth in England cricket and for the most part we have but replacement batsman is one area we are weak on, especially when you want a 25-28 year old with experience and the best we can come up with is Ravi Bopara.

Look, I wouldn't have picked Ravi, but how the hell is it a worry for England. a 25-28 year-old should have already estblished himself, yet we've got one with three test 100s, what's wrong with that? .We go for continuity, it works, Broad, Bell, even Cook have had questions against them, yet our selectors have chosen to go with them, and they've not been proven wrong yet.

 

[Jacknife]

Look, I wouldn't have picked Ravi, but how the hell is it a worry for England. a 25-28 year-old should have already estblished himself, yet we've got one with three test 100s, what's wrong with that? .We go for continuity, it works, Broad, Bell, even Cook have had questions against them, yet our selectors have chosen to go with them, and they've not been proven wrong yet.

What you don't think it's a worry that the best player, we've got as cover for the middle order is Ravi Bopara. If you have no problem with that fair enough but I do.
When you look around the County scene there isn't many experienced batmen putting up big numbers and putting pressure on the batsmen currently playing for England well apart from Trescothick but that's a different story.

 

[grecian]

What you don't think it's a worry that the best player, we've got as cover for the middle order is Ravi Bopara. If you have no problem with that fair enough but I do.
When you look around the County scene there isn't many experienced batmen putting up big numbers and putting pressure on the batsmen currently playing for England well apart from Trescothick but that's a different story.

He's only the biggest worry if you decide to pick an experienced bat, many of us would be happy if you go with Hildreth or Taylor. Bopara gets the gig because, as Goughy said, we don't want to go for inexperience on such a big series, and as I said three test tons isn't terrible in that regard.

Many of these players don't have experience coz we have a settled batting line-up. Chickem and egg, of being a sucessful side.

 

[Jacknife]

He's only the biggest worry if you decide to pick an experienced bat, many of us would be happy if you go with Hildreth or Taylor. Bopara gets the gig because, as Goughy said, we don't want to go for inexperience on such a big series, and as I said three test tons isn't terrible in that regard.

Many of these players don't have experience coz we have a settled batting line-up. Chickem and egg, of being a sucessful side.

That's my whole rant really, that the names people have spoken about as replacements etc are guys with not that much first class experience and are very young. There seems to be very few guys around the Counties, who have put together a few 50+ average seasons and are really pushing the established England players for their place. Hopefullly in a few years we will have that but batting imo is one of the areas that England don't have very many guys at all who could slot into England side in times of injury etc. Say for example KP got injured along with Bell, I would have serious trouble naming decent replacements.

 

[keeper]

James Taylor seems a genuinely good prospect, who is yet to be seriously tested at the top domestic level, though everything suggests he'll be fine, he is yet to perform there and there's no need to rush him in.

Anyone hearing the noises about Taylor going to Edgbaston for next year. Some regard it as nailed on. Wonder what Ashley Giles role in this would be?