**Official** West Indies in England 2012

[ganeshran]

Narine should at least be given a few more series on helpful tracks before he is consigned to just LOI games. Very harsh to the young fellow that people should make sweeping judgments on his capability after seeing him bowl just 15 odd overs.

 

[Howsie]

Has Narine had three tests to prove himself like Bairstow?

Probably time to write off Brathwaite, Barath and Powell then huh? 30 odd tests between them and Barath's got the highest average at 22.

 

[Howsie]

Narine should at least be given a few more series on helpful tracks before he is consigned to just LOI games. Very harsh to the young fellow that people should make sweeping judgments on his capability after seeing him bowl just 15 odd overs.

Ha, don't fret too much, he's got a home test series against New Zealand next month.

 

[BackFootPunch]

Haven't been able to watch Narine in this test but from what I've read and seen of him previously, he's seemed to have a pretty decent stock ball. And that's really the best way to judge what sort of bowler he's likely to be.

So, for those who saw him bowl yesterday, was he turning his stock ball much? Any drift or dip?

Bowling with cold fingers when you're not used to it is fairly tough. You just don't feel the ball in your fingers like you usually can. Or maybe that's just me.

Will be interested to see how he goes against NZ next month tbh. Are July pitches in the West Indies likely to be any different to how they were during the first class season/Aussie games?

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Narine should at least be given a few more series on helpful tracks before he is consigned to just LOI games. Very harsh to the young fellow that people should make sweeping judgments on his capability after seeing him bowl just 15 odd overs.

Well plenty more people were making sweeping judgements about him saying he would tear up test cricket off the back of a few IPL performances.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Probably time to write off Brathwaite, Barath and Powell then huh? 30 odd tests between them and Barath's got the highest average at 22.

In his first three tests Brathwaite got a 50, and that came away from home aged 18!! , Barath also got a ton on debut, and if i'm not mistaken Powell got a 70 in his third test away from home too!!.. so at least they actually showed something,

Furthermore they've been forced to play against India, Australia and England, two of which were away from home, meanwhile Bairstow has played a team ranked seventh place!! .

 

[flibbertyjibber]

No play today then judging by the weather forecast. Rain all day covering Birmingham. Naff way to end the series really but can't be helped.

 

[Prince EWS]

In his first three tests Brathwaite got a 50

Legend.

 

[Spikey]

Narine's bowling average is 11.88 in FC. Not sure where someone got the 46 or whatever but that's miles wrong. He destroyed batsmen in the last FC competition here.

I meant to write, 'of which he was **** in two of them'.

FC game number 1: The Home of CricketArchive
FC game number 2: The Home of CricketArchive

 

[wellAlbidarned]

were away from home, meanwhile Bairstow has played a team ranked seventh place!! .

did I seriously just read WW putting down WI?

This moment will go down in history.

 

[grecian]

Cba to look up records but Butcher was a much better bowler than Bell, KP, Trott.


.

He was, but he still only took 15 wickets in 71 Tests, and he started out as more a bowler than batsman for Surrey I think, so it's still a meagre return.

 

[WindieWeathers]

Haven't been able to watch Narine in this test but from what I've read and seen of him previously, he's seemed to have a pretty decent stock ball. And that's really the best way to judge what sort of bowler he's likely to be.

So, for those who saw him bowl yesterday, was he turning his stock ball much? Any drift or dip?

Bowling with cold fingers when you're not used to it is fairly tough. You just don't feel the ball in your fingers like you usually can. Or maybe that's just me.

Will be interested to see how he goes against NZ next month tbh. Are July pitches in the West Indies likely to be any different to how they were during the first class season/Aussie games?

Yeah he was constantly blowing into his hands before he bowled which was clearly putting him off, his bowling wasn't to his normal standard tbh, he was hitting some good areas but he'd then bowl one or two short ball per over and he was getting hit for boundries, did produce one ripper that deceived Bell and got the edge but Barath dropped it, was a tough chance though to be fair,

All in all it just wasn't his day, in all honesty though i believe it was mostly down to the harsh circumstance he was bowling in rather than his actual ability, and i'd rather he started off average and built himself up than start off like Mendis and fall down quickly.

 

[Howsie]

In his first three tests Brathwaite got a 50, and that came away from home aged 18!! , Barath also got a ton on debut, and if i'm not mistaken Powell got a 70 in his third test away from home too!!.. so at least they actually showed something,

Furthermore they've been forced to play against India, Australia and England, two of which were away from home, meanwhile Bairstow has played a team ranked seventh place!! .

When Bairstow's still stuggling to average more than 20 ten tests into his career get back to me.

 

[Andre]

Yeah he was constantly blowing into his hands before he bowled which was clearly putting him off, his bowling wasn't to his normal standard tbh, he was hitting some good areas but he'd then bowl one or two short ball per over and he was getting his for boundries, did produce one ripper that deceived Bell and got the edge but Barath dropped it, was a tough chance though to be fair,

All in all it just wasn't his day, in all honesty though i believe it was mostly down to the harsh circumstance he was bowling in rather than his actual ability, and i'd rather he started off average and built himself up than start off like Mendis and fall down quickly.

Or in other words, welcome to Test cricket, it's rare that everything if anything will ever be in your favour. He was disappointing.

 

[Ruckus]

Yep fairly disappointing but...his first test so there is only so much you can take from it. His main problem was just his length anyway. His actual stock ball looks decent enough to me, and gets a fair bit of turn, so I don't see why he couldn't turn (ha) things around even in the remainder of this match (weather permitting of course) if he can bowl more consistently. You just can't draw any elaborate conclusions about a player in their first game. There might be some little things you can pick up, e.g. to do with his overall bowling action or that perhaps some of his variations might be easy to pick once batsmen get used to playing him, but other than that you just can't know what is down to nerves etc. and what isn't. Pattinson's debut was a good example of that.

 

[Cabinet96]

Sounds awfully dull. Bugger that. Dennis would not approve.

And neither do I.

Just think, even after getting Cook and Trott out, you still have Compton to come in at 6

So, for those who saw him bowl yesterday, was he turning his stock ball much? Any drift or dip?

He got a bit of dip, and his stock ball was definitely turning a bit.

Furthermore they've been forced to play against India, Australia and England, two of which were away from home, meanwhile Bairstow has played a team ranked seventh place!! .

And West Indies are also a side that have bowling as their strength, unlike India. They played on roads in India where the most potent bowler was Ashwin.

 

[Andre]

Yep fairly disappointing but...his first test so there is only so much you can take from it. His main problem was just his length anyway. His actual stock ball looks decent enough to me, and gets a fair bit of turn, so I don't see why he couldn't turn (ha) things around even in the remainder of this match (weather permitting of course) if he can bowl more consistently. You just can't draw any elaborate conclusions about a player in their first game. There might be some little things you can pick up, e.g. to do with his overall bowling action or that perhaps some of his variations might be easy to pick once batsmen get used to playing him, but other than that you just can't know what is down to nerves etc. and what isn't. Pattinson's debut was a good example of that.

As in the debut in which Pattinson was man of the match?

But yes. In theory you are right that you can't take much out of a debut. Narine was definitely underwhelming though. His lack of control and patience was telling. Test cricket is very different to shorter form stuff - he doesn't need to be all that patient in the shorter forms as batsmen have to go at him. In Tests, they don't have to go at him. He needed to be more consistent in what he offered. A Test spinner does a lot of bowling on pitches that don't offer much.

All that aside - wasn't Tino Best a joy to watch? Makes you love the game that sort of stuff. Good to see someone enjoy what they were doing so much.

Oh, and Denesh - pick your battles!

 

[Spikey]

pattinson's first innings was pretty horrible iirc

 

[Ruckus]

As in the debut in which Pattinson was man of the match?

But yes. In theory you are right that you can't take much out of a debut. Narine was definitely underwhelming though. His lack of control and patience was telling. Test cricket is very different to shorter form stuff - he doesn't need to be all that patient in the shorter forms as batsmen have to go at him. In Tests, they don't have to go at him. He needed to be more consistent in what he offered. A Test spinner does a lot of bowling on pitches that don't offer much.

Yeah I meant Pattinson's first innings, where he was clearly nervous, was of poor quality, as compared to his very next innings which was basically the polar opposite of that (i.e. things can change pretty quickly). I think it's hard to as well to differentiate between impatience and inexperience/nerves. Narine's confidence probably wouldn't be sky high being his first game in these conditions etc., so I wouldn't be surprised if his inconsistency was just down to that (feeling he has to change things up all the time to get a wicket etc.). Whatever the cause anyway, consistency is the main thing you'd expect a beginner to be lack...I think it would be more worrying if his actual main weapons, like his stock ball, looked harmless. But there was definitely enough there to show promise imo.

 

[theegyptian]

haha the umpires must be having a laugh at all the press who criticized them yesterday by not calling the game off yet today.