***Official*** India in England 2014

[hendrix]

This year, Ishant Sharma has played 4 test matches. 3 of which were on some the greenest pitches we've seen this decade. 2 of which he had the advantage of bowling first on against teams with technically suspect batting lineups.

His record?
Average: 30.05
Economy: 3.37
SR: 53.4

Not overly impressive and not indicative of a new dawn.

On the other hand, he has been the first change bowler so we shouldn't expect averages in the low 20s, but to say that he's been very good wouldn't be true. It's just in relation to the rest of his career.
Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo


We expect any international pace bowler (even Indian!) to bowl good spells now and again. And Ishant has done that. But so have other guys. Other guys whose records are more impressive.

 

[Burgey]

Broad has to be the closest of those still around?

Give it to Ballance. Like the cut of his jib. Do what SA did with Smith and let him have time to develop into a skipper.

True he's hardly established at Test level, but the senior blokes who are left don't exactly strike me as being a good fit as skipper, with the possible exception of Bell, who seems to have reverted to his pre-2010 type.

 

[Athlai]

This year, Ishant Sharma has played 4 test matches. 3 of which were on some the greenest pitches we've seen this decade. 2 of which he had the advantage of bowling first on against teams with technically suspect batting lineups.

His record?
Average: 30.05
Economy: 3.37
SR: 53.4

Not overly impressive and not indicative of a new dawn.

On the other hand, he has been the first change bowler so we shouldn't expect averages in the low 20s, but to say that he's been very good wouldn't be true. It's just in relation to the rest of his career.
Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo


We expect any international pace bowler (even Indian!) to bowl good spells now and again. And Ishant has done that. But so have other guys. Other guys whose records are more impressive.

This is incredibly unfair on how Ishant has actually bowled IMO. He looked a Test match bowler all of the time and looked genuinely very good in spells.

Thats a huge difference to what he is usually like.

 

[hendrix]

He looked a Test match bowler all of the time

Strongly disagree. There were periods in NZ where he couldn't present the seam with any consistency and his pace didn't jump about 125kph.

 

[Flem274*]

I think the most annoying thing about this English side from a cricket fan point of view is if the established players (Cook, Bell, Prior, Anderson and to an extent Broad) were playing anywhere near the standard they're capable of this would be a bloody good team. The new guys have come in and done very well for the most part. Just goes to show how mentally down in the doldrums they are, and how important confidence is to a successful test side.

 

[Prince EWS]

Give it to Ballance. Like the cut of his jib. Do what SA did with Smith and let him have time to develop into a skipper.

Not that it necessarily means all that much but Ballance captained the Rhinos in Zimbabwe when he was 21, and his captaincy was pretty well received. It's definitely something he's keen on doing in general (as opposed to, say, Ian Bell) and his batting form certainly didn't take a hit; I think he averaged about 80 as captain.

 

[Riggins]

Not that it necessarily means all that much but Ballance captained the Rhinos in Zimbabwe when he was 21, and his captaincy was pretty well received. It's definitely something he's keen on doing in general (as opposed to, say, Ian Bell) and his batting form certainly didn't take a hit; I think he averaged about 80 as captain.

this is really something you shouldn't just know of the top of your head.

 

[cnerd123]

Ishant has bowled very well. He's just that type of 'luckless' bowler - more likely to beat the bat than get wickets, given the lengths he bowls and bounce he gets.

But he hasn't bowled well throughout this summer. It's just that he has had more brilliant spells than he usually does. The ratio of brilliance to crap has increased, but it doesn't necessarily means he has improved.

In South Africa most of his good spells went unrewarded, and his bad ones were punished. He looked so good at times in the first innings at Johannesburg, and got wickets, but then onwards his good spells were few and he ended them wicketless.

In New Zealand, he got a 6-fer at Wellington, but that could be considered as one of the worst 6-fers of all time. After a good first spell, his poor bowling (and India's sloppy work in general) allowed them to recover from 30/3 to post 500. Atleast 4 of his wickets were gifted to him. But then he bowled quite well in the second innings. And then his 6-fer in Auckland was pretty good too, although that was followed by more garbage in the second innings.

It's just typical Ishant. The only difference is he's bowling more good spells that he usually does.

In England so far he has yet to bowl a really terrible spell - he was mediocre when Root/Anderson was happening, yes, but he has bowled a lot worse than that (and taken 6 fers - ala Wellignton). Most of the time he has either been average and un-threatening, or has looked good. That's unusual for him. I'm expecting the a horrible spell sooner rather than later.

 

[Flem274*]

pews has a notepad doc open at all times with extensive facts about players. ctrl + f "gary ballance" and he's away.

 

[Flem274*]

Ishant has bowled very well. He's just that type of 'luckless' bowler - more likely to beat the bat than get wickets, given the lengths he bowls and bounce he gets.

i.e. he bowls too short.

I don't really get how that's luckless. His plan is to bowl back of a length, and while that style of bowling has a lot of benefits for a cricket team it's never going to take huge bags for the bowler as often as pitched up bowling because it reduces modes of dismissal and it's harder to draw a nick unless the batsmen you're bowling to suck at playing back of a length bowling or you're bowling 145+.

Back of a length medium fast bowlers need to have excellent pitch maps and most of the time Ishant doesn't. He's just not very good at his style and his style isn't conducive to wickets per se anyway, just good for building pressure and forcing batsmen back in their crease which helps the bowling unit as a whole. especially your blokes who pitch it up.

 

[hendrix]

i.e. he bowls too short.

I don't really get how that's luckless. His plan is to bowl back of a length, and while that style of bowling has a lot of benefits for a cricket team it's never going to take huge bags for the bowler as often as pitched up bowling because it reduces modes of dismissal and it's harder to draw a nick unless the batsmen you're bowling to suck at playing back of a length bowling or you're bowling 145+.

Back of a length medium fast bowlers need to have excellent pitch maps and most of the time Ishant doesn't. He's just not very good at his style and his style isn't conducive to wickets per se anyway, just good for building pressure and forcing batsmen back in their crease which helps the bowling unit as a whole. especially your blokes who pitch it up.

ummm that's why he has "luckless" in quotation marks.

 

[Prince EWS]

this is really something you shouldn't just know of the top of your head.

pews has a notepad doc open at all times with extensive facts about players. ctrl + f "gary ballance" and he's away.

Haha I just read the Zimbabwe Cricket Forum from time to time.

 

[Sean Flynn]

I'm afraid it is end of the line for Captain Cook. Apart from his defensive, weak and negative captaincy he is well on his way to becoming a walking wicket. He's shot, gone. England are rudderless, directionless and passive. Ian Bell? Can't see that. Is he necessarily an improvement on Cook in the enterprising leadership stakes?

Looks like we need to look at the counties. Is there a young bloke full of vim and vigor ready to step into the job? A Graeme Smith? If not we are stuffed. India win at Lord's then they win the series in my opinion.

 

[Flem274*]

ummm that's why he has "luckless" in quotation marks.

this post is discriminatory against those of us who don't read posts properly. gonna report you hard bro.

 

[GIMH]

ummm that's why he has "luckless" in quotation marks.

He doesn't.

 

[harsh.ag]

Haha I just read the Zimbabwe Cricket Forum from time to time.

Is everything all right at home, Pews?

 

[honestbharani]

But it wasn't a pitch that seamed early then flattened out. It seamed early, flattened a bit and is now offering lots for Jadeja. Batting 4th is looking really hard.

Yeah.. and a better side would have bowled first and bowled out the opposition for 180 odd by the 5th hour of Day1, then batted when the conditions were at their best and taken a 150 odd lead.. The pitch misbehaving in the 4th dig would become a much lesser issue by then if the team winning the toss was able to bat most of days 2 and 3... As I said, this pitch offered a MASSIVE advantage to the team winning the toss.. England were just poor on it on Day 1.. Mind you, they can still very well win this game but it will be in spite of how poor they were when bowling first...


Gotta say though, Ali and Root and all these younger English players look so much better than the experienced ones.. Maybe it is because they are not exactly battle scarred yet.. But their play is refreshing to see.. And if the conditions are better overhead this morning in London, England should still back themselves to win with such a deep batting line up and given how bad Indian bowlers have been overseas in 4th innings.. Dhoni was waaaaaayyy too funky to inspire any confidence yest

 

[BoyBrumby]

Piers Morgan wants Eoin Morgan to get the job

Ouch. Unlucky Eoin. Nice career while it lasted.

it would be satisfying to have the Irish guy tell all the English ****s what to do all the time.

Presumably he lets the Australian, the Zimbabwean and the Kiwi captain themselves?

Errr the from of the senior players isn't a concern? Who's he trying to kid.

Olympic levels of denial from Fairbrass there. Welcome to Team England.

Meet the new boss, same as the etc, etc...

 

[Prince EWS]

Presumably he lets the Australian, the Zimbabwean and the Kiwi captain themselves?

Let the whole countryteam governcaptain themselves. Individualism is victory over conformity.

Muh freedom.

 

[Bahnz]

I think the most annoying thing about this English side from a cricket fan point of view is if the established players (Cook, Bell, Prior, Anderson and to an extent Broad) were playing anywhere near the standard they're capable of this would be a bloody good team. The new guys have come in and done very well for the most part. Just goes to show how mentally down in the doldrums they are, and how important confidence is to a successful test side.

I'd say that Anderson has bowled about as well this summer as he has generally over the last 3 years, so I'm not sure if I'd expect too much more from him.