• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

***Official*** 3rd Test at the WACA

M

Moonsorrow999

U19 Debutant
Spark said:
Yeah when I made that post about "delusion" before, Mark Wood is mostly who I had in mind. You'd think he was a 150km/h swing-it-both-ways tearaway who averages about 20 in Tests the way the English press have been going on about him.
Click to expand...
Yep, he will play a game soon and people will remember he’s tripe and then demand another player with ability he has never shown.
 
the big bambino

the big bambino

Cricketer Of The Year
He's had injuries. Can't expect him to recover fitness and form immediately. Maybe it was too early to pick him in those games and iirc probably got selected after doing well in odis. Anyway he's touring now, Broad and Woakes need a spell and here's a chance to pick someone who offers what has been lacking.

I'll do a quick check his internationals last summer.
 
Starfighter

Starfighter

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Spark said:
I mean I'm just not convinced that raw pace is the answer here? Especially given that two of the pitches we've played on have been on the slower side. The lack of pressure from the backup bowlers has been the problem (even Overton, while he's bowled well, has struggled to keep the batsman tied down). Okay, certainly the fact that all the Aus bowlers (even Haze!) get it above 145km/h on a reasonably consistent basis helps them a lot and opens up some tactics that England can't really exploit, but an accurate 135km/h bowler who acutally is accurate would be better than a guy who bowls 145km/h, tries to "hit the deck hard", and ends up feeding a diet of half-trackers to the likes of Warner, Khawaja and Smith. That'll sure worry them.
Click to expand...
I suppose it depends on the batting team too. Starc has taken plenty of wickets bowling the odd good ball and a heap of total trash at a good pace, but I would see Smith carting him as effectively as any of the English bowlers. Of course accuracy is very important though. But Anderson has been accurate throughout the series and only really got going when conditions favoured him. The key is hitting the deck hard but accurately like Cummins, who may not have the wicket haul of the other two but has been consistently testing, if a little less so this match (I reckon he's been a bit slower too). That extra 10 km/h just gets a bit more off the surface and a bit more bounce.
 
Spark

Spark

Global Moderator
Starfighter said:
I suppose it depends on the batting team too. Starc has taken plenty of wickets bowling the odd good ball and a heap of total trash at a good pace, but I would see Smith carting him as effectively as any of the English bowlers. Of course accuracy is very important though. But Anderson has been accurate throughout the series and only really got going when conditions favoured him. The key is hitting the deck hard but accurately like Cummins, who may not have the wicket haul of the other two but has been consistently testing, if a little less so this match (I reckon he's been a bit slower too). That extra 10 km/h just gets a bit more off the surface and a bit more bounce.
Click to expand...
Anderson has at least been hard to score off though. If all the bowlers were similarly accurate, then it'd be a lot more difficult for the Aus batsmen (apart from Smith) to have resisted the English pressure as well as they have.

Pace matters, of course.
 
the big bambino

the big bambino

Cricketer Of The Year
He played 3 short form internationals and a fc game leading up to those 2 tests. Not really the best evidence to select him though tbf he hasn't had much more since.
 
Last edited:
Woodster

Woodster

International Captain
Spark said:
I mean I'm just not convinced that raw pace is the answer here? Especially given that two of the pitches we've played on have been on the slower side. The lack of pressure from the backup bowlers has been the problem (even Overton, while he's bowled well, has struggled to keep the batsman tied down). Okay, certainly the fact that all the Aus bowlers (even Haze!) get it above 145km/h on a reasonably consistent basis helps them a lot and opens up some tactics that England can't really exploit, but an accurate 135km/h bowler who acutally is accurate would be better than a guy who bowls 145km/h, tries to "hit the deck hard", and ends up feeding a diet of half-trackers to the likes of Warner, Khawaja and Smith. That'll sure worry them.
Click to expand...
Pace isn't the sole issue here, of course if you're 90mph but spraying it around you will get carted. But variety is essential to have in a bowling attack, we have bowlers all pretty much of the same pace and so it's difficult to experiment with many alternative plans for batsmen. On these flat decks you need something different, I agree that Jimmy has been accurate and difficult to score off and I agree the back-up bowlers haven't had the same accuracy and patience and as a result at times we've looked extremely ineffecitve. The Aussie bowlers have got only slightly more out of conditions than we did but they're doing everything we are but at 10mph quicker.
 
the big bambino

the big bambino

Cricketer Of The Year
Spark said:
I mean, we all called him to be injury prone the moment we saw his action.
Click to expand...
You can tell he'd wreck his ankles by the look of his action?

Spark said:
Anderson has at least been hard to score off though. If all the bowlers were similarly accurate, then it'd be a lot more difficult for the Aus batsmen (apart from Smith) to have resisted the English pressure as well as they have.

Pace matters, of course.
Click to expand...
These bowlers are rare as well. Ones that travel btwn 130-135k that could fit that description are Abbott Philander and Anderson. So Eng aren't going to get any more accuracy with their current personnel. They're fortunate to have Anderson and Overton. Given that Broad has lost form and can't supply the pressure you would normally expect of him and Woakes is struggling that's 2 places England have to find for Melbourne given the evidence of the series so far. I'm not saying Wood or Crane will necessarily solve their problems. Most unlikely. But they might perform and give England some hope for the future.
 
ImpatientLime

ImpatientLime

International Regular
very similar to simon jones infact. just without the outrageous ability to reverse swing the ball at will, at 90mph off a tiny run up.
 
Woodster

Woodster

International Captain
For me Mark Wood is a decent bowler, he's not going to solve anywhere near all of England's overseas problems with his pace. I think he'd be a useful addition to the squad because he does offer us something different, he's skiddy and has the ability to bowl a very slippery pace. Unfortunately so far there has only ever been a small window where he's been fully fit and able to bowl spells of consistent pace above the guys that are performing out there now and it's difficult to see that changing a great deal in the years ahead.
 
S.Kennedy

S.Kennedy

International Vice-Captain
I like the fact that people here are discussing guys like Wood, Crane, etc. as if there is much of a choice in the matter. You may not rate Wood but if you are discussing ''90mph'' he is basically the only one who currently can be discussed, and honestly is selecting Crane any worse than that weird Dawson selection in India or sticking with Ali's part-time dross?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top