Anthony McGrath??????

[Tim]

for god sakes, don't you know how poor that Zimbabwe team was?,,they dropped a truckload of catches, bowled poorly (except for Streak) & occassionally played some good shots with the bat.

Im not criticising McGrath for his performance..but thats what he should have done to Zimbabwe, anything less and he probably would have missed 2nd test selection.

 

[V Reddy]

<quack> It'll take at least two tests before Rampers gets back in now.

It'll take atleast 10-12 tests of miserable failure of any batsman who is tried out at a position and Ramps has to be the highest scorer of the season and the best of luck

 

[marc71178]

for god sakes, don't you know how poor that Zimbabwe team was?,,they dropped a truckload of catches, bowled poorly (except for Streak) & occassionally played some good shots with the bat.

A team can only play against what's put in front of them - So what if they're a poor side at the moment - the bloke still has to do what he can, and 69 followed by 3 cheap wickets looks to me as good a debut as he could've hoped for.

Remembering he is primarily a batsman and was selcted as one, I find it interesting that he scored a lot more than Vaughan, Key and Hussain put together, yet not one person has really criticised those players.

 

[luckyeddie]

It'll take atleast 10-12 tests of miserable failure of any batsman who is tried out at a position and Ramps has to be the highest scorer of the season and the best of luck

No, Vish, that's what it SHOULD take, but I've watched the way selectors work for a long, long time.

As I've intimated before, nothing ever really surprises me any more (that was the point of the DD/221B Baker Street 'story' re McGrath - that, and the fact that it's a good laugh) - and the noises the press were making in the UK a week before the selection for the 1st test was announced were beginning to echo loud and clear.

I guess a lot of that is down to favouritism and the fact that the formulators of 'opinion' (those who train the sheep to bleat in usison) are all based in London.

Luckily, the England selectors now are not afraid to fly in the face of 'public opinion' (aka what the editor says) - maybe Anthony McGrath is Rod Marsh's doing.

 

[marc71178]

I guess a lot of that is down to favouritism and the fact that the formulators of 'opinion' (those who train the sheep to bleat in usison) are all based in London.

Actually, some of the Nationals are relocating. The Express for example is up in Preston now...

 

[Neil Pickup]

they dropped a truckload of catches

I remember two. Ervine diving to his right at second slip off Butcher on 35, and Vermeulen putting down a sitter off Giles on 3.

And as for McGrath only getting out Streak, Taibu and Blignaut, Streak and Taibu are two batsman who put a high price on their wickets and are always awkward to get rid of.

Anderson got four "non-batsmen" too, remember (Streak, Friend, Blignaut, Hondo), plus Vermeulen from an abysmal shot...

 

[marc71178]

they dropped a truckload of catches

And so did England (more in fact I believe)

 

[luckyeddie]

Actually, some of the Nationals are relocating. The Express for example is up in Preston now...

I heard that. The first question they asked was "Any asylum-seekers there?"