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Geraint Jones... a forgotten hero?

SpaceMonkey

International Debutant
I spose so. Does anyone think Napier is a bit overrated?
Yes. I'd also like to say that Foster deserves a go, you have to wonder what he's done to pretty much be ****listed by the England set-up. Although he's not having the greatest of years this year.
 

Neil Pickup

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I loved Napier saying when he was a kid he pretended he was Nasser Hussain, and Nasser said that his kids now pretend they're Graham Napier. That's pretty cool.
He must have been absolute crap at pretending to be Hussain if this is how it all turned out...
 

tooextracool

International Coach
We'll agree to disagree then. I don't see how someone can look capable of batting for as long as a summer even without being at capable of doing so.
Jones could potentially have been very good. Had all the shots in the book to be a huge threat at the international level as a batter alone. However, his shot selection was very very poor and he was prone to the sort of brainlessness that we continually saw in the series in SA in 04/05 and in Pakistan in 05/06. I didnt watch his domestic performances that summer, so I cant comment on his play, but even in his only test 100, you could tell that he had some concerns in terms of his impulsiveness.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
But even mediocre batsmen tend to know how to bat. There are usually other factors which affect their ability to do so and keep them mediocre.
OK, let's differentiate between "know how to bat" (I know that - I just can't do it) and "be able to bat".

I don't think Geraint Jones was ever likely to be a long-term prospect, with hindsight, and I don't think he gained something in 2003 that was something he could hold onto long-term.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Nasser just citing the case for Foster on Sky Sports, stating that if he scores the odd FC century more often he'll be picked for the Test side. Seemed really confident about it.
Foster certainly has his merits as a batsman. He's always been good for a 20-odd or 30-odd - far better, dare I suggest, than Tim Ambrose is. However, Foster isn't and probably never will be a front-line batsman, he just doesn't have the ability to bat long or change tempo - at least in my experience. And he's not all that young any more, so you'd have to think he's probably about as good now as he'll ever be.

But certainly, there'd be worse choices. If Ambrose doesn't fit the bill, Foster would probably be my preferred choice. I certainly thought he was a little unfortunate to miss-out in 2007. I thought he'd make a decent stopgap measure while we were waiting for Davies to, hopefully, get going.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Yeah, CW was quiet last night and I was reading some old threads, you confidently advocated Foster for the job Prior ended up getting
 

pup11

International Coach
I think England have got their priorities all wrong, when it came to finding a replacement for Alec Stewart, they wanted a keeper who could bat well and be clinical behind the stumps too, now unfourtunately England didn't had (or still have) anyone who can fit the bill, so rather than going for a wicket-keeping all-rounder, they should have picked a keeper with good glove-work, someone like Chris Read, they could think of getting away in an Odi or a T20 with a keeper with shoddy glove-work like Prior or Jones, but in a 5 day game that is something that just won't work well for any team.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
I think England have got their priorities all wrong, when it came to finding a replacement for Alec Stewart, they wanted a keeper who could bat well and be clinical behind the stumps too, now unfourtunately England didn't had (or still have) anyone who can fit the bill
Of course they don't. Contrary to the "every team now wants their own Gilchrist" crew's ideas, cricketers of the calibre of Stewart and Gilchrist don't come along every day and you can't expect to have one of them in your team all game every game.

It'll probably be a long time before England have another wicketkeeper-batsman of Stewart's class. Though naturally if Steven Davies (or someone else who emerges in 2 years' time) fits the bill I'll be delighted.
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
England's best balance is ATM 6 batsman, Flintoff, Keeper & 3 bowlers. Thus the best keeper in the land should be picked in Foster. But Ambrose would be fairly ok since his keeping even if he is not as naturally skilled as Foster, but its solid along with his batting.

Although the ship has already sailed, we wouldn't be having this debate if Pothas was picked last year.
 
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Uppercut

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Of course they don't. Contrary to the "every team now wants their own Gilchrist" crew's ideas, cricketers of the calibre of Stewart and Gilchrist don't come along every day and you can't expect to have one of them in your team all game every game.

It'll probably be a long time before England have another wicketkeeper-batsman of Stewart's class. Though naturally if Steven Davies (or someone else who emerges in 2 years' time) fits the bill I'll be delighted.
Richard, do you believe England should continue to try out wicket keepers until someone makes a reasonably convincing case to remain part of the team, or just keep playing one in the hope that he develops into a test-class wk?
 

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