Kumar Sangakkarra under-rated

[Craig]

But are ODI standard.

 

[marc71178]

So without his batting , Gilchrist not good enough with the gloves?

Definitely not IMO.

But his batting more than makes up for it.

If his average were around the 30 level, I doubt he'd be there.

 

[marc71178]

Jayasuriya isnt so abd. Good ODI player.

He's very hit and miss though.

A bit like Gilchrist - on his day unstoppable, but a fair number of off days as indicated by his career average.

 

[marc71178]

I don't think he should keep being made to open, it's failed every time they've tried it, for the simple reason he's not an opener.

I think that, certainly in Tests, his opening has been more to do with injuries than anything else (and an average of 44.75 is hardly a failure)

His career summary certainly doesn't suggest anything about number 5 to me anyway, and the selectors definitely see him as a number 3.

 

[Craig]

What is Sangakkara's record at 5?

 

[Eclipse]

He's very hit and miss though.

A bit like Gilchrist - on his day unstoppable, but a fair number of off days as indicated by his career average.

Gilly avrages 36 in ODI's with a strike rate over 90.

For the sake of the Australian team I would rather he maintained that strike rate rather than droped it and avraged an extra 4-5 runs.

 

[marc71178]

What is Sangakkara's record at 5?

3 innings - 52 runs @ 17.33

Opening he's 6 innings - 179 @ 44.75
At 3 it's 44 innings - 1992 @ 47.42
He's batted once at 4 and scored 67 and once at 6 and scored 25.

 

[Mister Wright]

Gilly avrages 36 in ODI's with a strike rate over 90.

For the sake of the Australian team I would rather he maintained that strike rate rather than droped it and avraged an extra 4-5 runs.

I thought we were talking about test cricket.

 

[marc71178]

I thought we were talking about test cricket.

The initial talk of Gilchrist was, then ODI's were mentioned in regards Jayasuriya, so I mentioned that his ODI record is hit and miss, a bit like Gilchrist, hence we ended up talking about ODI's!

(if that makes sense)

 

[Eclipse]

And my point was that Gilly is not as hit and miss as Jayasuryia.

Up untill the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka Gilly had avraged over 40 with a strike rate over 100 since the start of the last world cup thats dam good.

 

[Craig]

3 innings - 52 runs @ 17.33

Opening he's 6 innings - 179 @ 44.75
At 3 it's 44 innings - 1992 @ 47.42
He's batted once at 4 and scored 67 and once at 6 and scored 25.

Then yes he is suited to opening or batting at 3.

 

[Richard]

chandana, dharmasena and zoysa are far from being test standard...they wouldnt even make the bangladesh team

All would make the Bangladesh Test team very easily indeed.

 

[Richard]

No. Despite what Richard says I think Sangakkara is the better keeper and he is obviously a much better batsman. While Sangakkara is successful as a batsman and a keeper he should do both. However if it becomes an Alec Stewart like situation where he would be a much better batsman if he weren't keeping, then I would play both, or Jayawardene as the keeper.

Beyond question Kaluwitharana is a better wicketkeeper than Sangakkara. Kalu's wicketkeeping is seriously good - Sangakkara's is merely acceptible (unlike 3 and 4 years ago when it was substandard).
Given that Kalu's record in both game-forms is as poor as it is, there is every argument for Sangakkara keeping wicket. But IMO Kalu too is a good enough batsman to make the team on that alone, it's just a crying shame he's never shown it. If they are both in the team as batsmen, Kalu is without doubt the one you want to take the gloves.
And Prasanna Jayawardene cannot be considered for Test-cricket unless he seriously improves his batting. Otherwise Kalu is always a better option.

 

[Richard]

3 innings - 52 runs @ 17.33

Opening he's 6 innings - 179 @ 44.75
At 3 it's 44 innings - 1992 @ 47.42
He's batted once at 4 and scored 67 and once at 6 and scored 25.

And 3 innings at five really is totally inconclusive given how well he's batted at three.
Quite true that he's only ever opened in emergancies but the good record owes everything to the 98 he made in the lost cause at Centurion the 1st time he opened in an emergency (Jayasuriya's wife had suffered a miscarriage that day). And, as has been said several times, one swallow does not make a summer.

 

[marc71178]

And 3 innings at five really is totally inconclusive given how well he's batted at three.

But that fact he is batting so well at 3 means there's no reason to move him anywhere else.

Why do you think he should bat at 5 when he's doing so well there, and the selectors keep asking him to play there?

 

[marc71178]

And my point was that Gilly is not as hit and miss as Jayasuryia.

Up untill the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka Gilly had avraged over 40 with a strike rate over 100 since the start of the last world cup thats dam good.

Yes, and then he scored 0, 0, 14, 18.

That kind of shows my point about him being hit and miss I would say.

 

[Richard]

But that fact he is batting so well at 3 means there's no reason to move him anywhere else.

Why do you think he should bat at 5 when he's doing so well there, and the selectors keep asking him to play there?

For the simple reason that if he's keeping wicket, his career is likely to last longer if he's batting five than three. And Mahela Jayawardene is IMO best at three. And Dilshan, now he's proven himself a Test-class player as I always suspected he was, at four.

 

[marc71178]

But if it's working what he's doing and he's scoring well as well as the keeping improving, why switch it round?

 

[Richard]

Because there is no reason to suspect that moving him from three to five will have any degrading effect on his performances, it certainly won't affect his 'keeping in any way, and it means he has more of a break from 'keeping and batting, hence putting less strain on his body and likely resulting in his career being lengthened.

 

[marc71178]

And there's nothing to say that moving him to 5 will benefit either him or the team.

Why try and fix something that clearly isn't broken?