it's a 2 way street sport, if you want to engage in a reasonable debate over the merits of a claim then provide some analysis of your own to counter it, not just throw up a ranking that clearly means **** all
You what?? Mate have you read all through this exchange? Really not sure why you felt the need to fire this up again as it looks like all concerned were happy to leave it where it was, but since you have I will respond because what you just said is plain wrong.
This entire "debate" was started by this comment.........
I would say resting the worlds best one day pace bowler in key matches so he'd be fit for a test series is a pretty good indication pal.
Now that is a very pretty bold statement with no clarification. As I have myself stated there is a credible argument that could be made to support it because Mitchell Starc has indeed been outstanding this last couple of years. But it is by no means clear cut and I'm pretty sure if you ran a poll asking who is the best fast ODI bowler in the world Starc would not be getting too many votes........that doesn't mean he isn't the best but it does mean it is a left field call at best.
So given it is rather a matter of opinion and is not clear cut it is not unreasonable that people would ask the question who Benchy is referring too and 2 of us did. If you've read the thread you've read the responses we received and apparently we are clueless and haven't watched any ODI cricket as we didn't know who he is talking about............not sure why he felt it beneath him to just tell us but that's another story.
As for me not offering anything in terms of the debate or providing any analysis, did you miss this.........
OK, it's a quiet lazy Sunday morning and I've nothing better to do so lets play this childish game......
So we're trying to identify a fast bowler that was rested during the CT to save him for the Ashes, a bowler who in your opinion is the best ODI bowler in the world. Quick bowlers the Aussies used during the Ashes were......
James Pattinson
Ryan Harris
Peter Siddle
Mitchell Starc
Jackson Bird
James Faulkner
Shane Watson
So from my memory of the CT Starc played 1 (?) game and Harris, Pattinson didn't play at all.......so safe to say we are looking at 1 of these 3?
IMO the only credible candidate out of that lot that you could put forward as being the "best in the world" would be Ryan Harris, but he's only played 4 ODI's in the last 2 years and taken 3 wickets at 57......so we can scratch him.
Pattinson? 15 ODI career wickets at 32.......don't think we are calling him the worlds best are we?
So it comes back to Starc. The ICC rankings say he is 48th in the world, I'd be interested to hear your argument as to why you consider him to be the best and why "resting" him for the CT is any indication that the Aussies weren't taking the tournament seriously.
And as for throwing up a ranking that means **** all, I also posted this........
I don't dispute that at all and I rate him very highly in the one day form and there is no way I think his lower ranking is a real representation of his standing. But best in the world??
We all have an opinion on rankings and their worth and I for one take most of them with a pinch of salt but they certainly in most cases give a reasonable snapshot. I personally don't doubt that Starc based on the last couple of years is in the top 10 in the world and it is an anomaly that he is ranked 48th.........but he is and it is a very fair counter argument to use when someone says he is No1.
Johnson Charles is currently ranked the world's 48th ODI batsmen, if I have an opinion that he is the worlds best I'd better have a very good argument to put forward to support it and not just say "Charles is the best ODI batsmen in the world"
OK, I accept my above example is far more extreme than the Starc argument but the basic principle is there.