I still think he should be taking the new ball ahead of Broad. tbf he's come on when the batsmen are well set and the ball is slightly softer.
He's hardly been the only one in this series. Lots of big names not living up to their reputations at all.
its test, anything can happen. the big decider i think will be SA bowling, if they bowl well then its over for england, if they bowl **** then its over for SA...
Went to the Olympics yesterday so missed the entire first day. Do people think that the non-dry conditions mean that England struggled to keep the ball dry enough to polish it for old ball swing?
There was a point, not long ago, that he was quick enough to justify the hype. He was bowling consistently at 90mph. But he doesn't seem to be doing that anymore. I have little to base this on, but I think England bowlers condition themselves so well, that their speed pushes up toward 90mph but before long, they are playing so often that they have no time to stay in the gym to maintain this. Or perhaps their bodies simply fatigue.
Yeah true but at least Broad, Anderson and (to a lesser extent) Bresnan had earned the right to those reputations. Finn is just a textbook hype machine, he's got all the things that seem to matter more than they do- express pace, some success in ODIs, a short-ish natural length, a flattering statistical record over a handful of tests and the ability to make batsmen look a bit uncomfortable.
In Test cricket in England, good tight spells (economy rate of around 2 or less) rarely go unrewarded. It is all about not giving away that 'four ball'.
That's the problem though, all the bowlers are keeping it tight for an over or so then serving up a 'hit me' delivery.
In Test cricket, on a flattish pitch, the margins are just so tight. Cannot bowl too wide and heaven-forbid, you bowl one on the pads. Cannot bowl too full but don't drop short to Peterson!
Its all relative. It may not be flat in comparison to fellow Test pitches in the 2000 period but it is pretty damn slow if you are to compare it to pitches over the years and over the levels of cricket. But perhaps a silly oversimplification from me.
