Player Mail

[McKanga]

shane.bond@christchurchhospital.co.nz

He's able to access that from any hospital in the world...

 

[Richard]

Pace, accuracy, conventional swing, reverse swing, a decent slower ball.

Shane Bond has the tools. I don't see why - when he's right - he wouldn't be a potent bowler in almost all conditions. There's not much else a bowler can do to the ball with the laws of the game.

All the tools, but nonetheless to date Shoaib has achieved more with those tools.

 

[Richard]

ShoaibChucktar@drugcheat.com

One of which is proven false and the other of which is unproven...

 

[FRAZ]

True, but a fit and motivated Shoaib > A fit Bond...

in Test cricket.

***yllent Jono!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

All the tools, but nonetheless to date Shoaib has achieved more with those tools.

Because Shoaib has been fit more often.

 

[Richard]

Well, principally, yes (and it's quite possible to argue that the reasons for Bond's success are interwoven with the reasons for his injury-prone nature) but nonetheless Shoaib has achieved more than Bond has. IMO, to date, that makes him the better bowler.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

But that was never the issue. The issue was that a fit Bond > a fit Shoaib. Shoaib has only achieved more, in my mind, because he's been fit more often.

 

[Richard]

And in my mind, we'll only find that out once Bond gets fit more often any plays more often. Because right now it's pretty inconclusive that he has the skills Shoaib has demonstrated several times.

I wonder - is it coincidence that the one time Bond has got the figures on flat pitches was in the Caribbean...?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Well let's think about this logically.

Bond has only ever played on flat pitches in Sri Lanka, outside of the West Indies and Bangladesh and that was just one series. In that series Bond was returning from injury. You can hardly use that as evidence against him. Surely not.

And regarding his performance in the West Indies, it was against a decent batting lineup. An in-form Gayle, Sarwan, Lara, Hooper, Chanderpaul, Jacobs. That's one of the most potent lineups the West Indies has had in years.

Furthermore, Bond has already proven that he has the skills required. Because practically everytime he's been fit, he's performed.

 

[Richard]

I'm not using the Sri Lanka series as evidence against him, just saying that he did not get good figures there (nor, for that matter, in his maiden series). Therefore the only time he's done well on pitches that weren't tailor-made for seam was in that single series in West Indies (and not once did I say it wasn't a good batting-line-up). Whereas Shoaib has done it several times.

Therefore, to my mind, Shoaib is to date the better bowler, and Bond has a bit to do to prove himself at that level. It only takes one series, really.