So just how good is Jonathan Trott?

[SamSawnoff]

His shots are nice to watch - and he has improved a lot of late. The 3rd Test knocks were both fantastic innings and also a real treat to watch from a strokeplay point of view. However I just feel that at times he is too "textbook" in a way, it's almost too perfect (I've said similar about Ian Bell here) that, I dunno, I just can't really get excited about his strokeplay.

I wouldn't call him exciting exactly, but I like watching him. He's not the sort of player who would drive me to find something else to do while he was batting.

Trott is. But I'd like it if there were Aussie players who would drive me to do something else while they were batting - instead of sitting there waiting for the sword of Damocles over their heads to fall - so I don't see that as a flaw.

 

[Flem274*]

I like Kallis, Richardson, Sehwag, Ryder, Ingram...

I like players everyone thinks are ****s basically, for whatever reason that may be.

About to dig Cribb's Sinclair vid. Preparing to type with one hand.

 

[Spark]

Kallis’s six-hour unbeaten 85 as South Africa powered towards a declaration against England in 1999-2000 is my favourite example of Kallisness. I get the impression Trott is capable of similar stuff but he's yet to go off that particular deep end of turgid batting.

Kallis is the more versatile batsman but I don't think he's better than Trott aesthetically. Trott looks geniunely good while driving, just gives it a sort of effortless lean that's really quite admirable.

Yeah it's just the kind of "well I'm gonna work absolutely everything, even balls a foot outside off, to midwicket" which can get kinda tiring. Although he's not really done that in the knock in this Test.

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

Am I the only one that finds Kallis elegant? I don't find him boring to watch at all.

I love Kallis. Especially his cover drives, on-drives and flicks through the mid-wicket region. Most importantly, I love his balance at the crease and the way he constructs his innings - unperturbed by pace or spin or the pitch or the match condition.

Kallis, along with Dravid and the recently retired Vaughan and Atapattu, is one of the players that I would pay to watch all day. I could see them defend 540 balls in a day's cricket and love every minute of it! Just the poise and the confidence these guys seem to radiate when they bat is amazing.

 

[GotSpin]

I love Kallis. Especially his cover drives, on-drives and flicks through the mid-wicket region. Most importantly, I love his balance at the crease and the way he constructs his innings - unperturbed by pace or spin or the pitch or the match condition.

Kallis, along with Dravid and the recently retired Vaughan and Atapattu, is one of the players that I would pay to watch all day. I could see them defend 540 balls in a day's cricket and love every minute of it! Just the poise and the confidence these guys seem to radiate when they bat is amazing.

That'd be right for Kallis

 

[TumTum]

Kallis waves at you.

Trott is still worse. It's his mindset more than anything, you can see the shot he's going to play before the ball has even reached him, never goes over the top, marks his guard continuously, etc

 

[Outswinger@Pace]

That'd be right for Kallis

Well, that's your opinion. As I see it, he sees himself more as the sheet-anchor of the team. Given the inconsistency of the other "stars" in the team, I am not really surprised. Maybe, his playing style may not be attractive to everyone, but the fact that the opposition teams prize his wicket so highly speaks volumes about his worth to South Africa's success.

 

[Blaze 18]

I'll give Kallis a bit of credit for stepping up his game in that India series in SA this year. But that doesnt change some horrible over-defensive batting for the other 15 years of his career.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Furball]

Trott is still worse. It's his mindset more than anything, you can see the shot he's going to play before the ball has even reached him, never goes over the top, marks his guard continuously, etc

Imagine that, eh?

If you hit the ball on the ground, you can't get out caught.

 

[Spark]

Worked for a certain batsman named Donald.

 

[Jono]

To be fair, he's not saying that's a bad trait of a batsman. Just saying he personally finds him less exciting to watch because of that.

I most certainly don't. I have a diverse range of types of batting I like, from Gilchrist and Sehwag going over the top to Trott and Laxman keeping it along the carpet.

But if someone says they find a batsman less exciting to watch because they don't go over the top, its fair enough I guess. It's their subjective view anyway.

 

[ankitj]

Haven't seen a great deal of Trott but wish he ends up with a mighty successful career. One has to go back many many decades to find the next English batsman that finished with a 50+ average. About time we get one now.

 

[Prince EWS]

To be fair, he's not saying that's a bad trait of a batsman. Just saying he personally finds him less exciting to watch because of that.

I most certainly don't. I have a diverse range of types of batting I like, from Gilchrist and Sehwag going over the top to Trott and Laxman keeping it along the carpet.

But if someone says they find a batsman less exciting to watch because they don't go over the top, its fair enough I guess. It's their subjective view anyway.

Yeah AWTA. Whether or not it makes him a less good batsman is completely irrelevant to what TumTum was saying.

 

[hang on]

Worked for a certain batsman named Donald.

it's a bit much comparing him to donald, who was a far better bowler than he was a batsman. in fact, i don't recall him being much of a bat at all....quite a mug with the bat in fact. liked dropping it all over the place.

trott is surely better even though he might not be everyone's cup of tea aesthetically.

 

[BoyBrumby]

it's a bit much comparing him to donald, who was a far better bowler than he was a batsman. in fact, i don't recall him being much of a bat at all....quite a mug with the bat in fact. liked dropping it all over the place.

trott is surely better even though he might not be everyone's cup of tea aesthetically.

This Donald.

Should've bowled more, 'cos he was some batsman.

 

[Flem274*]

 

[hang on]

thanks for sorting that out for me, boybrumby.

 

[ankitj]

 

[Agent Nationaux]

No denying that he is a really good batsmen, and probably will have a great average when he finishes, but I like watching him bat just as much as I like watching Misbah bat.

 

[Cevno]

Is it only me who finds Amla slightly boring to watch too?

All his shots except probably the straightish cover drive seem forced too.

Kallis i like watching atleast more than Trott ,though both can be a bit similar at times Kallis has some real elegant stuff in his shot range too when he gets going.

Dravid was a different case in this regard. That he was defensive but was never boring too watch as he could play some real flowing shots.
Though in his recent times when he had his slump some of his innings were ultra defensive and really poor to watch.