Australia's plan for Bell

[Maximas]

of course

 

[GuyFromLancs]

Sweet!

 

[Daemon]

Lyon looks tidy, but doesn't carry himself like a stereotypical Aussie.

Hence the hatred of him by the selectors

Explains why they picked Beer all those years back

 

[GuyFromLancs]

It kinda does yeah

 

[Burgey]

Beer got picked because Warne gave him a wrap. That's how bloody sad our selectors have got.

 

[Furball]

Explains why they picked Beer all those years back

So stereotypically Australian that he sports a black eye in his cricinfo profile.

 

[wiff]

So stereotypically Australian that he sports a black eye in his cricinfo profile.

That's so rooted.

 

[adub]

Beer got picked because Warne gave him a wrap. That's how bloody sad our selectors have got.

and because he was a WACA expert - don't forget that.

 

[Spikey]

i've always wondered if warne was given a tip off by someone (on the panel, of course) about Beer being in consideration for selection.

 

[uvelocity]

i've always wondered if warne was given a tip off by someone (on the panel, of course) about Beer being in consideration for selection.

nah ****

 

[NUFAN]

If nothing was working early on I would employ an 8 -1 field for Bell and just bowl outside off to him and look for an edge behind.

3 slips, gully. short third man, point, cover point and extra cover on the off side and a yet to be determined position on the leg side. Bell's patience was rock solid in England, can he do it again?

 

[The Battlers Prince]

His temperament in England was excellent but I thought at the time that those glides to 3rd man wouldn't work with the different style of pitches prepared in Australia and it might be an easy pick for Patto with his extra height. Now, no Patto, early on anyway in the series, not that others couldn't get him out but. Pitches could be roads.= more runs?

 

[Prince EWS]

Tbf they've never needed one for him before.

I do genuinely wonder if that's maybe played a part as well.

It may well be that they thought if they focused on the top order and executed thir plans, Bell wouldn't perform if he came in under pressure. That's pure supposition on my part though

I actually do think there is something to this, in a roundabout way.

Bell is one of the most technically sound players in the game; his weaknesses are very predominantly mental so I think the 2013 Ashes plan to Bell was to play on that. Get him in early, get in his face, sledge him and wait for him to throw it away. There aren't really many technical faults to pick at.

I do think they had some bowling plans though. If Bell has a technical weakness it's that his off stump awareness is not great, especially on or just short of a length. It contributes to the idea that he gets out "softly"; every so often when nothing's on he'll just poke at one tentatively outside off, and if you look at his dismissals against New Zealand, Wagner troubled him just with length bowling and the angle across. This plan just didn't work though; Bell batted really well and he waited for the bowlers to just miss their execution on that slightly, which explains all the runs down to third man.

I'd probably double down on that plan, strange as it sounds. I'd protect third man right form the get go though; you can't give yourself such a small margin of error against him if you're going to bowl length outside off.

 

[Son Of Coco]

So stereotypically Australian that he sports a black eye in his cricinfo profile.

I will not have our name associated with violence by someone who comes from the land of the long white Ned!

 

[hendrix]

yeah if you're doing the whole strength as a weakness thing, at least have protection. I like aggression but giving away free runs is unnecessary.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I actually do think there is something to this, in a roundabout way.

Bell is one of the most technically sound players in the game; his weaknesses are very predominantly mental so I think the 2013 Ashes plan to Bell was to play on that. Get him in early, get in his face, sledge him and wait for him to throw it away. There aren't really many technical faults to pick at.

.

I think there's a common misconception here. Namely that Bell is afraid of being sledged.

Let me put it this way -

1. Shane Warne says "you're a c*nt and I'm gonna bowl you out"; and

2. One of Australia's current crop says the same

The first is scary because there's a good chance Warne will. The second less so for reasons I don't need to delve into right now.

Bell's weakness isn't mental, it's improvisation (skill you might say) against out of the ordinary bowlers. Against mediocre trundlers he can go hours without giving the remotest sniff of his wicket. And he can do this even when they saying naughty things about his Momma.

Bell's 'problem" (i.e. the reason he isn't regarded in the same league as Jacques Kallis), is that he lacks the ability to manipulate the very great bowlers. Although, against the merely good, he is unsurpassed in the world today. In a way he is the opposite to KP. KP makes elementary mistakes, but can dominate outright great attacks. Bell makes fewer technical errors than anyone I can see today, but doesn't dominate, or rather dominates through stealth/accumulation.

To put it in simple terms - Australia's bowlers have to find a gear beyond their usual range

 

[Furball]

I actually do think there is something to this, in a roundabout way.

Bell is one of the most technically sound players in the game; his weaknesses are very predominantly mental so I think the 2013 Ashes plan to Bell was to play on that. Get him in early, get in his face, sledge him and wait for him to throw it away. There aren't really many technical faults to pick at.

I do think they had some bowling plans though. If Bell has a technical weakness it's that his off stump awareness is not great, especially on or just short of a length. It contributes to the idea that he gets out "softly"; every so often when nothing's on he'll just poke at one tentatively outside off, and if you look at his dismissals against New Zealand, Wagner troubled him just with length bowling and the angle across. This plan just didn't work though; Bell batted really well and he waited for the bowlers to just miss their execution on that slightly, which explains all the runs down to third man.

I'd probably double down on that plan, strange as it sounds. I'd protect third man right form the get go though; you can't give yourself such a small margin of error against him if you're going to bowl length outside off.

Yeah, actually sticking someone at third man is an absolute must this time out.

 

[vic_orthdox]

i've always wondered if warne was given a tip off by someone (on the panel, of course) about Beer being in consideration for selection.

Nah, but Mickey Arthur had been pushing his barrow by that stage, saying he can play for Australia, etc.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I'm still convinced that an Australian cricket spy overheard Warne say "I wanna beer" in a pub somewhere, so then the desperate process of locating a cricketer (or otherwise) by the name of Beer began.

There can't be any other explanation.

 

[Black_Warrior]

I'm still convinced that an Australian cricket spy overheard Warne say "I wanna beer" in a pub somewhere, so then the desperate process of locating a cricketer (or otherwise) by the name of Beer began.

There can't be any other explanation.