Wow

[Barney Rubble]

He can't have impressed in the nets because I doubt he'd be backward in coming forward to offer his services.

Well I think we can safely say that those two overs in Zimbabwe were his idea rather than Vaughan's - if he'd bowled for much longer, we'd have lost! Even Strauss was more economical than he was!

 

[Barney Rubble]

Just a thought - now that I've seen BoyBrumby's new avatar, exactly how many people on this board now have KP avatars?

 

[greg]

My suspicion is Swann for the 2nd spinner's berth, just been watching him bowl against Kent actually. He bowls an attacking line for an offie, quite quickly but doesn't push it thru flat like a lot of spinners have a tendancy to do nowadays (a sign of playing too much OD stuff for me). His batting is useful too & it's a matter of record that Big Dunc likes his multi faceted players.

.

There is, however, the not insignificant matter of him missing the team coach (after a late night?) on a previous England tour. An extremely disruptive influence in the dressing room apparently. Must be something about Nottinghamshire

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Just a thought - now that I've seen BoyBrumby's new avatar, exactly how many people on this board now have KP avatars?

I was tempted too, but Fred's Ollie Reed style drinking performance (and he did "okay" at cricket too) swayed it for me (as it did for him).

 

[Barney Rubble]

I was tempted too, but Fred's Ollie Reed style drinking performance (and he did "okay" at cricket too) swayed it for me (as it did for him).

Wasn't your sig a full account of his night out until a couple of days ago? Where did it go, it's a classic!

 

[open365]

pietersen will allways have a weakness playing off side drives because of his favourability towards his bottom hand.

its not that much of an achiles heel but if i was a captain thats where i'd tell my bowlers to bowl at him.

 

[marc71178]

My suspicion is Swann for the 2nd spinner's berth, just been watching him bowl against Kent actually. He bowls an attacking line for an offie, quite quickly but doesn't push it thru flat like a lot of spinners have a tendancy to do nowadays (a sign of playing too much OD stuff for me). His batting is useful too & it's a matter of record that Big Dunc likes his multi faceted players.

I think I posted at the beginning of the season that I would have Swann ahead of Batty.

The only issue is how much Fletcher bears in mind the last time he toured.

 

[marc71178]

There is, however, the not insignificant matter of him missing the team coach (after a late night?) on a previous England tour. An extremely disruptive influence in the dressing room apparently. Must be something about Nottinghamshire

Hasn't he only just moved there this year though?

 

[Barney Rubble]

pietersen will allways have a weakness playing off side drives because of his favourability towards his bottom hand.

its not that much of an achiles heel but if i was a captain thats where i'd tell my bowlers to bowl at him.

Well after Monday, I don't think anyone will ever try to bounce him out again.

I actually think that there's a low-risk way of trying to get him out - there's always a chance, if you bowl off-stump, that he's going to score heavily if he gets it right or you get it wrong. However, I think Glenn McGrath actually spotted a weakness in him which the Australians didn't continue to exploit - in the second innings at Old Trafford, McGrath came around the wicket first ball to KP and got him lbw with a yorker. I think the fact that he tends, early on in his innings, to play around his front pad a little too much makes him vulnerable to this - his leg-side play is so strong it doesn't work that well from over the wicket, but I get the feeling around the wicket it may be successful, partly because of the little shift to the off-side he has during the bowler's delivery stride. Having said that, unless any international captains try that rather unorthodox route again, we'll never find out.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hasn't he only just moved there this year though?

Yep, he was with Northants before.

 

[greg]

Well after Monday, I don't think anyone will ever try to bounce him out again.

I actually think that there's a low-risk way of trying to get him out - there's always a chance, if you bowl off-stump, that he's going to score heavily if he gets it right or you get it wrong. However, I think Glenn McGrath actually spotted a weakness in him which the Australians didn't continue to exploit - in the second innings at Old Trafford, McGrath came around the wicket first ball to KP and got him lbw with a yorker. I think the fact that he tends, early on in his innings, to play around his front pad a little too much makes him vulnerable to this - his leg-side play is so strong it doesn't work that well from over the wicket, but I get the feeling around the wicket it may be successful, partly because of the little shift to the off-side he has during the bowler's delivery stride. Having said that, unless any international captains try that rather unorthodox route again, we'll never find out.

Yeah but the reason he got out to that ball was because he lost sight of it from the bowler's hand.

More seriously though, it'll be interesting to see how he copes with India's left armers. He wouldn't be the first English batsman in recent years to have considerable trouble with them.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Yeah but the reason he got out to that ball was because he lost sight of it from the bowler's hand.

More seriously though, it'll be interesting to see how he copes with India's left armers. He wouldn't be the first English batsman in recent years to have considerable trouble with them.

Maybe the fact that he loses sight of it is the weakness. Wasn't that Lee full-toss at Lord's that should have been given lbw bowled from around the wicket? Not sure.

To be honest, I wouldn't be too surprised if he had trouble with left-armers swinging the ball in, because angling it in is what Australia thought was his weakness early on - I also wouldn't be surprised if he picks Khan, Nehra and Pathan off through midwicket all day long and makes bags of runs.

 

[open365]

i guess in the end,all players have weaknesses,its how they overcome them that marks how good they are.

 

[greg]

Maybe the fact that he loses sight of it is the weakness. Wasn't that Lee full-toss at Lord's that should have been given lbw bowled from around the wicket? Not sure.

.

No it wasn't. Losing sight of beamers (even one that technically isn't, coming in at thigh height) at Lords is hardly unsurprising anyway, considering the effective lack of a sightscreen.

 

[Barney Rubble]

No it wasn't. Losing sight of beamers (even one that technically isn't, coming in at thigh height) at Lords is hardly unsurprising anyway, considering the effective lack of a sightscreen.

Yeah, fair enough. I wasn't saying that was the case, just suggesting that it might be.

I guess any batsman is vulnerable to a ball they can't see.

 

[Isolator]

However, I think Glenn McGrath actually spotted a weakness in him which the Australians didn't continue to exploit - in the second innings at Old Trafford, McGrath came around the wicket first ball to KP and got him lbw with a yorker. I think the fact that he tends, early on in his innings, to play around his front pad a little too much makes him vulnerable to this - his leg-side play is so strong it doesn't work that well from over the wicket, but I get the feeling around the wicket it may be successful, partly because of the little shift to the off-side he has during the bowler's delivery stride. Having said that, unless any international captains try that rather unorthodox route again, we'll never find out.

I've been thinking the same thing. I'm surprised the Ozers didn't try it again. It's not just a question of losing sight of the ball... I think it might be a problem for Pietersen.

 

[Scaly piscine]

I've been thinking the same thing. I'm surprised the Ozers didn't try it again. It's not just a question of losing sight of the ball... I think it might be a problem for Pietersen.

Err I'm afraid it was just a question of losing sight of the ball.

 

[Isolator]

We shall see. I want to see more bowlers trying it out. If it was just a one-off thing, well and good.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Wasn't your sig a full account of his night out until a couple of days ago? Where did it go, it's a classic!

Yeah, and I may revert back one sunny day. For now I'm sticking with Charters and Caldicott but.

 

[honestbharani]

Well after Monday, I don't think anyone will ever try to bounce him out again.

I actually think that there's a low-risk way of trying to get him out - there's always a chance, if you bowl off-stump, that he's going to score heavily if he gets it right or you get it wrong. However, I think Glenn McGrath actually spotted a weakness in him which the Australians didn't continue to exploit - in the second innings at Old Trafford, McGrath came around the wicket first ball to KP and got him lbw with a yorker. I think the fact that he tends, early on in his innings, to play around his front pad a little too much makes him vulnerable to this - his leg-side play is so strong it doesn't work that well from over the wicket, but I get the feeling around the wicket it may be successful, partly because of the little shift to the off-side he has during the bowler's delivery stride. Having said that, unless any international captains try that rather unorthodox route again, we'll never find out.

Would that mean that there is a chance that the Indian left armers could have a chance against him, because it is the same as the right arm around the wicket angle.