How come English can't bat?

[Burgey]

Yeah, that's definitely a fair comment. Also adds weight to the argument that statistics only tell half the story (if that).

I don't know enough about batting technique to say if Pietersen's all round technical ability is up there with the best or not, but I have never seen anyone take such a big stride down the wicket and dominate fast bowlers in the way that he does. There's something quite mesmeric about watching him willingly walk down the trackt towards a guy hurling a hard red ball at him at close to 90mph and spearing it through the midwicket region.

Hayden's been doing it for 5-6 years, tbh. And an old codger like McGrath has never broken his rib

I think Pietersen suffers in some quarters coz he's not a classical looking batsman. He's tall, and a tall guy playing the same shot as a more compact player can sometimes look gangly or awkward by comparison (all things such as this being relative). His cover drive looks great but you wouldn't say he's a Gower or M Waugh as a sweet timer - not that there are many of them, but you catch my drift - more a bludgeoner of the ball. Yet he's damn effective and is England's best batsman by the length of thr straight with a leg in the air. His technique, when you break it down, is really pretty good, but it just doesn't look as good as some others. Look at Dravid playign a defensive shot and it's out of the text book. Look at KP and it's not as elegant, but when the ball hits bat the head is still, the balance is there and there isn't often a gap between bat and pad.

 

[Richard]

Hayden's been doing it for 5-6 years, tbh. And an old codger like McGrath has never broken his rib

Didn't face McGrath, though, did he...?

Yet he's damn effective and is England's best batsman by the length of thr straight with a leg in the air.

TBH, I really wouldn't say there's much if anything between him and Cook. Bit like Hussey and Ponting with Australia.

 

[Jarquis]

 

[BoyBrumby]

Fair to say the ECB are in agreement with Tragic to some extent, hence their adopting of a seven-year residence period for anyone looking to qualifying as "English" if they move from another test nation after the age of eighteen, which I'm sure I saw called "Pietersen's Law" somewhere. It's obvious they don't trust the selectors not to pick them if left to their own devices.

 

[Spikey]

what's with all the **** threads

 

[morgieb]

Because people can see 5 1/2 years into the future....

 

[vic_orthdox]

Nah, dig post been deleted.

 

[morgieb]

Nah, dig post been deleted.

Aah, ok.

 

[Jono]

Haha great example of there needing to be something said immediately when a post is deleted in a thread. Was totally "Wtf Marcuss?" when I saw his was the first post since 2007. Thought he had gone bonkers.

 

[GIMH]

Why was the post deleted?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Why was the post deleted?

Guessing Aussie Tragic deleted it himself. Wasn't massively out of order, just something about Pietersen and Trott being the only "English" batsmen to average 50 or therabouts since Barrington and Compton.

 

[grecian]

Why was the post deleted?

It had a South african reference, in relation to our batsmen. To be fair I think there's a point to it though, as outlined in Scyld Berry's recent column.

Cheap digs about it is boring, but in the end it is apposite here.

 

[Prince EWS]

Guessing Aussie Tragic deleted it himself.

Yep.

It was a crap post from a good member; I'm guessing he realised that and took the appropriate action. Good man.

 

[Jarquis]

Not before he'd made me look like a mug.

 

[Prince EWS]

Not before he'd made me look like a mug.

Well that was just a convenient bonus.

 

[Jono]