Young English Players

[NZTailender]

Oh, burn, Richard.

 

[Richard]

Huh? Collingwood is currently in the Test team, so therefore Shah and Joyce (superior players in the longer form, IMO) are not so.

Nothing wrong with Collingwood being in the team, there's no case whatsoever for him not to be. But that's why Shah and Joyce aren't.

 

[NUFAN]

I like reading these threads even if I have no idea who Rik is. Still think you can't say he was wrong with Harmy he took 200 test wickets ffs.

 

[Richard]

Anyone can take wickets if they play enough. Harmison has been picked without meriting it more times than I can count now.

And taken a decent haul against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh too.

Rik's one of the best posters CW has ever seen BTW.

 

[superkingdave]

Schofield isn't gooooooooonnnee Richard, he's still at Surrey and played for England as recently as September

 

[Richard]

He's goooonnnnneeeee from international reckoning tho... other than that Twenty20 stuff.

TBH I'm a bit surprised he's still playing domestic cricket, especially for Surrey.

 

[Swervy]

Anyone can take wickets if they play enough. Harmison has been picked without meriting it more times than I can count now.

And taken a decent haul against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh too.

Rik's one of the best posters CW has ever seen BTW.

Its simply not the case though....not just anyone can take over 200 wickets in 50 odd tests. With Harmison he simply hasn't developed in the way some people hoped, when you consider the tools he does have at his disposal. I would still rate him as a genuine threat as an opening bowler on his day.

Sure, he is pretty inconsistant, but, injury permitting, there is a place for Harmison in the test side, and in theory he should be reaching the height of his powers in the next season or two. Disappointingly,still work in progress, but still someone to be reckond with IMO

 

[Richard]

If there's one thing Harmison has never been it's a threat with the new-ball. Even in those 7 Tests in West Indies and at home to New Zealand the only time he ever took wickets in his opening spell was the infamous 7-12.

As I've always said, though - those who hoped Harmison would keep bowling as he did in early 2004, never mind get better still, were always hoping for too much, IMO. Bowlers don't often go from being as awful as he was early in his career to being top-of-the-range Test bowlers. And sure enough, Harmison has indeed regressed, back to perhaps worse than ever in 2007.

And of course not just anyone can take 179 wickets in 50 Tests (which is what Harmison has done for and against Test-class teams). But if you look closely those figures are really very distorted by early 2004. Get rid of just those 2 series and it's 135 in 43 Tests (at 38.51). And any decent county bowler can do that. And several could do far better.

 

[Swervy]

And of course not just anyone can take 179 wickets in 50 Tests (which is what Harmison has done for and against Test-class teams). But if you look closely those figures are really very distorted by early 2004. Get rid of just those 2 series and it's 135 in 43 Tests (at 38.51). And any decent county bowler can do that. And several could do far better.

here we go again.


As I say, it is just my opinion

 

[Richard]

Yes, and it's my opinion that Harmison has been abysmal in his entire Test career outside those 7 matches in early 2004. That's 43 games. A lot.

And I really don't think it's stretching too much to suggest others couldn't do the same as he has in the rest of his Test career. Thing is, of course, virtually none would get the chance. Harmison has been picked without deserving it more times than anyone I've ever seen, unless you count Ashley Giles, and that's a rather different case.

 

[Jamee999]

You think he was abysmal while hitting Langer and Ponting at Lords'?

 

[Richard]

Hayden and Ponting you mean? Everyone hits Langer.

Yes, I do, actually. I don't set stall on hitting batsmen, just getting them out. Only time Harmison got many batsmen out that match was the end of the innings.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Anyone can take wickets if they play enough. Harmison has been picked without meriting it more times than I can count now.

And taken a decent haul against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh too.

Rik's one of the best posters CW has ever seen BTW.

...and he's a Victorian. Get him up here I want to boof him.

 

[Richard]

...and he's a Victorian.

What gave you that idea? He's a Shropshire man.

 

[morgieb]

Richard, you hypacrit. You bag me for digging threads then you do yourself FFS.

 

[Pup Clarke]

 

[Son Of Coco]

What gave you that idea? He's a Shropshire man.

It's a 12th man quote...your description of Rik reminded me of it.

 

[Richard]

Richard, you hypacrit. You bag me for digging threads then you do yourself FFS.

Hypocrite.

I did threads with good reason, and I don't "bag" you for digging, just laugh sometimes at the fact that half your posts seem to be digs. Not all of them are pointless (though some are), and it was actually Gelman who told you off for pointless digging.

 

[Richard]

It's a 12th man quote...your description of Rik reminded me of it.

Anyway, you've an unpaid avatar forfeit and I've finally found you a suitable pic. So get the thing uploaded when you read this post.

 

[sledger]

Richard Dawson

dear god, I had forgotten about him. One of the most perculiar actions I have ever seen, my only real memories of this chap are him being smashed around by Steve Waugh, and belted around the rosebowl by Sean Ervine in the C&G semi a few years ago.