I'm probably being harsh on Khan here as he is, or at least almost world class however Franklin is more than a couple of steps away from world class and Johnson is not better than him yet therefore must be further away from being world class.What does 'Zaheer Khan and James Franklin > Johnson' have to do with Johnson being a couple of steps away from world class?
Despite the fact Johnson took four in the first innings at Perth and has rarely failed to take a wicket in any innings he's bowled and when he hasn't, his RPO has been around 2?
Tait, yes. Johnson, no way. There is no way his spot should be under threat. I came into this summer thinking his selection was (just) merited but he's been excellent, several wide deliveries at Sydney notwithstanding. He's one or two steps away from being world class, has been threatening all summer and has bowled better than most thought he would. Lacking that one element of luck too (how many times has he tied Dravid in knots?).
Noffke would be a decent replacement but in a Chris Rogers situation; to cover injury. At this stage, no way should Johnson's place be in trouble.
No it's not. Unless you're talking about batting.Clark's FC average is lower than his test average...
Stuart Clark's bowling average in international test matches (19.98) is lower than his First Class average (26.88).No it's not. Unless you're talking about batting.
That's not what you said thoughStuart Clark's bowling average in international test matches (19.98) is lower than his First Class average (26.88).
By lower I mean better.
Zaheer is world class, Franklin I haven't seen much of in Tests only ODIs (although I'll take Prince's word that he's rather good) but that doesn't really have much to do with Johnson being a few steps away. He's not the finished product by any means and after he works on a few things and gets a bit of experience under his belt he'll definitely be knocking on that door.I'm probably being harsh on Khan here as he is, or at least almost world class however Franklin is more than a couple of steps away from world class and Johnson is not better than him yet therefore must be further away from being world class.
What you saw and what I saw were different. I think he's bowled just fine overall. Sure a few wide spells now and again but he's put the brakes on the batsmen a lot of time even when not taking wickets. This is a major improvement in his game because he's never been one for economy.Johnson has been poor alot of the time. more so in Sydney and Perth then Melbourne perhaps but he has struggled to bowl accurately and has let the pressure off the Indian batsmen which was built up by Clark and Lee.
And this makes me wonder where you get your info; Johnson has never been a noted swing bowler, always a hit-the-deck type.The Indian left armers both swung the ball throughout the game yet Johnson only managed to get a few to swing despite his supposed ability to swing the ball back into right handers.
Probably the worst attempt to wriggle out of something I've seen in a loooooong time.But when I said that then I meant 'worse than'.
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But if Franklin is better and is a reasonable distance away from world class, how can Johnson only be a few steps away?Zaheer is world class, Franklin I haven't seen much of in Tests only ODIs (although I'll take Prince's word that he's rather good) but that doesn't really have much to do with Johnson being a few steps away. He's not the finished product by any means and after he works on a few things and gets a bit of experience under his belt he'll definitely be knocking on that door.
Don't really see the logic tbh. Pretty arbitrary stuff you're saying here with no real foundation. Sort of a weird CW argument, "Because a>b and a is two steps a way from world class therefore b can't be two steps away from world class". Don't really see how that disproves that b isnt far off at all.But if Franklin is better and is a reasonable distance away from world class, how can Johnson only be a few steps away?
I don't think Johnson will ever be world class in ODIs. Tests maybe, its hard to tell at this early stage but he is definitely more than a few steps away. He has a hell of a long way to go yet.
But all his best performances have come when he's got the ball to bend back into the right-hander - in ODIs of course, most notably the 4-11 spell against India.And this makes me wonder where you get your info; Johnson has never been a noted swing bowler, always a hit-the-deck type.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JYiLBcjrR_UBut all his best performances have come when he's got the ball to bend back into the right-hander - in ODIs of course, most notably the 4-11 spell against India.