• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Ravi Bopara - another pretender?

Craig

World Traveller
I really really want the selectors to make a one off reach out plea to Trescothick to ask him to come back for one final match, obviously will never happen, but so wish it would.
And ask Graham Thorpe to make a comeback for the last Test. Will still score more then Bell and Bopara IMO.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Haha, the CC can be bloody tough to bat in at times. The quality's obviously heavily diluted from what you Aussies have but I'd have some serious respect for a batsman averaging over 50 in England. In Australia it's almost the given.

Joyce can score runs in really tough conditions, and people on these boards seem to ****ing adore players like that, but unfortunately that's not what makes a test batsman at the moment. Consistency and concentration on flat decks is what gives you the difference between India or Australia's batsmen and England or New Zealand's. How you perform in that one-match-every-30 where you're facing top-quality pace on a minefield seems to hold more water with some of the posters here for some reason, but it's not what you should really be looking for in a test batsman.

That said, I'd still pick Joyce. The bloke's quality.
Tend to find the reason why so many Aussie batsman average over 50 is because they have played so much county cricket. What do guys like David Hussey, Michael Hussey et cetera average when you take out their county exploits?
 

Craig

World Traveller
Michael Holding would do this:

Play Rob Key at 3, move Matt Prior to number 5 as purely as a batsman, Collingwood at 6, and Foster at 7 as your 'keeper.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Prior purely as a batsman is a poor idea imo, if he couldn't keep he wouldn't be anywhere near the team on his batting alone. And his performances have hardly been poor, he is the one part of the team that needs no changing whatsoever for mine.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Disagree, he is definitely good enough to play as a batsman alone. The fact that we bat him in the top six in fact suggests this IMO. That being said, I would agree that there has been nothing wrong with his keeping, it's been good in fact.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Disagree, he is definitely good enough to play as a batsman alone. The fact that we bat him in the top six in fact suggests this IMO. That being said, I would agree that there has been nothing wrong with his keeping, it's been good in fact.
Tbh the only reason he batted at 6 is because Freddies batting was so poor for so long, and in the most recent match because the selectors foolishly thought Broad was an allrounder.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Maybe, but he's averaging what? Something like 45. That to me suggests he's good enough to bat in the top 6, especially when you look at the other options.
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I really really want the selectors to make a one off reach out plea to Trescothick to ask him to come back for one final match, obviously will never happen, but so wish it would.
Think they have already tried plenty of times (they definetly asked if he would play the twenty20 world cup.)

Would not actually mind Ramps coming back, its his home ground where he has scored about 67 million runs in the last few years and despite his test history I would be an awful lot more confident of him scoring runs at number 3 than pretty much anyone else in the country. Obviously not going to happen, most I can see England doing is dropping Bopara and bringing in old fat face, who I have little confidence in.
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Maybe, but he's averaging what? Something like 45. That to me suggests he's good enough to bat in the top 6, especially when you look at the other options.
Yeah Prior is perfectly capable of batting at number 6 but with Flintoff retiring I would like to see him at number 7 from now on really, he is perfect for that role. England have no business playing 5 bowlers without Flintoff so there should be no need for Prior to bat at 6.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Maybe, but he's averaging what? Something like 45. That to me suggests he's good enough to bat in the top 6, especially when you look at the other options.
Possibly, but it is fair to point out that a lot of Priors runs have come against the West Indies, much like Ravi. Which may make his average look a bit better than it ought to.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
True, averages 33 with them taken out. But he has done well against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, and against Australia. Basically the only time he's been poor was at home to India and he's improved since then.
 

Bloody Hell

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Tend to find the reason why so many Aussie batsman average over 50 is because they have played so much county cricket. What do guys like David Hussey, Michael Hussey et cetera average when you take out their county exploits?
Uh...no.

The reason Aussie batsmen average 50 is because Shield Cricket is so strong, and it is demanded if you want to play for Australia.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Uh...no.

The reason Aussie batsmen average 50 is because Shield Cricket is so strong, and it is demanded if you want to play for Australia.
Newbie, both Hussey's average under 45 in Australian State cricket. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.
 

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Tend to find the reason why so many Aussie batsman average over 50 is because they have played so much county cricket. What do guys like David Hussey, Michael Hussey et cetera average when you take out their county exploits?
They were given 6 or 7 years practice playing a higher standard of cricket in Australia though, tbf.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Think the standard of county cricket is underated at least to a degree to a degree to be honest. Several very decent internation batsmen have had really torrid times. Michael Clarke for example was largely dissapointing for Hampshire, but then immediately after leaving went over to India and hit all those runs for Australia.
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Newbie, both Hussey's average under 45 in Australian State cricket. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Wouldn't that add to the argument that Aussie state cricket is strong? I don't think you get a good average in any form of cricket just by playing it a lot. You have to be semi-decent too.
 

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Wouldn't that add to the argument that Aussie state cricket is strong? I don't think you get a good average in any form of cricket just by playing it a lot. You have to be semi-decent too.
Of course it is.

I was just riled that he thought what I said was incorrect. The reason why so many Australian batsman average over 50 is because of county cricket. That is unquestionable, the odd anomaly (Michael Clarke) aside.
 

Bloody Hell

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Newbie, both Hussey's average under 45 in Australian State cricket. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Your 10,000 posts at an "international level" undoubtedly make you more knowledgable about cricket. 8-)

What about Love and Law - average 50 at FC and not good enough to play tests...for Australia anyway?

You were speaking in generalities, not specifics. And since you are now looking at specifics and you are so knowledgable - What was the last test match D.Hussey played in? And ever wondered why Hussey was carving up County Cricket, but couldn't break into the Australian team? (his current form is a hint)
 

Top