Combined XI

[marc71178]

Because I am always for picking '2 best pacers, 1 best spinner and one best bowler from the rest' over '3 best pacers and 1 best spinner' and because I think at the moment Harbhajan Singh is a better bowler than Tremlett overall (considering we don't know where the imaginary test match is going to be played), my India+England XI will be as follows:

Alastair Cook
Virender Sehwag
Jonathan Trott
Sachin Tendulkar
VVS Laxman
Ian Bell
Mahendra Dhoni*+
Harbhajan Singh
Graeme Swann
Zaheer Khan
James Anderson

So Trott as 1st change?

I'd love to know how Harbhajan is better than Tremlett at the moment.

 

[Jono]

Maybe he's chosen Harbhajan to score runs

 

[GIMH]

There you go - we'll see how he gets on!

(cue 281 from VVS...)

Their respective averages since the beginning of June:

KP 53
Laxman 12

Game, set, match. KP FTW

 

[morgieb]

Cook
Sehwag
Trott
Tendulkar
Laxman
Bell
Prior
Swann
Zaheer
Anderson
Tremlett

 

[Bun]

Gambhit
Sehwag
Dravid
sachin
Lax
Raina
Dhoni
Harby
Mishy/Sree
Ishant
Zak

just based on a gut feeling

 

[centurymaker]

Sreesanth >> Ishant (what has he done in the last 2 years??)

Gambhit
Sehwag
Dravid
sachin
Lax
Kohli/pujara
Dhoni
Harby
Sree
Mishra
Zak

 

[weldone]

I'd love to know how Harbhajan is better than Tremlett at the moment.

Let me ask you, if tommorrow there's a test match to be played in any country except Australia and England, whom will you take in your side between the two?

 

[marc71178]

Tremlett as I want a bowler not a batsman.

 

[weldone]

I shall choose a bowler who has close to 400 wickets and is in very good form over someone who has played 3 series in 2 countries (including his home country) in his life: has done OK in one 4 years ago, has done very well away in the second one and has done very well in the third one at home against batsmen most of whom are not known to be the best players of bounce and swing.

 

[superkingdave]

I shall choose a bowler who has close to 400 wickets and is in very good form over someone who has played 3 series in 2 countries (including his home country) in his life: has done OK in one 4 years ago, has done very well away in the second one and has done very well in the third one at home against batsmen most of whom are not known to be the best players of bounce and swing.

Is this very good form similar to the KP argument earlier in the thread? Harbhajan averaged over 40 in 2010.

 

[Jacknife]

Let me ask you, if tommorrow there's a test match to be played in any country except Australia and England, whom will you take in your side between the two?

If it's in SA I'd have him as well and NZ.

 

[marc71178]

Is this very good form similar to the KP argument earlier in the thread? Harbhajan averaged over 40 in 2010.

Clearly it is.

Add in the completely imbalance of picking him as a 2nd spinner when there's a better one of the same type already in the team and I cannot see any logic behind that pick.

 

[weldone]

Harbhajan averaged over 40 in 2010.

You don't take into account the form for the whole of last one year when you compare form with an International toddler like Tremlett. An apple-to-apple comparison is what is expected.

In his last series, Harbhajan performed well in South Africa averaging 29 as a spinner against great batsmen in general and great players of spin bowling like Kallis, Amla and De Villiers. This performance for a spinner is better in my book than averaging 23 against Sri Lanka on home soil and conditions conducive to pace and swing bowling against batsmen most of whom are not well-known for their mastery against pace and swing bowling.

 

[weldone]

If it's in SA I'd have him as well and NZ.

Not sure about SA after Harbhajan's performances in the last series, especially as Tremlett is yet to bowl his first delivery against any great South African batsman in test cricket. Harbhajan averages 24 in Newzealand too. Even if you think Tremlett can do better than that, he hasn't played there yet - a bit of patience before judging him will do no harm. I'm not necessarily saying that Tremlett won't or can't do better than Bhajji in SA or NZ, I'm simply giving the nod to the proven performer in those places.

Even if you think, for argument's sake, that Tremlett would be better than Harbhajan in SA and NZ, that makes it 5-4 to Harbhajan.

 

[weldone]

Add in the completely imbalance of picking him as a 2nd spinner when there's a better one of the same type already in the team and I cannot see any logic behind that pick.

If you think Swann and Harbhajan are bowlers of the same type, it seriously puts a question mark on your understanding about spin bowling in general.

It's as good as saying that Ishant Sharma and James Anderson are bowlers of the same type.

 

[GIMH]

Tremlett also averaged about 23 away to Australia, FTR

Just admit that you can't stand to see England have more players in the XI and that's why you've picked Harby. Then we can all move on.

 

[weldone]

Let me ask you, if tommorrow there's a test match to be played in any country except Australia and England, whom will you take in your side between the two?

Tremlett also averaged about 23 away to Australia, FTR

 

[superkingdave]

You don't take into account the form for the whole of last one year when you compare form with an International toddler like Tremlett. An apple-to-apple comparison is what is expected.

In his last series, Harbhajan performed well in South Africa averaging 29 as a spinner against great batsmen in general and great players of spin bowling like Kallis, Amla and De Villiers. This performance for a spinner is better in my book than averaging 23 against Sri Lanka on home soil and conditions conducive to pace and swing bowling against batsmen most of whom are not well-known for their mastery against pace and swing bowling.

You seem to be berating Tremlett for not playing more test cricket but basing Harbhajan's 'very good' form on one series...how did Harbhajan go in his last series before the SA one?

 

[centurymaker]

You seem to be berating Tremlett for not playing more test cricket but basing Harbhajan's 'very good' form on one series...how did Harbhajan go in his last series before the SA one?

2 tons

 

[marc71178]

Is that scoring or conceding?