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***Official*** Pakistan and England in UAE

Who do you think will win?!


  • Total voters
    88

CWB304

U19 Cricketer
Hopefully that's the last time someone will be lauded as an expert player of spin based on how well they can manipulate part-time dart bowlers in the middle of ODI innings on flat pitches with the field back. Morgan had proven absolutely nothing against quality spin in a balanced batvball scenario and the talk of him being undroppable because of that supposed expertise was ridiculous. You can whinge about Bell all you like but this bloke has a mediocre county record and it's been no surprise to see him struggle at Test level. Should not have played a single Test yet (well unless Ireland had been given Test status); bring me Taylor.
Not a question of whingeing about Bell. Fact is Morgan is a development player: England management see him as a project: let's see if we can turn him into a Test batsman by bedding him in at no. 6 and giving him time. It seems now that he is not up to it so fine, replace him with another youngster.

The actual problem is not him but KP and Bell who are supposedly established players that have proven that they simply cannot hack under these conditions. KP has done it before but sadly his decline is so far advanced that he really should be put out of his misery and dropped for good.

Bell OTOH has never really proven that he can perform under the gun in conditions like these despite having been given numerous chances, and the fact that a few short months ago many on this board were saying that he's finally done so, and is now not only an elite batsman like Sanga or Kallis but "the best batsman in the world over the past year tbf" is now being proven to be utter bollocks.

Bell's repeated failures here have been all too predictable to anyone who is not living in fantasyland. So go ahead and go on about Morgan's first class record if you like but remember that he is batting at number 6 and ordinarily his contribution should not even have been required when chasing such a low total. When he came in to bat today Bell and Pietersen who are supposed to have the ability and experience to keep the pressure off him had already failed dismally in the way you would have expected a no. 6 development player to fail and not in the way you would expect experienced player to fail.

Forget Morgan - he's not the issue. But if England don't learn from this and reassess KP and Bell's positions then they are making a massive mistake.
 

Spark

Global Moderator
Fantastic this from Pakistan. Jeez they're a tough side to beat ATM.
Indeed. Strange thing to say about them but they look a thoroughly professional side atm.

Not over yet though, this is the partnership. They have to knock at least half the remaining runs off, you'd say.
 

pskov

International 12th Man
If you're given out LBW to the spinners, only review if you know you've hit it. It's just too difficult to overturn anything else and you're just wasting reviews.
 

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