Custom Bats Cricket Forum
General Cricket => Players => Topic started by: Watsontotty on August 22, 2010, 04:51:24 PM
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Last night we debated at length England's current test series against Pakistan and many other series altogether as well as some rather heated debates regarding some of the current players and possible future players. The topic which was fiercely debated the most was about Kevin Pietersen and his recent and current form, obviously we were all aware of his undoubted ability etc but the debate was more about the here and now and the future.
In my opinion KP performance in the last 18 months or so have dramatically gone down hill, some of the shots he plays and the way he is getting out is embarrassing for such a high quality player. He looks to have little idea when playing spin which is confusion when you cast your mind back to the KP of old who would dominate any spinner and basically take them apart. There are several other factors which we talked about attitude desire etc etc and i feel he should be dropped yes that's right dropped.
I ask you the question if KP was bowler would he still be in the England team, well in my opinion he certainly wouldn't be he would have been dropped shock he needs to up his game and prove he really wants it. We all agreed we need him for the ashes but there is something lacking with kp and we were all unsure if its his ambition or attitude.
Whats your thoughts ?
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The thing that amazes me about KP is that his issues are all mental - He really has problems concentrating and doesn't rate a lot of bowlers and then gets out.
Personally I would only drop him if I thought there was someone better or more likely to score more runs - and there isn't. Bopara, Carbery or Lyth, better than Pietersen? Not in my book.
Not having a county is also a big deal. There were suggestions in the paper today that he will ahve to pay middlesex to play for them next year - rather than getting paid by them!
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He average's around 32 in recent times and that's certainly on the decline and we haven't been playing against the test elite, I'm not suggesting we have better players waiting to come in but are we getting enough from him ? its all well and good saying well hes capable of scoring runs but at some stage you have to look at what runs he is scoring which right now isn't enough and a decision will need to be made.
The point regarding a county team i was under the impression a deal with Middlesex had already been sorted, KP made some comments about possibly not needing a county which in my opinion shows me he thinks hes too good for county cricket, i question his whole attitude even though he is a wonderful player.
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I sympathise for KP. He needs confidence and needs to go back to the basics, or what he is good at doing. I don't mind if he gets 40 off 20 as long as he feels good afterwards and is regaining confidence. In terms of the upcoming Ashes series I think it's too late to drop him as he'll gain no form in county cricket or domestic so I think we should persist and if he gets no runs in The Ashes then he should have a spell domestically.
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KP is obviously an emotional and highly strung cricketer as are many professional sportsmen playing at the highest level possible.Losing the captaincy was a huge blow to him personally especially as he brought a different vibe to the team and that was his big chance to show the world that he could achieve anything. His class is obvious and he is a big match player.Very few England players are big match players and certainly not matchwinners like KP.There is a fantastic allround balance with England which has been missing for years which is why Cook and KP are being highlighted at the moment.No other country boosts up a player and then shoots them down and kicks them hard better than England.The Aussies will be pissing themselves laughing if he doesnt play in OZ as he is certainly the one player that they fear... and he has already left some scars on them.
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I think once he gets back into a county and gets some big scores, we'll see the same old Pietersen scoring in the England side. A player will only get back into form with time out in the middle. The way England have tried to get him back in form during a Test match is the wrong way. Now the problem is, which county will take him? He said he wants to be around London so teams like Middlesex and Surrey, but will they take him?
Also I read on Cricinfo that the ECB will also insist that, in order to qualify for an England contract, players must sign for a county club. This will force KP to find a county home.
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I think, after having a chat to a mate - that KP is having a problem being to much of a new age dad - he is spending too much time changing nappies and giving midnight feeds.
He needs to take a leaf out of Rooney's book!!
This may sound slightly ridiculous, but I have an 8 month old, so have some experience of not sleeping and having to go to work and not being 100% committed to my day job...
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form is temporary class is permanent
and this is class
never seen anything like it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4D5krDwwTA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZnSs6ldUWo&feature=related
tbh i think him personally and the form of 20 20 has done wonders for cricket hes just not doing it in the tests
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KP is obviously an emotional and highly strung cricketer as are many professional sportsmen playing at the highest level possible.Losing the captaincy was a huge blow to him personally especially as he brought a different vibe to the team and that was his big chance to show the world that he could achieve anything. His class is obvious and he is a big match player.Very few England players are big match players and certainly not matchwinners like KP.There is a fantastic allround balance with England which has been missing for years which is why Cook and KP are being highlighted at the moment.No other country boosts up a player and then shoots them down and kicks them hard better than England.The Aussies will be pissing themselves laughing if he doesnt play in OZ as he is certainly the one player that they fear... and he has already left some scars on them.
well said
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Buzz i agree with you completely and i get the feeling KP needs to be in some kind of zone to perform..
Like most world class stars there a enigma around them a almost Zen.
What KP walking out to bat you can tell if he is right or not...
Overcoached as well does that come into it i sure KP plays better when he is not thinking about it...
The truth is he needs to be loved a challenge in his own mind Ala Ashes Warne..
Yes he a arragent individual but without doubt our most talented individual with a bat in his hands bar none...
If the backroom staff fail to get the best out of him then it there problam and they have failed...
Playing domestic cricket might be a answer for some but not for a KP he lives life on a tipped balance of flawed genius and facing some of the dross in county cricket is hardly going to get him into the groove were used to..
If KP fails in my mind so has the captain and coaches gone are the old Illingworth days were it was pick you chin up and play now with all the backroom staff none technicals around it''s there job to get him fireing again...
If he has a bad ashes i suspect it may be the last we see of KP out of his own choice...
Question is how badly does he want to go down as a true great
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Does he need the hassle of test cricket now?
As much as i have enjoyed watching him bat, you do sometimes wonder if if his heart is in it. i mean he came over to further himself from SA, he's done virtually everything (won the ashes, won a world cup etc) and the money is now simply in being a twenty twenty mercenary aka Pollard.
If he was serious about Test cricket, he would play some county cricket and get in the habit of batting for long periods etc.
He doenst need the hassle / effort of playing tests. Dont get me wrong i think a firing KP is the most destructive batsmen in the world and would love him to do it for England, however he has other things on his mind / plate.
KP needs to stop thinking and just hit it, Which is why I think KP as he is, prefers & plays better in the shorter format of the game.
Its a shame as i do think he could have been a "great", not just a good batsmen...
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for a man who came over as a off spinner who could bat a bit he aint done to bad...
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imo, his main problem is he tries to be too textbook.... it was part of his whole package that he was unorthodox and outrageous, but it seems like he has been turned into coaching manual batsman
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here here bring back the flamingo
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too damn right, i miss that shot
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No debate for me- Pietersen is our best batsman who is currently been out of form for a long while. It will do him and England no good if we drop him in the last test before the ashes....
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Totally valid point Buzz, I havea 6 month old lad and my batting average has dropped this season !
I think, after having a chat to a mate - that KP is having a problem being to much of a new age dad - he is spending too much time changing nappies and giving midnight feeds.
He needs to take a leaf out of Rooney's book!!
This may sound slightly ridiculous, but I have an 8 month old, so have some experience of not sleeping and having to go to work and not being 100% committed to my day job...
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I am not a huge KP fan, but it has to be said in recent times he has still been more successful than Cook and I would argue is a better player, all it will take is one big knock like Cook's and the doubts will be removed. It is just a question of confidence at the end of the day.
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I ask you the question if KP was bowler would he still be in the England team, well in my opinion he certainly wouldn't be he would have been dropped shock he needs to up his game and prove he really wants it. We all agreed we need him for the ashes but there is something lacking with kp and we were all unsure if its his ambition or attitude.
Whats your thoughts ?
I totally disagree with what you have said about if KP was a bowler he wouldn't be dropped, Stuart Broad has put in below average performances on a regular basis since the first test he has played, he is of course a player with imense potential and talent and so occasionally once a series or maybe once every two series he puts in a wonderful performance. This somehow manages to stop his selection every being up for debate despite the fact that he takes his wickets at a very average 35 a piece. He needs to go back to county cricket like Anderson did and learn how to bowl. Although Anderson is very dependant on conditons since his break away from england in swinging conditions he is now deadly. Broad needs to find out exacltly what works for him and test cricket is to hard a place to do that no matter how good you are.
As for KP like many people who have a talent that is far better than even the very good players it as has already been said aits all about whats going round his head. He is totally competitive person I believe the ashes will bring the best out of him as I think to him that is the ultimate and it should relight the desire in him to knuckle down and do the hard yards.
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This is sure to spark some debate...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/feb/17/kevin-pietersen-england-delhi-daredevils-ipl
Kevin Pietersen is England's greatest modern batsman – flaws and allKP's record is dizzyingly fine, the last of the high-water-mark 2005 Ashes team still playing in all formats of the game
by Barney Ronay
This week I went to the kind of sporting sub‑event that puts you in mind, rather uneasily, of the old joke about being the type of person who turns up to the opening of an envelope, or the launch of a rubber dinghy, or the unfoiling of a Pot Noodle.
In this case it was the unveiling of a shirt: not just any shirt, but the one Kevin Pietersen will wear for his new IPL franchise, the Delhi Daredevils. The shirt's coming-out was staged at the ICC cricket academy in Dubai and was a spectacle that, it must be said, required a certain amount of politicking to witness. Initially English press were banned from attending. This shirt launch was simply too big, too thickly caked in event-glamour.
Then a twist: English journalists could attend, but they must not ask questions. They may look upon the shirt, but only in the role of penitent mutes, struck dumb by its splendour. And so it was that after a tantalising delay, flanked by a cartel of grinning bigwigs, Pietersen finally appeared decked out in full Daredevils get-up, as ever surprisingly tall and lean and tanned and goofily charismatic.
We'd come not to bury KP, but perhaps to smile a little and to draw arch analogies between his recent travails in 50-over cricket and this knee‑trembling Twenty20 canonisation. But as he ran through his lines, doing really rather well, name-checking the right people, posing for a photo with all four attendant bigwigs clutching at a single corner of the shirt, as though it were some holy healing shroud, it was hard not to soften and feel a little proud of this most peculiar cricketing personage.
This is the thing about Pietersen. You may think you have measure of him, but for all his enduring celebrity-ism he remains both appealing and surprisingly persistent. It is perhaps only when he is finally gone that we may feel he has been slightly underrated, rather than, as many would suggest, the opposite.
Naturally, none of the attendant shirt-launch shenanigans were actually Pietersen's fault. He is simply the product here, retailed aggressively by his time-share owners. Plus, he fits this world so well it is tempting to imagine he harbours ambitions of becoming soon a facsimile of Chris Gayle, the world's most post-modern cricketer, who has basically pared himself down into a hired global six-hitting machine: just dial the 24-hour emergency number and Gayle will emerge from the nearest disco carrying his baseball bat.
But we know Pietersen better than this by now. The fact is, he hasn't disappeared from view, hasn't shied from difficult times in 50-over cricket, but has instead embraced his reinvention as an opening batsman at precisely the moment in his career he seems least equipped for its demands.
Many have remarked on the technical flaw in a defence that sees him present his bat with a dramatic swish from the right, like a matador brandishing his cloak. And there is something epically poignant about Pietersen being humbled by the forward defensive, this telescopicallyassembled uber-athlete with his nylon warrior's gait, baffled by cricket's ancient first position, like Tarzan starving to death because he just can't hold his knife and fork properly.
Some see this as symptomatic of a fatal flaw, a hubristic failure to refine and adapt his kung-fu forward lunge. Some will say he has always had a flawed technique, relying instead on those astronaut's reflexes. But this overlooks his fervent dedication to practice. Frail, ungrooved techniques are for lazier players. Instead Pietersen is simply
at a time when he is suffering chronic uncertainty at the crease, induced by the brutal new world of UDRS with its unblinking pedant's eye for lbw.
It is a system that has on certain pitches made cricket into a game of lbw, turned pads into stumps and cricket into french-cricket, stumps and bails a backdrop to the real G-spot, the batsman's legs.
Pietersen has not yet rebuilt his batting to counter this assault on the shins. Will he be given time? Certainly there is no real pillow of enduring public affection to sustain him through the lean times. Instead, Pietersen is often viewed a bit like a piece of machinery bought in at great expense: when he doesn't work he seems suddenly useless, like a combine harvester with a broken axle. This is despite the fact that his career record is not just fine, but dizzyingly fine. In ODIs Pietersen has the highest batting average of any England player with more than 50 matches. He is England's greatest player yet in Twenty20. And only Ken Barrington and Wally Hammond have played as many Tests and had a higher batting average. Forget for a moment comparing attacks across the ages. Judged solely on his stats, Pietersen is England's greatest batsman of the modern age.
His value lies in intangibles, too. Few other sportsmen have provided such distinctive and memorable physicality: that bravura forearm-extension to meet the clouting cover drive, or the quick step and loft over midwicket he produced on Wednesday night off the bowling of Abdur Rehman.
Then there are the innings: the 158 at The Oval in 2005 will remain his most dizzying extreme, an innings of fearless skunk‑haired dufus-genius. Since then there have been more rhythmic masterpieces – and this is the lovely paradox about Pietersen. He may have been painted as brash and new world‑ish, a twitching future‑phile. But it is his Test match deeds that will endure.
Plus, he has the added lustre of having simply not gone away, the last of the high-water-mark 2005 England team still playing in all formats. For two years now he is supposed to have been on the wane, already engaged in the roadrunner years, that modern sporting phenomenon where from a distance it is clear you've already gone skittering out over the edge of the cliff, held up by nothing more than fame-momentum and celebrity ballast. But Pietersen is dogged as well as explosive, as all great sportsmen are. And beneath the excitingly zippered, multi‑chevroned inanities of his latest act of shirt-shifting, this is still a truly great English cricketer.
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Pietersen's lack of back foot gameplay means he's nothing more than a decent player. If he'd stayed with us, maybe Kallis, Kirsten etc could've made him the greatest batsman after Bradman!
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KP just has an incredibly short attention span as of late, seems like his brain is everywhere but where it should be. Perhaps some Ritalin will do him good.
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KP averaged 86 for England in tests last year. 1 bad series and people are calling for the chop. disgraceful imo
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Personally I don't think you can judge Pietersen purely on average - there are also times he has left the team in trouble because 'that's the way I play'
My main issue with him would be the fact that (from an outsider point of view) he doesn't seem well liked by his team mates. You can't help but wonder if this is having an effect on the team as a whole.
It was also noticeable that he did no media during the Pakistan series but as soon as there was IPL tickets to be flogged he's straight up there on the stage.
For me the issue is not KPs form more the fact that he represents KP first and England second no matter how many tattoos he may wear of the 3 lions!
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is there still a debate? ;)
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Did anyone spot the difference in kp's technique yesterday I'm sure buzz did
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Did anyone spot the difference in kp's technique yesterday I'm sure buzz did
Buzz hasn't watched any of it, but I would hazard a guess that he used his bat and actually hit the ball and stayed stiller at the crease...
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He was taking guard outside leg stump against the spinners which meant his pad wasn't getting in the way. Seemed to work quite nicely for him.
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He stopped using a trigger and was not quite still but as still as kp is going to be haha
Looked infinitely better to me
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Talk about perfect conditions for a KP good innings. Couldn't be less to play for and the guy knocks out 2 centuries. Typical!
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top knocks from kp looked at his best again!
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Form is only temporary, class is permanent
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http://www.crichotline.com/pakistan-vs-england-4th-odi-highlights-dubai-21-feb-2012/
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Talk about perfect conditions for a KP good innings. Couldn't be less to play for and the guy knocks out 2 centuries. Typical!
Well he can't win then. If he fails, you bag him, if he makes runs, they're described as meaningless.
I appreciate KP draws attention, but he seems unfairly criticized in my view. Seems these days a player has a bad series and everyone wants him sacked, madness.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/feb/17/kevin-pietersen-england-delhi-daredevils-ipl
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... Seems these days a player has a bad series and everyone wants him sacked, madness.
E.g: Ian Bell.
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This one day series really proved nothing. England are an ordinary ODI series. They very rarely score most than 250-260. Against the top tier ODI sides that's no challenge. Pakistan have a terrible batting line up. So they masked England's short comings.
Pietersen's two hundreds will be lauded by the British press and fans, but as others have pointed out it was meaningless. Pakistan's attack is decent(Ajmal and Afridi top draw) but Gul was shocking. Cheema, Rehman and Junaid are still inexperienced.
England's luck was that Ajmal could only bowl 10 overs, so they looked to play him out. Misbah was very negative as captain. In the Test series he rarely used his brain, just had Ajmal and Rehman bowl together for 50 overs and England would crumble.
Both of Pietersen's hundreds came when there was no pressure to score runs.
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Worth reading Simon Hughes' commentary on this today...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/9094064/Pakistan-v-England-Alastair-Cooks-team-have-become-good-at-50-over-cricket.html
Pakistan v England: Alastair Cook's team have become good at 50-over cricket
England were whitewashed in India, but now, thanks to hard work, new rules and a little luck, life looks very different.
Time
By the management’s own admission, England were a little underprepared going into the first Test. They were just not ready for a trial by mysterious spin (aided by Hawk-Eye) on low, slightly skiddy pitches and there was no time to recover confidence or rejig technique after the initial defeat.
Gradually they have worked out a method from time in the middle, helped also by the lack of close fielders. This has a psychological as well as physical impact.
Having no men around the bat makes batsmen feel liberated and they can attempt to manoeuvre the ball into spaces reassured that there is no one there to prey on their misjudgement. Kevin Pietersen was waltzing down the wicket to Saeed Ajmal on Saturday, using his whole body as a barrier to stop the ball getting past.
Occasionally it skewed off an edge but there was no one there to catch it. Pakistan could have countered with more attacking fields, but they were over defensive.
Alastair Cook
Ignored as a one-day player a year ago, and ridiculed in some quarters when he was appointed captain, Cook has made it his mission to succeed. He has kept his method very simple, sticking to basics, batting watchfully early on, gradually upping the tempo.
His innings are a geometric delight as he uses bat angles to manipulate the ball into gaps, using glides and late cuts on the offside, and flicks and nurdles to leg. He does not premeditate his shots, he just capitalises on precise judgment of line and length.
Helped by good pitches and Pakistan’s seamers’ reluctance to go around the wicket, he has achieved an excellent strike rate of 93 runs per 100 balls (up there with the best in the world) with the minimum of fuss. He is a rare talent.
Restrictions on bowlers
Ajmal has been able to bowl only 10 overs per match, and has therefore been used in short bursts, which means he is unable to build up pressure.
Some England batsmen are no nearer reading him (Pietersen, Eoin Morgan) but they have fashioned a method. His impact has been lessened by the freer mentality of the batsmen and also the fact that he does not like bowling with a newish ball.
Two new balls
The use of a new ball at each end is huge advantage to England now they have such an impressive seam attack. Stuart Broad and James Anderson were missing from the one-day series in India which England lost so heavily, leaving Steven Finn as a lone strike force.
Now there is no let up on the Pakistan batsmen, who are anyway technically flawed. Finn is the perfect bowler for these surfaces because he really bends his back and hits the pitch hard while also bowling relentlessly straight and predominantly full.
His sheer pace (90mph plus) has been too much for some batsmen and it was a major error that England did not pick him instead of Chris Tremlett in the first Test after his showing in India.
Broad has been a penetrative ally, varying his grip while maintaining superb control and Anderson has been reliability personified.
And, even in the 40th over, they are bowling with a ball that is only 20 overs old. It is the first real offering to bowlers in one day cricket – the equivalent of giving an opening batsman an extra life – and will have a major impact on England’s one-day fortunes.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have a relatively weak pace attack, and its leader, Umar Gul prefers, like Ajmal, an older ball.
Powerplays
The penny has finally dropped and England have realised that they were coming unstuck in the batting powerplays by being over-ambitious.
Now, helped by the fact that Cook has been at the wicket, they have been less extravagant and more calculated, maintaining the same tempo rather than looking suddenly to shift into a different gear. England’s lower middle order, however, has yet to be properly tested.
As England found to their cost in India, and to their satisfaction here, momentum in one-day series shifts inexorably. Increasingly, everything seems to go right for one team, and wrong for the other.
But tactics evolve fast in one-day cricket, so England should enjoy their success while it lasts.
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This one day series really proved nothing. England are an ordinary ODI series. They very rarely score most than 250-260. Against the top tier ODI sides that's no challenge. Pakistan have a terrible batting line up. So they masked England's short comings.
Pietersen's two hundreds will be lauded by the British press and fans, but as others have pointed out it was meaningless. Pakistan's attack is decent(Ajmal and Afridi top draw) but Gul was shocking. Cheema, Rehman and Junaid are still inexperienced.
England's luck was that Ajmal could only bowl 10 overs, so they looked to play him out. Misbah was very negative as captain. In the Test series he rarely used his brain, just had Ajmal and Rehman bowl together for 50 overs and England would crumble.
Both of Pietersen's hundreds came when there was no pressure to score runs.
I have this sixth sense going today - are you an Aussie?
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I have this sixth sense going today - are you an Aussie?
Not unless Durban has relocated in the past few hours
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Worth reading Simon Hughes' commentary on this today...
[url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/9094064/Pakistan-v-England-Alastair-Cooks-team-have-become-good-at-50-over-cricket.html[/url]
Pakistan v England: Alastair Cook's team have become good at 50-over cricket
England were whitewashed in India, but now, thanks to hard work, new rules and a little luck, life looks very different.
Time
By the management’s own admission, England were a little underprepared going into the first Test. They were just not ready for a trial by mysterious spin (aided by Hawk-Eye) on low, slightly skiddy pitches and there was no time to recover confidence or rejig technique after the initial defeat.
Gradually they have worked out a method from time in the middle, helped also by the lack of close fielders. This has a psychological as well as physical impact.
Having no men around the bat makes batsmen feel liberated and they can attempt to manoeuvre the ball into spaces reassured that there is no one there to prey on their misjudgement. Kevin Pietersen was waltzing down the wicket to Saeed Ajmal on Saturday, using his whole body as a barrier to stop the ball getting past.
Occasionally it skewed off an edge but there was no one there to catch it. Pakistan could have countered with more attacking fields, but they were over defensive.
Alastair Cook
Ignored as a one-day player a year ago, and ridiculed in some quarters when he was appointed captain, Cook has made it his mission to succeed. He has kept his method very simple, sticking to basics, batting watchfully early on, gradually upping the tempo.
His innings are a geometric delight as he uses bat angles to manipulate the ball into gaps, using glides and late cuts on the offside, and flicks and nurdles to leg. He does not premeditate his shots, he just capitalises on precise judgment of line and length.
Helped by good pitches and Pakistan’s seamers’ reluctance to go around the wicket, he has achieved an excellent strike rate of 93 runs per 100 balls (up there with the best in the world) with the minimum of fuss. He is a rare talent.
Restrictions on bowlers
Ajmal has been able to bowl only 10 overs per match, and has therefore been used in short bursts, which means he is unable to build up pressure.
Some England batsmen are no nearer reading him (Pietersen, Eoin Morgan) but they have fashioned a method. His impact has been lessened by the freer mentality of the batsmen and also the fact that he does not like bowling with a newish ball.
Two new balls
The use of a new ball at each end is huge advantage to England now they have such an impressive seam attack. Stuart Broad and James Anderson were missing from the one-day series in India which England lost so heavily, leaving Steven Finn as a lone strike force.
Now there is no let up on the Pakistan batsmen, who are anyway technically flawed. Finn is the perfect bowler for these surfaces because he really bends his back and hits the pitch hard while also bowling relentlessly straight and predominantly full.
His sheer pace (90mph plus) has been too much for some batsmen and it was a major error that England did not pick him instead of Chris Tremlett in the first Test after his showing in India.
Broad has been a penetrative ally, varying his grip while maintaining superb control and Anderson has been reliability personified.
And, even in the 40th over, they are bowling with a ball that is only 20 overs old. It is the first real offering to bowlers in one day cricket – the equivalent of giving an opening batsman an extra life – and will have a major impact on England’s one-day fortunes.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have a relatively weak pace attack, and its leader, Umar Gul prefers, like Ajmal, an older ball.
Powerplays
The penny has finally dropped and England have realised that they were coming unstuck in the batting powerplays by being over-ambitious.
Now, helped by the fact that Cook has been at the wicket, they have been less extravagant and more calculated, maintaining the same tempo rather than looking suddenly to shift into a different gear. England’s lower middle order, however, has yet to be properly tested.
As England found to their cost in India, and to their satisfaction here, momentum in one-day series shifts inexorably. Increasingly, everything seems to go right for one team, and wrong for the other.
But tactics evolve fast in one-day cricket, so England should enjoy their success while it lasts.
Total rubbish. Had this side played another 5 match series with the Indians it would still have been 5-0. England's level is on par with Pakistan. Second tier ODI sides.
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Total rubbish. Had this side played another 5 match series with the Indians it would still have been 5-0. England's level is on par with Pakistan. Second tier ODI sides.
going to be a fun summer then if that is what you think!
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Not unless Durban has relocated in the past few hours
Perhaps I was being a little unfair! The Australians see things from a fair point of view and are generally more laid back in their opinions!! Makes more sense now! ;)
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going to be a fun summer then if that is what you think!
Top 4 ODI sides are Australia, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The top tier. Sides below like Pakistan, West Indies, England and New Zealand are second tier.
Fun summer? Most certainly. Steyn, The Pro, Morne and de Lange gonna be ruthless.
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Both of Pietersen's hundreds came when there was no pressure to score runs.
After a poor Test series? After being moved up the order in the OD team? Having to silence the critics or be dropped?
Nah, no pressure at all! :o :o :o
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mate i dont think Hosk meant any ill, i saw it as praise for your comments being very honest, but i think you have now got yourself all worked up about something that i dont understand...
anyways even if you disagree please be polite..some of these guys here do a great job and dont deserve this.
You got some sort of issues? I wasn't offensive to England. Yet you are taking petty swipes at my country. Ask a doctor to up your medication
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mate i dont think Hosk meant any ill, i saw it as praise for your comments being very honest, but i think you have now got yourself all worked up about something that i dont understand...
anyways even if you disagree please be polite..some of these guys here do a great job and dont deserve this.
Sarcasm doesn't work well on a computer screen, but point taken.
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Top 4 ODI sides are Australia, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. The top tier. Sides below like Pakistan, West Indies, England and New Zealand are second tier.
Fun summer? Most certainly. Steyn, The Pro, Morne and de Lange gonna be ruthless.
what and Finn, Broad, Anderson and Swann wont be?! If only it was a four test series...
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After a poor Test series? After being moved up the order in the OD team? Having to silence the critics or be dropped?
Nah, no pressure at all! :o :o :o
Two different forms of cricket vin the Tests he came in men around the bat. Misbah lacked the bottle to set similar fields in the ODIs, so Pietersen didn't look as vulnerable.
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Two different forms of cricket vin the Tests he came in men around the bat. Misbah lacked the bottle to set similar fields in the ODIs, so Pietersen didn't look as vulnerable.
which is exactly what simon hughes said in his article which you slated.
and KP was under pressure for his career - a story within a story.
you are certainly living up to your name... ;)
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what and Finn, Broad, Anderson and Swann wont be?! If only it was a four test series...
Steyn is light years ahead of any seamer England had. 263 wickets @ 23.
The only thing that is superior about England's attack is the spinner. We got Tahir :( That being said, Kallis and Amla are amazing against spin.
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you are certainly living up to your name... ;)
:D
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which is exactly what simon hughes said in his article which you slated.
and KP was under pressure for his career - a story within a story.
you are certainly living up to your name... ;)
We will see what Pietersen does in the next 3 ODI series he plays in. West Indies, whilst poor with the bat, have real pace with Roach, Edwards, Russell etc and top class spin with Bishoo and Narine.
Australia have a gun bowling attack. And last but not least South Africa. No love lost there.
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Steyn is light years ahead of any seamer England had. 263 wickets @ 23.
The only thing that is superior about England's attack is the spinner. We got Tahir :( That being said, Kallis and Amla are amazing against spin.
stats wise yes and he is a tremendous player, but our bowling is much better than when we scraped a draw in SA last time and our batting line up is much more secure.
I can't believe you didn't mention AB who is the best player (of spin especially) in your team. All three are right handed to which will hurt Swann.
But our batsmen are all much better against pace and bounce than anything else... as I say it should be an immense battle this summer
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Steyn is light years ahead of any seamer England had. 263 wickets @ 23.
The only thing that is superior about England's attack is the spinner. We got Tahir :( That being said, Kallis and Amla are amazing against spin.
Amala had a nightmare against Swann. Get the rewind button out on the last test series. Steyn is quicker version of Anderson but I don't think their is much between the attacks. England are a better team than 2008 though. Shame they've butchered the test series for endless ODI's.
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The Indians were cocky coming over to play in england last summer, and look what happened .... just sayin' ;)
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stats wise yes and he is a tremendous player, but our bowling is much better than when we scraped a draw in SA last time and our batting line up is much more secure.
I can't believe you didn't mention AB who is the best player (of spin especially) in your team. All three are right handed to which will hurt Swann.
But our batsmen are all much better against pace and bounce than anything else... as I say it should be an immense battle this summer
Very true about AB, and he's my favourite player, just Kallis and Amla came into my head first.
I'd say we are better now than 2007-08. Steyn missed a Test and played unfit in another. Philander is perfect for English conditions. Morne is currently the third seamer, but don't be to surprised if Marchant gets a gig
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Amala had a nightmare against Swann. Get the rewind button out on the last test series. Steyn is quicker version of Anderson but I don't think their is much between the attacks. England are a better team than 2008 though. Shame they've butchered the test series for endless ODI's.
I was very disappointed about only 3 Tests.
Alma has since improved a lot, he dismantled that clown Harbhajan!
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The Indians were cocky coming over to play in england last summer, and look what happened .... just sayin' ;)
I wouldn't say I'm being cocky. Just we have more than one fast bowler who can take wickets! Unlike India and Khan !!!